ENGLISH PREVIEWS: TRANQUIL SEA bridged a 29-year gap for Ireland in the Paddy Power Gold Cup earlier this month and the 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero War Of Attrition leads a four-strong Irish challenge into today's Hennessy Gold Cup attempting to do the same.
Bright Highway in 1980 is the common denominator in both races but the Hennessy’s tradition as a graveyard for Irish hopes can be estimated by how the mighty Arkle (1964-’65) is the only other winner to come from this country. And even he got beaten in it at his first attempt.
The record certainly wasn’t helped when Be My Royal got disqualified for a positive dope test in 2002 and today the visitors face a massive task against a home team led by the 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman.
A hugely impressive Hennessy victor two years ago, Denman again has topweight but this time faces an even more onerous task on official handicap figures.
Nevertheless Ruby Walsh has picked him over his stable companion What A Friend and trainer Paul Nicholls rates Denman as “twice the horse” he was during last season’s interrupted campaign.
His inclusion leaves his fellow Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition on just 10st 6lb and the Michael O’Leary-owned star, coming here on the back of a third at Down Royal, will be ridden for the first time by Niall “Slippers” Madden.
Ireland’s top young jockey Paul Townend teams up with Snowy Morning for Willie Mullins, while Chelsea Harbour and Offshore Account complete the Irish team.
Unlike the Hennessy, Newcastle’s Grade One Fighting Fifth Hurdle has a respectable Irish record in recent years – Harchibald’s two wins in 2007 and 2004 – but Ireland supplies five of the seven runners this afternoon, with favouritism for the Champion Hurdle seemingly up-for-grabs.
Solwhit pushed himself to near the top of the Cheltenham ante-post market with his Morgiana success earlier in the month and he is joined this afternoon by compatriots, Go Native, Won In The Dark, Al Eile and the 2007 Champion Hurdle winner Sublimity.
The latter showed the benefit of a wind operation with a fine run on the flat at Leopardstown in May and his trainer Rob Hennessy was hopeful yesterday.
“I know he is a year older but he seems as good as ever,” he said. “The ground is on the easy side of good which should be perfect.”
Tony McCoy’s mount, Binocular, is the principal home hope and Solwhit’s trainer Charles Byrnes said yesterday: “I’d be very afraid of Binocular. If he can produce his first run of last season then he will be very hard to beat.”
Sublimity’s stable companion Donegal has also travelled to Newcastle for a novice hurdle, while Byrnes also runs his Cheltenham festival winner Weapons Amnesty in a novice chase.
The Co Kilkenny trainer Eoin Griffin sends three runners to Tyneside, including Lucky Wish, who runs in the same race as Weapons Amnesty.
