Earlier this week Noel Meade opened the gates of his Tu Va Stables to launch the Christmas festival meeting at Leopardstown. Racing Post TV were there and have released this feature on their YouTube Channel:
Noel gave a run down on some of his big hopes:
Ally Cascade
“I think we made too much use of him when he got beaten by Jezki at Navan and we sort of set the race up for him. I was pleased with him at Thurles. He’ll go for the Grade One Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle.”
Il Fenomeno
“He won a Group 3 in Italy on the Flat. He’s always been a horse that’s inclined to knock himself out of line jumping and to pull muscles. He was very sore again after his chasing debut at Galway so we’ve decided to go back handicap hurdling at Leopardstown.”
Dylan Ross
“He’s very talented at home and every time he’s been beaten on the track it’s been by a good horse. He’s a brilliant jumper and has plenty of potential. He’ll go for the Grade One Racing Post Novice Chase over 2m1f.”
Ned Buntline
“Normally I do a lot of schooling with my horses but we didn’t do as much with him as with other horses as we were anxious to win a bumper. There are two things about the run at Fairyhouse the other day. He didn’t jump as well as I’d like. He just wasn’t fluent and didn’t jump and go. The other was possibly the 2m2f could have been a factor. He’s out of a Flat mare and by Refuse To Bend.”
Owen Mc
“To be honest I was disappointed on Saturday even though he won. He didn’t find that much and on that run he wouldn’t be good enough for the Champion Bumper. Maybe giving him a break is the right thing to do.”
Pandorama
“He’s back in work and hopefully he’ll be ready to return in the Lexus at Leopardstown over Christmas,He’ll do a fast bit of work every week between now and then. The Lexus will be a big ask. He’s a horse that is always going to need soft ground and because of that I’d say he’ll stay in Ireland. Nina rode him schooling one day in Fairyhouse and I said to her afterwards ‘you went fierce quick’ and she said ‘did I?’. It was the same when Paul rode him one day at Dundalk. He’s such a powerful horse with a great stride and when you ride him you don’t realise how quick you are going.”
Sword Of Destiny
“He had a tough race first time over fences at Punchestown and mentally he wasn’t ready for the Drinmore and that’s why we decided to go back to two miles at Navan the last day. He’ll probably go for the three-mile Grade One Fort Leney Novice Chase at Leopardstown.”
Road To Riches
“He looked a real star on his hurdling debut at Punchestown and is an exciting prospect. We’ll have to see where he fits in with the other Gigginstown horses. He’s entered for the Grade One Navan Novice Hurdle (December 16th) but as far as I know Don Cossack is going there so he’ll also be entered for the Grade Three three-mile race at Cork this Sunday.”
Our forum members have been monitoring the Noel Meade yard on a stable tour thread .
