Bryan Cooper
will enter the Christmas period on a positive note if
Bello Conti
, his sole mount at
Clonmel
manages to win, and the jockey is eagerly-anticipating another potentially vintage festive spell.
The 23-year-old rider secured four Grade One prizes at Leopardstown in 2014, including Clarcam in the St Stephen’s Day feature. His three other top-flight winners were Don Poli, Road To Riches and Lieutenant Colonel.
Quality team
This Saturday, Cooper is set to partner the
King George VI Chase
favourite
Don Cossack
at Kempton, part of a quality holiday team put forward by Michael O’Leary’s
Gigginstown
Stud, before returning to ride at Leopardstown for the final three days.
“There are plenty of horses with chances and if it turns out as good a week as last year, it will be unbelievable,” he said. “You start off hoping for one Grade One but if you get that it’s like anything, you start looking for two.”
Tombstone is a Gigginstown star with Grade One ambitions in Sunday's Future Champions Novice Hurdle, but before that their French recruit Bello Conti is set to make his Irish debut in Clonmel's opener.
This will be the track’s third attempt to run off a weather-hit fixture and a wet forecast overnight means the steeplechase track at Clonmel will continue to be monitored.
Bello Conti was placed on his sole start to date at Fontainebleau last February and can kick off a successful day for Willie Mullins, who should also score with Vroum Vroum Mag and A Toi Phil.
In other news, Horse Racing Ireland has confirmed a €6.2 million redevelopment plan for Punchestown after approving a €2.5 million grant under its Capital Development Scheme.
Work on the first phase will start in May, and work on the principal feature, a new grandstand close to the final fence, will begin after the 2017 festival and cost an estimated €3.8 million.
