Willie Mullins will no doubt be the Christmas headline act again but with just a dozen days to the start of the holiday action no trainer is approaching St Stephen's Day in better form than Jessica Harrington.
Ttebbob headlined her Navan double on Sunday with a resounding Grade Three success that earned the young jumper a top-flight shot at Douvan in the Racing Post Novice Chase on Saturday week.
The Mullins star is already a heavy odds-on favourite for Irish racing’s St Stephen’s Day feature but Harrington has form in turning over Christmas hotpots, memorably saddling Moscow Flyer to take advantage of Istabraq’s final flight fall in the December Festival Hurdle all of 15 years ago.
The triple-Champion Hurdle winner was 1 to 4 that day at Leopardstown and Harrington has subsequently struck for Christmas Grade One glory with Macs Joy (2004), Boston’s Angel (2010) and Jezki in 2012. She holds Ttebbob in high regard after he made it two from two over fences.
“He’s very exciting. It’s a heart in mouth job watching him but he didn’t make a semblance of a mistake there. It will be interesting at Christmas because it’s just amazing the way he jumps and he was more settled today,” Harrington said.
Limerick’s Grade Two Greenmount Novice Chase will be Walk To Freedom’s St Stephen’s Day target after a somewhat fortunate success in the Beginners Chase.
Just hours after adding Hong Kong to his Group One global CV with Highland Reel's Vase victory at Sha Tin, Aidan O'Brien looked set to saddle a 33 to 1 winner with Edwulf only for that one to crash out at the last with the race at his mercy.
Full advantage
Walk To Freedom was just third at the time but took full advantage and his trainer pointed out: “He got lucky although he did actually quicken after the last. He lived a bit on his nerves today. He’s not straightforward and when they go a better gallop he’ll be better.”
Walk To Freedom has his own Moscow Flyer link as the former great two-mile champion’s owner, Brian Kearney, has a 20 five per cent share in him.
Harrington’s Our Duke had to give best to Death Duty after a prolonged duel in the Listed bumper which saw Gordon Elliott complete his own double after Killer Crow’s earlier success in the novice chase.
The Mullins team had to settle for a single winner on the card but it was the featured Grade Two novice hurdle and Bellshill won it in a style that even had the champion trainer purring.
"I know there were very few runners but there was very good opposition. The manner in which he quickened from the second-last in that ground, I was very taken with him," he said. "I was particularly pleased the way he handled the ground. He can tidy up his jumping but did everything nicely. He'll probably go to Naas for the Lawlors Hotel Hurdle."
Bellshill is quoted in ante-post lists for all three top-flight novice hurdles at Cheltenham in March but replaced his stable companion Yorkhill as 7 to 1 favourite for the Neptune.
Fine Rightly justified strong market support in some style in the handicap chase, running out a ready winner under Andrew Lynch.
