2025 Novice Chasers

[Lobos]

I'll Atlantique....

"We are going o let him run in the Irish Arkle and then we decide from there whether he goes to back to Fairyhouse or Aintree for the two-and-a-half mile races. He will be better at two miles on soft ground, but he doesn’t need it soft over further. He has a lovely action. We are happy to take on Majborough with him."

[The Giant Bolster]

Fwiw I've interpreted it as another jibe by Mullins at the loss of the G1 2m4 chase. Townend surely rides him in the Irish Arkle and then the Cheltenham Arkle unless he bombs out.

[Lobos]

Fwiw I've interpreted it as another jibe by Mullins at the loss of the G1 2m4 chase. Townend surely rides him in the Irish Arkle and then the Cheltenham Arkle unless he bombs out.

If IEP blatantly doesn't stay at the DRF perhaps he'll take his chance in the Arkle if the Double Green want a runner or what about Mistergif??

[Lobos]

IA pushed out to 10's by 365.

[Kevloaf]

Unless one more run amd gets a decent enough mark for the Novice Handicap Race.

Willie name checked the BANC after the race I've seen

Quai De Bourbon



"I'd be nominating him for the Brown Advisory, I'd imagine he'll go straight there"

[That Horse]

Willie name checked the BANC after the race I've seen

Quai De Bourbon



"I'd be nominating him for the Brown Advisory, I'd imagine he'll go straight there"

He might need to bring in some extra jockeys.

Ballyburn, Dancing City, Lecky Watson, Champ Kiely and Impaire et Passe plus QbB. Surely can't all go the same race, maybe Impaire is off to the Arkle.

[Kevloaf]

He might need to bring in some extra jockeys.

Ballyburn, Dancing City, Lecky Watson, Champ Kiely and Impaire et Passe plus QbB. Surely can't all go the same race, maybe Impaire is off to the Arkle.

Not something I think he'll struggle with


Iorincally, Impaire Et Passe the one not affected by the jockey bookings too


Ballyburn (Paul), Dancing City (Danny), Lecky Watson (Patrick), Champ Kiely (O'Keefe) and Impaire et Passe (JJ Slevin) plus QbB (O'Sullivan)

nailed it

[Killiney]

I'll Atlantique....

"We are going o let him run in the Irish Arkle and then we decide from there whether he goes to back to Fairyhouse or Aintree for the two-and-a-half mile races. He will be better at two miles on soft ground, but he doesn’t need it soft over further. He has a lovely action. We are happy to take on Majborough with him."

Lobos I going to have to listen to this again as I did not hear hi say ‘Irish’ Arkle …. I thought it was the Arkle. Makes a big difference in terms of future plans, cash outs etc

[That Horse]

Not something I think he'll struggle with


Iorincally, Impaire Et Passe the one not affected by the jockey bookings too


Ballyburn (Paul), Dancing City (Danny), Lecky Watson (Patrick), Champ Kiely (O'Keefe) and Impaire et Passe (JJ Slevin) plus QbB (O'Sullivan)

nailed it

Ah, forgot about Slevin

[ComplyOrDie]

Not something I think he'll struggle with


Iorincally, Impaire Et Passe the one not affected by the jockey bookings too


Ballyburn (Paul), Dancing City (Danny), Lecky Watson (Patrick), Champ Kiely (O'Keefe) and Impaire et Passe (JJ Slevin) plus QbB (O'Sullivan)

nailed it

6 runners for Willie.

Do we think they all turn up?

Wouldn't surprise me at all if only a couple of them meet at the DRF too.

Dancing City may take up his entry at Naas on Sunday.

Impaire Et Passe could be heading to the Scilly Isles. Owners have done well in that race previously and it was mentioned by Bromley.

QdB has no entry at the DRF.

Lecky Watson only ran last week. I'm pretty sure they reckon the intermediate trip is for him so can see him waiting for one of the other festivals, and bypassing Cheltenham.

Reckon it will be Ballyburn vs Champ Kiely from Willies stable at the DRF. After that I think if Ballyburn beats CK then CK could wait for one of the festivals.

Based on that I see 4 turning up for the BANC provided all pass their tests leading up to it, of course. Paul, Danny, Patrick & JJ with the rides.

[Lobos]

Scilly Iles for IEP would seem logical. They could then decide which way to go at the Festival if they go at all.

[Saxon Warrior]

Don't think anyone can be 100% certain, on Willies IA Arkle quote.

But, I was taken by the amount of times Willie said he didn't want to talk about

"Cheltenham/the other Festival"

and that this is a DRF preview.

Then the chat was of Majborough running in the Arkle at the DRF

Then the quote re IA running in the Arkle then Aintree or Fairyhouse back over 2M4F.

The way I took it - purely on Willie manouevering chat back to the DRF a lot, and trying to avoid chat about March, all the way through -

......... was that the mention of the Arkle then Aintree/Fairyhouse for Ile Altanqique meant next weekends Irish Arkle.

Again, this is only opinion, don't think we know anything definitive, but thats the way I took it.

If 365 have pushed him out, for March, then I'd say that's a sensible approach to go biggest for a race he may not go to.

Of course if he wins the Irish Arkle then he'd be going to Cheltenham's Arkle.

Willies been itching to have digs lately at

● the HRI doing away with the 2M NovCH Grade 1 at Christmas

● Cheltenham for reimagining a Festival with 3 less Graded races and having 3 more Hcaps

He mentioned both again in the DRF video.

So suggesting

● Impaire Et Passe may not go to Cheltenham as there's no race for him (after his last win)

● Ile Atlantique may not go to Cheltenham, but to Aintree/Fairyhouse (this week)

both to go to midtrip Grade 1s elsewhere, in April, does suit his argument if he then pulls them out of Cheltenham.

But both will run next weekend, so its not 100% certain they miss Cheltenham, just it wont be at the midtrip, (as its not there)........and they may yet, prove to be his best BANC and Arkle horses, ultimately, or so close to being that, to mean that he'd roll the dice and take a swing at those races.

The narrative of 'give me my Grade 1s back to allow me to spread my horses out into them', is an obvious one for him, way more than any other trainer, so it makes sense for him to use it (nothing to lose)

Looking at the BANC and Arkle early entries, is anything missing in those lists from Clossuton that should be in there, with a strong chance?

Doesn't look that way to me.

So he's not 100% convinced he's missing Cheltenham in protest, at this point, with any Grade 1 potential Novice Chaser