CHAMPIONSHIP RACES

Champion Hurdle

THE order in Ireland was on the cusp of change when they lined up for the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown, when State Man was sent off as favourite just in front of Honeysuckle And that change was confirmed when State Man won, making all the running and coming almost five lengths clear of the remarkable mare.

Honeysuckle was gallant in defeat, she kept on willingly to retain the runner-up spot, but she just couldn’t close the gap on her younger rival. State Man was only a year old when Honeysuckle won her Point-to-Point.

The crowds assembled before the race to send Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore out onto Leopardstown’s racecourse for the final time, and they packed deep at the runner-up’s spot when they came back in to give her the reception that she deserved Whatever the final act is now, whether or not this was it, her achievements have been staggering, a glittering career, expertly managed by Henry de Bromhead and continually produced at concert pitch, unbeaten in her first 16 races, and ridden with simple precision in each of them by Rachael Black- more Together, they have been box office, they have been a flagbearer for racing for years.

State Man will almost probably have to improve again if he is going to beat the monster that is Constitution Hill, but there is every chance that he will improve Last year’s County Hurdle winner, Willie Mullins’ horse was better in winning the Matheson Hurdle than he was in winning the Morgiana Hurdle, and he was better again in winning the Irish Champion Hurdle.

He made all the running, and that was new. It added an extra arrow to his quiver for the Champion Hurdle battle. His jumping was slick too. He is developing into a top class hurdler, and he is a contender for sure

Vauban was just over four lengths behind State Man in the Matheson Hurdle, and he got no closer to his stable companion in the Irish Champion Hurdle It can be difficult for last year’s juveniles when they step into open company. Vauban is going to have to improve again if he is going to be a Champion Hurdle contender, but he was the outstanding juvenile last year, and he deserves his place in a Champion Hurdle line-up.

Queen Mother Champion Chase

JUST when you think that there is clarity in the Champion Chase pool, along comes an event (say: race) that muddies the waters again.

Edwardstone won the Tingle Creek, then unseated in the Desert Orchid Chase. Energumene won the Hilly Way, then got beaten in the Clarence House Chase. Edwardstone beat Energumene in that Clarence House Chase, but he couldn’t beat Editeur

du Gite

Blue Lord looked like a two-and-a-half-miler, a Ryanair Chase horse, when he won the Clonmel Oil Chase. Then he won the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase and, in a heartbeat, he was a Champion Chase contender. Then he got beaten by Gentleman de Mee in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, and you scratched your head again.

Energumene is the reigning Champion Chaser True, it was an unusual Champion Chase that he won last year, run on soft ground with Shishkin pulling up, but we knew that he was top class even before then, he had only been beaten once over fences beforehand, and that was in that epic duel with Shishkin at Ascot. He looked as good as ever in winning the Hilly Way Chase on his debut this season, and he will obviously be a massive player again.

Blue Lord will have to bounce back from his Dublin Chase defeat if he is going to be involved He does have almost eight lengths to find with Edwardstone on their running in the Arkle last season, but he looked like an improved horse when he won the Clonmel Oil, and again when he dropped back down to an extended two miles over Christmas. Maybe he was just taken out of his comfort zone by Gentleman de Mee, and he still has the option to step back up in trip for the Ryanair.

There is a chance, however, that Gentleman de Mee has been under-rated in all of this It was understandable that he was allowed go off at a fairly big price for the Dublin Chase, given that he had been well beaten in all three runs this season before then But it may be that he is simply a spring horse. His improvement last season all came in the spring, on spring ground

He won his beginners’ chase at Thurles last February by 34 lengths, before winning the Grade 3 Flyingbolt Chase by 16. Then he went to Aintree and beat Edwardstone on merit in the Grade 1 Maghull Chase.

Edwardstone may have under-performed a little that day, after winning the Arkle, but only a little. And back in third was Third Time Lucki, who had, like Gentleman de Mee, skipped Cheltenham and gone straight to Aintree, after finishing a close-up second behind Edwardstone in the Kingmaker Chase two months earlier.

Gentleman de Mee was well beaten when sent off as favourite for Galopin des Champs’ Martin Pipe Hurdle on his only run at Cheltenham, and that is in the back of your mind, but he is a more mature horse now and, on normal Champion Chase-type ground, he could run a big race

Ryanair Chase

IT IS a real shame that Allaho was ruled out of the Ryanair Chase Winner of the race in 2021 and 2022, no horse has won the race three times and he was a warm order to win the race again this year at the time that he was ruled him out of the race Allaho’s absence opens the race up. It increases the probability that Allaho’s trainer Willie Mullins will step Blue Lord back up in trip Simon Munir & Isaac Souede’s horse looked like a potential Ryanair Chase horse when he won the Clonmel Oil Chase, but he showed lots of pace in winning the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas over an extended two miles. He was beaten by Gentleman de Mee in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival, however, and a step back up to the intermediate trip could see him re-discover his best form.

Fakir d’Oudairies could also take his chance. Joseph O’Brien’s horse skipped Cheltenham last year, he went straight from the Ascot Chase to Aintree for the Melling Chase, and he won both He may have been a slightly fortuitous winner of the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles last time, Haut en Couleurs looked a likely winner when he came down at the final fence, but he still kept on well up the run-in to win well in the end.

Fury Road finished third in the Irish Gold Cup after picking up in front at the final fence and, a close-up third in the 2020 Albert Bartlett Hurdle, the Ryanair Chase distance could be ideal for Gordon Elliott’s horse now. Envoi Allen was well beaten in the King George the last time we saw him, but he was a game winner of the Champion Chase at Down Royal in November, and Henry de Bromhead’s horse is a dual Cheltenham Festival winner.

Haut en Couleurs doesn’t hold an entry in the Ryanair Chase at the time of writing, but he will be a very interesting contender if he is supplemented to the race. Willie Mullins’ horse has won just once over fences but, third in the Triumph Hurdle in 2021 on his first run for the champion trainer, he was in the process of running a big race in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase when he came down at the last, and he would be well worth the supplementary entry fee.