Ruby Walsh on Cheltenham Festival Novice Hurdles - 'He’s a very, very good horse, Willie loves him'

On the sixth of this year’s Paddy Power Media’s ‘From The Horse’s Mouth’ podcast ‘Cheltenham Countdown’, former champion jockey turned tv pundit Ruby Walsh selects his ideas of the winners in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Turners Novices’ Hurdle and Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Mighty Park is the shortest of Willie Mullins’s in the betting, Ruby?

Roc Dino was second [at Fairyhouse] was second to El Cairos at Thurles and Mighty Park was mightily impressive - he was a non-runner at Christmas and then pulled out in Fairyhouse a fortnight later.

Had he run at Christmas, he probably would have been back at the DRF and he’d be going here hopefully not as just a maiden winner.

But he’s a very, very good horse, Willie loves him, he’s compared him to Faugheen I think last week or Faugheenesque or something like that!

He’s a hell of a good racehorse, but whether he goes two miles or two and a half miles I don’t know.

One at a price and your verdict of the most likely winner?

Leader d’Allier I think at a price maybe — I thought he was disappointing in a maiden hurdle at Christmas, but I thought he was much better at Punchestown and I loved the way he went through the line and went half-way back to Naas to pull him up!

I think he’s a big price and he’ll put up a good performance.

I wish I knew where Mighty Park was going, but Old Park Star sets the standard and he’s dead straightforward, but probably Leader d’Allier at a price and I was really impressed with Sober Glory at Newbury.

I thought he was really good, I think it’s a deep Supreme, I think it’s a belting contest and I think when you look at Cheltenham even in the past, even Sober maybe who won the Moscow Flyer, he needs to jump quicker.

But he’s starting to come a little bit, there’s a question mark over him in jumping as well too, but I think when you look at the way Tuesday in Cheltenham can shape up, bookmakers going at each other on Tuesday morning, I think there’ll be great value in this Supreme.

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle NRNB

Paddy Power: 15-8 Old Park Star, 4 Talk The Talk, 5 El Cairos, 6 Mighty Park, 10 Leader D’Allier, Mydaddypaddy, 12 Ballyfad, Idaho Sun, Proactif, Sober Glory, 14 King Rasko Grey, 20 bar

Turners Novices’ Hurdle

King Rasko Grey - what did you make of his effort at the DRF and can he take a step forward?

I think he can, I kind of thought watching him in Limerick where he looked and you thought the way he won and he came through ‘God yeah a bit further would really suit him’.

Is this the most likely option for him?

I don’t know and I think Willie is very undecided as well. He did look in Limerick like yeah maybe going a bit further would suit him, but when you watched him with Talk The Talk and Ballyfad at Leopardstown, he was the most inexperienced of the three and he was the one that ultimately faded the last 25 yards.

But he was the least experienced of the three as well so he’s entitled to improve for that. He’s a good jumper, but I wonder, it wouldn’t surprise me if he went up a little bit in trip, but then again a lot will depend on where Mighty Park is going and what gets pushed back, I suppose, to the Supreme then or decides ‘you know what we won’t pitch him in against him, we’ll give them a chance in the Supreme’.

I think Saint Baco was really disappointing in the Ballymore at Naas — I thought he was a fairish horse when he won in Navan, but he was a no show at Naas.

Sortudo ran well, a tricky one Sortudo to figure out trip, he looks at home like he wants further, but he didn’t get to Declan Queally’s horse I’ll Sort That, he got outstayed.

[Rory points out they omitted the last two hurdles (four in total)]

I think with the jumps in, it would have inconvenienced I’ll Sort That and suited Sortudo and might have got a different result.

Funny one now - I think I’ll Sort That reminds me a little bit of Jasmin De Vaux - if he was mine, I’d be going Albert Bartlett.

I’d be slowing him down, getting into a rhythm jumping and using the race where the jumping really doesn’t count because he has a huge engine and guts to burn I’ll Sort That.

Free bet in the Turners right now?

A free bet in the Turners right now, what price is Mighty Park? [4-1 NRNB, he’s (joint) favourite] I’d chance him.

What price is he in the Supreme non-runner no bet? [he’s 6-1 NRNB] I’m going to have something on both races, get my money back, I’ll take it. I think he’ll be a bit shorter whichever race he runs in.

Turners Novices’ Hurdle NRNB

Paddy Power: 4 No Drama This End, Mighty Park, 5 Doctor Steinberg, Skylight Hustle, Talk The Talk, 7 Ballyfad, 10 King Rasko Grey, Act Of Innocence, 14 I’ll Sort That, Sober, 16 bar

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Irish favourite from Closutton, Doctor Steinberg, who was keen at Leopardstown?

Willie kind of threw the cat among the pigeons, didn’t he, the other morning at a press day betwixt and between whether he’ll go here or go Turners with him.

I think that that Nathaniel Lacy was really steadily run, down through the first five/six furlongs anyway, and when you get a horse running keen, it’s very hard if they don’t get to them in the first couple of furlongs, it’s very hard to get them then in the race.

But I just think when you get into a battle with a horse, it’s very hard to switch them off then and I would be of the opinion that the Albert Bartlett usually gets pretty much a full field, you get plenty of people wanting to be on the front end, down over the first couple they tend to go a strong old gallop.

It’s the kind of race you could get in sixth, seventh, eighth somewhere and get him to switch off so I think he would settle. I didn’t think he was as good a horse as he is - there’s no point in saying that.

He was a fraction of odds on, we did a show before the DRF, and then he was even money, I thought he was ridiculously short for the race. [SP eventually 7-4 favourite] But he proved he wasn’t and I thought it was a hell of a good performance.

But if Frank [Hickey, principal Paddy Power trader] hates it, he’s going to be 3-1 with Powers so I’d probably be taking that.

Couple of possible others from Closutton - you mentioned Sortudo, and Espresso Milan, are they both likely to run here

Yeah and possibly Doctor Du Mesnil as well. Espresso Milan was good in Thurles in Stewart Andrew’s colours, the Nick Rockett colours, a big horse that’s progressing away and does absolutely nothing wrong. Not flash but kind of gets it done.

I think the one that will be overlooked at a price is Doctor Du Mesnil - I think he wants this sort of trip, won a 2m 3f bumper last year at Cork last Easter when he beat Thedeviluno and he’s been disappointing in two runs over hurdles thus far.

I think he could end up being a good price. What price is he? [40-1 NRNB, he’s into 25-1 now] I’d take that yep — there’s my bet.

If you were Paul Townend, who would you ride in each of the three novice hurdles?

I don’t know, without riding them it’s hard at times, I’m only judging it on form like you are. He might have ridden one of them and thought ‘yeah, this is definitely quicker than the lads think’ or ‘this is better’ - you get a feeling for them.

I think he’ll probably ride Leader d’Allier wherever he goes, that’s probably the only one you’d be nailing your colours to the mast on of Willie’s.

He obviously won’t be riding Mighty Park so it would be quite straightforward if he was, you’d split Mighty Park and Leader d’Allier. And I think he’ll ride Doctor Steinberg in the Albert Bartlett.

Most likely winner of the Albert Bartlett and also one that will run well?

Doctor Steinberg, Doctor Du Mesnil.

Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle

Paddy Power: 3 Doctor Steinberg, 6 Thedeviluno, 8 No Drama This End, 12 Espresso Milan, I’ll Sort That, Sortudo, 14 Spinningayarn, 16 Apache Tribe, Kazansky, 20 Dalston Lad, Mondouiboy, Klimt Madrik, Moneygarrow, 25 bar