Saturday Six

It's a huge weekend of jumps racing, with the Irish Champion Hurdle taking top billing. Here's our six horses to watch this weekend. (Well, it's actually seven...)

By Shane Breslin

Hurricane Fly (Leopardstown, 2.30, Sunday)

Sunday is all about the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle, and the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle is all about Hurricane Fly. Appearing for the first time this season, the racehorse that is the leading light among Willie Mullins’s stable of superstars will go to post as the odds-on favourite. Unaccompanied’s star is on the rise, but it would be a major disappointment if the Fly finds himself swatted aside. Er, apologies...

Blackstairmountain (Leopardstown, 1.25, Sunday)

Another Grade 1, another hot favourite from the Mullins yard. The great trainer has been in imperious form over the past few weeks, and he will hope that the winner of the big two-mile novice chase at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival will make it another win at the top level here. We hope so too – we’ve already backed Blackstairmountain for the Arkle at Cheltenham.

Baby Mix v Grumeti (Cheltenham, 12.55, Saturday)

In a rare departure for this column, we’re going for a double one to watch – we should probably call it a “two to watch”, right? Baby Mix, from the Tom George yard, and Alan King’s Grumeti are the top two in the betting for the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, and neither camp is keeping its powder dry as they go head to head in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial that kicks off a fine card at Cheltenham on Saturday. Our fancy is for... ah, who knows? A no-bet race, just kick back and watch for pointers for March.

Captain Chris (Cheltenham, 2.35, Saturday)

The Argento Chase was robbed of some of its allure when Grands Crus, the hugely exciting novice from the David Pipe yard, was not included in the final declarations. But there is still plenty to be enthusiastic about, not least the continued progression of likely favourite Captain Chris. The winner of Grade 1 novice chases at the Cheltenham and Punchestown festivals last year, he has yet to win in two starts in the senior grade but a third place to Kauto Star and Long Run in the King George at Christmas reads well in the context of this race. The fourth there, Somersby, has also won a Grade 1 since, last weekend’s Victor Chandler Chase, so the form is rock-solid.

Tamarinbleu (Cheltenham, 2.05, Saturday)

There are few things in racing as satisfying as seeing a veteran racehorse continuing at the top of his game, and the Pipe-trained 12-year-old Tamarinbleu has been doing his bit for that feel-good factor this season. The winner of the prestigious Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle as far back as 2005 before landing the Boylesports Gold Cup and Victor Chandler Chase a couple of years later, Tamarinbleu has earned the right for a bit of down-time. But on the evidence of this season – two seconds and a win from three starts – he has a bit to give yet. The win came in a veterans’ chase and whether he can get the better of younger horses here remains to be seen, but one thing that is certain – he will give it a right good shot.

Sir Des Champs (Leopardstown, 2.15, Saturday)

There aren’t too many horses who are unbeaten over jumps, but Willie Mullins’s French-bred six-year-old is one. A winner of a handicap hurdle at Cheltenham last March, he has been making strides in the larger obstacles by winning a beginners chase followed by a Grade 2 at Limerick a few weeks ago. He’s not even down as the tissue favourite here – that honour goes to the Shark Hanlon’s Hidden Cyclone, a winner of seven of his eight starts. It promises to be a fascinating race, but Sir Des Champs is the one that’s getting our pulse racing.

The Saturday Six is in association with the Pick Six bet from Tote Ireland, one of the trickiest and most rewarding bets you can have a go at. There's a €5,000 Pick Six guarantee at both Punchestown and Navan this weekend. Find out more about the Pick Six bet over here.