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Connections CommentsClopf"He's lost on a technicality. I thought he gave a nice display of jumping throughout. I even thought he jumped the last fence beautifully but, watching the replay, it looks like he just tipped his backside up a little. I thought he'd won and I actually took a step down off the grandstand as he took the fence. Then I took another step and he'd fallen. He was very unlucky. It wasn't like he just walked into a fence or anything. I think he's the best of the Irish horses, it just depends how we compare to the English ones. I think the pace of the Arkle would suit him better. We didn't intend to make the running today, that was a new thing. Anyway, he's fine." Edward O'Grady 17th February 2008 "I was probably a bit easy on him since Christmas, the gallops were flooded and he's not done much. But he galloped on Wednesday and gave a big blow afterwards. They went a hell of a gallop and I thought he jumped quite well. We may go to Naas for a winners race in two weeks' time and take it from there." Edward O'Grady 26th January 2008 French Accordion"We're in two minds still over whether we are going to Cheltenham or Aintree, but it is looking more like Aintree. We are not ruling out Cheltenham yet, but we just think he might benefit more from the three week longer break to Aintree. He'll probably do a piece of work at the weekend and even though it is more likely he will wait for Aintree, we haven't made a decision yet. It looks quite open this year and we'll leave him in just in case any more drop out. It is essential that he has good ground, he is an awful lot better on it. And you have to be fit going to Cheltenham, I don't want to ruin our chance at Aintree by running him there. The flat track at Aintree also might suit him better, but I'm not ruling Cheltenham out yet." Paul Nolan 28th February 2008 "He's a couple of stone worse on yielding or soft ground, so we're hoping that we get decent ground at Cheltenham in March. The handicapper has given him a mark of 146, which would be among the top novices in Ireland. Although it looked like a weak Fortria Chase at Navan in November, he could do no more than win, and he was impressive. He's probably got more improvement in him and we have given him a break since his run in the Drinmore, when it was probably a mistake to run him in such testing conditions. He's very hard to get fit so he'll definitely need a run before going to Cheltenham. He's rated below 120 over hurdles so a nice handicap will probably be the way forward." Paul Nolan 25th January 2008 Leslingtaylor"We thought he didn't get the credit he deserved. He had fallen on his last run at Cheltenham but he had jumped very well until then. The ground was bottomless there and he had been off nearly three months before Saturday. His jumping was a bit sketchy early on but he jumped to the front at the fourth-last which was probably a bit too soon. The other horse took him on again and I suppose you could say the other horse would have won if he'd pinged the last, but I feel our fellow will improve for the experience of getting round. A really fast-run race will suit our lad because he was probably a little keen and fresh on Saturday. If the ground really dried and it was real good ground at Cheltenham it would really suit him. He won't run again beforehand." John Quinn 4th February 2008 "I wouldn't discount him from the Arkle, he's no mug. Somebody rang me on Tuesday and said 'do you think Leslingtaylor is an Arkle horse'. I said 'think of it this way, see how many horse have won from six furlongs to a mile and a half on the Flat, won a Swinton Hurdle and won a Listed chase first time over fences'. He's got a bit of class, he goes on decent ground and when the ground dries it will be right up his alley. All those horses that are winning over two and a half miles in bottomless ground in Ireland and are getting 16-1 quotes - I don't bet, but how many of those horses would have had the speed to win a Swinton? He beat a really good field of handicappers that day and to do it as a novice was really impressive."
John Quinn 30th January 2008 "It was a high class effort. I wanted to settle him and get him jumping and though I was some way behind turning in, I could see that Timmy Murphy was struggling a little on the favourite. I was going that bit easier and I said to myself to concentrate ongetting the jumping right and leave it to his speed to do the rest. He will improve for this run over fences and could be very good." Dougie Costello 27th October 2007 Mahogany Blaze"He's very, very good, and he was taking lengths off them at every fence. Paddy said he could go over further, but if he's doing that over two miles you don't need to. He'll definitely be aimed at the Arkle, and he'll have one more run before Cheltenham. My knowledge of the programme book isn't what it should be, so I don't know where it will be yet, but we'll find something." Nigel Twiston-Davies 27th December 2007 Moon Over Miami"Christian Williams should not have been allowed to weigh out, it's as simple as that. My guy got himself all worked up down at the start and by the time they were off I knew what was going to happen. He burst a blood vessel on the first circuit but he'll still go for the Arkle. According to the statistics he should win as he runs one bad race and one good one so he should win the Arkle!" Charlie Mann 10th February 2008 "I was pleased with him because he is not a front-running horse, he is very idle in front. He’s a very good horse off a fast pace as he tends to idle and not do a lot in front. He’ll certainly have one more run, I was thinking at Leopardstown or maybe at Warwick in the Kingmaker, which will be run on February 9. He was very consistent last year. Some people have suggested that he doesn’t want to go right-handed, but I don’t go along with that as he has run well at Wincanton and Ascot. He has run two bad races this year and won twice, but he is unbeaten round Cheltenham in two runs and hopefully we are back on course for the Arkle." Charlie Mann 29th December 2007 "The horse has got himself beat the last twice and I was extremely pissed off as he doesn’t settle and there was no pace in those races. He is a decent horse though so we would like to come back here in March but he can get a bit fresh so he needs a bit of racing and we will have to pick and choose our races between now and the Festival. He has now come here twice and won twice, and the Arkle is the obvious target. I've been thinking that way since the summer, so let's hope we get some of this rain here in March as well." Charlie Mann 18th November 2007 Noland“He wants a faster run race in which he can use his jumping, and there's tons of improvement in him. For one of mine he's having a right blow. He was as sick as anything after Folkestone and is still a fortnight off being right, but it was either come here or give him a racecourse gallop, and that was perfect. Ruby was very happy. He said his jumping was awesome - as good as any novice he's ever sat on - and he's a stuffy horse and the sort for whom the better the race the better he'll be. That will put him spot on and he wants a fast-run race where he can come from off the pace." Paul Nicholls 22nd February 2008 "What you read this morning should be disregarded completely. There has been no fall out, no discussions, no heated voices or anything. The first that Paul knew about it was this morning when he got the paper, and he was as shocked as John Hales to realise what had been written. John rightly doesn't want to lose another horse, and I think it's been taken out of context that he was worried that the horse would go there without experience. But we can get him experience, he's jumped brilliantly on his debut and there's no reason with a horse as good as him to be even thinking about missing Cheltenham. It is the pinnacle of the season, and a sportsman like John Hales, with the chance that he might have, is certainly not going to pass it up easily. He'll have his entries for Cheltenham, in the Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Chase as well as the Arkle, but at this stage, you wouldn't think he needs to go much further (than two miles)."
Dan Skelton 21st January 2008 "Big, scopey horse with chaser written all over him. Missed last season with heat in a leg - it was nothing serious, but as soon as we saw the warning signs, we stopped with him. It's great to have him back and he's in grand order now, but i'm in no rush with him and I can't see him being ready much before Christmas. John Hales would love to see him develop into an Arkle hope - so would I - but I think he might need further than 2m, as he was always staying on well at that trip over hurdles. Either way, he has a bright future over fences." Paul Nicholls Stable Tour - October 2007 Ring The Boss"His run at Warwick when he was second was very, very pleasing. We took the view that if he won something like the Arkle we'd be delighted but if he didn't win a novice chase this season, he'll still be novice next season. Well Chief won the Arkle on his second chase start so it's possible. He (Ring The Boss) is a good, strong horse who jumps well." Philip Hobbs 2nd March 2008 Scotsirish"I was pleased, I thought he was finishing best of all. He made a few jumping errors but we'll iron those out. At the moment, we're going for the Arkle." Willie Mullins 17th February 2008 Thyne Again"It was rotten ground out there and he jumped well apart from a mistake at the fourth last. I was disappointed the last time, but he was good today. If the ground is safe, he'll probably go there (Cheltenham) and I'd be favouring the Arkle over the SunAlliance, which looks a more competitive race. That said, I don't want to leave his career for one race, so the ground would have to have some cut in it." Liam Burke 24th February 2008 "Davy said he was going too easy and was in front sooner than he wanted to be. It would have been interesting if Scotsirish had stood up as we would have a better idea of where we stand. I will talk to the owners about Cheltenham as I am terrified of the place, but on that performance you would nearly have to go there. If the owners are anxious to go then we will, and the Powers Gold Cup would be the alternative."
Liam Burke 27th January 2008 Tidal Bay"We were going to run him last weekend at Ascot, but it was too heavy. We have got to be patient and and see if we can find one on decent ground and if not, go straight to Cheltenham. I'll leave the decision as to which race to go for up to Howard (Johnson) and he'll make his mind up. Last year he chose between the Ballymore and Supreme the weekend before Cheltenham and while that's not much good to ante-post punters, I think that it will probably be the same again." Graham Wylie 25th January 2008 "He is a lovely horse but was a bit novicey last time at Carlisle, so we brought him down here to give him some more experience. He has jumped well apart from a couple of novicey mistakes and he does want better ground. He has a very high cruising speed and it wouldn't bother him dropping back to two miles. I'll try and give him another race before the Festival, hopefully around the end of January, and he will be entered in both the SunAlliance and the Arkle as an end-to-end gallop will suit him."
Howard Johnson 15th December 2007 "We could go either way now - two or three miles - and all he wants is an end-to-end gallop. He is buzzy and excitable, but he always has been since day one and he only made the mistakes as they were going too slow. When I bought him from Alistair Charlton he said I would win an Arkle with this horse, and I just laughed at him - but now I am thinking he was right, although Arcalis is a possible for that too. We will just take it day by day with him but I will look to find another novice race for him and he could then go to Cheltenham in January but he won't have a hard season." Howard Johnson 29th October 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||