Irish Saturday Preview: Melon looking ripe for Samcro rematch

Upsets have been the theme of some of the top two-mile hurdles this season. Samcro started the series when beaten on his return at Down Royal, then came Faugheen’s defeat in the Morgiana Hurdle, and earlier this week even Buveur d’Air fluffed his lines at Kempton.

Perhaps some sort of normality will be restored in Saturday’s Ryanair Hurdle at Leopardstown where Samcro bids to get his head in front for the first time this season. On the other hand, a look at the results of the last two runnings of the Ryanair, which has seen defeats for Faugheen at 2/11 last year and Nichols Canyon at 2/5 in 2016, hardly inspires confidence in what has the makings of another trappy small-field contest.

It was easy enough to give Samcro the benefit of the doubt for his defeat in the WKD Hurdle where a tactical affair on good ground left him vulnerable to Bedrock. The pair are due to meet again here where a fitter Samcro is weighted to turn the tables on that rival. Samcro shouldn’t be judged too harshly, either, on his subsequent defeat in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle to a top-form Buveur d’Air who had far too much speed for him after the last. But while Samcro doesn’t face anything of the dual Champion Hurdle winner’s calibre on Saturday, conditions will again be nothing like as testing as they’d usually be at this time of year. That’s a worry for a horse who has looked more of a Stayers’ Hurdle candidate this term, not a Champion Hurdle contender, and for that reason he looks worth opposing at short odds.

Upset! Samcro is beaten for the first time while staying on his feet as Bedrock pounces late under the excellent @rachaelblackmor in the Grade 2 WKD Hurdle at @Downroyal. A successful raid as the prize goes to Scotland - congratulations @jardineracing and team pic.twitter.com/49At0YvHl0

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) 2 November 2018

In Melon he faces a high-class rival who is very much a proven two-mile performer as he showed when making Buveur d’Air pull out all the stops to win his second Champion Hurdle in March and conditions that put the emphasis on speed will suit the strong-travelling Melon. This will be the second clash between Samcro and Melon but we learned little from their first meeting when both fell independently three out, looking set to play a part in the finish, in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle. Melon hasn’t run since then, though the fact that he has won first time out in both his seasons over hurdles is encouraging.

As well as Melon, Willie Mullins looks set to be represented by the Galway Hurdle winner Sharjah who finished only third behind Bedrock and Samcro, receiving weight from both, at Down Royal, but then inflicted that surprise defeat on Faugheen in the Morgiana.  Sharjah has trip and ground to suit, but he’d need to run another career-best to trouble the likes of Melon and Samcro at level weights.

Supasundae is the other one worth a mention, dangerous to rule out given he overturned the odds-on Faugheen in the Irish Champion Hurdle here and went on to win the Punchestown Champion Hurdle when his main rivals fell. Those were Supersundae’s last two starts over two miles, though he has plenty of form over further. He made his reappearance in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse earlier in the month, and while he was no match for twenty-length winner Apple’s Jade on the day, that run should have brought him on. Hopefully, round two between Melon and Samcro will be more informative than their first meeting, with Melon expected to come out on top.

The other Grade 1 on the card, the Neville Hotels Novices’ Chase over three miles, was won by the subsequent Irish Grand National winner Our Duke two years ago, while last season’s winner Shattered Love went on to land the JLT at the Cheltenham Festival for Gigginstown House Stud and Gordon Elliott. The same owner and trainer are sure to have a strong hand again this year, Gigginstown having eight entries in total split between Elliott, Joseph O’Brien and Henry de Bromhead.

Pick of the Elliott entries are this year’s Cheltenham Festival winners Delta Work and Blow By Blow, successful in the Pertemps Final and Martin Pipe respectively in March. Both made winning starts to their chasing careers in the autumn but met with contrasting fortunes last time in the Drinmore Novices’ Chase at Fairyhouse over two and a half miles. Blow By Blow ran poorly, impressing with neither his jumping nor attitude in a change of headgear (visor instead of customary blinkers).

Note how close and tight "Delta Work" & @_Davy_Russel_ got into the last fence @Fairyhouse to win @BarOneRacing Drinmore from Le Richebourg, who jumps it in style....
(c)https://t.co/voWGTccgic pic.twitter.com/T2wT5ZKwSj

— Pat Healy (@patcashhealy) 2 December 2018

Delta Work, on the other hand, won more convincingly than the half-length margin over Le Richebourg suggests, rallying after getting in tight to the last which caused his jockey to lose an iron. While the trip stretched the stamina of the runner-up (himself a Grade 1 novice winner at Leopardstown down in trip earlier in the week), it looked a minimum for Delta Work who is sure to benefit from this return to three miles and should therefore take all the beating.

Of the other Gigginstown entries, O’Brien’s Mortal is potentially the most interesting. He failed to win over hurdles last term, but he’s bred to come into his own over fences (dam Pomme Tiepy was a useful staying chaser) and made a winning start over the larger obstacles at Fairyhouse earlier in the month.  The fourth from that race, Moonshine Bay, won at Thurles last week and could re-oppose again here.

Henry de Bromhead’s entries include another Gigginstown pair who have shown useful form over fences, Nick Lost and Judgement Day, the latter completing a four-timer at Punchestown last time, but the pick from that yard could be the other entry Chris’s Dream. He disappointed in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham last season after running away with a Grade 3 novice hurdle at Clonmel on heavy ground but made a successful chasing debut at Navan earlier this month from Gun Digger, jumping well in front. Sure to be suited by the return to three miles, Chris's Dream could prove Delta Work’s biggest threat, though more testing conditions would probably have suited him ideally.