Oscars Well and truly up to standard

Oscars Well

Jessica Harrington has not had a Cheltenham Festival winner since Cork All Star in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper in 2007.

However, she and jockey Robbie Power were buoyed by the prospect of going to this year’s meeting with two strong chances after Oscars Well and Bostons Angel both won Grade One races at Leopardstown.

Mikael d'Haguenet was supposed to be on a recovery mission in the Dr PJ Moriarty Novices’ Chase having been unlucky when falling at the last in the Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse, after nearly 600 days off the track, in December and then perhaps being brought back too soon when turned out again at this track just a fortnight later by trainer Willie Mullins.

Mullins felt compelled to run stable companion Quel Esprit in the race on the grounds that both horses warranted a place in the field of six and they dominated the market to the exclusion of anything else. However, the race did not unfold as a Mullins duel.

Mikael d'Haguenet, who had jumped no more than adequately, had moved into fourth down the back straight on the final circuit for Paul Townend and was close enough to take the initiative as Quel Epsrit led Magnanimity and Bostons Angel.

His chances were compromised at the second-last when, while he was trying to close on the front three, Quel Espirt hampered him when falling. Mikael d'Haguenet lost perhaps three lengths but, having got to within a couple of lengths of the leaders coming to the final fence, Mikael d'Haguenet failed to find much more from there on after a mistake. Magnanimity seemed to be finding enough from the last but Bostons Angel, who did not get that much credit when winning the Fort Leney Chase at the Christmas meeting here, found even more for Robbie Power.

Bostons Angel may not be a “wow” horse like Mikael d'Haguenet but he jumps, he stays and he battles like the best of them. And that is precisely what he did to win by a head, with Mikael d'Haguenet another five-and-a-half lengths away in third. “He’s an unbelievably tough horse. All credit to the horse, he never knows when he’s beat,” Power said, adding of the moment that Quel Esprit came down and impeded Mikael d'Haguenet “[I had] not a clue – I was worried about the horse beside me and getting to the winning post.”

Power got there first again when Oscar Well won the Deloitte Novices’ Hurdle at the expense of another Mullins hotpot in Zaidpour. The winner of his first two starts over hurdles, one of which was a Grade One, Zaidpour has disappointed at Leopardstown in December.

But Mullins had been inclined to strike a line through that form and believe that the horse was capable of better. On this showing others might be inclined to disagree.

Cottrelsbooley and Far Away So Close had opened up an eight-length lead early in the back straight but were being closed down from four out. By the second-last Shot From The Hip, Hidden Universe and Oscars Well were all but on terms with Zaidpour just behind.

Not everyone was impressed when Oscars Well won a Grade One at Navan in December, believing that it was a sub-standard field. If this is the standard that needs to be reached at Cheltenham, then Oscars Well will be worth his place in whichever race he takes part in. The two-and-a-quarter miles may have been a little short of an ideal distance but, while Zaidpour was under the pump from the home turn, Oscars Well arrived at the last smoothly for Power to take the lead from Shot From The Hip and then stayed on well to beat Zaidpour by five-and-a-half lengths.

The victory capped a great day for Harrington who felt that Oscars Well could go for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, over two-miles-five-furlongs, rather than the three-mile option in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

“When he won at Navan everyone said he’d been a very weak field. But he couldn’t have done it any easier and he’s a very easy horse to train. I do no work with him but he’s an absolute machine. He’s won that on the bridle – and he finds plenty off it too.”

Those who take Oscars Well on at Cheltenham may have to be capable of doing the same.

Paul Wheeler

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