IRISH CHAMPAGNE AT THE FESTIVAL: Shamrock will highlight the Irish runners at the Cheltenham Festival as the run-up reaches fever pitch, and here he spots a likely source of champagne.
Can we bounce back in the bumper? After six in a row and 11 out of 13, they say we’ve lost the plot in the Champion Bumper, having been beaten by the home team the last twice.
But we have the front two in the betting for Cheltenham this year and, if they can’t do it, maybe J P McManus will Shutthefrontdoor on the others (trainer Jonjo O’Neill, of course). Our top two are Champagne Fever and Moscow Mannon.
Champagne Fever (Willie Mullins) started with an impressive win in a Point, and led a furlong out in his opening bumper at Leopardstown but his head carriage looked awkward and he was outwitted.
When the third horse, Thomas Edison, won 14 lengths in January, Champagne Fever’s head could indeed be held high, metaphorically, and he proved much of that was greenness at the time by the way he sauntered home by 13 lengths at Fairyhouse, also in January.
The head carriage is still of some concern but Mullins, who usually has a store of NH Flat-race material in his yard, is a master at ironing out the kinks in a horse and getting the best out of them, as Mikael D’Haguenet will forever bear witness.
Moscow Mannon is a rare chance for Northern Ireland at these equine Olympics, trained as he is by Brian Hamilton at Downpatrick.
He’s unbeaten since running green against a hat-trick winner in his first bumper, and was really impressive when disposing of subsequent Punchestown scorer, Joxer, at Fairyhouse in early December.
Moscow Mannon continued on the upward curve when forging clear of the odds-on favourite at Gowran a month back.
That odds-on shot was Morning Royalty, who had earlier slammed a Punchestown field 17 lengths. Good form? You bet. But Morning Royalty is from the Champagne Fever yard of Willie Mullins. All to play for, then.
SHAMROCK’S BETS
NAP: Cuore (2.40 Lingfield)
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