Irish Marksman

The Irish Marksman with all of the latest news and views from across the Irish Sea ahead of Cheltenham.

Noble calling for Paddy Power Although Paul Nolan is yet to commit Jewson winner Noble Prince for Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup, the trainer is leaning towards running in the Grade 3 contest at Cheltenham for which he is a 10/1 chance with Sky Bet, but the recent Naas winner is also entered in the Fortria Chase over two miles at Navan on Sunday where a potential clash with Big Zeb looms. The Jewson form has held up well with runner-up Wishfull Thinking an impressive winner under a big weight at Punchestown and fifth-placed Blazing Tempo winning the Galway Plate and Nolan's charge is set to renew rivalry with an admittedly improved Wishfull Thinking on 4lbs better terms, having beaten Philip Hobbs' charge four lengths at Prestbury Park in March. Loosen My Load has still to convince over 2½ miles and a 7lbs turn-around with Noble Prince may not be sufficient to reverse the Jewson form. Fingeronthepulse finished down the field in the race last year and although coming into the race on the back of a win at Listowel is likely to find the going a lot tougher. If given the go-ahead Noble Prince looks solid each-way value. Moon Dice worth a throw in Greatwood Prospects of an Irish-trained runner adding to the wins of Accordion Etoile and Sizing Europe in Sunday's Greatwood Handicap Hurdle rest with the Charles Byrnes-trained Jack Cool, Willie Mullins' Inspector Clouseau, and most interestingly with Paul Flynn's Galway Hurdle winner, Moon Dice. The latter really came of age on good ground to win at Limerick and then ran out a decisive winner at Ballybrit when drawing away on the uphill finish, an asset which could prove invaluable at Prestbury Park. According to Flynn, the key to the six-year-old is to keep him fresh so the 3½ months absence is by choice and with the ground likely to be in his favour he looks worth an each-way punt at 7/1 with Sky Bet. Ballydoyle break Churchill Downs hoodoo Overall a successful Breeders' Cup for Ballydoyle, who broke their seven-meeting blank at Churchill Downs Breeders' Cups with a double on Saturday. So You Think may have come up short against the natives on his first dirt start and Misty For Me appeared very unlucky not to win the Fillies & Mares Turf but the yard took another Breeders' Cup Turf when St Nicholas Abbey stormed back to his very best and Wrote ran out a surprise winner of the Juvenile Turf. St Nicholas Abbey's finishing burst revived memories of his Racing Post Trophy and his wins earlier this year at Chester and Epsom and Aidan O'Brien must be given due credit to bring back the four-year-old in such fine shape after two just fair efforts at Longchamp. Credit also, of course, to the constantly improving Joseph O'Brien for a dashing ride - what a few weeks for the eighteen-year-old! With Fame And Glory likely to head the Cup route next year and So You Think probably being kept to shorter trips if remaining in training then St Nicholas Abbey will be a major force in the top mile and a half events in 2012. It was disappointing to see Await The Dawn sacrificed in a pacemaking role in the Turf, he deserves better and has a Group One in him if persevered with next year. Aidan O'Brien has visions of So You Think taking on Frankel in the top mile events next year after the five-year-old's sixth in the Classic. Racing more keenly than he has done in Europe this year, So You Think didn't look that happy on the dirt and probably ran to something like 8lbs below his best. Reverting to a mile seems strange, a mile and a quarter is clearly his best trip but he patently isn't the machine he was made out to be in Australia. Top-class sure but beatable on his day. As mentioned before by the Marksman In Ireland, the stud option seems the most plausible. The photo of Ballydoyle runners receiving stalls practice to the sound of a bell prior to their departure for Kentucky rang a little hollow after both Homecoming Queen and Misty For Me both missed the kick in their respective races on Friday. True, Misty For Me did also seem to stumble on leaving the stalls, which left Ryan Moore with the impossible dilemma of having to race wide. Moore's persistence nearly paid off with the three-year-old staying on best of all when beaten barely a length into third. Misty For Me has done much of what was asked of her and will probably be retired now, Ballydoyle have a likely-looking replacement in her full-sister, Twirl, who bolted up in a Leopardstown fillies maiden on Sunday. The Ballydoyle juveniles enjoyed contrasting fortunes. Wrote clearly exceeded expectations when winning what was probably an ordinary renewal of the Juvenile Turf when racing on Lasix for the first time and one would question whether or not the Royal Lodge third will be any further up the pecking order at Ballydoyle as a result. The Royal Lodge winner Daddy Long Legs ran no sort of race in the Juvenile on dirt, again hindered by a slow start and Moore reported the US-bred to be unsuited by the surface. The decision to also run Middle Park winner Crusade in the mile and sixteenth event was puzzling considering the speed he shows. There was, of course, a precedent with Johannesburg, but Crusade, again after being slowly away, was never a factor and surely he will be kept to sprints next year. Kauto Stone another Nicholls star? Quito de la Roque scrambled home to receive the plaudits in the jnWINE Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday but the performance to take from the meeting was surely that of Kauto Stone in the Grade 2 Ladbrokes.com Chase over 2½ miles. A half-brother to Kauto Star, the five-year-old was making his debut for the Ditcheat yard and travelled really sweetly for Paul Carberry, leading before halfway and despite a couple of untidy leaps at the final two fences, was never stretched in beating a couple of smart, and race-fit, rivals in Roi du Mee and Blazing Tempo, the latter receiving 8lbs. Recommendations: Saturday: Noble Prince, Paddy Power Gold Cup, Cheltenham @ 10/1 each-way with Sky Bet Sunday: Moon Dice, Greatwood Hurdle, Cheltenham @ 7/1 each-way with Sky Bet