The Stayers division isn’t most owners’ dream category, but Brian Acheson’s Robcour team will try to seal their dominance of it this season when Teahupoo defends his Ladbrokes Hurdle title at Punchestown on Thursday.
Gordon Elliott‘s star is joined in the €300,000 feature by another prime Robcour hope, Hiddenvalley Lake, all while the ownership’s star turn this season, Bob Olinger, is at home enjoying the sunshine.
Bob Olinger recorded an emotional success in the Cheltenham Stayers when beating Teahupoo for a memorable Robcour one-two. Neither was at Aintree last month where instead Hiddenvalley Lake stepped up to land the Grade One stamina test there.
All of it is a notable display of ownership supremacy despite Teahupoo, the undisputed 2024 Stayers champion, not scoring at the top level this season. He’s likely to start favourite to put that right at 6pm on Thursday.
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If ground conditions were soft, Teahupoo would likely start an even shorter favourite. When defending his Cheltenham title he ran a perfectly honourable race only to fall prey to Bob Olinger’s superior finishing kick. He won this race a year ago on quicker ground, although the surface does look to leave him a little more vulnerable.
Robcour is named after Acheson’s two children, Robert and Courtney, and Hiddenvalley Lake scored an initial success at the top level for them in Liverpool less than four weeks ago. That’s his only start in over three months but it’s still a relatively quick turnaround.
At his best, Home By The Lee would shake them all up, but recent form figures are a worry. The cross-channel hope Crambo is another proven Grade One winner while Asterion Forlonge, runner-up for the last two years, is Willie Mullins‘s number one hope. Rocky’s Diamond and Jetara could both prefer easier going.
It’s 20 years since Carlys Quest was a big price 25-1 winner of this race. But at the end of a long season, and on quick spring ground conditions, there could be value in taking a punt on Mullins’s other contender.
Winter Fog has had a lucrative late career in picking up Grade One place prize money at two miles, including third in Cheltenham’s incident-packed Champion Hurdle. He was originally campaigned as a stayer, though, and won on his last start at three miles a couple of years ago.
Regular rider Brian Hayes may adopt his usual patient tactics on the veteran and come through to pick up some valuable pieces, maybe even up to the winning pot of €180,000.
Mullins has won Thursday’s other Grade One, the Barberstown Castle Novice Chase, for the last nine years and Majborough is likely to start a heavy favourite to bring up ‘La Decima’.
Majborough’s jumping fell apart when the pressure came on in the Arkle at Cheltenham where Only By Night also filled the frame. The English pair Rubaud and Brookie look to have a task on their plate, but a clean round of jumping this time will probably have Majborough in front.
Thursday’s great spectacle is the Mongey La Touche marathon test over the famous banks. A field of 16 includes the 2023 winner Vital Island, although Vanillier is likely to be a popular choice.
Ground conditions will be very different compared to when the grey scored here in February, where The Goffer was well behind him. The Goffer’s fine Topham effort at Aintree last time suggests he may prove a very different proposition now.
Vanillier’s trainer Gavin Cromwell has a number of other good day three chances, none more so perhaps than The Other Mozzie. He lines up for the opening handicap hurdle off a topweight mark of 119. Considering The Other Mozzie won a good chase at Ayr on his last start off a mark of 138, he could prove a ‘blot’ here.
Cromwell’s Sixandahalf skipped a Grade One at Fairyhouse over Easter when the ground turned testing, but the Cheltenham runner-up gets better conditions for a Listed contest and looks the one to beat.
JP McManus has four hopefuls for the three-mile handicap hurdle with Mark Walsh on board Park Of Kings. Aidan Kelly takes 5lbs off Win Some Lose Some who also skipped an Easter engagement due to the going.
