I REALLY hope a peak-form Faugheen turns up to take on Paisley Park in the Stayers’ Hurdle as that will make for some race.
Emma’s horse looked great in the Cleeve Hurdle but dual Cheltenham Festival winner Faugheen will be the best horse he has faced, and one that has a huge chance if reproducing his Punchestown form last April.
And all the recent talk is that Willie Mullins has got him back 100pc after that bad fall last time. I have a sneaking suspicion he could just prevail.
I have two rides on Thursday.
Cheltenham
4.10pm
River Wylde
He has been working very well and I am hopeful. He has won on soft ground but the drier the better for him. He was a very smart hurdler, third in the 2017 Supreme, and he showed equally good form when beating Hell’s Kitchen on his chasing debut at Uttoxeter last season. Things haven’t gone his way in two starts since then, most recently when tipping up at the last when in with a winning shout at Haydock in November, and he clearly hasn’t had a clean run at it for the past year or so. But, like I said, he has been really pleasing us at home and he does go very well when fresh, and a mark of 150 gives him a decent enough chance at the weights.
4.50pm
Lust For Glory
I know the guv’nor is very keen on Epatante but I wouldn’t be in a mad rush to underestimate our Lust For Glory. Her only defeat since going hurdling has come on soft ground, so her chance would increase if it dried out, but hopefully she will be okay on that front. She had little more than a stretch of her legs when winning at Newcastle last month, but she comes into this race in good form and I think you will see a career-best from her here. Whether that is good enough, we shall see.
