WE DIDN’T HAVE to wait long for the bill-topper at Naas on Saturday. City Island didn’t do any more than he was entitled to do in winning the curtain-raiser, but what he did, he did nicely.
That is a thread that has run through the career of the Martin Brassil-trained gelding thus far. He beat the talented Valdieu in a bumper at Punchestown in May and, after having a maiden hurdle that he won at the Galway Festival in August taken away from him subsequently, he went and won another maiden hurdle at Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day.
Bernardine Mulryan’s horse won well that day at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival. He stayed on well up the run-in to come three lengths clear of Dallas Des Pictons in the style of a horse who would stay further than that two-mile trip. It made sense.
The Galway maiden hurdle in which he was first past the post was run over two miles and five furlongs.
Dallas Des Pictons has enhanced the form since too. Gordon Elliott’s horse won his maiden at Punchestown next time over two and a half miles and then, stepped up to three miles for the William Fry Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival, he won that as well, off a handicap rating of 130.
Dallas Des Pictons is now rated 137, and City Island beat him by three lengths off level weights, albeit over a trip that was probably shorter than ideal for both horses.
Owned by the sponsors of the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, it has always been the case that, if City Island proved to be good enough to go to Cheltenham, the Ballymore Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs would be the race for him. He wasn’t even entered in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over two miles, nor in the Albert Bartlett over three.
It is probably the correct race for him too, the intermediate distance is probably his optimum, at least for now. He had the pace to win his maiden hurdle over two miles, yet he got two miles and five furlongs at Galway.
And he could be good enough. Mark Walsh had to nudge him into it a little on the run around the home turn on Saturday, in order that he would go and pick up the leader The Echo Boy. But that is not a bad thing. He picked the leader up easily. He is there for you when you need him.
The Ballymore Hurdle is shaping up to be a strong race. It usually does. Challow Hurdle winner Champ has been favourite for a while, Battleoverdoyen looked mighty good in winning the Grade 1 Lawlors of Naas Hurdle at Naas in early January, and Brewin’upastorm would have at least gone close to beating Birchdale in the Grade 2 Classic Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in late January had he not come down at the final flight.
But City Island is talented and he is progressive. He has raced just three times over hurdles, and he has been first past the post on all three occasions. He will have to improve again on what he has done so far if he is going to win a Ballymore Hurdle, but he has bags of potential for further progression. He is a player all right.
Later on Saturday at Naas, Pravalaguna was very good in winning the Opera Hat Mares’ Chase. There was only really one scare, at the fifth last fence, to which she got in tight. Paul Townend quickly recovered his equilibrium, however, and his left iron, and fired her at the fourth last, which she duly pinged.
Baie Des Iles and Teacher’s Pet closed up a little at the top of the home straight, but when Townend asked Willie Mullins’ mare to lengthen, she picked up impressively to come away from her rivals, and provide the trainer with his third win in the race in four years. Last year, he won it with Benie Des Dieux, who went to Cheltenham next time and landed the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.
Pravalaguna is only seven, and this was just her third chase. She was a good hurdler, and she has the potential to be even better over fences. She has options too, she is obviously effective over this two-mile trip, but she probably put up the best performance of her career over hurdles when she won a two-and-a-half-mile hurdle at last year’s Punchestown Festival.
She is entered in the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham over two miles, and in the JLT Chase over two and a half, and she would receive the 7lb mares’ allowance from the geldings in either.
Josies Orders ran out an impressive winner of the PP Hogan Cross Country Chase at Punchestown on Sunday. The Enda Bolger-trained gelding only got home by two lengths in the end from the game Hurricane Darwin, but he probably idled on the run-in, he probably had more in hand than the bare winning margin. JP McManus’ horse will go back to Cheltenham in March with a big chance of landing another Glenfarclas Chase.
Sinoria was impressive in winning the listed novices’ hurdle, another exciting young mare for trainer Henry de Bromhead and owner Kenny Alexander, while the Tom Taaffe-trained Riders Onthe Storm was also impressive in winning the two-mile novices’ chase.
And Dounikos led home a Gigginstown House 1-2-3 in the BoyleSports Grand National Trial under a superb ride from Davy Russell. The winner and the third, General Principle, winner of last year’s Irish Grand National and trained, like the winner, by Gordon Elliott, could be Aintree bound, while the runner-up, Wishmoor, could have the Irish Grand National on his radar.
Joseph O’Brien’s horse was not helped by his loose-running stable companion, Arkwrisht, but he still stayed on gamely after he had been headed to re-claim second place. He can probably be marked up at least a little on the bare form of this run. He kept on well over this extended three-and-a-half-mile trip, the longest trip over which he had ever competed, and he would be of interest if he lined up in an Irish Grand National.
