Angels Dawn aiming to realise Thyestes plan

Sam Curling has been targeting Gowran glory with his Festival scorer.

Kim Muir winner Angels Dawn is aiming to give her connections another famous victory before she is covered in the spring when she lines up in the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase on Thursday.

Trained by Sam Curling, the nine-year-old mare beat Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown, a winner at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, by a neck at the Festival last March.

She went on to finish sixth in the Irish National after that and has had just two runs over hurdles this season in order to protect her handicap mark for this valuable pot.

“This has been the plan for a good while,” said Curling.

“She’s had a couple of spins over hurdles and she’s come on for those, the ground should suit hopefully and she has a nice weight, so she has plenty in her favour.

“The testing ground helps, I don’t think she has to have it but she seems to handle it better than most. It will be very soft there.

“I think the Irish National was just a step too far for her, she’d had a long enough year, she probably just ran a bit flat but she still ran with plenty of credit. It was just a step too far in the end.”

Whatever happens at Gowran, this looks sure to be her last season racing, with a stallion date booked in.

“This is the aim this year and we’ll see how she gets on and then make a plan after that,” said Curling.

“She’ll be covered this spring either way, whatever happens. We’ll just see what happens after that, we won’t over race her anyway.

“She’s been a star for us and owes no one anything.”

Barry Connell’s Espanito Bello has a curious record that has seen him win five times in 19 races, all at Naas.

The owner-trainer admits he has no real idea what sort of performance to expect but hopes the fitting of a first-time visor will have the desired effect.

Espanito Bello is a bit
Espanito Bello is a bit “quirky” according to Barry Connell (Niall Carson/PA)

“If we could put a sign up that said ‘Naas’ I think that might help, all his wins have come there!” said Connell.

“He’s a bit quirky. We ran him in Navan the last day and he didn’t perform, I don’t know why, there’s no particular reason.

“All I can say is he’s well. We’ve put a visor on him so we’re hoping that might have the desired effect.

“He did run well in the race last year (fifth) off a long break. He has the ability, he’s well capable of winning a race like the Thyestes off the mark he’s on but he does come with a health warning. I’m going there hopeful, but I couldn’t be convinced how he’d run.

“At the end of the day, he’s won nearly every year we’ve raced him, he’s won over EURO 100,000, so if every horse you had was capable of doing that it would be great.

“If the visor works he’s well capable. I will go through the programme at Naas after this and see what there is there for him.”

Longhouse Poet (red hat) has run in the last two Grand Nationals at Aintree
Longhouse Poet (red hat) has run in the last two Grand Nationals at Aintree (PA Wire)

Martin Brassil runs Longhouse Poet, just 1lb below the top-weight Bronn. He has been well fancied for the Grand National at Aintree the last twice.

“I thought it wasn’t a standout Thyestes,” said Brassil.

“There’s a couple of horses well-in and he has loads of weight, so if he runs well and gets a bit of prize-money we’d be happy.

“He’s been an unlucky horse at Aintree. He did too much in his first outing there, he went too fast (when sixth), then he only got to the Canal Turn last year when it got a bit tight and J J (Slevin) was unseated.

“It’s a race that is made for him (Aintree), but there’s lots of horses like him with the same profile and you just need so much luck in that race.”

Gordon Elliot runs six but the red-hot Jack Kennedy has sided with Dunboyne, beaten a short head in the race 12 months ago.

“The weights went up which was good so I get to ride Dunboyne. He was just touched off in the race last year so he likes it around there,” said Kennedy.

“I won on him around there earlier in the year last year as well, so hopefully he’ll run well.”

Willie Mullins’ Monkfish is due to make his anticipated return to action in the Grade Two John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle.

He was declared to run at Tramore on New Year’s Day but was a non-runner due to a temperature.

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