JJ Slevin’s William Hill blog: Fastorslow could be better again

William Hill ambassador JJ Slevin looks ahead to his rides on the first two days of the Punchestown Festival, including Fastorslow in the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Punchestown, Tuesday

3.05pm – Al Kalila 

This is a new series and it gives lads with lesser horses the chance to run for a nice pot at Punchestown. His UK form is decent enough, and he has a nice weight on his back with 10st 6lbs. It is very competitive, but we are hopeful of a good run. Hopefully the better ground might bring about a bit of improvement. You would be hoping he could put on a good show, but there are 25 runners in the race so you are going to need a bit of luck around there.

4.15pm – Nusret

He has been working well. His poor run last time was due to the softer ground, so better ground should be a big help to him. He got stuck in the ground at Fairyhouse, as it was very deep, and it was the same at Leopardstown the last day, but he actually finished out his race quite well that day and hit the line well. He could be a very different horse on better ground. He would love a good strong gallop as the faster they go the better and I can then bring him there late. He is a very classy horse, but the only drawback is that he has plenty of weight.

5.25pm – Banbridge

Joseph (O’Brien) let him take his chance at Cheltenham (in the Ryanair Chase) and you wouldn’t blame him for that as Cheltenham is such a big meeting. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work on that occasion as the ground went against him.

Coming back to an extended two miles is probably a little bit below his best trip. He has got the cheekpieces on for the first time which will hopefully make him travel a bit better. The only reason he has come back in distance here is that there is no two-and-a-half-mile race at the meeting. It was either do this or go up to three miles one (furlong). I’d say that Joseph is just thinking that he would be more suited to going back in trip opposed to going up in distance. It is definitely worth a shot coming back to this sort of trip as he was second to El Fabiolo over a similar sort of trip at Leopardstown last season in a Grade One where he had Appreciate It and Dysart Dynamo behind him.

It was Joseph’s idea to put the cheekpieces on. He schooled very well in them the other day so they should sharpen him up a little bit. There’s no El Fabiolo or Jonbon in the race which gives a few people a fair shot, including us, going into the race. There will be plenty of pace on, which will suit us, and I think he will enjoy the track so we will go there and give it our best shot.

Punchestown, Wednesday

3.40pm – Sempo

It was a great run the last day behind Sir Gerhard and hopefully he can build on that. He didn’t really surprise me that he ran so well after such a long lay off the last day as he has always been a decent horse – he was fifth in the Irish Grand National in 2021. He was fit, and well, and we were hopeful that he would put up a good show which he did. He has been a really good horse down the years.

I think Joseph (O’Brien) had this race earmarked for him given the conditions suit him well enough. He will go back chasing at some stage, but we will keep him over hurdles for the time being. He will like the ground, and he will like the trip, so we are hopeful he will put up a good performance.

5.25pm – Fastorslow

It was a good race last year, and he put up a great performance to beat Galopin Des Champs. He has been a great horse all the way along. We will go again this year and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do against those horses again.

I’d say that was one of the most frustrating moments of my career when I was unseated aboard him in the Gold Cup. We are over that now and we move on to this race. The big thing is that he didn’t have a gruelling race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup so he is going there a fresh horse. Hopefully he can right the wrongs from the last day.

I ride him quite a bit at home and he seems in good shape. I’ve schooled him, and I rode him in a bit of work, and he is in really good form. The ground there should be ideal for him and I’m looking forward to riding him.

He is obviously a better, more hardened, horse than he was 12 months ago. He is still a young horse and there is every chance he could be better again.

6.00pm – Brideswell Lad

He has been a great horse for Seamus Neville. He has won seven races for his connections, including a big pot at Leopardstown the last day, and he won at Punchestown last year. He is off a career high mark now of 136 having started off over fences rated 102 and that takes a fair bit of doing.

You can never write him off as he pops up there with a big pot every now again. I don’t think the trip really bothers him as he is a good traveller. He likes a bit better ground as well and when he gets it altogether he is a fair horse. On his day he is capable of putting up a good show.