Paul Townend: “I hope she can go one better”
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Paul Townend tells Ladbrokes that he hopes that Brandy Love “can go one better” in her 12:30 race at Naas on Sunday.
Brandy Love was runner-up to Harmonya Maker on her first run over fences for us at Gowran earlier in the season. Again, a lot of ours were taking a run at the time. She jumped well on that occasion. We would be hoping she can build on that, and this race looks a nice opportunity for her. Willie [Mullins] also has Night And Day in this race who had a run at Cork. However, Brandy Love has some very solid form going back through her career, and with only five runners in it, I hope she can go one better from her first run. She is my best ride of the day.
Mister Policeman is a horse with a huge reputation. He wasn’t overly impressive winning his beginners chase at Fairyhouse, beating Feu Du Bresil by 3/4L just. We think and hope he is a lot better than that as he shows us a lot more at home. This is a big step up in class for him with a select field. It’s a competitive field and we hope he can step forward from his last run. He has a huge reputation as I said and hopefully, he starts showing that.
Ile Atlantique is my ride in the Grade One Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle. He is a horse I like an awful lot. He has some good bumper form from last year tying in with Firefox. Firefox got the better of him then, but I think jumping has improved my horse plenty. My lad won on very testing ground at Gowran, he jumped really well, and I think he is very smart. He would need to be to compete here. Gordon Elliott has Croke Park as well who has won a couple, and Henry De Bromhead runs An Tobar who was third in the Royal Bond. Willie also has plenty in here and I think a lot of winners will come out of this. It is a tough field for sure.
He was disappointing when well beaten in his maiden at Punchestown over 2m6f. He drops all the way back to two miles here. He was very keen that day and didn’t jump great. He will need to jump a lot better here, but I think the drop back will help that. As funny as it sounds, going quicker will help his jumping. I am forgiving his last run, he is a high-class bumper horse, his run the last day was too bad to be true, and hopefully we will be able to put a line through that defeat. I wouldn’t be too concerned about his poor jumping the last day and I think he will step up.
