Mouse Morris I have never had a big operation at Everardsgrange, we don’t have the space to do it, so we haven’t done too badly over the years, winning the Gold Cup, Champion Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Aintree and Irish Grand Nationals and plenty of other top races. We have been lucky to have the likes of War Of Attrition, Buck House, Trapper John, First Lieutenant and Rule The World in the yard in the last 38 years, and plenty more very good horses along with them. But you have to be looking forward all the time and we are building a nice team again. French Dynamite is one of four horses we have for Robcour. He was bought for £165,000 at Cheltenham in May after winning his point-to-point in Tralee for Donnchadh Doyle. He’s a gorgeous horse but it’s a big test to be going into the Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle on Sunday, taking on Envoi Allen as well as Longhouse Poet, Elixir D’ainay and Anything Will Do. In fact it is a very strong contest. All seven runners have a chance but obviously Envoi Allen is the one to beat. French Dynamite won his maiden hurdle well at Thurles and I was surprised by how well he did it for one of mine first-time out. I always like to take my time with them. He jumped well and the fourth horse, Argumental, has won since. It isn’t ideal to be throwing him in at the deep end in just his second run but as a point winner, you’d think he’d be suited by a step up in trip from the two miles of his first run and there aren’t many of those around. But he’ll learn more from running in a good strong Grade 1 anyway. I’ll be very happy if he runs well and we can plan from there. There are no guarantees he will run in Cheltenham. I don’t bring them over for the experience and French Dynamite is a huge horse at 17 hands. He has to fill his frame yet. We have plenty of time to make those sorts of decisions. We are in a rebuilding phase and most of our horses are young, in the five-year-old category like French Dynamite. Robcour have horses with us for the first time, four in all and another we bought at the same Cheltenham sale as French Dynamite was Largy Fix. He cost £170,000 after winning at Loughanmore for Stuart Crawford. The Bosses Oscar went to Gordon Elliott since and has done very well, winning twice. Largy Fix should be out soon enough. Sams Profile was very promising last year, finishing second in Sunday’s Grade 1 behind Battleoverdoyen after making a bad mistake. He was fifth in the Ballymore at Cheltenham after doing the same thing and ran well to be second in Punchestown after. The initial plan was to go chasing but he is still immature physically. He has a huge chest on him and still has to grow into himself. With that tendency to make mistakes too, it just made sense not to rush him. He will make his seasonal debut in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park on Thyestes Chase day all being well and the plan from there then is to take in the Boyne Hurdle at Navan in February. If he showed what you’d hope he might, the Stayers’ Hurdle in Cheltenham would be the next step.
