CHAMPION HURDLE favourite Solwhit is on track for his date with destiny at Cheltenham in 20 days, but trainer Charles Byrnes admits he could end up wishing the big race was run over a half-mile further.
Solwhit is a best-priced 4 to 1 market leader for the Champion after a triple Grade One-winning season that included an authoritative success in the Irish Champion at Leopardstown last month.
Byrnes said after that victory he would be concerned if the going at Cheltenham turns up good or quicker, as it could play into the hands of other horses he feels may be more naturally quick.
He hasn’t changed his mind since.
“The horse does go on good ground and he will run at Cheltenham. But he does go well on soft, which might inconvenience a lot of the others more than him. Go Native would be an example of that,” Byrnes said yesterday.
“On good ground, ideally I would like two-and-a-half miles for him. If you take when he won at Aintree last season (on good-to-soft going) he needed every step of the two miles, five furlongs to win.
“He is in good old form right now and we’re happy with him. There have been no problems since he won the last day.”
The Limerick-based trainer could have up to four runners at the festival, with Weapons Amnesty attempting back-to-back Cheltenham victories in the RSA Chase and Sounds Of Jupiter a possible for the Fred Winter Novice Hurdle.
Pittoni is as low as 12 to 1 for the Triumph Hurdle, but he is not certain to start at Cheltenham. Byrnes is examining the option of forsaking the Triumph and pointing the Grade One winner at the French version of the Triumph, the Prix Alain du Breil, at Auteuil during the summer.
“The owner (Patrick Wilmott) has Jumbo Rio, who was runner-up in that race in France last year,” he said.
“We are going to run Pittoni in the Grade Two novice at Navan on Saturday and there won’t be any decision on Cheltenham until after that.
“He definitely wouldn’t go to Cheltenham if it was good ground. He needs cut. But we’ll know after Saturday.
“Weapons Amnesty is on target for the RSA. His jumping was a small bit disappointing the last day, but for a novice he has got a lot of experience now and I think he’ll be okay at Cheltenham,” Byrnes added.
