AFTER a pulsating finish to yesterday's Kilternan Handicap Chase involving the narrow winner Northern Hide and King Of The Gales, the latter will take his chance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup with yesterday's partner Charlie Swan immediately accepting owner Eamonn King's offer to ride.
The lightly raced King Of The Gales who had not been seen since finishing fifth in the Leopardstown Chase in mid-January, needed this race yesterday and is now back to his best according to both trainer John Kiely and Swan. Running over a distance short of his best he finished strongly between stable-companions Northern Hide and All The Aces, going under by a neck to the Paul Carberry ridden Northern Hide, who was not subjected to a hard race or, indeed, a hard season. Northern Hide will now represent Arthur Moore in the Mildmay of Flete Chase.
Moore will field six at Cheltenham next week, led by Klairon Davis in the Champion Chase and backed up by Manhattan Castle (Arkle Challenge Trophy), Major Rumpus (Sun Alliance Chase), Rifawan (Sun Alliance Hurdle), Family Way (County Handicap Hurdle) and Northern Hide.
Paul Carberry, who will forfeit the first two days of the festival because of a whip suspension, had earlier partnered Persian Halo to win an extraordinary Stepaside Novice Chase.
From the outset the true run chase had settled into an intriguing, if predictable, match between Lisselan Prince and Persian Halo. The pair had jumped each fence virtually locked together until disaster struck at the sixth from home. Both horses fell independently and with their only remaining rival, Hopeful Decision an earlier casualty it appeared for a moment or two that the race would be null and void.
However, both Lisselan Prince and Persian Halo, inseparable in the betting, obligingly stood still for their respective riders Conor O'Dwyer and Paul Carberry, who on collecting their wits vaulted back into the saddles and set off again to the delight of the crowd.
Persian Halo was less hesitant than his rival over the next and from there on it was clear that Michael Kauntze's recent Fairyhouse winner was going to prevail as Lisselan Prince, his confidence shattered, blundered at the remaining obstacles. Persian Halo came home to in by a distance, but walked into the unsaddling enclosure slightly lame.
"I was married twenty-five years ago yesterday, Ireland beat. Wales and now Persian Halo got off the floor to win - what a treble!" exclaimed the irrespressible Kauntze.
Lisselan Prince's trainer Fergie Sutherland is quite bullish about his Gold Cup hope Imperial Call. The horse is in tip top form and delighted connections when schooled over fences at Clonmel on Friday with his big race partner Conor O'Dwyer aboard. "Once the ground is not hard at Cheltenham - and surely it can't be," declared his handler. With the weather set fair at least until the weekend the likelihood is for good going - but as there are ten full days left to Gold Cup day anything can happen. Would-be ante-post speculators take heed.
As Mucklemeg came into season trainer Edward O'Grady decided not to run her in the opening Lansdowne Maiden Hurdle. John McManus's lightly-raced eight-year-old, who won last year's Festival Bumper, will go to Cheltenham as the likely favourite for the Sun Alliance Hurdle, although she has had only two runs over hurdles. She, and O'Grady's other Festival runners will be suited by good ground.
Jim Bolger's own-bred Royal Academy newcomer, Graduated, arrived on the outside to forge clear inside the distance and win the Firmount Flat Race impressively. He will be entered for the Festival Bumper.
