29th-Apr-2023

I think that the betting is wrong here.  I think that Echoes In Rain should be clear favourite in front of Love Envoi.

True, Love Envoi finished in front of Willie Mullins’ mare at Cheltenham last time, eight and a half lengths in front of her, but conditions were all wrong for Echoes In Rain there.  The ground was softer than ideal and the pace was slower than ideal, and it was at Cheltenham, where she hadn’t run well on her only other attempt.

She should love the ground today, and back at Punchestown, where she has put up some of the best performances of her life.  She won the novices’ Champion Hurdle there in 2021, and she ran a big race to finish second to Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle there last year.  

Two miles would probably be preferable to two miles and three furlongs, but she is settling better through her races now than she used to.  She should get the trip all right.  And champion jockey Paul Townend is back on board.  

ECHOES IN RAIN WON (ADV 9/4, SP 13/8)