Gordon Elliott on Barneys Honour
"He has to contend with a full 16lbs rise in the weights here and he will have to improve significantly from Navan to overcome that."
The weekend's action sees Gordon with four runners, and after a superb double last Saturday at Navan and his in-form string gearing up for the Cheltenham Festival next week, we get his thoughts on their chances...
Saturday
15.55 Gowran Park - Barneys Honour
I was very pleased with how he won at Navan last Saturday, but unfortunately we couldn't get another run into him before his new chase mark of 118 came into effect, because the ground had gone against him at Downpatrick on Wednesday. He has to contend with a full 16lbs rise in the weights here and he will have to improve significantly from Navan to overcome that.
He came out of the race at Navan very well and he has been in good form since then and thankfully we have Paul Carberry booked to take the ride again. It looks like an extremely competitive race, but there's a big pot on offer and I'd be delighted if he could finish in the money. He ran well here over hurdles in January finishing second of 11 runners behind Rory Anna only beaten 4 ½ lengths, so we know he handles the track, and with soft ground forecast he should have conditions to suit.
17.35 Gowran Park - Rockdown
He finished second on his debut outing in a point-to-point at Nenagh at the end of January, and then he won well next time out at Killaloe on February 24, staying on nicely to land the spoils. He will have to improve on what he has been showing us at home to be competitive and I'm just not quite sure if he will be as well suited to bumpers as I'd like, but the experience will certainly do him no harm.
Both of his point-to-points were over three miles on soft ground, so he will relish the conditions and the extended 2m2f should also be in his favour. Nina Carberry is booked to take the ride on the same day she saddles her first runner as a trainer, and having such an experienced rider will help the horse immensely. He may be one to keep an eye in the future, and I'm just hoping for a good showing from him on his first time under rules.
Sunday
14.10 Naas - Shrapnel
He can be a bit tricky, and his form has been a bit in and out of late. He had an off day when he ran at Clonmel in February finishing a well beaten 30l, fifth of seven runners behind Willie Mullins Inis Island. He had been running very well up to then, winning two on the bounce at Galway and Fairyhouse, and then finishing a very respectable second to Si C'Etait Vrai at Punchestown in January.
I have no doubt he is a very talented horse and if he was on a going day here he would have a good chance. It looks a very competitive race, and he has to give 4lbs to Mullins' talented mare Zuzka. She may be hard to beat on those terms, and with the likes of Clonbannon Lad and Moscow Mannon also in opposition he will have to be at the top his game to land this. Davy Russell is booked to take the ride, and if he can return to the same for he was showing at the end of last year I would be quite hopeful.
15.35 Naas - Tarquinius
He's been in good form since finishing a head second to Jandanli in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park towards the end of January. He was ready to run in the Eider Chase at Newcastle on February 23 but unfortunately the card was abandoned on the day. He was due to run off an OR of 136 that day, but gets in here off a mark of 129 so he is definitely a better handicapped horse on this side of the water.
He's gone up 6lbs in the weights since the Thyestes but he is ultra-consistent and is as tough as they come, and if he can reproduce the form he has been showing of late he should be in the mix. He will relish the forecast soft ground and he stays all day so three miles will be right up his street, and with Davy Condon booked to take the ride I'd be looking for another solid effort.
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