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'I think she could be a sneaky one' - Ruby Walsh on the mares' races at Cheltenham

Tue 28th Jan 2025, 13:23

Tipperary Only By Night and Keith Donoghue near win for trainer Gavin CromwellTipperary Only By Night and Keith Donoghue near win for trainer Gavin Cromwell
© Photo Healy Racing

Ruby Walsh looks ahead to the mares’ races at the Cheltenham Festival, selecting an under-the-radar contender in the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase. Ruby was joining host Tom Nugent and Rory Delargy, a well-known journalist and broadcaster on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s ‘From the horse’s mouth' podcast.

Watch the full show on Paddy Power's Racing Youtube channel.

* The Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle segment was recorded on Monday before Maughreen won in Punchestown, but we have included Ruby’s insights anyway as her victory could possibly make her victory all the more impressive given Ruby’s thoughts ahead of the contest.

Mares’ Hurdle

Could Lossiemouth go back here as defending champion, Ruby?

I get the feeling listening to Willie the Champion Hurdle, I don’t get the feeling, I know the Champion Hurdle has been the target for a long time and a lot will depend on how she runs this weekend at the DRF and whether those plans change.

So I think there’s a couple of ways of looking at this race isn’t there? It could be three different races. I mean with Brighterdaysahead head in, it’s a different race, if Lossiemouth comes out, Brighterdaysahead comes out and Lossiemouth stays in, this is you’re taking a proper ante post view on this race.

I think a lot of people would like both of those mares to end up in the Champion Hurdle. A lot of that will depend on what happens this weekend. If Brighterdaysahead doesn’t run in Leopardstown and Lossiemouth wins, there’s still the chance those two mares could take on Constitution Hill and then this is a very different race.

But I’m afraid that’s one of those ones that’s going to have to play out over time and we’re only guessing trying to figure out what’s the angle into it? Until you know which of these mares, which way they’re going and that will take a bit of time yet. It’s a pure guess.

It won’t be decided by Sunday and it’s just one of the great unknowns. Look we’re all in a rush to know what’s going on tomorrow. So it is a difficult one, but I do think there are plenty of mares in behind that then who are genuinely good mares, not quite at Lossiemouth or Brighterdaysahead’s level.

If you’re calling it the way they are right now, who would you fancy? If you thought this was the lineup, you’d have to go with Brighterdaysahead.

[I really hope she’s not there] Yeah you do but she could be there and if this is the race she lines up in, she will be really hard to beat in it. I thought she was brilliant at Christmas, I think she’s improved all along, I don’t think Cheltenham is an issue for her. I just think that was purely tactics on the day last year and I just think that she is rock solid Brighterdaysahead.

Looking at the race without Lossiemouth or Brighterdaysahead, did Kargese need the race at Ascot?

Definitely and even more so left it in the parade ring — there was a delay over the weight that the Jonjo O’Neill horse was carrying so they were in the ring for a long time and to me watching her by the time she’d left the parade ring, it was like she’d run a race.

But that fizz had to come out of her, she is a highly strung filly and that was always going to be a chance with her, but get that run under her belt, I think she’d have stepped forward. Last year’s juveniles do look a rock-solid bunch when you look at Sir Gino and Majborough, how they’ve progressed, I think she’s a good mare.

Kargese and Paul Townend Kargese and Paul Townend
© Photo Healy Racing

Kateira was well beaten, well not well beaten, didn’t look to stay at Doncaster behind Jetara, but I think you need to be a level up from that. I wonder if Golden Ace could get back to her strongest, does she want to go back down in trip and a mare that did impress me at Christmas was July Flower who came from a long way off the pace.

But she has some really good form in France last year so I think July Flower, Kargese, I think they’re good mares but I think it’s hard to go beyond either of the two of them without the big two.

Mares’ Hurdle Paddy Power: 11-8 Brighterdaysahead, 3 Lossiemouth, 5 July Flower, 6 Kargese, 12 Take No Chances, 14 Jade De Grugy, Kateira, 20 Golden Ace, Jetara, Kala Conti, 25 Queens Gamble, 33 Dysart Enos, Gala Marceau, Got Glory, Lantry Lady, West Balboa, 40 Feet Of A Dancer, Lot Of Joy, 50 Nurse Susan, Wyenot, 66 Casa No Mento, 100 All The Glory, Hollygrove Cha Cha, Pinot Rouge

Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle

Maughreen [as mentioned above the show was recorded on Monday before her win at Punchestown later that day]?

I think Maughreen will do well to win today — I think she’s up against fair opposition in Gordon’s mare and won her bumper very impressively last year.

But obviously picked up an injury then and met with a setback and is only getting back on the track now. I think she’ll have to go and win and win well.

Obviously the Solerina Novices’ Hurdle didn’t blow you away at the weekend, but there’s been a couple of other mares other than that and Maughreen and maybe doing the show in three or four hours’ time we’d have a better opinion, but I think Maughreen she doesn’t appeal to me this morning anyway.

If she gets beaten in Punchestown, is Cheltenham out of the question?

Willie Mullins trains her so absolutely not but bar she falls out the back of the television and then you’d have to be scratching your head, but should she go down a neck or three parts, no you’d be hoping there’d be the natural improvement and she’ll still give herself a shot.

But does that mean she’s a shorter price than she is this morning, definitely not. I think she has to go and win impressively today to be any shorter than she is right now. Her bumper form is fine, she has to do it for me. I’m not convinced just yet. [Paddy cut her to 3-1 favourite from 4-1 favourite after the win and she is now 10-3 favourite]

Sixandahalf looked fairly good?

I thought she did and I love the way she progressed as she went through the race jumping wise. She half came off into the back of the third last hurdle and when Keith Donoghue stoked her up, she was straight back on the bridle and I thought she was really impressive down the straight.

To me I thought she was the best mares novice in Ireland this year unless you chucked in maybe a Saint Lucie or something as a juvenile if you thought this was easier than the Triumph. Not something Willie does but it could be an option too.

Is Aurora Vega a leading contender or maybe you’re not blown away by the form?

No she came down in trip at the weekend. To me she probably was more impressive than she was on New Year's Day but I thought some of Willie’s other fillies blew out — Baby Kate, Fancy Girl I don’t think they ran their races at all.

I don’t even think the mare in the double green [Mongibello] ran as well as she did at Fairyhouse on New Year's Day. Look she’s getting the job done, but do I look at her and think ‘Jesus, you’re a ringer for your mother?’ I don’t.

An open race?

Watch Maughreen — I think Sixandahalf sets the standard in Ireland and it would be Jubilee Alpha for me in the UK.

If you had to have a bet?

Without entries - there’s no doubt Willie will enter Saint Lucie in this race because she’s a mare, she qualifies, he’ll enter her and that will have an impact on the market, but whether his intention is ever to run her or not?

I think I’d nearly be siding with Jubilee Alpha. I just loved her in the last 100 yards in Windsor. Sixandahalf, Jubilee Alpha again I just didn’t think it was a massive race for ante post betting, but Jubilee Alpha, Sixandahalf would be good dockets to be holding.

Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle

Paddy Power: 10-3 Maughreen, 4 Sixandahalf, 10 Jubilee Alpha, Kientzheim, 14 Anno Power, Aurora Vega, 16 Just A Rose, Karoline Banbou, That’s Nice, 20 Air Of Entitlement, Diva Luna, Fleur Au Fusil, Hey Sunshine, Khrisma, Kom Tu Voudras, Sip Sip Hooray, Venusienne, 25 bar

Mrs Paddy Mares’ Chase

Has Dinoblue had a wind operation?

Not that I’m aware of — she wore a tongue tie. She’s still in the yard — I couldn’t see her running at the weekend the way she’s running. [She doesn’t have an entry at the DRF but she is in the Queen Mother and the Ryanair at Cheltenham] Maybe she should have but if she will have or not, that depends what humour Willie’s in.

Sometimes wind ops are all in, there’s other times wind ops are all out and at the moment wind ops seem to be out. Now that might change but tongue ties are all in at the minute. Cross nose bands, wind ops seem to be a thing of the past.

Allegorie De Vassy?

She was much better at Fairyhouse — if you could convince yourself, she does jump to her right which is a bit of a drawback for her, that she was going to run her race, she’d be in the mix.

Punchestown 3 May 2024 Allegorie De Vassy and Paul Townend Punchestown 3 May 2024 Allegorie De Vassy and Paul Townend
© Photo Healy Racing

She just can blow out — she definitely bounced back on New Year’s Day in good fashion and put a disappointing run at Clonmel behind herself. I’m assuming she has the option of the Opera Hat which is Sunday week and I’d be surprised if she didn’t go there.

She is rock solid, that said I suppose I kind of had thought she had gone as far as she could go at the end of last season. She was covered — she didn’t take and she’s back in training so there could surely be a younger mare there.

She’s not that old, but she’s plenty of racing done. If you go there as an owner, you’re entitled to go there thinking you have a chance but does that mean you want to hold a docket, I’m not so sure.

Verdict?

I’m just trying to figure out will Only By Night stay — her only run over two and a half was at Fairyhouse last year, I think she was gone though behind Jade De Grugy.

I thought the way she travelled at Cork to me she didn’t look like she had the early pace for two miles — she went from off the pace and warmed up into it. I think she could be a sneaky one.

Mrs Paddy Mares’ Chase Paddy Power Odds: 5 Bioluminescence, Dinoblue, 7 Allegorie De Vassy, Impervious, 8 Only By Night, 12 Limerick Lace, 16 Fun Fun Fun, 20 Brides Hill, Spindleberry, Terresita, 25 Marsh Wren, 33 Fantastic Lady, 40 bar

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