Paisley Park 'likes to have a laugh' but can he produce another miracle?

Thursday: 3.30 Cheltenham Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1) | 3m | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

Emma Lavelle wishes for it to be known that Paisley Park is not bad, just occasionally a naughty boy.

The problem is, it's impossible to be certain the 2019 winner of the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle will not feel a tad naughty when the tapes rise at around 3.30pm. Two months ago, at the equivalent point of the Cleeve Hurdle, he did a 90-degree turn to his left under Aidan Coleman, giving away a huge lead to his four opponents. Remarkably, he still won.

What we saw through the closing stages of that Cleeve is the reason so many people love Paisley Park, whose owner Andrew Gemmell is as popular as his horse. When Coleman asked him to dig deep he scraped the deepest surface of his reserves and surged up the Cheltenham hill, finishing three and a quarter lengths clear of the reopposing Champ.

That's the part of the ten-year-old's character we want to see as he seeks to improve on last season's admirable third to Flooring Porter.

Yet when Paisley Park's nine opponents set off, will he be going with them? His trainer can offer some insightful character analysis, albeit she cannot answer the question. Nobody can.

Paisley Park: 'He is getting older but he's not showing signs of being out of love with the game'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"I didn't expect him to do what he did in the Cleeve, but it was the sort of thing I knew was in his repertoire," Lavelle said.

"That little bit of jib, naughtiness and quirkiness is something that lurks within Paisley. At home he'll walk on to the gallops and do absolutely anything you want him to without batting an eyelid. At the same time, you might be coming home and he'll decide he wants to make sure you're awake by whipping round. There's a cheekiness within him.

"Aidan would always be ready to give him a little smack down the shoulder if he felt something at the start of a race. The problem before the Cleeve was as the tapes went up, Aidan released the reins a little and stood up, as every jockey does. Unfortunately, Paisley hadn't jumped at that point and when he felt the reins slacken he decided he had got Aidan. I'm positive this time Aidan will be sure to sit on his backside until he's cantering and going forward."

Lavelle added: "He definitely wants to race, I'm 100 per cent certain of that. It really is just cheekiness, and it's what makes Paisley the horse he is. It's part of his personality and make-up. He likes to have a laugh at us and everybody else."

What chance, then, of a fairytale outcome?

"I don't feel we could have him any better," Lavelle said. "I believe the thing that cost us last year was not having a race from the Long Walk to the Stayers'. He's now an older horse who takes a lot of work, so I think he missed that additional day at the races.

"There are always going to be young pretenders and other top horses but we couldn't be happier with him. I just hope he jumps off and behaves himself!"

Cromwell hoping title-holder can cope with the crowd

The defending champion is seen by many as the one to beat but trainer Gavin Cromwell is quick to admit Flooring Porter faces a wholly different test this time, even though the Stayers' Hurdle is taking place over the same course and distance.

The element of concern comes from the fact Thursday's Cheltenham Festival highlight is going to be staged in front of a sellout crowd. That could potentially be a problem for 2021's free-going all-the-way winner, who when scoring under Danny Mullins completed his journey from ordinary handicapper to superstar stayer.

Flooring Porter: reported to have worked well at Navan last Monday

Flooring Porter bids to defend his Stayers' Hurdle crownCredit: Edward Whitaker

"How he will cope with the preliminaries is a genuine question people are asking," Cromwell said.

"Obviously there were no crowds when he won the race last year, but I'm very happy with how he's settling in and I'm hopeful things will go smoothly. It's great that he came over on Saturday night because the few days have stood him in good stead.

"He really has settled in lovely here. He hasn't turned a hair, which is brilliant to see. We're hoping the preliminaries go well – and if they do, we all know what he's capable of doing."

Klassical bids for triumphant Cheltenham return

It now feels like an awfully long time since Klassical Dream last raced at Cheltenham – but if he can do what he did in the 2019 Supreme Novices' Hurdle, connections will be more than happy.

On that occasion he stormed home to win by four and a half lengths, prompting understandable hopes of future Champion Hurdle challenges.

They never materialised, yet on his first start in 487 days he ran away with the Punchestown festival's championship marathon hurdle last April and another Grade 1 success was logged over Christmas at Leopardstown, where Flooring Porter finished a two-length second after Klassical Dream's jockey Paul Townend nicked ground at the start.

The eight-year-old must bounce back from his third odds-on defeat in five starts, but if that Gowran flop is forgotten, his claims are obvious.

Townend said: "We flopped at Gowran but I am putting a line through that run. With Flooring Porter, Klassical Dream, and Paisley Park, the start is going to hugely important. Someone’s race could be gone at the start, so it’ll be interesting."

Will Henderson's canny Champ ploy work?

With the very best intentions, Nicky Henderson has been trying to deceive Champ, a horse who has deceived punters more than once.

Two years ago the horse JP McManus named after Sir Anthony McCoy pulled what is now the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase out of the fire, defeating Minella Indo and Allaho up the Cheltenham hill. Twelve months later he jumped only six fences of the Gold Cup before being pulled up. A back issue was deemed the problem. Part of the prescription has been going back over hurdles.

On his seasonal return at Ascot the remedy reaped rewards when Champ scored under Jonjo O'Neill Jr. Then, however, he was turned over by Paisley Park as 8-15 favourite for the Cleeve Hurdle.

Revealing the little ploy he hopes might make Champ a dual festival winner, Henderson said: "He has always been very good first time out, so I've tried to make this feel like his first run of the season. I've purposely underdone him. I've been fiddling around and doing different funny things. He does look fantastic and seems very well in himself.

"I just don't know what happened last time. He was very flat and never travelled or jumped as he had at Ascot. I could see him winning it if he came back to his Ascot performance."

Thyme Hill better now than at Christmas

It has already been a marvellous March for Tom O'Brien.

Last Friday his wife, Hayley, gave birth to the couple's second child, Toby. On the seventh day of young Toby's life, his father could achieve the biggest success of his racing career aboard Thyme Hill in the Stayers' Hurdle.

Having managed a third and fourth in Cheltenham Festival Grade 1 contests, the Philip Hobbs-trained eight-year-old has plenty of form at a meeting he was last year unable to attend. He did, however, secure a major victory at Aintree just a few weeks later and, most recently, chased home Champ in the Long Walk Hurdle.

Tom O'Brien is aiming to enjoy a huge Cheltenham win on Thyme HillCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I think he feels better in himself than he did over Christmas," said O'Brien, stable jockey to Hobbs since the retirement of Richard Johnson 11 months ago.

"If Champ had put up a dominant performance in the Cleeve, I would be wondering how could we beat him, but that didn't happen. I really think that if our horse is at his best he should be bang there."

Hobbs added: "Everything has gone very well in his preparation. I couldn't be more happy with him."

What they say

Joseph O'Brien, trainer of Home By The Lee
I don't think he should be as far away from Royal Kahala as he is in the market. He's not the most straightforward of customers but JJ Slevin gets on well with him. He's inclined to get outpaced in his races before coming home well. We'll be trying to remain in contention and hopefully he'll finish out strongly.

Rebecca Curtis, trainer of Lisnagar Oscar
He's in the same sort of form as he was two years ago but I really would like to see soft ground because it would slow down the others. I'm hoping the race could be run to suit him if Flooring Porter goes off at a good gallop. If he could run well and grab a place I'd be delighted – and I think it's a lovely gesture by his owners to have the horse running in the Ukrainian flag colours.

Tom Symonds, trainer of Song For Someone
It's a fact-finding mission. It's a big call on form and the trip is an unknown but the way he has been racing suggests that going over further might bring about improvement.

Peter Fahey, trainer of Royal Kahala
As long as the ground is safe, she'll definitely run – and I don't think she's as ground-dependent over this trip. Her last run was her best run and we know she finishes her races out really strongly and that she stays well. That's why we went for the Stayers' over the Mares' Hurdle. Lady Rebecca was placed in the Stayers' and she's in the pedigree of Royal Kahala, so hopefully that's a good omen. I think you can put a line through her run in the mares' novice hurdle last year as she finished lame. Everything has been geared towards Cheltenham this year and she's absolutely flying. We couldn't be happier with her and I wouldn't swap her for anything.

Thursday's Cheltenham Festival previews:

1.30 Cheltenham: 'It'll be some spectacle' – key quotes ahead of Bob Olinger v Galopin Des Champs

2.10 Cheltenham: 'A Grade 1 winner carrying 10st, it's up to him' – clues for the Pertemps Final

2.50 Cheltenham: 'Everybody is up against it' – is there any stopping Ryanair banker Allaho?

4.10 Cheltenham: 'He looks to have been overlooked' – analysis and trainer quotes for the Plate

4.50 Cheltenham: Dinoblue heads seven runners for Willie Mullins in bid to resume normal service

5.30 Cheltenham: 'He's really turned the corner' – key quotes and insight for the Kim Muir