Before I get going on this blog, I do have to give you a stable update. You may remember that in the previous blog, I described Paul (Whacky) as a lynchpin of the yard. Well, Peter decided to read out the blog to him, and he said:
“What does he mean? Lynchpin?”
Peter told him to look it up on his phone.
Whacky, now confused, reads “a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position,” adding ominously, “What’s he mean by that?”
Peter says, “And what else?”
“a person vital to an enterprise or organization”
“That’s what you are, vital to the yard.”
“Hmmm. Better than being a f****** tractor part, I suppose.”
All of this was captured on video on Peter’s phone, with Whacky’s impenetrable Irish accent. John (who’s Irish) and I had no clue what he said, but there was something hilarious about him thinking I was having a pop at him and, almost, begrudgingly realizing it was a compliment.
Now to the serious business: Chosen Comrade is running in a Listed race on Tuesday, and this is a real step up from what she has been running in. What is a Listed race? I hear you ask. Well, according to Paddy Power they are for “horses that are not (yet) quite good enough to run in Grade 1, 2 or 3 races, but are pushing to make the step up to that level”.
I think I have been taking it too seriously, anticipating who we might be running against for weeks. Kim said two weeks ago, in a markedly un-American way, “ it’s not about winning, just enjoy the experience” Then, as if correcting herself, she followed up with some unnecessary rationale: “you need to enjoy it, just think how else we could have spent the money you bought Chosen Comrade with!” (I think I may have assumed the exclamation mark) I know she’s joking because at 8.20am (Florida time) on Tuesday, she will be glued to the Punchestown channel on Racing TV; listening to hear if anyone says anything dismissive or derogatory about Chosen Comrade, or CC as Kim insists on calling her.
Anyway, to the race:
Overview
It is over 2m 3 furlongs (a furlong is 220 yards), so that is just short of 2 ½ miles. This is longer than our first hurdles race, but we are very confident that the step up in distance will not be a problem. It’s going to be soft: there has been a lot of rain recently and, even before today’s rain, the going was Soft with Heavy patches. We think she should be ok on that ground, but we can’t know for sure until the race. I am more concerned about the wind, which is forecast to gust at over 50 mph. Hopefully, it won’t be so bad as to cause racing to be abandoned (that’s the sort of thing that goes through your mind when you’re on a 7000-mile round trip!)
Sam Ewing rides again and has been riding her in most of her work over the last few weeks
Horses
There are seven horses declared to run. However, one of these ran on Sunday, so we will assume that she will not take her place. That leaves six:
Amen Kate
She won nicely last time out when ridden by Sam. Technically, he could have chosen to ride her, but he has kept the faith with Chosen Comrade. She made all last time but is now racing over a longer distance on softer ground, so there is no guarantee she will do the same this time.
Carry On Heidi
Her form does not look good enough and her forecast odds of 66/1 reflect that.
Divaboriva – Likely non-runner
Echoing Silence
A horse that cost £410000 after she won her point-to-point race in 2024. She underperformed in her first hurdle race but then won a Bumper. In November, she won her maiden hurdle (for horses who haven’t won a hurdle) very well, and her top trainer (Henry DeBromhead) said that she had really filled her frame over the summer and was now approaching the finished article. Given that he trained the mare, Honeysuckle, who won two Champion Hurdles as well as 10 other Grade 1s, it probably makes sense to listen when he is talking about a mare.
For me, there are two question marks about Echoing Silence:
- Her maiden hurdle was over 2 ½ miles, and her family typically have been best over even further, so will she be as effective over this (slightly) shorter distance? , and
- She is by Doyen (her sire) and, speaking very generally, his progeny tend to be better on faster ground; something which she will not get on Tuesday.
All that being said, the form of her maiden victory is working out well, and she is likely to be the favourite.
Neon Diamond
He trainer, Gordon Elliott, has his horses in tremendous form, so it would be foolish to discount her. However, she has run six times over hurdles, and her overall form is a little below what will be required in this race. Her hurdles form would suggest she struggles on softer ground, but her Bumper form saw her winning on Heavy, so who knows?
She has also been running over longer distances, so this 2m 3f may be too sharp for her. Her odds of 10/1 are fair.
Switch From Diesel
She has spent the last two years running in Bumpers; 12 in all. That is a little unusual, but, in fairness, her 2024/25 season was very successful, and she put up some excellent performances. By all accounts, her trainer, Ross O’Sullivan rates her very highly and has even entered her in a Grade 1 over Christmas. She was just beaten in her maiden hurdle, but she rates a real danger. The ground shouldn't be an issue, and the distance is probably okay. Despite the confidence from the stable, she has to step up significantly on her hurdle bow.
Chosen Comrade
Her win at Limerick was very impressive. The horses behind her haven’t done much to frank the form, but she could not have won any more easily. She seems to come to life on the racecourse and, if anything, she has been working even better at home since Limerick. If she shows the same improvement on the course, it could get pretty exciting on Tuesday.
She has schooled well and everything seems to be in place. The weather, in particular, and going remain a concern, but we would not swap our horse, and Peter has remained uncharacteristically bullish ever since Limerick.
And, now that I have finished writing this, Punchestown has just announced a 7.30 am inspection due to the forecast rain. If it passes that, they will be monitoring the winds all morning.