With only six race days before Cheltenham, staying injury free is a priority for Ireland's top jockeys, although Rachael Blackmore can't be accused of tip-toeing her way to the festival.
Blackmore’s two rides at Navan on Saturday are over fences and she has another pair of weekend spins at Wexford on Sunday.
The pioneering jockey is a general 7-2 second favourite to repeat her 2021 feat when half a dozen winners made her the first woman to land Cheltenham’s top rider award.
The superstar mare Honeysuckle again headlines her enviable book of mounts that also includes the Gold Cup favourite A Plus Tard.
Their stable companion Kavanaghs Corner is a long way short of that standard but at a venerable 13 years old fits the bill perfectly for a veterans handicap chase on Saturday.
The five-time career winner is closely matched with Nobody Home on Fairyhouse form a month ago. Drying ground will be to his advantage at the three-mile trip as will the apparent recent upturn in fortunes for Henry De Bromhead’s runners.
Paul Townend, an evens favourite to be top rider at Cheltenham, has three weekend spins including on Fan de Blues in Sunday's featured €45,000 TRI Handicap Chase in Leopardstown.
The champion jockey faces an enviable but anxious series of choices from the all-powerful Willie Mullins team going into the festival.
That is likely to include picking between Energumene and Chacun Pour Soi for a mouth-watering Champion Chase clash with Shishkin.
Jitters
Pre-festival jitters were underlined on Friday when Energumene’s connections dismissed suggestions the horse might have to miss out due to a slight setback.
“About five or six days ago the horse had a stone bruise and he was slightly lame. But with these things you just need to give it a couple of days.
“The shoes were taken off his front feet. We gave him an easy two days, we put the shoes back on and he cantered on Tuesday morning and he was sound on Wednesday,” reported a spokesman for owner Tony Bloom.
“It was just a little niggle that he got. It’s just one of those things that happen with horses and you’ve got to expect it,” he added.
A team of up to 60 horses is expected to be sent to Cheltenham by Mullins but there are 11 left over for this weekend’s domestic action.
Gentleman de Mee won’t be on duty at the festival but looks to have an ideal opportunity to secure a Grade Three success in the Flyingbolt Novice Chase at Navan.
The JP McManus-owned horse won as he liked on his last start at Thurles and can edge out the more experienced 140-rated handicapper Grange Walk.
Mullins has two in an earlier mares maiden hurdle including the dual-bumper winner Belle Metal. She has disappointed in two starts over flights to date but is still rated highly enough to hold entries at Cheltenham.
There will be a pre-festival cross-channel raid at Kelso on Saturday as Jessica Harrington’s Autumn Evening and the Stuart Crawford-trained Saint d’Oroux line up in the Morebattle Hurdle.
The Shunter picked up this race last year before securing a £100,000 bonus by winning at the Cheltenham festival. That bonus is up for grabs again this season.
Autumn Evening was third at the Dublin Racing Festival last month and has only the former dual-Champion hero Buveur d’Air above him in the weights.
Saint d’Ouroux’s first run for Co Antrim-based Crawford resulted in a victory at the Scottish track last month.
In other news, popular Co Cork trainer Mick Winters urged racing to do much more to try to help the people of Ukraine.
‘Help Ukraine’
Winters, who has ruled out his stable star Chatham Street Lad from Cheltenham, wants professionals to provide financial aid to beleaguered Ukrainians.
“I think the racing world is fast asleep. Every section should be doing something for Ukraine. The trainers should be giving 1 or 2 per cent of their earnings. The owners and the media should help as well.
“I believe we should show some compassion for people who are in desperation. The whole of Ireland and England should lead the rest of the world.
“Cheltenham previews are starting now but it’s time to grab the bull by the horses and lead the pack.
“Racing is under fierce pressure but we should lead by example in this more important matter. We need to get the ball rolling,” he said on Friday.
Having given himself a knock prior to last month’s Red Mills Chase at Gowran, Chatham Street Lad will miss the upcoming festival and could instead be aimed at the Topham at Aintree over the famous Grand National fences next month.
“He’s over the worst of it. His bone was very sore but he’s walking sold enough now,” Winters reported.
“The owners are still hopeful we can run in Aintree. I’d love a feel over the Aintree fences this year rather than run in the Grand National but it will be up to the owners themselves. I’ll be saying to them we’ll run in the Topham Trophy if he’s right.
“I’d be worried about the extreme distance of the Grand National but if we are heading to Aintree we want to be getting him going in about 10 days’ time. That’s the schedule from now on.
“I think when he’s 11 years old next year will be the perfect time for him to run in the National, if we’re all in one piece the way the world is going,” he added.
