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Heavyweights wary of Shark attack

Sat 31st Jan 2015, 11:51

Hidden CycloneHidden Cyclone
© Photo Healy Racing

Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead bid to continue their dominance of the Boylesports Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown on Sunday.

Days Hotel will represent De Bromhead, who was on the mark in this race in 2012-13 with the mighty Sizing Europe.

Mullins, who was successful with Golden Silver in 2011 and struck gold 12 months ago with Arvika Ligeonniere, this year relies upon Twinlight.

Twinlight won the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, when his immediate victim was Shark Hanlon's Hidden Cyclone.

The Mullins runner has since finished third behind Dodging Bullets and Sprinter Sacre in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot and now renews rivalry with Hidden Cyclone, but with an 8lb Grade One penalty.

Mullins' son, Patrick, said: "You'd imagine it's going to be very difficult to carry the Grade One penalty.

"Shark's horse is probably the one to beat.

"However, Twinlight has run very well at the track before, including when winning at the Punchestown Festival. He's in good form so we'd be hoping for another good run.

"He's been a model of consistency for the last two or three seasons and he picks up prize-money nearly every day he runs. Hopefully he'll do the same again on Sunday."

Jockey Ruby Walsh is upbeat about Twinlight's chances.

He told the Irish Examiner: " You can argue he was well beaten on that occasion (at Ascot), fair enough, but I do think Twinlight ran to a rather high standard all of the same.

"At the weights, he obviously has Hidden Cyclone to beat, but I'm reasonably confident we won't be far away."

De Bromhead is also in a positive frame of mind with Days Hotel, who, like Twinlight, has two course-and-distance wins to his name.

"He's in good form and he's been running well all year. He should run well again," said the County Waterford handler.

"We hadn't tried any headgear before, but we just thought a set of cheekpieces might sharpen him up.

"On Hidden Cyclone's rating, he obviously looks well in at the weights."

The Sandra Hughes-trained Bright New Dawn cannot be dismissed, having finished ahead of Days Hotel when runner-up behind the impressive Mallowney in the Dan Moore Memorial Chase at Fairyhouse.

Harry Rogers runs Irish Thistle, with Keith Watson's 11-year-old Heavenly Brook completing the line-up.