Irish horses to follow after Cheltenham week - 'Capable of Improvement' The Cheltenham Festival has been and gone for another year and the focus will soon be on the other spring festivals at Aintree and Punchestown, alongside key meetings at the likes of Ayr, Sandown and Fairyhouse. After running at Cheltenham, here are some Irish horses to follow for the rest of the season. Kopek Des Bordes It was never going to be easy for Kopek Des Bordes to win the Arkle off the back of his very difficult preparation and his participation seemed in doubt at one point. However, after finishing second to Kargese, he will be aiming to reverse the form at Punchestown. His class enabled him to run a big race but you would imagine that he’s capable of improvement. A better jump at the second last would definitely have made things more interesting as well. The Champion Chase next year is already the target. Search For Glory Search For Glory was in the process of running a screamer in the Ultima and appeared to have every chance before unshipping his jockey after a mistake at the last. Clearly there’s some room to manoeuvre with his current handicap mark and it’s important to note that he holds an entry for the Grand National at Aintree next month. That performance was certainly an excellent trial and he’ll be one to watch wherever he goes next. Zeus Power There were several hard luck stories in the Turners Novices' Hurdle when some contenders suffered from a poor start which cost them any chance of winning. It was almost impossible for hold up horses to win on the Old Course last week so Zeus Power ran a stormer to finish third in the circumstances, at massive odds of 50/1. Joseph O’Brien’s gelding was badly hampered at the fourth-last and had nowhere to go at the next either. It remains to be seen if he’s capable of winning a major race but that performance provided plenty of optimism for the future. Majborough Majborough is one of the most talented but frustrating horses in training but he’s so good, you simply cannot write him off. His jumping issues appeared to have been put behind him when he bolted up under an aggressive ride in the Dublin Chase but familiar failings cost him at Cheltenham. It didn’t take long for his jumping to fall apart again and perhaps a fast and furious race such as the Champion Chase doesn’t suit him. A step up in trip could make the difference for Majborough in the future. Karbau Paul Townend provided some excellent rides throughout the Festival but one he won’t be too proud of is Karbau in the County Hurdle. Being close to the pace was vital all week and Karbau was never really put into a position from which he could make a serious challenge. However, there is still plenty of potential in the six-year-old and he can bounce back this spring.
