The Betway ambassador previews his four rides at Fairyhouse on Easter Monday, headlined by Kiss Will in the Irish Grand National.
Irish National Day at Fairyhouse is still one of those days you really look forward to all year as a jockey, and having been fortunate enough to taste success in the race before, it only makes you hungry for more. I ride Kiss Will in the big one at 17:00, but I have three good rides to look forward to before we get to the main event, so here’s hoping for a successful afternoon!
I loved what Majolique / did at Naas on her first start for us, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how she gets on upped in grade in the juvenile race (14:40). She actually surprised me that day, and it’s a shame that race came just a bit too close to Cheltenham because it would have been fascinating to see how she’d have got on at the Festival. She comes here fresher than Macho Man and Proactif, and we were a bit underwhelmed with that pair at Cheltenham, to say the least. I was expecting much better from Proactif, but he just didn’t fire that day for whatever reason, and Macho Man was pulled up after making a bad mistake down the back. Majolique does lack the experience of those rivals, but I think she’ll be fine, so I’m not too concerned, and if she steps forward from that Naas run, she’d have a massive chance.
I thought Storm Heart / ran a cracker at Cheltenham, so he could go well back up in grade in the Rathbarry & Glenview Stud Hurdle (15:50). He’s a horse who has had his issues in the past, but he still retains plenty of ability and enthusiasm, and he’s still only six, so hopefully there’s a bit more to come from him. I do think giving 3lb to Kawaboomga will be difficult now that he has that run under his belt, but we know Storm Heart will turn up and run his race, so hopefully we can give JP’s horse something to think about.
It’s interesting to see Slade Steel revert to hurdling here too, and although he’s been bridesmaid on a few occasions recently, he clearly has the ability to get involved if returning to his best form.
Energumene / has been a brilliant horse for both me and the yard, and although he’s not quite the horse he once was, I’m looking forward to being on board once again in the Fairyhouse Chase (16:20). Even though he was well beaten behind Majborough at Leopardstown last time, I thought he went through that race with plenty of enthusiasm, and he’ll appreciate the drop in class here for sure. The extra couple of furlongs might just make life easier for him at the age of 12 as well, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he were able to put up a big performance. Found A Fifty and Saint Sam would look to be the main dangers, but they both had a very tough race at Navan in February, and Energumene arrives here a bit fresher. It won’t be easy at his age now, but it would be incredible for the whole team if he could get his head back in front.
The Irish Grand National (17:00) is still one of the biggest races of the year over here, and it’s a race I love riding in. I’ve been fortunate enough to win it on I Am Maximus a few years ago, so I can’t wait to have another go here on Kiss Will / .
Like most Nationals, the start is mayhem, but you have to try to get a good position, settle early, and get a decent view of the first few fences. It’s a bit frantic for the first half mile, then things settle down and you can start focusing on getting into a good rhythm. It’s a long way home, so you can’t just keep going forward, or you won’t stay the trip.
Willie runs seven in the race, and as you can imagine, it was a bit of a headache trying to work out which one to ride. I went for Kiss Will because he has a nice racing weight, and although he’s never been this far before, he has won over three miles over hurdles, so I’d be hopeful the trip will be fine. In truth, you never know until you try, but he has a good level of experience behind him now, and I just think this race could suit him.
It was between him and C’Est Ta Chance, and I had to give it some proper thought because I’ve been very impressed by C’Est Ta Chance recently – he’s looked a different animal since going chasing. Argento Boy was another I had to consider, but I’m hoping I’ve made the right decision with Kiss Will, and I guess I’ll find out at about quarter past five on Monday!
