8th February 2021
MONKFISH was another Willy Mullins Dublin Festival winner, and the way he beat Latest Exhibition by 11 lengths had race-watchers opening a Gold Cup rumour mill. He would need to be supplemented for that but for this race, he remains 5/6 Favourite.
1st February 2021
EKLAT DE RIRE, an imposing French-bred put in an impeccable round of jumping for Rachael Blackmore in the G3 Novice chase at Naas yesterday, staying strongly all the way to the line to win by almost 2l from Escaria Ten, with Pencilfulloflead, giving 8lb to the first two, 3rd. De Bromhead said: “He’s deadly to jump and is improving all the time, you couldn’t ask for any more than that. He’s a heavy-topped horse and we probably wouldn’t want it too good. He stays and jumps. I had discussed it with the owners and we said if everything went well today we would probably aim for the Festival Novices’ Chase, and hopefully, that’s what will happen. I think he deserves to take his chance.” He is now 14s from 20 (8/1 NRNB) for both this and the National Hunt Chase.