REPORT FROM LEOPARDSTOWN:IT BECAME obvious long ago that Colm Murphy was paying particularly close attention to Aidan O'Brien when working for the champion trainer in the 1990s but after Brave Inca's thrilling success in yesterday's Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle the ex-pupil might be in a position to give his former teacher a lesson in tactics.
Amid all the emotion surrounding Brave Inca’s 10th Grade One victory there was also ample evidence of some hard-headed tactical acumen from Murphy and champion jockey Ruby Walsh who guided the veteran to a resounding success.
After finishing five lengths behind Sublimity during the Christmas festival at Leopardstown, Walsh advised Murphy to aim for a race that Brave Inca won back in 2006 before adding the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. But Walsh also left the Co Wexford trainer in no doubt about the importance of a faster and more even pace. On the back of the PR own-goal surrounding Ballydoyle and “race tactics” last year, there is an understandable jitteriness among professionals about admitting to the use of pacemakers.
So Murphy’s decision to include the demonstrably inferior pair of Allez Petit Luis and Swiftmarc in yesterday’s race was couched in talk of guaranteeing a strong tempo. Nobody was fooled by the cosmetics but getting pace right can be a tricky task as O’Brien famously found out in last November’s Melbourne Cup where two front-runners for Septimus got it badly wrong.
There was no such problem yesterday. Allez Petit Luis cut out a furious pace as far as the fourth-last flight at which point Swiftmarc had a brief taste of the front before Hardy Eustace took over.
Brave Inca had his old rival covered though and taking it up at the second last, he kicked on in that famously slugging style that encouraged hopes in the chasing Muirhead only to those unfamiliar with the leader’s legendary toughness.
“Credit goes to Colm. He got the tactics spot on. He stuck in the pacemakers and we needed them because it turned into a slog. It was a middling pace the last day but today we went a good, even gallop,” said Walsh afterwards.
Quizzed about the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in six weeks’ time, Walsh added: “He won a Champion on nice ground and he is not in love with soft ground. But it’s an end-to-end gallop that’s more important to him.”
Murphy wouldn’t be drawn on a definite Champion Hurdle bid, pointing to the World Hurdle, the Aintree Hurdle and Punchestown as realistic alternatives. But testing conditions at Cheltenham could force his hand. “He’s not getting any younger so hopefully it might rain over there too,” he smiled before alluding to the pacemakers: “He has been so good to us that it’s only right we give him a little help!”
The runner-up Muirhead will definitely go for the Champion at Cheltenham as will yesterday’s favourite Sublimity who could manage only fourth. His trainer, Robbie Hennessy, later reported: “He scoped wrong. He has an infection. We will get him back and freshen him up.”
Hardy Eustace, an AIG winner in 2007, was fifth yesterday and is set to take the longer option at the festival in the World Hurdle. But three years after his finest moment, Brave Inca looks to be back on the Champion Hurdle prowl.
Walsh also scored on board Conem in the handicap chase but he was out of luck in the Grade One Arkle when the joint-favourite, Jayo, finished last of the four runners behind his stable companion Golden Silver.
The Willie Mullins-trained winner was backed from 25 to 1 in the morning into 9 to 1 and Mullins admitted: “When I saw he was 25 to 1 and Jayo was 2 to 1, I thought that was a big mistake. Jayo made a bad error at the second and we didn’t get to see the real him. But both horses could run in the Arkle at Cheltenham.”
Barry Geraghty missed out on Muirhead but he scored in the Grade Two novice hurdle aboard the 16 to 1 Roberto Goldback while one relieved jockey leaving Leopardstown last night was Paul Carberry. The former champion made an unexpectedly early return from a shoulder injury but Noel Meade decided to leave Geraghty on Muirhead having booked him earlier in the week. Carberry did pick up two rides though and won the handicap hurdle on Chateau D’eau who had a head in hand of the fast-finishing Ross Accord.
Time Electric started a warm favourite for the maiden hurdle but fell just after halfway. Instead it was left to Alexander Severus to overhaul Manor Park in the dying strides under Andrew McNamara.
Willie and Patrick Mullins continued their bumper domination with Mostly Bob.
Yesterday’s Irish Champion Hurdle crowd of 6,299 was almost three thousand down on the corresponding attendance last year. Betting figures were also down dramatically with bookmaker turnover of €1,018,708 comparing to €1,882,550 in 2008 when there were eight races run.
The Tote also took a massive slide with a close on €140,000 drop to €286,804.
