Time for Samcro to take on the big boys and get a taste of the real world

The mollycoddling is over. The time has come to crawl out of the creche and march into the office. There is a job to be done.

This is the day Samcro sticks on a shirt and tie, picks up a briefcase and finds out what the real world is like. He has earned promotion a few months earlier than expected but the gorgeous son of Germany was walking before he could crawl so he has always been more advanced than his associates.

When Gordon Elliott was crying into his cornflakes on the Wednesday morning of Cheltenham after drawing a blank on day one, who was there to cheer him up? Samcro. When the trainer was searching for something to take on the Closutton contingent in the Deloitte Novice Hurdle during the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, who put his hand up? Samcro.

And now, with Elliott's shares in the trainers' championship falling faster than Bitcoin, who is the one asked to chase a cheque to the value of €162,250? You guessed it. Samcro.

Elliott has never won the championship. He has never won the Punchestown Champion Hurdle either. Samcro has pen in hand and is ready to rewrite racing history. He has become accustomed to such intense pressure.

Since seeing off Elegant Escape in a Monksgrange point and fetching £335,000 at Goffs in April of 2016, Samcro's reputation has soared.

His SPs have been 4-9, 1-3, 8-13, 1-5, 1-4, 4-6 and 8-11. Those skimpy odds often look huge afterwards, never more so than when he bolted up in the Ballymore at Cheltenham. The second won a Grade 1 at Aintree next time and the third won a Grade 1 at Punchestown on Wednesday. That form does not look too shabby now, does it?

But will even-money be a bargain or a rip-off by 5.35pm? No longer locking horns with novices, Samcro enters the big, bad world of all-age Grade 1s. After all, one of today's main rivals Melon came within a neck of winning the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Buveur D'Air, the defending champion, needed to dig deeper than he has dug in over two years to retain his crown, so mighty was the challenge Melon served up. He is only six too, the same age as Samcro, but he has more experience. This will be his eighth outing over hurdles and he knows how hot the cauldron at this level can get. It will be all new to Samcro.

Supasundae: ultimate street fighterCredit: Patrick McCann

Supasundae is the ultimate street fighter. He has spent the whole season in bruising battles, almost souring Apple's Jade at Leopardstown, fending off Faugheen in the Irish Champion Hurdle, embroiled in a pulsating duel with Penhill in the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham and only losing out to L'Ami Serge at Aintree.

If there are punches to be thrown in the final round, you can guarantee that Supasundae will be standing tall and giving as good as he gets. There are others too.

Wicklow Brave is the defending champion and a Classic winner on the Flat too so ignore him and your wallet will start whinging. Coquin Mans is improving rapidly and what about Min?

For a split second it even looked as though he had the measure of Altior in the Champion Chase. He's been to Aintree, though, and seemed to have been feeling the effects of his hectic spring schedule when fourth to Un De Sceaux on Tuesday. It would be a terrific training performance by Mullins if he came out three days later and won this.

Pallasator: Elliott has done a brilliant job in getting the high-class Flat recruit to win a Grade 2 novice hurdleCredit: Alain Barr

Training feats do not come much more terrific than Gordon Elliott's pampering of Pallasator. Transforming an off-the-wall ostrich into a pet labrador is surely as tricky as it sounds but the tall, leggy son of Motivator has behaved impeccably on his way to winning at Leopardstown and Fairyhouse.

If he continues that trend in the Profile Systems Champion Novice Hurdle today, it will take a good one to get by him. Although, Mullins does have half the field and he won it last year with Bacardys.

Sir Michael Stoute won the Gordon Richards Stakes over at Sandown last year too and we are all dying to know whether Crystal Ocean will make the same splash Ulysses did.

Last year's St Leger second makes his first start at four and, given where he hails from, the older he gets, the better he will get.

James Doyle and Charlie Appleby pose for a picture at the trainer's yard on Sunday

Charlie Appleby seems to be like that too. Eight of his last 18 runners have won. That is a staggering success rate of 44 per cent.

Kempton maiden winner Ispolini goes for Appleby in the bet365 Classic Trial but standing in his way is Savenna Star who won a Windsor maiden by 14 lengths. And there is Chilean too, fresh from a Group 3 success at Longchamp.

This fabulous Friday has something for everyone. You might even get to see Samcro do some grafting for a change. The shoes have been polished, the suit has been ironed and the tie has been knotted. Time to see what this big, bad world is like, Samcro.

Best of luck, boy.

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