Michael O’Leary says there’s too much hype for Brighterdaysahead – should punters be worried about ‘the next Samcro’?

9 months ago 76

OH no! Could Brighterdaysahead — one of the big hype horses at next week’s Festival — be the next Samcro?

That’s the worry for his always pessimistic but ebullient Gigginstown owner and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary.

Samcro turned out a damn fine horse despite his owner’s concerns[/caption]

Hands up, I was as guilty as anyone — if not more so — in thinking Samcro was going to be a ‘worldy’.

Remember Samcro? Like Brighterdaysahead, trained by Gordon Elliott, the £335,000-buy burst onto the scene in 2016, landing a point-to-point and a couple of bumpers.

Two years later Samcro was at the Cheltenham Festival and banged in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle by nearly three lengths, despite the fact his owner O’Leary had suggested he was nothing special.

“The hype with Samcro is rubbish,” O’Leary said at the time. “He is not as good as the hype would make out, and he will never be as good as the hype will make out.

“If he turns out to be a reasonably good chaser in time, great, but he’s not the next coming of Jesus Christ.”

O’Leary was right, something he likes to be! Although to be fair to me and Samcro, he also took the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Festival in a race where Faugheen was back in third.

He was hardly a mug.

Elliott has made no effort to hide the regard in which he holds Brighterdaysahead, who cost a similar amount to Samcro — €310,000 — and is set to tackle the Grade 2 Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on Thursday.

But typically the owner is not getting carried away with the unbeaten five-year-old who won two Bumpers before a maiden, a Grade 3 and Listed hurdles.

On her last start she won as she liked by an eased-down 12 lengths having jumped like a buck.

“There’s been too much home hype about Brighterdaysahead – another Samcro?” O’Leary told me via text, while adding a head in hands emoji.

“Odds-on no winner this year! We travel in hope not expectation.”

O’Leary has never talked up his horses.

Indeed, the more negative he is, the more I fancy them.

Of his other runners, O’Leary added. “Delta Work is in the Grand National but the Cross Country Chase is his main target, along with Coko Beach.

“Delta is older than you now, so anything after Cheltenham is a bonus.

“Conflated has a chance of a place in the Ryanair but I don’t think a ten-year-old can win it.”

Today’s big betting race on ITV is the Imperial Cup over two miles.

I’m slightly concerned Bad (2.25 Sandown) listens to Michael Jackson’s hit song of that name in his box at Ben Pauling’s yard.

After all, how appropriate are the lyrics? “You know I’m bad, I’m bad (bad, bad). You know it (really, really bad). You know I’m bad, I’m bad (bad, bad).”

Bad has only one win to his name, and this season has form figures of 3232.

He faded at Ascot first time up, then got headed close home at Newbury before runner back at Ascot and losing a position four-out before rallying and then faltering late on again.

Last time at the same track he was headed in the final stride by Mothill.

Quite simply, Bad is hard to win with — but he has all the ability in the world and this is his second run after a wind op.

The ground is no issue, and a step back in trip should suit with his stable in cracking form. He’s my nap bet of the day.

Pauling, of course, has a big say in the race as he also saddles Jipcot, who appears to be the chosen mount of No1 stable rider Kielan Woods. Ben Jones is aboard Bad.

Jipcot looks progressive and was a comfortable winner at Huntingdon off a mark of 117 and is now up 7lb. He’s clearly improving.

There used to be a bonus if you won the Imperial Cup and followed up at Cheltenham.

That may not be the case anymore but it’s still a super race and certainly whets the appetite for even Brighterdaysahead next week.

See you in this paper’s brilliant Favourite pullouts next week.

To miss Sunracing’s coverage would be, well, really Bad!