RUNAWAY AINTREE WINNER UBAK TO BE SUPPLEMENTED

Trainer Gary Moore today revealed that his outstanding Aintree winner Ubak is set to be supplemented for the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle on Friday, April 26, at next week's Punchestown Festival.

 

The five-year-old was a brilliant 16-length winner of the Grade 2 Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree on April 6 and Moore is looking forward to running in Ireland.

The 8,000 euros supplementary entry stage for the two and a half mile €80,000 Tattersalls Ireland Champion Novice Hurdle is on Monday, April 22.

"Ubak could well be supplemented for the two and a half miles novice hurdle at Punchestown next week," said Moore.

"He came out of Aintree with quite a bad cut on a joint, which has been scanned, but it is fine and all good now. He has been cantering for the last three days so it's onwards and upwards at the moment.

"I didn't think he was capable of a performance like that at Aintree but I do wonder how good the rest were. I don't think it was the strongest race and I thought a lot of the horses underachieved in it but - don't get me wrong - I think Ubak is a very nice horse."

The lightly-raced French-bred had previously finished seventh of eight behind The New One at Cheltenham but Moore felt his charge was unsuited by the way the race was run.

"There was no pace at Cheltenham and I thought he was always doing a bit too much in front so we decided to drop him in at Aintree. After that, there is no doubt he is a better horse when dropped in," added Moore.

"He is an exciting prospect for novice chasing next season. That's why I don't want to spoil him, because he will come into his own over the next two seasons."

SWEENEY AND MANGAN BOTH HOPEFUL IN RACING POST CHAMPION HUNTERS' CHASE REMATCH

Connections of Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase winner Salsify and Oscar Delta, who looked to have the race at his mercy when unshipping his rider on the run-in, have confirmed the pair are on course for a rematch in the Racing Post Champion Hunters Chase at Punchestown next week.

In a dramatic incident some compared to Devon Loch's fall in the 1956 Grand National, Jane Mangan was unseated by leader Oscar Delta when her mount jinked after the last at Cheltenham.

Salsify won the Punchestown contest in 2011 and trainer Rodger Sweeney is hopeful the eight-year-old can crown his season next Friday, April 26, in the Racing Post Champion Hunters Chase.

"Salsify is well and will run in the Racing Post Champion Hunters Chase providing the ground is nice," said Sweeney.

"It's hard to know what would have happened at Cheltenham. He is a very tough horse and the way it looked, he seemed to be gaining but we will never know what would have happened. You have to pass that red and white lollipop in front to win.

"We beat Oscar Delta last year at Cheltenham so I have no problem taking him on again."

But trainer Jimmy Mangan, who is based around five miles from Sweeney in County Cork and is father of Jane, is equally confident that his charge will come out on top this time with the help of some rain.

"Oscar Delta has been in great form since Cheltenham and is an intended runner in the Racing Post Champion Hunters' Chase," said Mangan.

"He had the race won at Cheltenham and although Colman (Sweeney, rider of Salsify) said he was gaining on Oscar Delta, he knows deep down he wasn't going to catch him and he told me that.

"We are looking forward to taking him on again but it will be a different race. If the weather forecast is right and the ground is soft, that's the only hope I have because I won't beat Salsify on fast ground.

"I couldn't account for Oscar Delta's run (when well beaten) behind Salsify at Leopardstown in February. Although they call the ground soft at Leopardstown, it's a fast soft and maybe that didn't suit. I beat Salsify at Fairyhouse last year so this could be the decider as they say."

SOLWHIT CONNECTIONS KEEN TO TAKE ON QUEVEGA

Another of next week's great matches promises to be when Solwhit, a Grade 1 winner at Cheltenham and Aintree, takes on the brilliant mare Quevega in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Series Hurdle on Thursday, April 25.

Solwhit won the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree having previously captured the Grade 1 Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham and is currently Evens favourite with Ladbrokes for the three-mile contest ahead of Quevega, a 13/8 chance.

"As long as he is 100 per cent, I am looking forward to taking on Quevega in the Ladbrokes World Series Hurdle and it looks like it is going to be a really good race," said trainer Charles Byrnes.

"I will leave a definite decision until the weekend because he only ran at Aintree two weeks ago.

"He didn't come out of the race at Aintree as well as he did at Cheltenham which surprised me. The initial intention was not to run at Aintree and wait for Punchestown  but he came out of Cheltenham so well, we decided to go.

"He had such an easy race in Aintree, we thought he would come out of it bubbling but he's a bit flat and we will just wait for him to come alive. I am pretty hopeful that he will be OK by the weekend.

"Although he won easily at Aintree, I don't think it was a better performance than at Cheltenham. The fourth horse at Aintree was only rated 138 and there was nothing like Quevega in the race."

What promises to be a fabulous 2013 Irish National Hunt Festival at Punchestown takes place from Tuesday, April 23, to Saturday, April 27, and features €2.2 million in prize money.