Ahead of next week’s predicted weather disruption to cross-channel racing, Joseph O’Brien looks to have timed Banbridge’s return to action perfectly on Saturday.
Last season’s Aintree Grade One winner warms up for a potential tilt at Cheltenham’s Ryanair with an appearance in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton.
The 2022 Cheltenham Festival winner is joined in the five-runner heat by Willie Mullins’s Janidil while a home team includes last year’s winner Pic D’orhy as well as another proven top-flight operator in Edwardstone.
Banbridge hasn’t been seen in action since landing the Manifesto Chase at Aintree last April but is a general 12-1 shot to add the Ryanair in March to his festival victory in the Martin Pipe Hurdle two years ago.
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So far, O’Brien boasts a 100 per cent record in National Hunt terms in 2024 on the back of Boldog’s success at Tramore on New Year’s Day.
Busy on the flat at Dundalk on Friday evening, the former champion jockey also runs Trustyourinstinct in Fairyhouse’s opener on Saturday.
He is part of a select group of four-year-old hurdlers transferred from the flat that already includes the winners Nurburgring and Intellotto. Both of those are in the mix for Leopardstown’s Spring Juvenile Hurdle at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival.
Regular rider JJ Slevin is on board Banbridge while Brian Hayes makes the trip to Kempton to team up with Janidil for the first time.
The JP McManus-owned runner, a Grade One winner at Fairyhouse in 2021, wears a first-time tongue-strap having finished nine lengths off Allaho on his only start of the season to date at Clonmel in November.
Separately, Gavin Cromwell has exploited cross-channel opportunities to some effect already this season and has a six-figure prize in his sights with the topweight Malina Girl in Warwick’s marathon Classic Chase.
The mare won at Cheltenham in November and Cromwell reported: “Topweight is not ideal, and she is quite a small mare, so Conor Stone-Walsh is going to claim 5lb and give her every chance.”
Ahead of this weekend’s action there is already widespread concern about the potential impact of freezing conditions on next week’s racing action.
Ascot is due to host a clash between old rivals El Fabiolo and Jonbon in the Grade One Clarance House Chase but a forecast cold snap could play havoc with plans.
“We’ve the threat of sleet, rain or snow next Wednesday, but at the moment it’s very unclear so we’ll monitor both.
“We have two forecasts and they couldn’t be more different. One says it could be four degrees next weekend, the other says minus four degrees so it’s a massive variation,” Ascot’s clerk of the course Chris Stickels reported.
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