Farclas

16th-Mar-2018

(Message of 10th February 2018)

I am backing Mr Adjudicator and Farclas for the Triumph Hurdle.  I think that they should both be a fair bit shorter than they are on the back of their respective runs in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown on Saturday.

We have been here before.  The Spring Hurdle is a huge pointer to the Triumph Hurdle.  Four of the last six Triumph Hurdle winners ran in the Spring Hurdle, while six of the last seven Spring Hurdle winners either won or were placed in the Triumph Hurdle.

You rarely really know for sure whether the Irish juvenile hurdlers are stronger than the British juvenile hurdlers or vice versa until the Triumph Hurdle is run, but the signs are that the Irish juveniles are strong this year, and that the Spring Hurdle is the strongest juvenile hurdle run this season so far.

Espoir D’Allen admittedly disappointed, it probably wasn’t his true running.  However, Mr Adjudicator and Farclas had it between them from a long way out at Leopardstown on Sunday, the pair of them pulled well clear of their rivals.  Also, they clocked a fast time, just 0.02secs/furlong slower than Racing Post par, the fastest comparative time on a top-class day’s racing and 1.8secs faster than the time that Samcro clocked in winning the Grade 1 Deloitte Hurdle run over the same course and distance 35 minutes later.

This was just Mr Adjudicator’s second run over hurdles.  Winner of a handicap over a mile and three furlongs at Killarney last August for Joe Murphy, he was an impressive winner of a juveniles’ maiden hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas on his debut for Willie Mullins, and he stepped forward again on Sunday.

It looked like Stormy Ireland was Willie Mullins’ number one juvenile before Sunday, but that may not be the case now.  The trainer just wasn’t quite happy enough with Stormy Ireland to allow her take her chance in Sunday’s race.   She is still a factor in the race, but she has run just once over hurdles and Mr Adjudicator is more solid.

Farclas is also solid.  This was also just his second run over hurdles, and he too improved on his first, when he finished second behind Espoir D’Allen in the Grade 2 juveniles’ hurdle at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival.

He should improve again for this run, he should appreciate the extra stamina test that Cheltenham will present – he is related to hurdles and chase winners and he is from the family of Derby winner Teenoso – and it is worth having him on side as well.

FARCLAS WON (ADV 8/1)

MR ADJUDICATOR 2ND (ADV 7/1)

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