Espoir D'Allen To keep Improving Barry Geraghty is confident there is more improvement in unbeaten juvenile hurdler Espoir D'Allen following his latest impressive display at Fairyhouse on Sunday. The JP McManus-owned three-year-old claimed his third win since joining Gavin Cromwell with an assured victory over dual winner Mitchouka in the Grade Three Bar One Racing Juvenile Hurdle and is a general 10-1 shot for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Speaking in his blog on www.attheraces.com, Geraghty said: "Espoir D'Allen was good in winning the Grade Three juvenile hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday. They didn't go a great gallop early on, and he was jumping well and he was settled nicely, so I just let him get on with it, making use of his jumping. "He put it to bed when he pinged the second last, and he stayed on well to the line. It was a good solid performance. "It was only his third run over hurdles, so he should continue to improve. I'd say he would have learned plenty from Sunday's run. "He is by Voix Du Nord, he has the same sire as Defi Du Seuil, and he has got great scope for a juvenile." Geraghty's other major ride on a cracking Fairyhouse card was Le Richebourg in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle. However, the Joseph O'Brien-trained gelding finished a well-beaten sixth behind the impressive Mengli Khan. Geraghty added: "Le Richebourg travelled well for a long way in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle, but he just got tired in the ground. "He hadn't run since last July and that maybe just found him out on the ground. "The winner Mengli Khan looks smart, but Le Richebourg should be able to progress from this run."
