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- Harry Derham praises Jackie Hobbs’ Cheltenham run with step up in trip likely
- Teddy Blue set for potential Topham run at Aintree
- Several stable runners being lined up for Punchestown and spring targets
Derham Reflects on Cheltenham and Eyes Spring Targets
OLBG-sponsored National Hunt trainer Harry Derham discusses recent runners and upcoming plans in latest interview with OLBG brand ambassador Ella McNeill.
Jackie Hobbs Impresses at Cheltenham
Q: We have to talk about Jackie Hobbs, wow. What a performance that was. I know you said she'd run well, but were you expecting her to run quite that well?
HD: I think I said a couple of times beforehand that if she ran a career best and things went right, she could finish fifth or sixth. But I was super, super proud of her run. I think two miles is probably a bit too short for her. We obviously rode her to run well, but I loved how she galloped up the hill. She stayed very, very well. I don’t think we could have asked much more from her. She acquitted herself very well in a really good race.
Q: I see you have got her entered at Fairyhouse at the beginning of April. Are you likely to go there or not?
HD: It’s not impossible that she will go there. She has come out of the race well, so we will make a decision over the next week. It is definitely not out of the question. Over two and a half miles you would be confident that the extra trip would make her progress. She has kept improving all season and that run at Cheltenham put her right in the mix. You can see why you would want to go there. Obviously it depends on how she is next week, but if she is fine then we will consider it pretty strongly.
Q: And the extra three furlongs, as you say, should help her?
HD: I think that is nothing but a positive. She won over two miles three furlongs at Warwick and Harry Skelton's feedback that day was not to be afraid of going up in trip, she will stay well. She is also a three mile point to point winner on deep ground, with decent form behind her. Holloway Queen was behind her that day. So I think she will stay and stay well. It would be a tough race taking on the Irish on their backyard, but there are reasons to be optimistic she could run well.
Q: And if it is quicker ground, would that be a concern?
HD: I would be very surprised if Fairyhouse was dryer than Cheltenham. I might be wrong, but generally the ground is easier over there. So I would be surprised if she encountered a really quick surface.
Q: What was your take on the ground at Cheltenham, any concerns?
HD: It was fine. It was safe. I had no issue with it.
Punchestown on the Agenda for One Horse Town
Q: Moving on to One Horse Town, has he come out of the race okay? What was your assessment?
HD: He just was not good enough, it is as simple as that. He has come out of the race fine. He has had a good season, but it was always likely we would get found out by bigger, stronger horses in the spring and that is what happened. He still galloped up the hill and tried his best. He just wasn’t good enough.
The difference is that in those earlier races things are a bit more straightforward. You can get into a rhythm, dictate from the front and they are not as tough. But in Grade 1 races they are very hard from the outset and he just came up short.
Q: He has had a busy season, so is he finished now or could he go to Punchestown?
HD: We have got Punchestown in mind, we always thought we would. He hasn’t been ridden since the race but will start again on Monday. If he shows he is tired then we will not go, but if he is fine he will run.
He is tough, but at some point he will tell us he has had enough and if that happens we will listen. He has had a quiet week and once we start cantering him again we will get a feel for where he is at. He definitely will not go to Aintree.
Aintree Target for Teddy Blue
Q: Teddy Blue, what a performance that was. That was quite incredible?
HD: Yes, it was weird wasn’t it. What do you make of it. It is hard to comment on him. You go through all sorts of emotions watching him, from wondering what he is doing to thinking he is not in the mood, and then suddenly he is incredibly tough to win.
I have sort of given up trying to explain him. He is just his own character. But he is performing very well this season. He clearly loves Kempton over fences and I think that dry ground is quite crucial to his performance.
Q: I see he has got an entry in the Topham, is that the plan?
HD: Yes, that is the intention if he gets in. He would be lower down the weights, but we will see. I am not going to say we know it will suit him because we do not really know, but it would not surprise me if it did.
We are strongly considering giving it a go.
Q: Those fences can sometimes really suit certain horses, can they not?
HD: Yes, you just never know. It is not quite the same test it once was, the fences are different now. He is quite an efficient jumper, which I think you need that style of jumper right now.
You do not want a horse that is too careful. The modern type for those races is something like Tiger Roll. Twenty years ago he probably would not have got round, but now that style works. He brushes through the top.
Teddy, not comparing him to Tiger Roll, but he is quick and efficient when he is in close. That style could suit those fences. My main concern would not be the fences, it would be the trip, whether he would quite stay two miles six. But he has had such a good year it is worth a go if he gets in.
Newbury Runners and Stable Updates
Q: Good to see Le Frimeur back tomorrow, nice to have him back?
HD: Yes, he picked up a small injury after Chepstow, which was frustrating, but he has done well during his break. He looks great and is as fit as I would want him.
I have not pushed him too hard, he has had a nice bit of work, but he looks very well. It is a competitive handicap hurdle, but I think he can run well. He is a horse we like a lot.
Q: Will this just be a run before a break or could he run again if he goes well?
HD: He could definitely run again. If he got beaten there is a race at Punchestown, the Louis Fitzgerald Hurdle, for horses that have won one race. So that would be an option. If he won and looked good then you could look at something better.
Liverpool might come too soon, but Ireland would definitely be an option. He has not done much racing this season, so if tomorrow goes well it is very possible that he will run again.
Q: Spirou is having his first run for you tomorrow, what can you tell us about him?
HD: Not a huge amount. We bought him a long time ago with the idea of him being a Fred Winter horse, but he picked up a tendon injury as a four year old so we have had to be very patient.
The long term plan is to go chasing in the autumn, but we want to get some racing into him first. Tomorrow is very much a starting point.
He has done plenty of work but no serious galloping. I would expect him to improve a lot for the run. I like him as a horse and think he will develop into something nice, we just need to get him started. Expectations are not high tomorrow after such a long layoff, but hopefully he can show some promise.
Q: Karma Police stepping up in trip on Saturday?
HD: Yes, I thought he would win last time. He did everything right and beat the rest comfortably, but one horse just blew the race apart and won by about fourteen lengths.
I do not see three miles as a problem at all. I think he will stay and stay well, he has a strong stamina base. I would just be wary of the ground getting too quick.
Q: A very exciting runner at Newbury on Saturday is Lover Desbois, who was impressive at Kempton. This has been the plan for a while, how is he coming into it?
HD: He is in good form and looks very well. This has been the long term plan. We started him at Newbury so he had experience of the track and that form looks good now.
We gave him a break after that, then brought him back for Kempton fit enough to win but not fully wound up, and he was very good. He will need to improve again here because it is a tough race, but he has trained well and did a pleasing piece of work last week.
I have got no excuses. He is in good shape. I wouldn’t want the ground to get too quick, but he is a lovely horse and goes there with a leading chance.
Q: What sort of horse do you see him becoming?
HD: It is hard to say because I have not been able to get him to jump yet. His bumper win at Kempton was impressive, and last year we ran a very good horse, Klub De Reve, in this race and he finished third behind a strong field.
To compete in this race you need a good horse. At this stage Lover Desbois has probably achieved more in bumpers than Klub De Reve had at the same point, but that does not necessarily mean he is better.
We have always thought a lot of his work and Saturday will tell us plenty. But I am not going to say he is a chaser yet because until he learns to jump he will not be jumping anything.
Q: And Escapeandevade at Newbury, he missed the Grand Annual but this looks a nice opportunity?
HD: Yes, he is a lovely, genuine, tough horse who always runs his race. He’s only won once this season and has gone up a lot in the weights, which makes life harder.
He would prefer softer ground, but as long as it is safe he will take his chance. I would not be shocked if something sharper beat him on quick ground, but he has been consistent all season and is in great condition. You know he will give you his running.
Exciting Prospects and Future Plans
Q: Any others you are planning for Aintree? How’s Mossy Fen Road?
HD: Mossy is fine. He had an entrapped epiglottis on the morning of confirmations for the Supreme, which was very frustrating, but he is fine now and has been back cantering the last couple of days.
Aintree will come too soon, so it would only be Ireland if he runs again this season. I would like to run him again because I think he is a smart horse and it would tell us more about him, but only if I am completely happy with him.
Q: And Klub De Reve, I think you mentioned April was the plan?
HD: He had an injury at Kempton. He is fine and will be ready for the autumn, but we are not going to run him again this season.
He has had a really good season and looks very exciting. Whether he starts over hurdles again or goes chasing we will decide later, but he will not run again this season, unfortunately.
