The lead-in to Cheltenham will contain near-forensic examination of the form shown by the various top stables and Ball D'Arc's Grade Two victory at Naas yesterday indicates Gordon Elliott's powerful string are in rude health. All the Co Meath trainer wants now is some dry ground for his festival stars.
Don Cossack of course shines brighter than anything else in the Elliott yard and while Elliott confirmed his headline act is on track for a Gold Cup bid there was a certain feeling contained when he said: "The more dry days we get now the better."
With just three weeks to go, the likelihood is that the Cheltenham going will be very different to current testing conditions but if the weather is out of everyone’s control, stable form isn’t, and since saddling his maiden century of Irish National Hunt winners on Wednesday, Elliott’s horses have continued to impress.
A Clonmel double on Thursday was followed by another winner on Saturday and while Ball D'Arc hadn't previously figured among most lists of Cullentra stable stars, fingers will be kept firmly crossed for dry weather over Cheltenham for him too after his Paddy Power Novice Hurdle success.
Go Native took in the same race en route to Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle glory in 2009 and after Ball D’Arc beat off Moon Over Germany by a couple of lengths, Elliott wasn’t ruling out a trip to the festival for a horse who could make a team of about 20 from his yard.
“Bryan (Cooper) said he struggled the whole way through on the ground but he still won so if good ground brought a bit of improvement then you never know,” he said.
Some bookmakers halved Ball D’Arc’s Supreme odds to 25/1 and his rate of improvement can be gauged form how readily he reversed a Navan defeat in December with Moon Over Germany. But most are likely to note his distant January third to Min and tick it off as yet another form boost for the Supreme favourite.
Faugheen's shock defection has opened up the Champion Hurdle in a major way and since even Britain's champion trainer Paul Nicholls reckons Identity Thief could be the one to lift the vacant title, encouragement too will be taken too from a third victory in Naas' Grade Two Chase for his stable companion Days Hotel.
Henry Bromhead’s two-miler added to 2013 and 2014 victories in the race when making all under Andrew Lynch.
“The bare two miles on heavy ground suits him. He can go flat out and he loves that. Even two miles and a furlong catches him because the last furlong finds him out and you can’t ride him the same way,” said De Bromhead who could give Identity Thief a racecourse workout prior to the Champion Hurdle.
“He had three runs up to Christmas and we backed off him then so he seems in very good form,” he added.
The English raider Simply Ned proved a disappointing favourite third behind Days Hotel and his jockey, Bryan Harding, blamed the ground – "It was soft when he ran at Leopardstown but that's point-to-point heavy and he trotted home."
Vigil did little more than a 2/9 favourite is expected to do when landing the maiden hurdle and could yet get to take his own Supreme chance as part of a small but select festival team sent by Dermot Weld.
Like Vigil, Silver Concorde is a 33/1 shot for the festival opener although Weld insisted he needs good ground to be seen at his best while First Figaro is a likely runner in the Champion Bumper.
As a Gigginstown-owned horse, Avenir D’Une Vie, is unlikely to line up in that Cheltenham bumper but he certainly wouldn’t be out of place as he eased to an effortless win in the Naas finale.
"We've always thought a lot of him at home and even though he's by Lavirco he's such a good mover we think he'll go on better ground," said Willie Mullins.
Very soft going however looked a major plus to Marlbrook who justified significant market support with an all-the-way success in the €50,000 novice handicap chase, a second win in a row in the contest for trainer Colm Murphy.
