J J Slevin’s William Hill blog: We respect Galopin, but don’t fear him

I’m very excited for this weekend. It’s the best Irish racing has to offer and the buzz around the stands and the parade ring is always fantastic.

Some would have expected to see a few more British trainers having a tilt at some of the races this year but, to be fair, there’s plenty of good racing and prize money on offer across the UK tracks this weekend too, so I can see why they haven’t.

Saturday, Leopardstown

While there’s no doubt that Ose Partir looks to have a bit too much on his plate in the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle (1:50pm), I’ve got three other nice chances on day one.

Panda Boy has got a fair bit of weight to carry in the Listed Handicap Hurdle (3:00pm), but I like his chances.

He was a good second to Meetingofthewaters on St Stephen’s Day and that horse is single figure prices for Cheltenham, so you’d like to think we can be in the shake-up here.

Fastorslow is obviously a hugely exciting horse to be associated with and he feels in top form ahead of the Irish Gold Cup (3:35pm).

With only four runners, it could get a bit tactical, but we’ll be looking to keep it pretty simple. I’m more than happy to keep things straightforward and be up there on the pace.

Galopin Des Champs looked right back to his best the last day, so of course we respect him, but we don’t fear him – you can never fear one horse. Conditions should be spot on for my lad and he’s ready to go. To be honest, he’s pretty versatile in terms of ground, but it’s no surprise that Martin [Brassil] didn’t’ want to run him when things got really testing for the Savills Chase.

We’re a long way away from getting to the bottom of him this season, having only raced the once and over a shorter trip, so I’m hoping he’s ready for a big couple of months.

Whether it’s the Irish Gold Cup or the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it’s massive, and it would mean a lot to win either, not to mention, both races.

Finally on Saturday, I’d like to think Solness can take another step forward and get involved in the Listed Handicap Chase (4:10pm).

He came over from France two years ago and has hardly put a foot wrong since. He’s very consistent and may still have a bit more improvement in him given he’s only six.

Sunday, Leopardstown

I kick off Sunday with Brucio (12:40pm) in the double green. He won easily the last day at Catterick and is an interesting ride to have on his handicap debut.

Unfortunately, Daryl [Jacob] can’t do the weight, so I’m lucky enough to step in for the ride. I don’t struggle with these light weights too much. Sometimes I just have to do a little run ahead of racing to keep on top of it, but it’s all good.

This race is a lot tougher than that one at Catterick, so he’s got plenty to find, but he looks to be heading in the right direction and isn’t without a chance.

Busselton (3:20pm) might be about my best chance on the Sunday.

I’ve won on him four times and he’s a bit of a legend really. He’s been a great horse for the Burke’s [owners] and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ran another massive race.

With Fakir D’oudaries in there it means we get a nice weight, but we’ll need it to get close to a horse like him. I think Busselton will run well, but if we bump into Fakir on his A-game, no matter what weight he’s carrying, he’ll be hard to beat.

Ataboycharlie (3:50pm) is my other ride on the day, and given he’s having only his fifth start, I’m hoping he can take another step forward. He won a very competitive novice handicap hurdle over course and distance the last day and was still learning on the job, so there’s a lot to like.

And one who’s slipped under the radar for Cheltenham?

We’re inching closer to the big week in March, and while all will be a bit clearer after this weekend, one horse who is being kept fresh for Cheltenham that I really like is Nurburgring in the Triumph.

Sir Gino was impressive last weekend and is now head and shoulders above this lad on paper, but I still think he’s a horse with plenty of ability who’s going to be ready to run a big one on the day.

He’s taken to hurdling nicely and the New Course at Cheltenham could be his kind of thing, so I’d keep him on your shortlist for now.