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2026 Novice Hurdlers

Heads up probably flattered winning today against a horse who is clearly better over much further ?

The 2nd is only entered for the one race at Cheltenham....The Turners
 
Lobos said:
Heads up probably flattered winning today against a horse who is clearly better over much further ?

The 2nd is only entered for the one race at Cheltenham....The Turners
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John McConnell will consider all the spring festivals for Heads Up after seeing him get back on the winning trail at Punchestown.

Runner-up in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last March, the six-year-old made a successful start over obstacles at Listowel in September and was second to star British novice No Drama This End back in Cheltenham the following month.

He disappointed on Festivals Trials day at Prestbury Park in late January, but with a hood applied he showed his true colours in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle under Danny Mullins, claiming Listed honours by three-quarters of a length from odds-on favourite Lazare De Star

“Obviously everything went wrong the last day. The delay didn’t help, but the way he behaved delay or no delay he would have blown his chance,” said McConnell of the 5-2 chance.

“The frustrating thing is that he’s a very placid horse at home and is not keen or anything. All his schooling has been in behind, but if you get into a row with him you’ll lose.

“Where we go, I don’t know. There will be big decisions to be talked about, but they are nice decisions.

“He’s in both the Supreme and the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. He’s probably a two and a half miler, but with his exuberance we decided to come back to two miles and he obviously settled a lot better.

“Cheltenham is an atmospheric place and for whatever reason he just didn’t handle it. We had the hood on today and it obviously helped.

“It’s a worry because we’re going to be going to either Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown or Fairyhouse and they all have atmospheres.

“Hopefully he’ll mature and with the hood on him it might be a big help.”
 
…..Windbeneathmywings;

He hasn’t run this season as he picked up a little injury early on. He is back in training and is entered in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. With the new Rules he has to run before then, so we are probably running out of time. We might end up running in a bumper in Ireland as he is not eligible to run in bumpers in this country and save his hurdling for next season.
 
Eggs said:
John McConnell will consider all the spring festivals for Heads Up after seeing him get back on the winning trail at Punchestown.

Runner-up in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last March, the six-year-old made a successful start over obstacles at Listowel in September and was second to star British novice No Drama This End back in Cheltenham the following month.

He disappointed on Festivals Trials day at Prestbury Park in late January, but with a hood applied he showed his true colours in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle under Danny Mullins, claiming Listed honours by three-quarters of a length from odds-on favourite Lazare De Star

“Obviously everything went wrong the last day. The delay didn’t help, but the way he behaved delay or no delay he would have blown his chance,” said McConnell of the 5-2 chance.

“The frustrating thing is that he’s a very placid horse at home and is not keen or anything. All his schooling has been in behind, but if you get into a row with him you’ll lose.

“Where we go, I don’t know. There will be big decisions to be talked about, but they are nice decisions.

“He’s in both the Supreme and the Turners Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. He’s probably a two and a half miler, but with his exuberance we decided to come back to two miles and he obviously settled a lot better.

“Cheltenham is an atmospheric place and for whatever reason he just didn’t handle it. We had the hood on today and it obviously helped.

“It’s a worry because we’re going to be going to either Cheltenham, Aintree, Punchestown or Fairyhouse and they all have atmospheres.

“Hopefully he’ll mature and with the hood on him it might be a big help.”
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Appreciate the through quotes eggs! Legend. Just what I was after. I was really encouraged with that 2m performance! Cant ignore that hood situation though!
 
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Nice to see Heads Up get his head back in front, rallying when it mattered.

Not got the class to go and win a Supreme but he'll still be a tough nut to crack from the front.

Not sure what the trainer sees in him as a Turners type, been beat twice over the trip now, yet 2 from 2 over 2m.
 
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Anyone see the richard johnson article , quite a long writeup about the festival. I was looking drastically for sober glory quotes but was shocked it didnt get a mention. He actually talked about old park star alot. Found it super odd, especially when johnson white came out today (or yesterday) with some super additional high praise for the horse. strange!!
I was checking some ratings of the last few supremes. Crazy how only tutti quanti was the only GB representation last year, very similar in prevous years to be honest. old park star really does have a super high rating when you compare to the last few hendo supremes!
Anyway really talking myself into the sober glory camp right now.

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www.racingtv.com
 
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Johnson White has been at Philip Hobbs’ side for many great days at the Cheltenham Festival and having described a winner at the meeting as a “drug you can’t get enough of” is putting full faith in Sober Glory to provide a landmark first success alongside his long-time guv’nor.

The Brocade Racing-owned six-year-old earned rave reviews when enhancing his reputation at Newbury and now finds himself as short as 11-1 in the betting for the curtain-raising Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, having tasted defeat in just one of his seven career starts to date.

White said: “We were delighted and he’s a very exciting horse going forward, that is for sure. The Supreme is very much the target at the moment. He couldn’t have done it anymore impressively.

I know Dan Skelton thinks an awful lot of the second horse (Kadastral) and Harry Cobden was very complimentary about Sober Glory, as you would hope and expect him to be.

“He travelled a little bit freer than he has done before, but I think that was down to well-being than anything else. He jumped well, barring one mistake down the back, and most importantly he has come out of the race well and is bucking and kicking.

“He’s now rated 148 and I think he has very much earned his tilt at the Supreme and we like to think he ought to be competitive.”

White has been a part of the Sandhill operation since he was 15 and having had his riding aspirations dashed due to his height, soon became a trusted lieutenant who has helped oversee the preparations of many Hobbs Festival winners down the years.

However, having officially joined forces with a joint licence, the duo are hopeful Sober Glory can now help write a new chapter in the story of the Minehead stable in a race Menorah captured for the yard in 2010.

White added: “It would be very special to get my first winner and any race would be special, but if we could win the Supreme it would be a nice start to the week.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to win it before and ahead of the Festival you are thinking if we can win just one race then we will be happy, but once you have one you want more and don’t want to settle – it’s a drug you can’t get enough of.

“Sober Glory is probably a bigger, stronger chasing type than previous horses we have run in the race and at the beginning of the season we were looking and thinking he would probably be running over two and a half miles by now.

“But he just shows plenty of speed both on the racecourse and in his work at home as well. He’s just a lovely horse to have, he’s straightforward, good looking and has a lot of talent under the bonnet as well.”
 
The Illusion Machine form continues to be well found - He's on Fire bolts up just now @ Carlisle.
 
darlojim said:
The Illusion Machine form continues to be well found - He's on Fire bolts up just now @ Carlisle.
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Not entered anywhere though?

Seems an odd one throwing away a maiden tag in mid February, Laurets to Supreme and HoF to Turners for Ricci?
 
Do you think he will be coming over to these shores? I know Neil George still has Stencil but still unusual for the French to actually bring some over.
 
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