No Flies On Him out to confirm himself a Supreme player in Listed novice hurdle

The Listed Madigan Group Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle could unearth a big player in next month's Supreme Novices' Hurdle given the Edward O'Grady-trained No Flies On Him is already a general 14-1 shot for the Cheltenham Festival opener after a stylish hurdles debut at Leopardstown over Christmas.

The five-year-old landed a point at Knockanard 12 months ago and the form reads very well given the runner-up, Jango Baie, is a Grade 1 winner for Nicky Henderson having landed the Formby Novices' Hurdle at Aintree an hour after No Flies On Him got off the mark on his first start under rules.

Having taken up the lead shortly after the third flight, the JP McManus-owned gelding barely saw another rival and his gear change as they swung for home was particularly impressive. He asserted quickly without Mark Walsh having to ask him many questions before putting in another assured leap at the last, then staying on for an authoritative win over D B Cooper.

It was a polished display for a hurdles debutant in what is traditionally a strong maiden and it will be fascinating to see how he copes with more testing conditions.

Willie Mullins relies on three and Tullyhill is the pick of Paul Townend. He was an immensely promising bumper horse and ran A Dream To Share reasonably close in the Grade 1 at Punchestown in that sphere. His hurdling career got off to a poor start when he was turned over at 1-8 when beaten 24 lengths on debut at Punchestown over 2m6f, but the drop back to 2m seemed to work at Naas last month.

Tullyhill: runs in the Listed novice hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday

Tullyhill: runs at Punchestown on SundayCredit: Patrick McCann

That didn't seem the strongest of races and his jumping needs to improve, but he has a big engine and should handle this ground.

Westport Cove appeals as an attractive each-way pick. Also trained by Mullins, he finished a narrow second to stablemate Quai De Bourbon at Clonmel last month and they pulled well clear off the 119-rated Doyen Ta Win. He is slowly getting his jumping together and appreciates testing conditions.

Boldog coped with testing conditions well at Tramore last time out and could be a big player for Joseph O'Brien, while the Gordon Elliott-trained Jigoro was no match for Mystical Power in the Moscow Flyer but he can make his presence felt dropped in grade. He was impressive in heavy ground at Navan in December when streaking nine lengths clear of Butcher Hollow and shouldn't be dismissed.

Lombron will need to bounce back after a tame effort in the Moscow Flyer and the ground is far from sure to suit. The Barry Fitzgerald-trained Saddle Her Up won nicely at Fairyhouse last month but a big step forward is required, while conditions are a concern for Tina Meehan.

What they say

Edward O'Grady, trainer of No Flies On Him
He’s in very good form. It was a good performance on his debut but the form could have worked out better, while it was also good ground that day, so the testing conditions would be of concern, but we’ll see.

Paul Townend, jockey of Tullyhill
He’s a very exciting bumper horse who was turned over at short odds first time out over hurdles. He made amends in Naas. He has the benefit of two runs over hurdles now, which will stand him in good stead. He’s done a lot of schooling since. I thought the drop back in trip was the key the last day, so I would hope he will take a bit of beating.

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Boldog
It was a nice performance at Tramore and he comes here in good form. The ground looks like it will be very heavy, so hopefully he can get through it okay. It'd be great if he could get into the first three.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Jigoro
He's in good form and hasn't done much wrong but this looks a strong race. I thought it was a very good run in the Moscow Flyer the last day and he handles testing ground so we're looking forward to him.

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