'Career-best performance' - Three potential stars for Noel Meade Veteran trainer Noel Meade has been around the block a few times and has trained many excellent horses over the years. He was one of Ireland’s most prominent trainers before Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead took over and is now also having plenty of winners on the Flat. The County Meath-based handler will be hoping to have a big season, so we’ve selected three horses who could develop into stable stars in the not too distant future. One was runner-up in a Grade 1 last time out and there should be plenty of options open to him. Affordale Fury This horse immediately showed potential as a novice hurdler, winning a Galway maiden comfortably back in 2022, while he confirmed that promise by running an absolute cracker in the Albert Bartlett that season, finishing second by a length. Heading to Punchestown after that, he finished second again but by a wider margin. There was no shame in that defeat as winner Gaelic Warrior has gone on to become a proper Grade 1 horse in open company. A switch to fences was next on the agenda and he made a winning start, getting the better of Favori De Champdou. He disappointed in graded company next time but bounced back with a close second at Fairyhouse. The seven-year-old has taken a big step forward this season it seems, as he was runner-up to Envoi Allen in the Champion Chase at Down Royal - that was a career-best performance. A return to winning ways followed in a Listed contest at Thurles. Probably not quite a Grade 1 horse, there will be plenty of lesser graded races in Ireland this season for him to compete in and he should pick up a fair amount of prize money. Blake Blake is a three-time winner on the Flat and two of those successes came when trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam in Britain. Making the switch to Meade’s yard last winter, he finished second in a maiden hurdle at Cork on his stable debut. He then made a victorious return to the Flat, taking a decent handicap over 1m4 at Leopardstown and followed up with a comfortable success over hurdles. Connections decided to step him up in grade next time and they certainly weren’t disappointed. The son of Zoffany only just failed to catch Koktail Brut in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse and may well have done so, if not for a small error at the final flight. A step up in trip could be on the cards but either way, he’s definitely one to watch. Colcannon Colcannon was a very smart bumper performer and, while he has underwhelmed in two starts over hurdles, it’s too early to give up on him. His first bumper victory came at the expense of Champion Bumper runner-up Heads Up at Galway in October 2024. There was more to come however and he followed that up by winning a Grade at the Dublin Racing Festival, and that form has worked out very well. Third at Punchestown after that, he didn’t quite have the pace to challenge Bambino Fever that day. Perhaps a step up in trip is required and his most recent display in a Navan maiden hurdle was a little concerning, but he’s obviously better than that. If Meade can get him back to his best, the five-year-old will win plenty of races over hurdles.
