WEEKEND PREVIEWS:NAAS HAS a "Cheltenham Trial Day" tomorrow and the tag could prove apt if Zaarito successfully comes through his final prep for the Cheltenham festival where his target remains the two-mile Supreme Hurdle.
Any suggestion the horse could be switched to the Ballymore Novices Hurdle instead were shot down by trainer Colm Murphy yesterday after Zaarito was quoted in ante-post betting for the longer race.
“As far as I know nothing has changed and the aim is to run in the Supreme. He’s ticking over nicely and it will be good to get another run over hurdles into him as he has only had two starts,” Murphy said.
Festival aspirations will depend on tomorrow’s result though as Zaarito lines up against five opponents in the Paddy Power Johnstown Novice Hurdle which is one of three Grade Two races on the card along with a potentially massively significant bumper.
Both Cousin Vinny and the recuperating Hurricane Fly might have dominated the novice headlines in Ireland this season but there remain hopes in the Murphy team that Zaarito can make his presence felt at Cheltenham.
He wasn’t that far behind Cousin Vinny at last year’s festival despite a nightmare passage and looked impressive when scoring at Punchestown last time.
Roberto Goldback brings Grade Two-winning form to the race but concedes weight as a result while Go Native was destroyed by Hurricane Fly at Christmas. There will be considerable disappointment if Zaarito cannot cope with them and book his festival ticket.
The most valuable of the Grade Two’s is the Newlands Chase where Mansony goes for a hat-trick against his old rival Watson Lake as well as the Ryanair Chase candidate Schindlers Hunt who reverts to two miles after landing the Leopardstown Chase.
On ratings Schindlers Hunt is 9lbs well in with Mansony but in a tricky contest there may be some value siding with Carthalawn now that he returns to the minimum distance. The Pierse Hurdle third is a versatile sort who possibly didn’t last home last weekend behind Glenfinn Captain.
Majestic Concorde makes a quick reappearance in the Nas Na Riogh Chase after exiting at the first fence at Navan last Monday and Dermot Weld’s GPT winner should figure prominently with a clear round.
Weld may also be a major player in a bumper which has thrown up subsequent Cheltenham heroes Pizarro (2002) and Hairy Molly (2006) in recent years.
Quadrillon won impressively over the course and distance in January and is part of a hugely-strong Willie Mullins team as the champion trainer hunts a seventh Weatherbys Bumper title next month. The Galway winner Rite Of Passage however will appreciate any improvement in ground conditions and could serve plenty up to the likely favourite.
