The Betway ambassador begins by paying tribute to Hurricane Fly, who he rode to his first Grade 1 win back in 2008, before sharing his thoughts on his rides at Listowel.
We’ve had some incredibly special horses at Closutton over the years, and while people will always debate over who’s the best and try and compare eras, nobody can argue with the fact that Hurricane Fly is undoubtedly one of the greatest hurdlers the sport has ever seen. A record of 24 wins from his 32 starts, with 22 of those victories coming at Grade 1 level, is one that may never be bettered, and like everybody in racing, I was incredibly sad to hear of his passing this week at the age of 22.
He’s a horse that meant so much to everybody at Willie’s yard, but for me personally, winning the 2008 Royal Bond on him on my first ride in a Grade 1 was incredibly special, and it’s a day I’ll never forget. I’d only just turned 18, so to ride a horse of his calibre in such an important race was a big deal, but he travelled so well, as he always did, and he was just so straightforward to ride.
He’s a horse people will talk about for centuries, particularly on this side of the Irish Sea, and it was just a privilege to have been associated with such an incredible racehorse, and he’ll be sorely missed by everybody connected with him.
We’re back at Listowel on Thursday afternoon, though, and the first of my three rides on the card is Moja Dama 11/2 in the Mares Maiden Hurdle (13:57). She won a Downpatrick bumper on her second start for us last year, but she was disappointing on her first run over hurdles when making her return in July at Cork. She was quite keen that day and just dropped away tamely towards the finish, so she’ll have to learn to settle if she’s going to land a blow here, where plenty of them have a nice level of form to their name.
Al Arrivee was a good third at Galway last time, so she definitely looks to have a chance, and Gavin Cromwell’s mare Lennon Grove was second in that good bumper at Aintree at the Grand National meeting, so we have a bit to find with a few of them, and Moja Dama will have to leave that disappointing run well behind her to get involved.
I’m then on Beauvallon 100/30 in that valuable Listed Handicap Hurdle (15:07), and he ran a screamer when fifth at 33/1 in the Galway Hurdle with Brian Hayes on board. He was only beaten four lengths by the winner Putapoundinthejar, and he’s only 1lb higher for that effort, so although he has top weight here, he carries it for a reason. That line of form from Galway looks very strong in the context of this race, so although he gives weight away to a few interesting types down the bottom, I wouldn’t be in a rush to swap him for anything else in the race.
It’s a competitive contest, as it should be for a good pot like this, but I’d be disappointed if there wasn’t more to come from my lad, so hopefully I’m on the right one.
My final ride on the day is I Will Be Baie 2/1 in the Beginners Chase (16:52), and he has a huge layoff to overcome after 964 days off the track. His beating of My Trump Card in a maiden hurdle is a strong piece of form, but it was that long ago that you’d want to see him prove that ability is still intact on the track. However, he’s been in good order at home, so he’ll be there to take his chance.
Love Me Tender seemingly took to fences well at Galway last time, and he catches the eye as the horse we’ll have to beat, but Largy Hill is another of ours coming back from a huge absence, so it will be interesting to see how he gets on on his return. I like I Will Be Baie, and we’ll be there giving it our best, but you’d just imagine he’ll take a big step forward for whatever he does here after such a long time off the track.
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