Dual-Stayers Hurdle champion Flooring Porter makes his eagerly anticipated debut over fences at Cheltenham on Saturday as the burgeoning jumps campaign picks up a gear this weekend.
If Gavin Cromwell’s mercurial star is a big attraction in Gloucestershire, then 500km to the north in Scotland a return to action for the Grand National hero Corach Rambler at Kelso is another sign of racing’s changing seasons.
Throw in Aintree’s first meeting of the term on Sunday, an all-National Hunt weekend programme in Ireland, as well as testing ground conditions pretty much everywhere, and jumping is increasingly the name of the game.
Flooring Porter has just three opponents in a three-mile novice chase, including Henry De Bromhead’s 140-rated Toss Again.
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“He’s jumped well at home so hopefully he can transfer that to the track. He was running well last season, but he didn’t win at all and we just thought he still had a bit of time on his side and he can always go back (over hurdles) if it doesn’t work out for him over fences,” said Cromwell.
It is Flooring Porter’s first start since finishing out of the money in May’s French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil. Cromwell had two winners from three runners at Cheltenham on Friday.
Irish representation is again littered across Day Two of Cheltenham’s showcase fixture which had been on Corach Rambler’s radar for a seasonal debut.
Connections have instead opted to stay closer to home where he will carry top weight in a limited handicap.
“It’s the start of the season and I think with a lot of these horses that we’re running just now, how they run now will dictate what we do for the rest of the year with them. At this time last year, we hadn’t even thought of the Grand National with Corach Rambler and he ended up winning it, so let’s just see he how he performs and that will give us an idea what we do next,” said trainer Lucinda Russell.
“I’ve got it on my mind that we’ll go to the Betfair Chase at Haydock and try him at level weights, but we’ll know more after Saturday,” she added.
On the home front, Galway begins a three-day bank holiday weekend programme on Saturday. Although conditions are sure to be testing, officials report there is “nothing to cause alarm” about the weather outlook for Ballybrit.
An unsettled forecast for overnight on Saturday means the situation is being monitored at Wexford ahead of Sunday’s fixture.
“It’s fit for racing now and its favourable weather tomorrow, but it’s supposed to get a lot more unsettled on Saturday night. So, we will continue to monitor things,” said an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board spokesman on Friday.
The Henry De Bromhead team give Clifton Warrior a third start over fences in a novice chase on Saturday. Twice a runner-up, the stamina test should suit Mikey O’Connor’s mount.
Affordale Fury is a proven operator around Ballybrit and the Albert Bartlett runner-up could be a potentially smart recruit to fences. He makes his chase debut at Galway on Sunday.
Emancipator won over hurdles at Gowran last month. He relishes the mud and at his best would look to hold leading claims in a handicap chase.
