Irish Horses In Focus from the Cheltenham Festival

Features / Timeform / 24 March 2010 / Leave a comment

The Midnight Club has strong claims of giving Willie Mullins his first winner of the Irish Grand National

Timeform has picked out three horses to follow from last week's action...

"The Midnight Club has been given a rather appealing mark of 140"

The Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase at Cheltenham is one of the most competitive novice events of the season and this year's renewal looked to be no exception. The Willie Mullins-trained The Midnight Club fared best of the Irish challenge in third and he looks set to be of interest in another competitive handicap in the coming weeks. Weights for the Irish Grand National were published Tuesday and The Midnight Club has been given a rather appealing mark of 140, which is just 1 lb higher than the mark he raced off at Cheltenham last week. However, it's his smart form over hurdles last season that makes him of particular interest, third to Weapon's Amnesty in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham last season before going on to win a three-mile novice at the Punchestown Festival. Still unexposed at staying distances over fences (just the one start at three miles), he's open to substantial improvement, and is potentially the most interesting of Willie Mullins' fourteen entries.

The Midnight Club's stable mate Arvika Ligeonnaire was another to catch our eye at Cheltenham, shaping much better than the result suggests when fourth to Berties Dream in the Spa Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday, looking a big danger as he loomed up travelling very strongly two out but patently failing to stay. Arvika Ligeonnaire is very much the type to make a name for himself over fences next season, both bred and built to thrive over the larger obstacles, but there could still be a good novice hurdle in him this spring.

Thomas Mullins hasn't enjoyed the same level of success of his brother Willie in recent seasons, but he has plenty of winners in his own right, and this year's Champion Bumper fourth Tavern Times looks sure to help continue that success. An impressive winner on his debut at Fairyhouse in October, Tavern Times would have bettered that form by further had it not been for meeting trouble in running when around seventeen lengths behind the impressive winner Cue Card last Wednesday. He's likely to contend the Champion Bumper at Punchestown next and can be expected to give the winner more to do should they re-oppose, whilst he will have strong claims of reversing form with Frawley, too.

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