In an exclusive BOYLE Sports interview, Jordan Gainford hails the Dublin Racing Festival as a crucial Cheltenham build-up with massive crowds, top racing, and standout wins like Fact To File's brilliant Irish Gold Cup success and Narciso Has's juvenile class.
Gainford also admits personal disappointment with few rides and unsuitable ground, but praises "genius" Willie Mullins for peaking horses perfectly including Galopin Des Champs calls riding for JP McManus "always special," and insists Mark Walsh's consistency makes him irreplaceable.
The Dublin Racing Festival
The Dublin Racing Festival
I think we saw everything run to form. There were a lot of standout performances. There was an impact on the Monday crowd, but it drew a big crowd on Sunday, though, and it didn't take from the overall performances. It’s a massive event now. It's such an important part of the build-up to Cheltenham , and it comes at just the right time. More than half the races are Grade 1s, legends are born, and Irish bloodstock is dominating.
All the stars are still on show, which puts a lovely colour on the racing as it leaves everything spot on for Cheltenham . The atmosphere around Dublin was mental. No one can afford to miss it or avoid it. There's top racing, top trainers, top jockeys and a super crowd. The reception for some of the big winners was massive, but not just the big ones, the handicaps, everything, it was huge.
DRF Disappointment
In total, this season I’ve had 19 winners in Ireland and one in England. It was nice to ride a big winner in England in Newbury and Coral Cup Day with Highland Crystal in the Fillies Juvenile Hurdle. In Ireland, it's very competitive. If you hit 30 winners in the year, you can call it going OK. It was a little bit disappointing over the weekend for me. I wasn’t that busy. Casheldale Lad, being a non-runner at Leopardstown , was a bit of a sickener.
I thought he ran a great race at Christmas, only beaten five lengths behind two good mares, giving them 5lbs. Things didn't go to plan, but I think the ground went against both my runners on Monday. We are keeping the head down and working hard for the rest of the season.
My Favourite Track: Leopardstown
I'm actually riding a bit over in France at Auteuil this year for Noel George. That’s a fantastic track. The racing over there is just solid. Narciso Has came from France. I was lucky enough to ride in a couple of Grade 1s at their last big meeting in November. It’s proper end-to-end stuff.
My favourite track, though, has to be Leopardstown. It's a proper fair track. You turn down the back there, and there's five or six fences in front of you. It's amazing, really. The best horse usually wins.
Fact To File
Fact To File “Standout” In Star-Studded Field
It is hard to look past the Irish Gold Cup , really. Fact To File was brilliant. Fact To File really shone. Everyone was saying that he wouldn't stay, and this, that and the other. He showed that the trip is not a problem. He jumped super on testing ground, and he really did put a good gap between him, Gaelic Warrior and Galopin Des Champs. Gaelic Warrior ran a cracker considering how keen he was early on in the race. I did like what I saw with Majborough in the Dublin Chase . He was amazing to watch, especially with all the talk from Barry O'Connell on Marine Nationale.
To see what Majborough did and where Marine Nationale finished just shows you how good a performance it was. He’s rightly the favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase in March. Narciso Has was a different class in the Juvenile Hurdle and has to be the one to beat in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Fact To File Is Ryanair Ready Or Else?...
It's going to be interesting. He was obviously a very good winner last year in the Ryanair . Heart Wood was in second, and Envoi Allen was getting no younger in third. The Ryanair would seem the race to go for, but the way he won at Leopardstown , I can easily see him being supplemented.
Willie Mullins
“Genius” Willie Mullins
He knows just when to peak. He’s magic. The stats were maybe saying he was a bit slower this year than in other years, but he's a genius. He's champion trainer for how long now, and I think come Cheltenham we could see a difference in some of these horses again. As I said, Galopin Des Champs finished third at Leopardstown , but you could never rule him out. He's a genius at getting his horses to peak, and he's a brilliant man for the game. You love listening to him and everything he says as well.
Let's see after Cheltenham [winning the British and Irish trainers’ title], and that’ll be Willie’s thinking, I’m sure. I read an interview there that it's in his mind, so I'm sure he'll give it a good go. It's going to be all up to Cheltenham and then Aintree , and I'd say he'll give it a good stab if he gets good results there.
Galopin Des Champs Is Still A Superstar
Maybe a little. But having won two Gold Cups would probably take a bit out of any horse, really. He is a super horse; he was beaten by a super horse last year at Cheltenham , and he is not getting any younger. But that doesn’t take away the fact that he is a superstar in his own right. Come Cheltenham , I think with Willie Mullins we’ll see a different horse.
I think he can make it three Gold Cups at Cheltenham this year. But overall, Willie Mullins does have the ammunition for the race. I think it'll be between three horses, and I think the three horses who will contest the Cheltenham Gold Cup will be the three who filled the places at Leopardstown .
I’d take the English pair, The Jukebox Man and Jango Baie , into consideration, but again, in the King George , I thought four horses were very tightly bunched on nice ground at a fast, tight track. They were too well bunched in Kempton , whereas at Leopardstown , Fact To File really showed class; he showed grit, and as he went through the line, he was flicking his two ears - he wasn’t troubled at all.
Jockey
Riding For JP McManus “Always Special”
Four Grade 1 winners tells its own story. As we see every year, he spends a lot on French recruits, the store horses he buys, the number of races he supports, and the sponsorship of races. With what he puts into racing, he deserves everything he gets out of it.
I've been lucky to ride a winner or two for him, so when you put on those colours, it feels special. I've ridden a couple of winners for him, not big winners, but as I said, when you put on those colours it just feels special. When JP comes on in an interview, you listen to what he says. Everything he says makes sense.
I Wouldn’t Swap Mark Walsh For Anyone!
Mark has been top class. I’ve just seen a thing on my phone come up - ten years ago, he won the Irish Gold Cup and a decade later he’s won it again on Fact To File. That just shows he's very solid. He's a great rider, and what I like about Mark Walsh is that he lets the riding do the talking. He is very solid.
Harry Cobden is young, he's hungry, he doesn't do much wrong, and everyone has their own opinion. But Mark Walsh is top class, and I wouldn’t be changing him for too many. He's very good, he's cool. Whether it's a meeting midweek on a Tuesday in Fairyhouse or whether it's the Dublin Racing Festival, Mark Walsh will always be in the same humour, and that means a lot.
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