Straight From The Trainers Mouth Day 3

Johns Spirit

13^th March

1.30    JLT Novices' Steeple Chase (2m 5f)

Wonderful Charm - Wonderful Charm is favourite for the two mile four JLT Novices' Chase on the Thursday. He's just had a bit of puss in his foot over the last few days and it's one of those trainers nightmares, I wanted to do a bit with him this morning and he decided it was a bit sore. The idea with this lad after he did really well in the spring was to gain experience over fences and he did that before Christmas, his last run getting beat a neck by Oscar Whisky giving him 8lb which was an excellent run. He won at Wincanton and Newbury and the key to this horse is good ground, I'd love to see it drying up and hopefully the New Course on the Thursday will suit him. He doesn't want it really soft, which is why we campaigned him in the autumn and now in the spring again. He'll go to Cheltenham, Aintree and maybe even Sandown. He jumps well, goes well fresh and I just hope the ground isn't too soft. PN

Felix Yonger - I think ground is key to him but it would look like the JLT is the target for him at the moment. WM

Vukovar - "Vukovar is doing nicely and is very much on target," said Fry."He's a big, strong five-year-old so with him being so young we decided to give him a break after his win at Newbury."He has done very nicely in the meantime. I know he was beaten on his first run for us but that was over two miles and he won easily when we stepped him up a little last time."In time I think he'll make a cracking staying chaser but this (two and a half miles) is as far as he wants to be going at this stage of his career." HF
Taquin Du Seuil - " Taquin Du Seuil:
He will get a proper gallop in the JLT, which he hasn't had a couple of times this season. A couple of his races were Micky Mouse gallops. If they go a good gallop, he could run well.Obviously, there is not much between Oscar Whisky and Taquin Du Seuil. Oscar was a good horse over hurdles, but Taquin is a good horse and, as long as the ground does not dry out too much, he will run well. He is best on soft ground, though I will run him on good ground but he wouldn't want it to dry out. I know he likes a good pace in his races and I could not have him in better shape - he is in really good form. I am very happy with my fellow and, last time, there was not much between him and Oscar (three quarters of a length) at Cheltenham and they were some 15 lengths ahead of the third. He jumps well, he travels well and he does everything well. His run at The Festival last year was not his form but he has run well at Cheltenham over fences since so I don't think it was the course. I'd be very happy with him. He really does excite me.

Oscar Whisky - He worked this morning and will go to Kempton. He didn't do what everybody expected at Sandown [when winning the Scilly Isles]. Funnily enough, Captain Conan was unimpressive in that last year. We win the race but we never seem to do it properly. He'll have a school and then he'll go to Kempton. He was good this morning. It was in a period we were just having a few little ripples and we've got through that. He loves Cheltenham, don't forget, and this is the first year he's going to race at the Festival over his trip because he's a genuine two and a half mile horse. It is what he loves. NH

Double Ross - "Double Ross has done lots of good stuff at Cheltenham. He will go for the JLT Novices' Chase rather than the handicaps because there might be some improver lower in the weights there. He is more experienced over fences than most of the novices. I think experience over the Cheltenham fences is quite important. He has been around there three times this season. A horse like Oscar Whisky has got great form over hurdles, but he doesn't look to enjoy his jumping, whereas this horse really does. He can go on any ground. It is a question of whether he will be good enough. He will take the race to them, being up with the pace.
Phil Smith [the BHA Head of Handicapping] was quite encouraging and tells me that a horse with his rating of 152 ought to be good enough to go well in the race." NTD

2.05    Pertemps Final (Handicap Hurdle) (3m)

Imperial Leader - "There is a possibility that he might get into the Pertemps Final. He may get in because of the change in conditions, which have reduced the number of horses qualifying for the race. He qualified at Exeter the other day behind Fingal Bay but. he needs better ground than that."
Josies Orders - He won his qualifier for the Pertemps at Huntingdon and he'll go for the Final in good form. I'd probably run Upswing and Open Day in that race too if they get in. Whatever gets in will probably run in that race.

2.40    Ryanair Chase (2m 5f)

Al Ferof - I'm almost certain he'll run in the Ryanair as two miles and five suits him brilliantly if the ground is decent. The Champion Chase is an option if the ground is testing and he doesn't lack pace. If he [Sprinter Sacre] didn't run and the ground was bad it could be an option. But the obvious race is the Ryanair and he does need nice ground. He did win the Paddy Power Gold Cup in soft, heavy ground but he was probably well handicapped that day. The New Course, two miles and five is perfect for him. For a Dom Alco he's got lots of speed and he takes plenty of getting fit this horse, he's come out of Saturday's race well and I'm very happy with him. We've been trying to ride him as a stayer and he's probably not - PN

3.20    Ladbrokes World Hurdle (3m)

Big Bucks - Our four-time World Hurdle winner whose 18-run winning streak was ended the other day, but to fair to him he ran a good race in the Cleeve. He came in late and we did all we could to get him ready first time out. But with a horse like him it could take a couple of runs to get back to his best. When they've had leg trouble you don't do as much graft as you can and he was always going to need the run a little bit. There was a bit of criticism of Sam Twiston-Davies but he rode him exactly how I wanted him to and I was just smiling to myself at some of the comments like 'he should've held on to him longer and ridden him differently'. This horse wins because he's a stayer. He wins races staying on strongly from the back of the last and all he did wrong at Cheltenham was get tired on ground that he doesn't like. I reckon he's lost about 10 kilos since then and he's tightened up. Now, he looks absolutely fantastic. He just looked big and well at Cheltenham and I think he ran as good a race first time out as he has on any of the last five seasons. If you think that in previous years he'd been to Newbury and had a soft race, beating either Five Dream or Reve De Sivola ,and we were able to build his fitness up quietly with a quiet run at Ascot and then into the spring. He had a tough task the other day, had a week off after Cheltenham and he's really bloomed the last 10 days. I wouldn't want to see the ground as heavy as it is everywhere at the moment as if you look at his record all those Grade Ones came on good or good to soft, so we're just hoping for some better ground. Annie Power aside, what are the dangers? She's got to stay, she's got loads of pace and you need to be a really good stayer to win the World Hurdle. She looks to have plenty of pace to me. But with the 7lb allowance if she runs in the World Hurdle she's obviously going to be a potent force. PN

Celestial Halo - Everyone knows Halo, he's 10 years old now and won a Triumph, was second in last year's World Hurdle the first time we tried him over three and won over that distance first time out this season when beating At Fishers Cross and Reve De Sivola at Newbury. He was going to run in the Long Walk but got an infection in his front foot, but he's well over that now. I just think he needs a run before the World Hurdle and he'll run at Haydock over three this weekend. Whatever he does on Saturday he'll improve for the run. He needs a tough race on Saturday to get him back to his very best for the World Hurdle. PN

Zarkander - He's just come to himself and he's going to run at Wincanton on Saturday in the Axeminster Hurdle against Melodic Rendezvous. He won there twice last year. He's going to run in the World Hurdle, it's fairly obvious he's not going to win a Champion Hurdle now, he's had a couple of goes at it and Saturday's race at Wincanton will be a test of stamina in the ground. It should put him right for the World Hurdle and I'd like to see better ground for him over three miles. He always comes right in the spring and there's lots of fun to be had with him - he could go to Aintree, Punchestown and perhaps France. He's been second to the mare Annie Power twice this season as well as The New One and one could remain unbeaten and one could win the Champion Hurdle. He's bred to stay and I'm looking forward to seeing him run in the World Hurdle. If he doesn't stay in the World Hurdle we'll go back to the two and a half mile hurdle he won at Aintree last year.Irving is one of the favourites for the Supreme Novices' and his form was boosted by Splash Of Ginge in the Betfair Hurdle. We bought him in the summer having won four from six on the Flat in Germany and he's now won three from three over hurdles. He started off at Taunton, won nicely, and then he won at Ascot and a listed race the next day. We just minded him a little bit as we were going to run him in the Tolworth and then the Betfair, but with the ground as it is we decided not to run him as we want to go to Cheltenham with him and then possibly Aintree. I'm thrilled with the way he looks, physically he's doing well and he's just starting to come in his coat which is what you want to see at this time of year. He could run in the Dovecote next week but I wouldn't run him if it was heavy. I want to get a run, or a racecourse gallop, into him before Cheltenham. I'd love to run him in the Dovecote and get more experience into him over hurdles. He's progressed, got loads of speed, jumps nicely and hopefully we haven't seen the best of him yet. He could be an interesting horse for the rest of this season and going into next season. PN

Annie Power - She's in all three races [Champion Hurdle, Mares Hurdle, World Hurdle]. She's in good form. I'll just prepare her for Cheltenham, like I'm doing all the horses, and then the last week, the last minute, we'll decide what goes where. Has she ever met a real Champion Hurdle horse? Every time we've gone a longer trip, it's been good. She knows Cheltenham, she's travelled well to England. Then you've got to ask yourself, what else is running in those races? I think [the pieces] will fall into place but it depends what other horses are available to run in what races. Obviously you're looking at four or five horses that are going to be very hard to beat in the Champion Hurdle, you're looking at one or two that are probably going to be hard to beat in the World Hurdle. And then you're looking at a very hard horse to beat in the Mares' Hurdle. I don't know how good she is and I don't know what her optimum trip is. She was a highly strung mare, she's settled down a good bit now. Traditionally, I don't like travelling horses [to England] before Cheltenham because I think it does take a little bit out of their performance over there. But she has recovered well [from three trips this winter] and maybe we're getting better at travelling them and recovering quicker. There's a lot to be done in that area and I think we've learned plenty over the years, so hopefully there's still plenty in the tank. I bought her as a chaser, I'm surprised she's jumping hurdles for a second year, but that's her ability. It depends what she does in her next two races, whether we stay hurdling or go chasing. WM

More Of That - More Of That has done nothing but improve this season. He has won at Cheltenham and though he has not tried three miles, he is very relaxed and I would be surprised if he did not stay. Tony McCoy

He is in good shape and it looks like he will stay the three miles of the Ladbrokes World Hurdle. He won at Haydock because he stayed. Do I have a doubt in my mind? Well, I think he will stay, though going to Cheltenham for The Festival is a hard thing to do, they don't hang around and the finish is up a hill. We don't really know. I am not totally sure he will go for the World Hurdle but he is ready to go and I would think Richie (McLernon) will ride him. Richie won on him first time out and knows the horse well. More Of That is a good traveller in his races but it makes me nervous that he has not raced over three miles before - it is going into the unknown. He is a fair horse but how strong is his form? I would think AP (McCoy) will ride At Fisher's Cross but he will come to ride work this week and next week and make his mind up. I hope he rides ours. Jonjo

At Fishers Cross - At Fishers Cross was much more his old self when he was just beaten by Knockara Beau in the Cleeve Hurdle, with Big Buck’s behind him in and there’s more to come from him. Tony McCoy

4.00    Byrne Group Plate Handicap Steeple Chase (2m 5f)

Hunt Ball - "Mr Henderson has done a stunning job with him, he thought he had him as fit as he could get him but now he thinks there is plenty of improvement to come. He's back down 155 now which brings the handicaps back into it and he'll run on either Tuesday or Thursday. I'd imagine if it's softish ground it will be the Byrne Group, but on decent ground he could run over three miles.

Triolo D’Alene - The Grand National is his prime objective. Triolo has to have a race somewhere and we really have got no option but to go to Cheltenham. Now, I really want him to have the least aggressive race. He can win, but the one that's going to give him the best prep. And that might be the two and a half. He's got the pace for two and a half. He's not slow, that's why he was leading Sprinter on Saturday. NH

Johns Spirit - He is in great form - he worked brilliantly the other morning. The reason he hasn't run is he keeps getting sore shins. He was fired and blistered after his last race so we have done a proper job on him. The owner was away until now in New Zealand so it has suited us not to run him, in any case. He has got stronger this season and is much happier in himself. He goes well for Richie (McLernon) and they suit each other. I would blame the shins for his last run. He was sore after the Paddy Power and we struggled to get him back for the race in December. He ran well off a higher rating and it is a hard thing to do - win both the Paddy Power and that race. You need to come out of the Paddy Power flying and he came out sore. It is a hard race, the Paddy Power.He is working fantastically at the minute and I hope it stays that way for the next two weeks. He goes for the Byrne Group Plate.

4.40    Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (3m 1 1/2f)

Same Difference - "We have a very good amateur called Jamie Bargary. He won on Hunters Lodge at Cheltenham in October but was unfortunate to go the wrong way at Towcester when they moved the whatsits. He had to have 14 days off but, as this covered days on which amateur races took place, he had nearly three months on the sidelines. He is an up-and-coming jockey and I think an awful lot of him. Can Same Difference do it again in the Kim Muir? I don't know, but he's only 4lb higher in the weights and we know that some horses can just come alive on the big occasions. He seems very well." NTD