RACE ENTRIES - 5/7 Day and Declarations..

Saturday 11th February, Naas, 4.40pm, 2m 3f Bumper (Winners of 1); THE PAPARRAZI KID - 5  day entry.                         Sunday 12th February, Leopardstown, 2.40pm, 2m 5f, €75k added Dr P.J.Moriarty Novice Chase (Grade 1); LAMBRO - 5 day entry.                                        

Future Major Race Entries:- 

LAMBRO:-

Wednesday 14th March, Cheltenham, 3m 1f, RSA Chase (Grade 1), £130k added.                                                                              Wednesday 14th March, Cheltenham, 4m, National Hunt Chase (Class 2), £75k added.                                                                    Thursday 15th March, Cheltenham, 2m 4f, Jewson Novice Chase (Grade 2), £90k added.

COCOZZA:- Saturday 31st March, Doncaster, 1m William Hill Lincoln (Heritage) H'cap (£100k added),

Unnamed 2 y-o colt-Thousand Words x Aces Dancing, Thursday 23rd August, York, 6f, £250,000 DBS Premier Yearling Stakes.                                                                                                                               .                                                                             

COCOZZA ENTERED FOR WILLIAM HILL LINCOLN H'CAP (posted Thurs' 8th Feb')...

4 y-o colt Cocozza was this week entered in the £100k added William Hill Lincoln H'cap over 1m at Doncaster on Saturday 31st March. The Lincoln is traditionally the first major race of the UK Flat season and it has attracted a huge entry of 97, although it has a maximum field of 22!         The weights for the race are revealed on Wed' 15th February.                     It's just an entry at this early stage for Cocozza who will most likely have other options for his new trainer Marco Botti, possibly starting off in a Listed race.

  Cocozza, left under Johnny Murtagh at The Curragh last August.

LAMBRO ONE OF EIGHT REMAINING ENTRIES IN GRADE 1 DR P.J. MORIARTY NOVICE CHASE AT LEOPARDSTOWN ON SUNDAY (posted Tues' 7th Feb')...

                           Lambro winning at Naas in November.

Lambro remains on target for the Grade 1 P.J.Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday with eight remaining entries after today's forfeit stage. Gigginstown Stud look to hold a strong hand with Last Instalment an intended runner, although they have this afteroon confirmed that Bog Warrior is more likely to run at Naas on Saturday. The step up in trip to 2m 5f  should be in Lambro's favour after his excellent second to subsequent Irish Arkle winner Flemenstar over 2m at Naas last month.

LAMBRO'S MOST RECENT FORM GIVEN MAJOR BOOST BY HIS NAAS CONQUEROR FLEMENSTAR AT LEOPARDSTOWN (posted Mon '30th Jan)...

Lambro's most recent form when second beaten 3 1/2 lengths by Flemenstar at Naas earlier this month, was given a major boost when Flemenstar was a most impressive winner of the Grade 1 Irish Arkle Chase at Leopardstown yesterday, by a comfortable 19 lengths. Lambro had really put it upto Flemenstar at Naas over 2m, challenging him alongside from 3 out and only given best inside the final 150yds. Given the way Flemenstar strolled away with yesterday's Grade 1 prize without any serious challenge we have to take great comfort from the fact that he was beaten by a very good horse, which we suspected on the day. Flemenstar was today awarded an official rating of 157 (the highest rated Novice Chaser in the country) with Lambro put up 2lb to 144.

 Left - Flemenstar winning the Irish Arkle Chase at Leopardstown.

LAMBRO GIVEN THREE ENTRIES AT CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL  (posted Thurs' 26th Jan)...

Lambro has been entered in three Novice Chases at the Cheltenham Festival in March:- the RSA Chase (3m 1f, Grade 1), The Jewson Novice Chase (2m 4f, Grade 2) and the National Hunt Chase (4m, Class 2). All being well he will almost certainly have another outing before the Festival and he also holds an entry in the valuable 2m 5f Dr P.J.Moriarty Novice Chase (Grade 1) at Leopardstown on 12th February.

Right - Lambro (Paul Townend) winning his Beginners Chase at Naas, Nov' 11

 A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS! (posted Fri' 20th Jan'11)...

Our 2 y-o colt by Thousand Words is progressing nicely and is cantering away at Richard Hannon's yard, along with the Hannon 2 y-o battalions!

Richard Hannon Jnr reports the colt to have done well physically and seems to have a nice temperament about him.

The colt (who will be named shortly) was recently entered in the £250k added 6f DBS Premier Yearling Sales Stakes race run at York's Ebor Festival in August.

  2 y-o colt by Thousand Words x Aces Dancing at the yard this week.

 LAMBRO FINISHES A GALLANT 2nd AT NAAS TO FLEMENSTAR (posted Monday 9th Jan' 11)....

            Above - Lambro in the parade ring yesterday.                    Above right, Ruby Walsh just about to be jocked up.

Lambro ran a very game and excellent race at Naas yesterday in the 2m EBF Novice Chase when beaten 3 1/2 lengths into 2nd place by the smart Flemenstar. Waited with in the early stages by Ruby Walsh off a strong pace (the race time backs this up), he closed to track the leaders from 4 out, was ridden and joined Flemenstar approaching the straight, was on terms from 2 out until finding no extra in the closing stages as Flemsenstar just pulled ahead in the last 100yds.

Connections were all delighted with Lambro's performance, especially given that we felt the 2m trip could just be on the sharp side for him (he has won over both 2m4f & 3m over hurdles) and this was only his second race over fences and his first since mid November.

The winner Flemenstar looks a really useful sort and will reportedly now head to the Grade 1 Irish Arkle Chase over 2m 1f at Leopardstown later this month where he likely be one of the main contenders.

We'll probably look at giving Lambro another run later in February (a Winners of 1 would be ideal) before aiming him at some bigger targets at the major spring festivals when he will almost certainly be stepped back up in trip to 2m 4f plus.

 THE PAPARRAZI KID UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL BUMPER (posted Mon' 9th Jan)...

  Left - The Paparrazi Kid (Patrick Mullins) could well be heading to Cheltenham for the Champion Bumper.

The Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival in March is a possible target at this stage for the Byerley Thoroughbred Racing owned The Paparrazi Kid. The 5 y-o created a good impression when running out a very easy 15 length winner of a 2m Bumper on his racecourse debut at Navan last month. Trainer Willie Mullins will consider the option of running him in a 'Winners of 1 Bumper' (probably in February) or he may well just go straight to Festival if he prefers. Willie Mullins has been dominating the Bumpers in Ireland for the past month introducing some very promising sorts including the impressive weekend winners Mozoltov and Un Atout.

 THE PAPARRAZI KID TURNS ON THE STYLE ON HIS RACECOURSE DEBUT (posted Mon' 19th Dec')..  

  Right - The Paparrazi Kid wins in great style at Navan today.

The Paparrazi Kid lived up to his tall home reputation when running out a very impressive winner of the 2m Bumper at Navan today. The Milan 4 y-o gelding was settled behind the leaders well off the pace, he made up his ground efffortlessly and did'nt come off the bridle to get to the front. When asked for an effort he quickened up well to draw right away under Patrick Mullins to win by an easy 15 lengths.

Irishracing.com reported:- If ever the phrase ridiculously easily was called for it could hardly fit better as a description of The Paparrazi Kid's win in the Athlumney INH Flat Race at Navan.

Patrick Mullins knew what he was sitting on as he waited and waited on the heavily-backed favourite (4/9 into 30/100). Without being asked for any effort, the Milan gelding stretched on from the furlong pole to beat Clash Of Kings by fifteen lengths.

Willie Mullins trains the full-brother to Saturday's winner Rourke's Cross for Byerley Thoroughbred Racing and he said: "That was very pleasing – he may even be better than I thought he was. "He probably won't go hurdling this season. We'll probably keep him at this game."  The Festival Champion Bumper at Cheltenham in March would look a real possible option at this stage.

Stan James introduced The Paparazzi Kid into their Cheltenham Festival Bumper market at 20/1.

 COCOZZA SETTLED IN WELL AT NEWMARKET  (posted Friday 16th Dec')...

Cocozza's new trainer Marco Botti reports him to have settled in nicely in his new yard in Newmarket. The former John Oxx trained 3 y-o colt joined Marco after the Autumn Horses In Training Sale at Newmarket in October where he bought back in by his syndicate for 110,000gns. We'll try and have Cocozza ready for a spring campaign and will probably start him off back over 8-9f.

Right - Cocozza pictured at Leopardstown in 2011.

RICHARD HANNON BEATS RECORD FOR YEAR NO OF WINNERS (posted Friday 16th Dec')...

  Left - Kid Suitor pictured at Richard Hannon's.

Well done to Richard Hannon who broke the record for the number of winners trained in a calendar year when Guava give the yard their 217th winner of 2011 at Wolverhampton last weekend. Richard was crowned champion trainer in the UK for the 3rd time this season when total prize-money won was in excess of £3.7m. During the year the Hannon's trained the winner of 125 2 y-o races from 726 2 y-o runners - that's some fine effort - well done to all the team at both Herridge and Everleigh.

The two current 'Byerley' Hannon stablemates are both just hack cantering away during this quiet period. Our latest addition, a yearling colt by Thousand Words has done well physically and looks a 2 y-o at this stage. 3 y-o Kid Suitor will hopefully make up into a fairly smart handicapper next season when he should hopefully have strengthened up a bit to match his big frame. It was positive to see his year older half-brother Refractor win his Maiden over 1m 4f in good style at Kempton Park yesterday evening.

 Above - some of John Oxx's string on the Curragh gallops.

Above - Lambro (R.Walsh, in beige jacket) in 2m Novice Chase at Naas in January '12. Below Ruby Walsh & Willie Mullins