Vautour© Photo Healy Racing
Connections of Vautour are hoping the recent improvement in his home work will be good enough to win the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham this afternoon.
Since being back in work after finishing second to Cue Card in the King George VI Chase at Kempton, Vautour had not been pleasing his trainer Willie Mullins in the build-up to the Festival.
And though he has been working better just recently, Mullins and owner Rich Ricci felt the Timico Gold Cup would be too much at this stage.
With Ricci having a leading Gold Cup contender in last year's runner-up Djakadam the decision was taken to switch Vautour to the Ryanair, over a distance similar to that of his emphatic victory in the JLT Novices' Chase 12 months ago.
"He's been working better in the past week as at any stage in January and February," said Joe Chambers, racing manager to Ricci.
"Hopefully that improvement will continue to the day of the race and that might be good enough to go close and try and replicate his performance of last year in the JLT." Road To Riches has also been switched to the Ryanair, though he has been declared for the Gold Cup as a precaution. Trainer Noel Meade would have preferred the horse to have had another crack at the blue riband in which he was third last year.
However, owner Michael O'Leary has several chances in the Gold Cup (under his Gigginstown House Stud banner) and wanted a strong presence in a race he sponsors through his company Ryanair.
"He's in good form, he travelled over well and seems to be in good shape. He's very happy with himself," said Meade.
"I would worry about the quicker ground over two and a half, while I've just always felt that two and a half around Cheltenham is too sharp.
"If he gets in trouble over the first three or four fences and gets shuffled back he will struggle a lot. I personally would prefer to run in the Gold Cup, but he (O'Leary) owns the horse. He's a good horse but I'd just be worried about the shorter trip, but that was the decision made." Smashing has gone from strength to strength this term, winning all his three starts, culminating in the Grade Two Red Mills Chase at Gowran last month.
His jockey Johnny Burke believes the Henry de Bromhead-trained grey is his best ride at the meeting, and said: "He's in great order and has a massive engine. He handles heavy ground well but I think over this trip on decent ground he'll be fine. He's probably my best ride of the meeting, and my best chance of a winner."
