Gavin Cromwell’s William Hill blog: Flooring Porter to be aimed at the Cleeve Hurdle

William Hill ambassador Gavin Cromwell reveals plans for Flooring Porter after his Kerry National heroics, as well as previewing his Irish Cesarewitch card runners.

Flooring Porter to be aimed at the Cleeve Hurdle

We were absolutely thrilled that Flooring Porter won the Kerry National on Wednesday. It was something we’d planned for a while and it was just fantastic for it to come together, especially in winning such a huge, historic race.

Being so versatile over fences and hurdles, you might think that he now has a load of options, but I’d say in reality our choices are fairly limited. He has to go left-handed, so that rules out plenty of big races. He’s also gone up a stone to a rating of 163 after Listowel, and being a smaller horse, he wouldn’t be suited to lumping top weights in handicaps all too often.

To that extent, one race I have in mind for him would be the Cleeve Hurdle on Cheltenham Trials Day in January. I don’t want to over-race him at this stage of his career, and the Cleeve would fit in nicely into his season. I suppose he’d probably have one run between now and then, and afterwards we could send him to the Grand National. It’s a little bit too early to be fully definitive on plans for him, but that’s the way we’re thinking at the minute.

Sunday, Curragh

It’s exciting to have two genuine contenders for a valuable race like Sunday’s Irish Cesarewitch (4.25pm), and we’re looking forward to running both Sixandahalf and My Mate Mozzie. Sixandahalf is in fine form, and comes there as the young improver with a lovely racing weight. I’d be a bit disappointed by her wide draw, but it won’t be impossible from there either, and my apprentice, Robert Whearty, claims three pounds which will be a nice little help to her chances too.

My Mate Mozzie is also in good order. We were a little disappointed by his run in the Ebor, where he got unusually worked up beforehand and didn’t travel in the race as well as he can do. He seems to have come home fine, and we’ve freshened him up, and we’re happy with him, so hopefully he’ll run his usual solid race.

They’re two totally different types at totally different stages of their careers, and I’d find it hard to split them, but I hope they’ll both put their best foot forward.

We kick the Irish Cesarewitch card off with Malpeque (2.05pm), who’s a half-sister to Snellen, who runs later on the card. She’s a very different type to her half-sibling – very much next year’s horse. It’s her first run, so we’ll learn plenty about her and we’re looking forward to just starting her out.

It’s probably going to be difficult for Fiery Lucy to turn the tables with Heaven’s Gate in the Group 3 Weld Park (2.40pm). She’s been a nice filly for us this year, but we’d want all the rain that’s forecast to stay away as much as possible, which might be wishful thinking! She is in good form, but the ground might not just be her bag on Sunday.

Tofino hasn’t quite found her feet yet this year, and she goes in her first handicap (3.50pm). It’s going to be a little bit of an unknown with her, but we’ll see how she gets on in what is likely to be more her cup of tea.

Finally we run Snellen in the 5.00pm, and I’m hoping again that the rain will stay away. She ran well on Irish Champions Day the other day, but I’m hoping she won’t be too far away as long as the ground doesn’t get too soft.