Only Willie Mullins knows what it is like to train a horse capable of completing the Cheltenham-Punchestown Champion Bumper double and he appears to be going all out to stop Dermot Weld from doing the same with Silver Concorde today by pitching in four rivals against him.
The champion trainer’s son, Patrick, has again opted to ride Black Hercules in the Attheraces Champion Flat Race after riding him into fourth at Cheltenham behind Silver Concorde. That leaves Jamie Codd with the plum ride on Shaneshill, runner-up in the Weatherbys Bumper six weeks ago at Cheltenham, with Killultagh Vic sixth.
Ultimately on that occasion Silver Concorde was a resounding first festival winner for jockey Robbie McNamara and a first for Weld at Cheltenham in 24 years, but it is a small-but-select group that have managed to follow up at Punchestown afterwards.
Just the Mullins-trained pair of Champagne Fever (2012) and Cousin Vinny (2008) have managed it, although Dunguib did the same in 2009 only to subsequently fail a dope test for the Irish race. It is a task that over the years quality horses like Montelado haven't managed.
Pattern level
Weld has indicated he believes Silver Concorde to be potentially up to pattern level on the flat and quick ground will be in his favour as he attempts the big double against opposition that includes a quartet of cross-channel hopes.
A case can be made, though, that the Mullins horse best capable of foiling Silver Concorde will be the four-year-old Aminabad, who skipped the rigours of Cheltenham in favour of a straight-forward task at Limerick at the end of March.
The diminutive son of Singspiel is no chaser in the making but Katie Walsh’s mount gets the age allowance and should relish much better going than he got at Limerick. Four-year-olds have won this race in the past, ironically Weld’s Hidden Universe being the last of them four years ago.
Today’s third Grade One, the Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle, has Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud going to war with three runners, including the Cheltenham Festival winners Don Poli and Very Wood.
The latter was a surprise winner of the Albert Bartlett but the home team could all have to go some to cope with the Nicky Henderson-trained
Beat That,
who impressively landed a Grade One over three miles at Liverpool.
Stamina test
That was just his third career start over flights and a combination of a stamina test and good ground looked to bring out the best in him.
Punchestown 2013 brought an end to a streak of five straight years where Philip Hobbs hit the mark at the Punchestown Festival. That run included a Gold Cup win for Planet Of Sound in 2010 and it is over a decade since he also landed the two-mile Champion Chase with Flagship Uberalles.
Similarly lofty top-flight ambitions were held for Cheltenian after he won the Cheltenham Bumper three years ago but injury has interrupted his career. Hobbs, though, has brought him back this season and the horse was hugely fancied for the County at Cheltenham only to ruin his chance by running much too free.
Cheltenian was better at Liverpool when stepped up to two and a half miles in a Grade Three where a last flight mistake didn't help him. He's kept at the trip for today's conditions hurdle and looks a major player.
Arthur Moore has had the €100,000 Guinness Handicap Chase in mind for some time for Pass The Hat and the seven-year-old has got in with a lovely racing weight of 10st 4lb. Ground conditions also look like suiting him.
