Hello Neighbour

Hello Neighbour

1st-Feb-2025

Willie Mullins has fielded the last three winners of this race and, again, it looks like his Sainte Lucie is going to go off as favourite.

She was good on her first run for the champion trainer at Punchestown, she was impressive in winning, the second, third and fourth horses have all run well in defeat since then, and her time was over nine seconds faster than the time that Falcon Park clocked later on over the same course and distance, and Falcon Park won next time too off a 7lb higher mark.

But I think that Hello Neighbour could have the class to beat her.  We had Gavin Cromwell’s horse on side when he won the Grade 2 juveniles’ hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, and we have him on side for the Triumph Hurdle, and a lot of the reasons for backing him for those two races hold true here.

He is a high-class recruit off the flat, he was given a flat handicap rating of 97 after just two runs, one of them over an inadequate trip, with the prospect of more to come.  And, a half-brother to A Wave Of The Sea, who won this race, there is every chance that he will be even better over hurdles than on the flat.

He did a lot wrong in the race at Christmas, so it was to his immense credit that he was able to win.  Visibility was a little compromised by the fog, but it looked like he lacked fluency his hurdles, which was confirmed by rider Keith Donoghue afterwards.  Even so, he showed a great attitude to go on and hold off the challenge of Lady Vega Allen.

She will be a big player here too, and he is going to have to jump better than he did that day.  But it would be surprising if he wasn’t better over his obstacles here, on his second run over hurdles, and that could bring about sufficient improvement to see him prevail again and maintain his unbeaten record.

HELLO NEIGHBOUR WON (ADV 9/4, SP 85/40)