….Mark Howard with a couple of TH ‘dark horses’;
The outcome of Graded four year old events at Fairyhouse and Kempton (Adonis Hurdle) on the same afternoon later this month (22nd February) could offer more clues and cause a few ripples in the ante-post market.
Two names who feature among the entries for the Triumph and could yet have a say at Cheltenham are Auteuil winners
KURASSO BLUE and
LIVE CONTI.
French handler Yannick Fouin was responsible for 2023 Triumph Hurdle winner Lossiemouth, along with other subsequent Grade 1 winners Impaire Et Passe and Min. He was in charge of the chestnut
KURASSO BLUE when the Masked Marvel gelding galloped to a two and a half lengths win at the Parisian track in mid September (2m 2f : Very Soft).
The form of the colts and geldings' version of the Prix Finot is, however, questionable – the race has only produced two winners since – and the winning time was over three seconds slower than the fillies’ version 35 minutes later – but Kurasso Blue is unbeaten and joined Gordon Elliott shortly afterwards.
Agent Alex Elliott brokered a deal on behalf of Robcour and he has his first run for his new connections at Naas on Saturday. Pulling clear in the closing stages at Auteuil, stamina looked his forte and the New course at Cheltenham ought to be to his liking (50/1 NRNB, bet365).
Triple French champion jockey James Reveley was impressed with
LIVE CONTI’s debut win at the same track in early October. A former stablemate of Il Est Francais, the gelded son of Cokoriko landed the Prix Pride of Kildare over the same C&D (Heavy) by a short head from Larzac (now owned by J.P.McManus and trained by Willie Mullins) with the pair nicely clear of the rest.
His form offers much more substance with the third, fourth (plus placed in Grade 1 company), tenth, twelfth and thirteenth entering the winners’ enclosure since. Hailing from the same breeders as multiple Grade 1 winner Silviniaco Conti, Anthony Bromley bought the ex-Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm runner for the late John Hales, plus Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason to join Dan Skelton and his British debut is imminent.
Entered against older horses in a National Hunt novices’ hurdle at Exeter on Sunday, it remains to be seen whether Cheltenham is on the radar but a convincing success at the weekend could see his current odds of 25/1 (NRNB) tumble. He is an exciting horse for the future.