Cheltenham
may be the overwhelming racing focus right now but
Enda Bolger
is already looking forward to next season with his star novice Gilgamboa who was an odds-on disappointment over the weekend at Navan.
The JP McManus-owned star could finish only runner up to the 25 to 1 outsider Rawnaq in the Grade Two Flyingbolt Novice Chase and was 16 to 1 in some ante-post lists for the JLT at the festival in three weeks’ time.
Bolger, however, is inclined to think more long term with the horse who had previously finished third of three behind Un De Sceaux at Leopardstown.
“He seems fine. He had a bit of a cut behind (pastern) but that wasn’t the reason he disappointed. He just ran very flat on the day. He’d seemed fine at home since Leopardstown, but Mark (Walsh) said he didn’t jump or travel with the same fluency as he had before,” he said.
“I think he needs a bit of a break now, so that’s the plan. I’d say it would be odds against for him to go there (Cheltenham). We’ll give him a break and bring him back later in the spring. He’s crying out for two and a half (miles) and I’m looking forward to next season with him,” Bolger added.
Versatile sort
Rawnaq’s victory was a career-highlight for trainer
Matthew Smith
who hasn’t ruled out sending his versatile sort to Cheltenham for one of the handicaps.
“We decided not to enter him up for the big novice races at Cheltenham as we just wanted to get him back on the racecourse and see how he was,” Smith explained.
“We’ll see where we go from here and see what the handicapper does. We’ll have a look at the Cheltenham handicaps, but it would be difficult to win around there with a lot of weight on his back,” he added.
