There is still room for expansion within the Cheltenham Festival programme. While discussions continue in earnest how to best achieve it, the case for a new contest for National Hunt-bred novices becomes more and more compelling.
By National Hunt-breds, what is really meant is young hurdlers that have not run on the Flat. A sizeable ex-Flat contingent had already clustered towards the head of betting for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle before the weekend's action. Their ranks swelled further through the victories of Rippling Ring and Sentry Duty at Doncaster.
Sentry Duty ran 19 times on the Flat in France before transferring to Nicky Henderson this time last year. He even landed a £40,000 Newmarket handicap before Henderson had him gelded in summer. “It knocked him absolutely sideways,” the trainer said. “I thought he was only just ready to run, so you have to be impressed.”
Sentry Duty had no trouble outpacing Celestial Halo, himself a prime contender for the Triumph Hurdle. Yet Paul Nicholls was not overly despondent in defeat. “I was a bit disappointed,” Nicholls said of Celestial Halo. “He missed the third-last and was flat-footed after that. There wasn't much pace, but you'll see the best of him in a proper-run race like the Triumph.”
Celestial Halo was only beaten three lengths in the St Leger, yet Nicholls said: “At home he doesn't show as much speed over five furlongs as Rippling Ring.” Which is hardly surprising, since Rippling Ring finished fourth in last year's South African Derby.
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Rippling Ring showed abundant class in defeating Veloso on his hurdling debut at Doncaster on Saturday. “Of all the horses I ran this weekend,” Nicholls said, “he was the one I was really looking forward to. When you see them doing it each day at home, you then want to see them do it on the racecourse. I thought he did it well.”
Both Rippling Ring and Sentry Duty are bound for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle over two miles. They join the likes of Khyber Kim, Deep Purple, Numide, Blue Bajan and Kalahari King - all talented Flat horses - in a race that has been won by their ilk in seven of the past 11 renewals.
This makes the case for a National Hunt race, perhaps a handicap with a strictly limited weight range, for stores who struggle to match strides with Flat racers so early in their careers. There is great merit in catering for such horses, which can also be said for the new mares' race - but not the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle for ex-Flat racers not good enough for the Triumph.
The danger is that such a race might attract stores well worth their place in the Supreme Novices'. A smaller prize fund would work as a disincentive, as would the absence of championship status, yet there is no denying that the expansion of any programme is bound to create the odd hole. And expansion there will be.
Nicholls' anticipation ahead of Rippling Ring's debut was reflected in Ruby Walsh travelling to Doncaster despite the trainer's strong representation at Sandown. A Nicholls treble at Esher made it easy to understand why Sam Thomas remains content to understudy Walsh.
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Thomas rode a positive race to win the totesport.com Challengers Novices' Chase aboard Denman's brother, Silverburn. Despite lugging to his right throughout the two-and-a-half mile journey, Silverburn demanded a run at Cheltenham by his battling qualities alone.
While Gungadu completed the treble, The Tother One's victory in the Heroes Handicap Hurdle was one more valuable prize Nicholls plundered with a novice. The Tother One appeared temptingly weighted with 10st 9lb, yet he had climbed 23lb for winning his previous race. Coupled with chasers winning off considerably lower marks over hurdles, this theme has left the proverbial handicapper nursing a series of gaping wounds.