Straight From The Trainers Mouth Day 2 Cheltenham

The Queen Of Cheltenham - Quevega

12^th March

1.30    Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle (2m 5f)

Faugheen - At the moment, I would be possibly looking at the Neptune. He could run in all three [novice hurdles at the Festival] with the sort of ability he has. Fingers crossed we can keep him right for Cheltenham. He's had three runs this season and I didn't think there was any necessity to do any more. He's a horse that's very hard on himself. I'm a little disappointed with how he's been doing since. I thought that, doing as little as I am with him, he's just so hard on himself . . . We changed his feed routine last night and I think it's going to work out better because, looking at him just now, he's fit and ready to run and he's not going to need a lot of work. WM

Sure Reef - He looked that he could stay all day, so the Neptune or the [Albert Bartlett]. It was some performance to do what he did [at Leopardstown last time], so that tells me he has a lot up his sleeve. It was just unfortunate last year, he got cast in his box and hurt himself, missed a season but he looks like a horse that'll improve a huge amount as well. WM

Rathvinden - Rathvinden is working like a steam engine right now. Ruby Walsh

2.05    RSA Steeple Chase (3m 1/2f)

Sam Winner - Sam Winner ran on Saturday when second giving 3lb to Smad Place and he wasn't beaten far. Smad Place is now 8/1 for the RSA and he's 16/1 so I'm thinking he's quite a good price. He won at Cheltenham earlier in the season and likes better ground, he's a big, stuffy horse who needed a run and I was surprised he ran as well as he did on the ground at Newbury. He got a little bit outpaced from the back at the last, but again, I've left plenty to work on and I want him at his very best for Cheltenham in a month's time. He has an entry in the four-miler too, but the way he performed on Saturday to a mark in the high 140's means he's almost certain to run in the RSA. If they go a good gallop that will suit him, he likes Cheltenham, prefers going left handed and I think it's quite an open RSA. Ballycasey could be the one to beat, but Smad Place and him and one or two others have chances and he jumps and stays well. PN

Ballycasey - Looks the staying sort. I saw where Nick Mordin said, every time he's gone over three miles, he's been beaten. He could be right, I didn't check it. But maybe I think what we need to check is, the times he went over three miles, what were the circumstances? Because, on our view, he looks a three-miler, a born and bred three-mile chaser. So I think we're heading in that direction. It'll be probably the RSA or the four-miler but, after winning the Moriarty, you'd have to think RSA. WM

2.40    Coral Cup (Handicap Hurdle) (2m 5f)

Alaivan - He is in in the Country Hurdle and the Coral Cup but I think he will be better over further. He was staying on in the Betfair Hurdle when the race was over. He wasn't able to stay with them when they quickened, but he ran well. I would imagine that the Coral Cup is the race he will go for but it depends upon what JP will have running and what AP wants to ride.

3.20    BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Steeple Chase (2m)

Arvika Ligeonniere - At the moment we're going Champion Chase. People say, maybe not left-handed. We were thinking of doing one or two things differently with him this year. We think that might have impacted on last year, so we'll find out on the day. [smiling] Don't ask me what it is, no. Simple enough. WM

Sire De Grugy - "I think he's where we want him . He switches off nicely then when he turns in he comes alive. All our horses are looking really well at the minute, including him. He needed that a little bit and hopefully it will put him spot on”. Regarding Sprinter Scare's absence, he add: “It's unfortunate but makes our life easier but there are other horses to beat . He's won left-handed and I know he's been beaten at Cheltenham but that doesn't worry me. Hopefully we get him there in one piece and he gives a good account."

Captain Conan - A big bruiser of a horse. He mightn't be the oil painting of the world but he's very effective. He went through a bad patch, he was one that did have a dirty trach wash in the middle of the winter. Not many of the older horses did. You go back to Sandown, he looked as if he'd win and he didn't finish his race at all, which is very unlike him. He wasn't right. He came up with very low potassium levels. Now that doesn't help situations; I'm not saying it was a blinding excuse. Anyway, we corrected that and then he did have a dirty trach wash for a bit and it has taken its time to pass. Work-wise, it's coming together at the right time. I think he was going to have to run in it [the Champion Chase] anyway. He is a two-miler. He hasn't suddenly come into it because Sprinter's come out of it and nor has Kid Cassidy, because he's already beaten Sire De Grugy, so where does he go? This [Captain Conan] would have always gone there anyway. The only difference would be that Barry [Geraghty] will now get on him and AP will be on Kid Cassidy, I assume, anyway. They're pretty sure, both, to go there. [Captain Conan] hasn't had wind ops or heart operations or bypasses, no transplants or anything. Just tinkering with minerals and this, that and the other [to correct the low potassium levels]. It might have been significant. NH

Kid Cassidy - We were getting plenty of weight [when beating Sire De Grugy]. But you've still got nowhere else to go. You know what Kid's like. You drop him out the back and you wait for him to say … Funnily enough, I think he's learned to race a lot better now. He looks as if he's pulling horribly hard but AP says, if you let go of the whole lot, he wouldn't go any faster. That's actually as fast as he can go. He's a bit deceptive like that. You could try him over two and a half but, under the circumstances, we probably won't. It's very open behind Sire De Grugy. I don't think his quirkiness is all his own fault, going back to the experience at Newbury [when he suffered an electric shock]. But now he is manageable, even at home. He's doing his work really nicely. NH

4.00    Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (3m 7f)

Any Currency - Keighley feels that Any Currency is his "best chance" of a winner at the meeting. "He's got some cracking form around the course, he's taken to it really well," the trainer said. "He was six lengths behind Balthazar King at level weight staying on [in November] and he would get 18lb from him now, so he would have to have a great chance."

4.40    Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (2m 1/2f)

Ivan Grozney - I'm told this morning he has a rating of 130 [after running fourth recently]. Wouldn't be good enough to win the Triumph and it's probably too good to win the other race [the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle]. Statistics would tell you that, but he certainly looks a million dollars. I gave him an easy time since and he's back to himself. I was very disappointed in Leopardstown [when he was beaten at Christmas]. However, the form was confirmed. I had intended running him in the Triumph all year. We have to have a rethink now. We have to see what happens. If Gitane Du Berlais now goes for the Triumph, we were going a different direction with her but she definitely goes for the Triumph now, I've got Abbyssial, Adrianna Des Mottes in the Triumph as well, they're all good winners. My owner is not worried if we don't go to Cheltenham. They said to me, don't worry about it, Willie. If he's right, we go, if not, we don't, so there's no pressure from that department. But you'd have to say the focus would be more on the Fred Winter after his run the last day. WM

Gerdago - “The owners are sporting and are willing to let him take his chance. I’ve never had a runner at the Festival, we’ve always watched it, and it is a fantastic meeting. We will just see how the English handicapper reacts to Saturday.“He is a horse who shows a bit of consistency and the Irish handicapper has raised him 9lb for the run, so he is obviously a horse who is on the upgrade and improving a bit.“He will need to improve further, but if he gets in off a reasonable and fair mark he should give a good account.“The track over there should suit him, he is more a staying type of horse so the old course should suit.”

Baradari - Your best chance of a winner? “At this stage it’s Baradari in the Fred Winter, but that could well change once we sort out what’s running in the handicaps. He came from France with a good reputation and, after a disappointing debut, he’s showed real promise and should have made it two from two last time, but for a mistake at the last.” Aiden Coleman

Goodwood Mirage - If Goodwood Mirage acts on the track, he will run a cracker. I am worried about him coming down the hill because he has a floating chip in his joint - some days it is grand, other days it is not. That and he wants gelding. He ran well at Kempton on Saturday. He runs very free early on - he is not the easiest but he stays well. I would have preferred going for the Triumph Hurdle but he is not good enough for that, so he goes for the Fred Winter and I'm looking forward to running him.

5.15    Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Open NH Flat Race) (2m 1/2f)

Black Hercules and Shaneshill - Shaneshill looks way better than anything that I have, anyhow. Black Hercules, first time, didn't look visually well [impressive]. Subsequently, that race has turned out far better, the second horse is a good horse. And his run the last day was much better. We're well entitled to go to Cheltenham. They're both entitled to go there, maybe they will go there. I thought maybe we'd send one and not the other but, when I think about it, possibly it's best if the two of them go. WM

Killultagh Vic & Westhorpe - "I got a text from Ruby (Walsh) coming down off the stands saying he's another one for the boat. I think he's right. He's improving with every run and that was a terrific performance. After making the pace, which was pretty decent, he really quickened off it. He's better than I thought he was."The horse that won on Saturday at Fairyhouse (Westhorpe) will have to go to Cheltenham as well, so it looks like we have four at the moment." Patrick Mullins, who again confirmed his intention to ride Black Hercules at Cheltenham, said of Killultagh Vic: "He picked up as well as anything I've ridden all year."