Gaelic Warrior 'the class horse' - but can he overcome strong stayers on first try at three miles?

Gaelic Warrior steps up to three miles as he bids for a first Grade 1 victory in the Irish Mirror Novice Hurdle, but he has long shaped as if such a test would suit.

He saw out the 2m5f of the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle with purpose at Cheltenham when chasing home stablemate Impaire Et Passe, despite being a shade keen in the early stages.

The five-year-old, who will be seeking to give Willie Mullins a third victory on the bounce in a race he won with Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs in 2021, will have to settle if he is to see out the trip as he faces plenty of rivals capable of capitalising should he not.

Chief among those threats is Affordale Fury, who belied a starting price of 150-1 to run a cracker in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham when staying on strongly to claim second behind Stay Away Fay. Noel Meade's five-year-old displayed notable promise when beating Monbeg Park at Galway last October but seemed to take a while to come back to himself after falling in the Monksfield at Navan in November.

Danny McMenamin is an interesting jockey booking for a horse who could be ridden more positively now he is back to form. He responded well to those tactics earlier in the season, and Gaelic Warrior will need to stay every yard of the trip in order to fend him off.

Gordon Elliott's Salvador Ziggy has a definite chance given he has stamina in abundance and ran a cracker when second in the Pertemps, while Favori De Champdou and Mullins' second string Embassy Gardens will need to settle better than they did at Cheltenham to land a blow.

What they say

Noel Meade, trainer of Affordale Fury
If he can run the race he ran at Cheltenham then he will be there or thereabouts, but you never know if they will. I'd say the fall at Navan just took a bit out of him but he came back to form at Cheltenham and seems good since. We're happy with him.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Favori De Champdou and Salvador Ziggy
Favori De Champdou did too much too soon in the Albert Bartlett and paid the price. He's definitely a better horse than he showed there and I expect a much improved showing here. His form stacks up pretty well. Salvador Ziggy won his maiden hurdle in Punchestown in the first few weeks of the season back in May and has done nothing but improve since. He ran a tremendous race in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham. He's stepping up from handicapping to a Grade 1 race but his rating and progression suggests he's well worth his place and the trip will be right up his street.

Paul Townend, rider of Gaelic Warrior (writing in his Ladbrokes blog)
Gaelic Warrior tries three miles for the first time and it'll be interesting to see if he gets the trip. He obviously won a two-mile handicap at the Dublin Racing Festival and going right-handed is going to be a huge advantage for him. He is the class horse in the race. He ran well at Cheltenham when coming second to Impaire Et Passe but Affordale Fury, who ran a cracker at Cheltenham and is proven over the trip, will take plenty of beating. Embassy Gardens is the other Willie [Mullins] horse, who I rode in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. He ran a bit keen that day and has to leave a poor run behind him.

Jarlath Fahey, trainer of Whatcouldhavebeen
We've been very happy with her since Fairyhouse, where she met Ashroe Diamond on a very good day. She pulled well clear of the rest of the field up the straight so hopefully this trip can bring about a bit more improvement in her, especially if the ground dries out a bit. It's a hot race but hopefully we can get some black type again.

Read more of Wednesday’s previews:

'She will be tough to beat' - Brides Hill heads Irish challengers for Listed prize at Perth's opening meeting  

'Missing Aintree might have been a blessing' - who will come out on top in the Punchestown Gold Cup?    

A Dream To Share seeks to cap off phenomenal bumper season for John Kiely    

Lieutenant Command and Ilikedwayurthinkin renew rivalry but must fend off strong Mullins trio    

Sign up here. 18+. New UK+IRE customers only. Certain deposit methods and bet types excluded. Minimum first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at minimum odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for seven days. Stake not returned. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.