Cheltenham Festival News
Tuesday 18th February 2020
   

Jessica Harrington Stable Visit
 

Jessica Harrington believes G1 winner Supasundae is a live outsider for the £450,000 G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle on the first day of The Festival. 

Supasundae
© Racehorse Photos
Supasundae
 
Harrington is set to have a small but select team at this year's meeting as she bids to add to her haul of 11 winners at The Festival. Supasundae, a 10-year-old captured the 2017 Coral Cup at the meeting and was also second in the 2018 Stayers' Hurdle. Supasundae has been restricted to one run this term, but shaped encouragingly when fourth to Honeysuckle in the G1 Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown earlier this month.
 
A 14/1 shot for the two-mile hurdling championship with the sponsor, Harrington is expecting a bold show from her charge in a contest she won back in 2014 with Jezki
 
Harrington reported today: "I am absolutely thrilled with Supasundae. He ran well at Leopardstown and will come on a ton from that. He did a bit of work this morning and I was delighted with him. He's in great form and we just got off to a very slow start with him this year. 
 
"The trainer might have finally got it right, two miles round Cheltenham might be right for him. He just doesn't seem to stay up the hill over three miles. Supasundae won't mind if the ground is testing or it's good ground and I am very happy with him. We will head on there before going to Aintree and then Punchestown."
 
Harrington is set to be triple-handed at The Festival with Silver Sheen, unbeaten in three starts, set to head for the £100,000 Pertemps Network Final (Tuesday, March 12, 2m 7f 213y), whilst Neverushacon, a convincing winner of the opening Cross Country Chase at Punchestown this afternoon, is on course to meet dual scorer Tiger Roll in the £65,000 Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (Wednesday, 11 March, 3m 6f 37y).
 
Discussing the pair, the Co Kildare handler said: "Silver Sheen has qualified for the Pertemps Final and we'll take a chance after his win at Warwick that a mark of 136 will get him into the race. He stays very well, jumps very well and a strong gallop would suit. He is only a novice but he goes there in great form.

"I am delighted with Neverushacon. He is a horse who has won on the flat, over hurdles, over jumps and now in the cross country sphere. I just thought this year as he is such a good jumper that it was worth running him in these type of races and he just absolutely loves it. I do not want heavy ground like we had in December. I want nice firm ground which has about as much chance as happening as me flying to the moon!"

Trainers Quotes

Jessica Harrington
Commonstown Racing Stables, Moone, Co Kilbare
 
Born  - February 25, 1947
 
Background - Harrington's equine career began in the eventing world and she rode at the prestigious Burghley horse trials at the age of 18. She went on represent Ireland at three European championships and one World championships and was selected for the Olympics in 1980 and 1984. She unfortunately missed out on both occasions, owing to the boycott of the Moscow Games and her horse becoming lame at the Los Angeles Games - she did ride at the substitute Olympics in France in 1980. Her best result in eventing was her third on Amoy at Badminton in 1983. Harrington took out a training licence at Commonstown Stables at Moone in County Kildare in 1989 and she is one of a select group of trainers to have winners at G1 level over jumps and G1 on the Flat. Her 11 winners at the Cheltenham Festival include star two-miler Moscow Flyer, who took the Racing Post Arkle in 2002 and the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2003 & 2005, as well as 2014 Unibet Champion Hurdle victor Jezki (an eight-time G1 winner in total) and 2017 Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Sizing John (four-time G1 winner after joining the stable). 
 
Jessica Harrington's 11 winners at The Festival™ presented by Magners
1999 
Space Trucker - Johnny Henderson Grand Annual     
 
2002 
Moscow Flyer - Racing Post Arkle     
 
2003 
Moscow Flyer - Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase     
Spirit Leader - Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle     
 
2005 
Moscow Flyer - Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase     
 
2007 
Cork All Star - Weatherbys Champion Bumper     
 
2011 
Bostons Angel - RSA Insurance Novices' Chase     
 
2014 
Jezki - Unibet Champion Hurdle     
 
2017 
Supasundae - Coral Cup     
Sizing John - Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup     
Rock The World - Johnny Henderson Grand Annual

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