Padraig Roche with Out Of The Loop and jockey Mark Walsh© Photo Healy Racing
Rookie trainer Padraig Roche will skip Cheltenham with last Saturday's landmark winner Out Of The Loop and could step his J.P. McManus owned runner up in trip.
Out Of The Loop was Christy Roche's final winner as a trainer at Fairyhouse on December 2 before the Cheltenham Festival winning trainer retired from the training ranks and, appropriately, the same horse gave son Padraig Roche his own first winner, with a success in a 2m4f handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse last Saturday.
Out Of The Loop's rating has since been raised to 140, up 13lbs following Fairyhouse, and Padraig Roche today said “I've no plan but he (Out Of The Loop) won't be going to Cheltenham. I'll will speak to Frank (Berry) and J.P. (McManus) before making a plan.
“I'd imagine he's the type of horse to step up in trip rather than drop back, and three miles in time will be his job. He's only five and I'll leave it to Frank and J.P. to see whether or not he goes chasing next year.”
He added “Frank and J.P. have both they been great with me and I'm lucky that dad's owners have kept their horses with me and I've also picked up one or two more along the way. I've almost 20 horses in training - mostly national hunt horses at the moment, but will have a few to mix between hurdlers and flat horses during the summer. Overall, I'm happy with the start we've made.”
