EMBASSY GARDENS WON the WT O’Grady Memorial Irish EBF Novice Hurdle at Thurles on Sunday, and bookmakers cut his odds for the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham to no better than 8/1.
You could see the logic. The race may not have taken that much winning in the end, but Willie Mullins’ horse could hardly have been much more impressive than he was. He and Paul Townend had 35 lengths in hand of their rivals in the end, and they probably had a fair bit more than that in hand in reality. It was the Shantou gelding’s first run over almost three miles too. His dam won her beginners’ chase over two miles and five and a half furlongs, and he seemed to appreciate every yard of Sunday’s trip.
It was another fine display by a Willie Mullins-trained novice hurdler, another performance that lit up the Cheltenham Contender light. The main quandary that the champion trainer may have now will be in determining Cheltenham targets for his freshman hurdlers.
Much to ponder.
Willie Mullins. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Of course, there are nice quandaries in the world, and this one is right up there, but there are still decisions to be made. There are three Grade 1 novices’ hurdles run at the Cheltenham Festival: the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and half a furlong on the Tuesday, the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs on the Wednesday, and the Albert Bartlett Hurdle over three miles on the Friday.
Embassy Gardens’ performance on Sunday catapulted him towards the top of the Albert Bartlett Hurdle market, second favourite behind Hiddenvalley Lake, ahead of all his stable companions. And it is the logical race for him now. Even Willie Mullins intimated as much on Sunday. And interestingly, the trainer sent out Monkfish to win the WT O’Grady Memorial Novice Hurdle in 2020 before sending him to Cheltenham almost two months later to win the Albert Bartlett Hurdle.
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Grangeclare West also has the Albert Bartlett Hurdle option. Winner of his only point-to-point and winner of his only bumper, the Cheveley Park Stud horse was impressive in winning his maiden hurdle over two and a half miles at Navan at the end of November. He was sent off as favourite for the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Hurdle at Naas three weeks ago on the back of that win, but he faded to finish fifth in the end behind his lesser-fancied stable companion Champ Kiely.
That wasn’t his true running though, he coughed a few times after the race, and, if he can bounce back to his best, he will be a player in whichever race he contests at Cheltenham. There is plenty of stamina in his pedigree, and it may be that the three-mile race will be his Cheltenham target.
Danny Mullins on Champ Kiely at Naas. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
The winner of that Naas race, Champ Kiely, also has the Albert Bartlett option, but it may be that he will be seen to better effect over shorter. The Ocovango gelding was sent off as favourite for the Grade 1 Royal Bond Hurdle at Fairyhouse in December on the back of an impressive victory over Fred Winter Hurdle winner Brazil in a Grade 3 contest at Tipperary in October, but he raced too freely at Fairyhouse and he could only finish fourth behind Marine Nationale.
He put that behind him at Naas, however, when, sent to the front from flagfall by Danny Mullins, he settled well and he stayed on gamely to hold off the challenge of the talented Irish Point, who had finished in front of him at Fairyhouse, with the pair of them nicely clear.
Champ Kiely has plenty of pace though, he had the pace to win that Grade 3 contest at Tipperary over two miles on good to yielding ground, and it may be that the intermediate distance of the Ballymore Hurdle will suit him better than the extreme stamina test that the Albert Bartlett Hurdle often presents.
Gaelic Warrior and Impaire Et Passe are both generally shorter than Champ Kiely in the Ballymore Hurdle market, and both are potential players in the race. Gaelic Warrior was only just beaten by Brazil in the Fred Winter Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival on his first run for Willie Mullins and his only run last season. He won his maiden hurdle at Tramore by 86 lengths on his debut this season, and he followed up by winning at Clonmel last Tuesday by 15. He has never been beyond an extended two miles in his life, but he shapes as if he could go further.
There is no telling how good Impaire Et Passe could be. Winner of a bumper over a mile and a half in France on his racecourse debut, Simon Munir & Isaac Souede’s horse was seriously impressive on his first run for Willie Mullins in winning his maiden hurdle at Naas just before Christmas over two miles and three furlongs.
He proved that he could be equally adept over two miles last time, however, when he easily landed the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Hurdle at Punchestown eight days ago. That is a race that Willie Mullins has won in the recent past with Vautour and Douvan, both of whom went on to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and by Min, who finished second to Altior in the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser.
However, Willie Mullins also won the Moscow Flyer in 2009 with Mikael D’Haguenet, who won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on his next run, so it is not a given that Impaire Et Passe will go for the Supreme, just because he won the Moscow Flyer.
Peter Mooney / INPHO
Peter Mooney / INPHO / INPHO
The cornerstone of all the Willie Mullins Cheltenham Festival plans for his novice hurdlers may be Facile Vega. By Walk In The Park out of superstar mare Quevega, Facile Vega has never been beaten. He won his four bumpers last season, including the champion bumpers at Cheltenham and at Punchestown, and he has won his two hurdle races this season, most recently the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.
He is currently odds-on favourite for the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival in just under two weeks’ time and, as long as everything goes to plan there, he will probably be sent off at odds-on again for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
It is rare these days, though, that Willie Mullins runs just one representative in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. It hasn’t happened in the last decade. He ran two horses in 2018 and in 2019, he ran three in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2020, and he ran four in 2015 and 2017. In 2021, he again ran two, and they would have finished first and second had Blue Lord not come down at the final flight, while last year, he was responsible for three of the nine runners in the race.
It would be surprising if, all things being equal, Willie Mullins didn’t allow Facile Vega take his chance in the Supreme, and it would be equally surprising if he didn’t send at least one stable companion into the fray with him. But, again, all things being equal, Impaire Et Passe could go for the Ballymore, possibly along with Champ Kiely, while Embassy Gardens and possibly Grangeclare West could lead the Closutton team in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle.
It’s all conjecture though at this stage. Many things will happen between now and March and, actually, it is unlikely that Willie Mullins himself knows at this point how he will divide up his novice hurdlers at Cheltenham. More to ponder.
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Donn McClean: Willie Mullins facing some of life's nicer quandaries ahead of Cheltenham
EMBASSY GARDENS WON the WT O’Grady Memorial Irish EBF Novice Hurdle at Thurles on Sunday, and bookmakers cut his odds for the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham to no better than 8/1.
You could see the logic. The race may not have taken that much winning in the end, but Willie Mullins’ horse could hardly have been much more impressive than he was. He and Paul Townend had 35 lengths in hand of their rivals in the end, and they probably had a fair bit more than that in hand in reality. It was the Shantou gelding’s first run over almost three miles too. His dam won her beginners’ chase over two miles and five and a half furlongs, and he seemed to appreciate every yard of Sunday’s trip.
It was another fine display by a Willie Mullins-trained novice hurdler, another performance that lit up the Cheltenham Contender light. The main quandary that the champion trainer may have now will be in determining Cheltenham targets for his freshman hurdlers.
Much to ponder.
Of course, there are nice quandaries in the world, and this one is right up there, but there are still decisions to be made. There are three Grade 1 novices’ hurdles run at the Cheltenham Festival: the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and half a furlong on the Tuesday, the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs on the Wednesday, and the Albert Bartlett Hurdle over three miles on the Friday.
Embassy Gardens’ performance on Sunday catapulted him towards the top of the Albert Bartlett Hurdle market, second favourite behind Hiddenvalley Lake, ahead of all his stable companions. And it is the logical race for him now. Even Willie Mullins intimated as much on Sunday. And interestingly, the trainer sent out Monkfish to win the WT O’Grady Memorial Novice Hurdle in 2020 before sending him to Cheltenham almost two months later to win the Albert Bartlett Hurdle.
Grangeclare West also has the Albert Bartlett Hurdle option. Winner of his only point-to-point and winner of his only bumper, the Cheveley Park Stud horse was impressive in winning his maiden hurdle over two and a half miles at Navan at the end of November. He was sent off as favourite for the Grade 1 Lawlor’s of Naas Hurdle at Naas three weeks ago on the back of that win, but he faded to finish fifth in the end behind his lesser-fancied stable companion Champ Kiely.
That wasn’t his true running though, he coughed a few times after the race, and, if he can bounce back to his best, he will be a player in whichever race he contests at Cheltenham. There is plenty of stamina in his pedigree, and it may be that the three-mile race will be his Cheltenham target.
The winner of that Naas race, Champ Kiely, also has the Albert Bartlett option, but it may be that he will be seen to better effect over shorter. The Ocovango gelding was sent off as favourite for the Grade 1 Royal Bond Hurdle at Fairyhouse in December on the back of an impressive victory over Fred Winter Hurdle winner Brazil in a Grade 3 contest at Tipperary in October, but he raced too freely at Fairyhouse and he could only finish fourth behind Marine Nationale.
He put that behind him at Naas, however, when, sent to the front from flagfall by Danny Mullins, he settled well and he stayed on gamely to hold off the challenge of the talented Irish Point, who had finished in front of him at Fairyhouse, with the pair of them nicely clear.
Champ Kiely has plenty of pace though, he had the pace to win that Grade 3 contest at Tipperary over two miles on good to yielding ground, and it may be that the intermediate distance of the Ballymore Hurdle will suit him better than the extreme stamina test that the Albert Bartlett Hurdle often presents.
Gaelic Warrior and Impaire Et Passe are both generally shorter than Champ Kiely in the Ballymore Hurdle market, and both are potential players in the race. Gaelic Warrior was only just beaten by Brazil in the Fred Winter Hurdle at last year’s Cheltenham Festival on his first run for Willie Mullins and his only run last season. He won his maiden hurdle at Tramore by 86 lengths on his debut this season, and he followed up by winning at Clonmel last Tuesday by 15. He has never been beyond an extended two miles in his life, but he shapes as if he could go further.
There is no telling how good Impaire Et Passe could be. Winner of a bumper over a mile and a half in France on his racecourse debut, Simon Munir & Isaac Souede’s horse was seriously impressive on his first run for Willie Mullins in winning his maiden hurdle at Naas just before Christmas over two miles and three furlongs.
He proved that he could be equally adept over two miles last time, however, when he easily landed the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Hurdle at Punchestown eight days ago. That is a race that Willie Mullins has won in the recent past with Vautour and Douvan, both of whom went on to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, and by Min, who finished second to Altior in the Cheltenham Festival curtain-raiser.
However, Willie Mullins also won the Moscow Flyer in 2009 with Mikael D’Haguenet, who won the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on his next run, so it is not a given that Impaire Et Passe will go for the Supreme, just because he won the Moscow Flyer.
The cornerstone of all the Willie Mullins Cheltenham Festival plans for his novice hurdlers may be Facile Vega. By Walk In The Park out of superstar mare Quevega, Facile Vega has never been beaten. He won his four bumpers last season, including the champion bumpers at Cheltenham and at Punchestown, and he has won his two hurdle races this season, most recently the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.
He is currently odds-on favourite for the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival in just under two weeks’ time and, as long as everything goes to plan there, he will probably be sent off at odds-on again for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
It is rare these days, though, that Willie Mullins runs just one representative in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. It hasn’t happened in the last decade. He ran two horses in 2018 and in 2019, he ran three in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2020, and he ran four in 2015 and 2017. In 2021, he again ran two, and they would have finished first and second had Blue Lord not come down at the final flight, while last year, he was responsible for three of the nine runners in the race.
It would be surprising if, all things being equal, Willie Mullins didn’t allow Facile Vega take his chance in the Supreme, and it would be equally surprising if he didn’t send at least one stable companion into the fray with him. But, again, all things being equal, Impaire Et Passe could go for the Ballymore, possibly along with Champ Kiely, while Embassy Gardens and possibly Grangeclare West could lead the Closutton team in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle.
It’s all conjecture though at this stage. Many things will happen between now and March and, actually, it is unlikely that Willie Mullins himself knows at this point how he will divide up his novice hurdlers at Cheltenham. More to ponder.
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Cheltenham much to ponder