Leading Irish racing expert Donn McClean looks at the recent action featuring Envoi Allen, Energumene and Aramax.
On The Radar
Bob Olinger: Ballymore Novices' Hurde
Aramax: Grand Annual Handicap Chase
Pure Genius: Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle
We didn’t learn anything new about Envoi Allen at Punchestown on Sunday really, which was a pity. We thought that we would. In Asterion Forlonge, he was taking on a horse who was officially rated just 6lb his inferior over hurdles, and he had to concede 11lb to him. He was set for the sternest challenge yet of his chasing career. Alas, the grey horse’s involvement in the contest lasted only until the first fence, at which he got in tight and came down.
It was a case thereafter of, once again, Envoi Allen doing all that he needed to do, but again he impressed. His jumping was accurate and fluent, and he retained concentration despite the potential distractions of two loose horses around him. As well as that, he came away from the talented Fils D’Oudairies when Joseph O’Brien’s horse challenged him at the final fence, and he won easily, once again leaving the impression that he had plenty more left to give.
You can pick holes in the bare bones of Envoi Allen’s chase form if you want. You can point to the fact that the four horses that he beat in his beginners’ chase at Down Royal have run, collectively, nine times since, and they have registered just one win between them, and that the three horses who chased him home in the Drinmore Chase were all beaten next time. But you can only ever beat what they put in front of you, and that is what Gordon Elliott’s horse keeps doing.
The Cheveley Park Stud’s horse has never been beaten. One point-to-point, four bumpers, four hurdle races, three chases, 12 wins. He does everything with ease and, when he has to battle, like in the Royal Bond Hurdle, like in the Champion Bumper, he has battled. He jumps his fences with fluency and accuracy, and he appears to have the mental attitude to go with his physical ability. We still don’t know where the ceiling of his ability lies.
A half an hour later, Dreal Deal sprang a surprise in winning the Grade 2 Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Hurdle. A market drifter, from morning prices of 5/1 and 6/1 to an SP of 22/1, Ronan McNally’s horse stayed on best of all for Denis O’Regan to hit the front on the run-in and win going away.
It is another chapter in the remarkable Dreal Deal story. It is only a couple of months since the Arvico gelding won a handicap hurdle off a mark of 84 and a flat handicap off a mark of 45. And now here he is, winning the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Hurdle, a race that has been won in the past by Vautour and Douvan and Min.
His trainer said afterwards that he would probably go for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, but that maybe he would go for the Ballymore. He will probably have to improve by another 10lb in order to be competitive in one of the Grade 1 novice hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival, but he has earned his shot at a Grade 1 race now.
Bob Olinger earned his shot at a Grade 1 contest when he danced in in his maiden at Navan in December, and Henry de Bromhead’s horse duly delivered in the Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas Hurdle at Naas on Wednesday.
Winner of his only point-to-point for Pat Doyle, and an impressive winner of his bumper at Gowran Park last March on his debut under Rules, the Sholokov gelding ran Ferny Hollow to a length on his hurdling bow back at Gowran Park in November before easily landing his maiden at Navan. He was obviously stepping up in grade at Naas on Wednesday, but he has always been highly regarded, and he took a big step towards realising his potential with a polished performance.
His task was rendered easier than it might have been when the Grade 2 Navan Hurdle winner Ashdale Bob departed at the second flight, but there was a lot to like about the manner in which the Robcour gelding travelled through his race for Rachael Blackmore, and he came away from Blue Lord and Gabynako on the run-in. It looks like he will go straight to the Ballymore Hurdle now, and he should be a big player in that race.
Blue Lord did well too to keep on as well as he did to finish second. Willie Mullins’ horse raced keenly for most of the race, and those exertions probably took their toll in the closing stages. Winner of a two-mile maiden hurdle at Punchestown on his first run in Ireland, there is plenty of stamina in his pedigree, he is from the family of Grand National runner-up Mely Moss, and he could improve significantly on this performance when he learns to settle better.