Cheltenham Festival: Sir Gerhard should head for Ballymore over Supreme, say Off The Fence panellists Barry Geraghty and Tony Keenan
Sir Gerhard was cut to 3/1 for the Supreme and 5/2 for the Ballymore at the Cheltenham Festival after an impressive victory at Leopardstown on Sunday; Off The Fence team also assess Galopin Des Champs' victory and his Cheltenham options
Wednesday 9 February 2022 15:25, UK
Sir Gerhard's romp at the Dublin Racing Festival blew many away on Sunday as the Champion Bumper hero landed his first Grade One win over hurdles but the immediate question was: Does he go for the Supreme or the Ballymore at the Cheltenham Festival?
After a faultless display on his hurdling debut at Leopardstown on Boxing Day, the seven-year-old followed up with an impressive victory in the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle, earning quotes of 3/1 for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and 5/2 for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (Sky Bet) in the process.
Tony Keenan and Barry Geraghty, speaking on the latest episode of At The Races' Off The Fence podcast, are clear that it has to be the latter, with Keenan effusive in his praise for Willie Mullins' star.
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"I thought this horse was really, really good on Sunday," Keenan said. "The most impressive part of this (sic) is that they just cleared away [from the opposition], just amazing stuff to be pulling that far clear of what look half-decent horses.
"The time was obviously really good and he's basically done the same time as Honeysuckle and he carried seven pounds more, which is excellent."
Sir Gerhard's target could depend on how Mullins plans to shuffle his pack of talented stars, with stablemates Dysart Dynamo (11/4) and Kilcruit (12/1) both potential options for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
"I just think they're going to go to the Ballymore with this horse," Keenan added. "They can look at the Supreme and see what's going on there but, to me, this lad looks like he can go up in trip.
"Dysart Dynamo looks a fast two-miler and with Kilcruit, judged on the last day, they'll probably keep at two [miles], but his jumping would be under less pressure over two-and-a-half-miles."
Geraghty, who won the 2012 Ballymore (then the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle) aboard the brilliant Simonsig, agrees with Keenan.
"The Ballymore would suit him better," Geraghty said. "He's a point-to-pointer, he's a relaxed horse in comparison to Dysart Dynamo, so that'd be the route for me.
"He has the engine and the ability to be very competitive in the Supreme, but I'd just worry that his jumping would take him out of the race."
Turners or Brown Advisory for Galopin Des Champs?
Elsewhere on the show, the team discussed Galopin Des Champs after he further enhanced his lofty reputation with a devastating victory at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Questions quickly turned to where the smart novice chaser would run at next month's Cheltenham Festival, with Geraghty and Keenan not singing from the same hymnsheet.
Geraghty said: "For me, he was coming out of Paul's (Townend) hands, he was being too brave.
"Paul was trying to find a rhythm, but he found a rhythm over the last three fences and he jumped really well. I think he's going to have learnt a lot from this."
On where this performance would put him at Cheltenham, Geraghty suggested a step back in trip would be his preferred option.
"Stepping up to three miles (for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase) is going to give him more time to consider more of the same. So if he was mine I'd be leaning towards the Turners (over two-and-a-half-miles)."
However, when host Vanessa Ryle posed the question to Keenan, he suggested the longer trip would be his likely destination.
"I think connections are looking at three miles here. The shorter race, the Turners, is not even over two and half [miles], it's just short.
"I think the ride that he got was more about settling him, making sure he lasted three miles - that'd be the route they're going [Brown Advisory].
"I think Bob Olinger (set for the Turners) is a more talented horse than Bravemansgame (set for the Brown Advisory), so just stick to that plan, I'd imagine."
