English/Ire
O’Brien eyeing Supreme glory with Talk The Talk
“He goes to Cheltenham as a real obvious contender as one of the top novices around at the moment”
Joseph O'Brien believes he has 'one of the top novices around at the moment' as he gets ready to prepare Talk The Talk for a likely tilt at the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, the Joseph O'Brien-trained five-year-old has won all three of his completed starts over hurdles.
A tumble when seemingly having the race at his mercy in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown over the festive period blemished his record, but he was quickly back in the winning groove when battling on strongly to defeat the well-regarded Ballyfad at the Dublin Racing Festival.
A trip to Cheltenham next month now looks firmly on the agenda, with O'Brien leaning towards a run in the Festival opener instead of having a crack at the potentially weaker Turners the following day.
He said: "He's really exciting. He's done nothing wrong this year, he's unlucky not to be four from four and he goes to Cheltenham as a real obvious contender as one of the top novices around at the moment.
"I think it would be fair to say we're leaning towards the Supreme. That's the race I've had in mind and it's probably the right race for his progression at this stage.
"I think it might be fair to say that the Turners might end up a little bit softer on paper, but we're paid to put him in the right spot, and we think that's probably the Supreme. The final call will be made late, but I'd say that's the best spot for him."
The son of Born To Sea was still left with plenty to do two-out when winning at Leopardstown earlier in the month, with O'Brien keen to upgrade the performance.
"He probably shouldn't have been able to win from where he did off a really slow pace, running down two really good horses," said O'Brien. "I think Ballyfad and King Rasko Grey are high class horses and albeit we just got up on the line, I think it was a performance that you could mark up given the set-up of the race.
"We'll probably take our time (at Cheltenham). He's a horse that, at this stage of his life, that's the right way to ride him.
"He has kind of an aggressive nature, and we feel that the tempo of the Supreme would suit him better. I know he's won off a very slow pace at Leopardstown the last day but it's fair to say that I was surprised that he was able to do that.
"I think the tempo of a Supreme, which generally speaking might be run at a faster pace, would probably be more suitable for him."
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