Mount Benbulben

Mount Benbulben did really well to get as close as he did to the exciting Marito in a two-mile novices’ chase at Naas on Sunday as the trip was almost certainly inadequate for him, and he jumped a little deliberately and to his right on occasion.

Indeed, Barry Connell’s horse hasn’t fully convinced with his jumping over fences thus far, he does have a tendency to shift right at his fences, and he had made a bad mistake in the Grade 1 Topaz Novice Chase at Leopardstown on his previous run, after which he was immediately pulled up. In fairness, his jumping did improve as this race developed on Sunday, and he was good over the final four fences, it was just the winner’s pace away from the final fence that proved the decisive factor with Mount Benbulben finishing strongly to press him all the way to the line.

This was just the Gordon Elliott-trained gelding’s fifth chase and he does appear to be getting his jumping act together now as he gains in experience. He should be better stepped up in trip and perhaps back on better ground and at a right-handed track, he recovered from some sloppy jumping to ultimately win impressively at Fairyhouse at the start of December, and his record under Rules going right-handed reads 411SF1 (three wins from four completions), while his record under Rules going left-handed is 1273P2. He may just be under-rated now when he goes right-handed again and when he steps back up in grade. He remains a horse of significant potential.

6th January 2013