There have been four renewals of the Grade 2 Goffs Future Stars National Hunt Flat race to date and there will be a maximum of seven previous winners going to post at Leopardstown on Saturday.
Envoi Allen won the race three years ago (pictured above), before following up in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, and the past two winners of the race – Appreciate It and Kilcruit – both finished runner-up in the Grade 1 contest at the Cheltenham Festival. Therefore, whilst being a hugely valuable (worth €59,000 to the winner) and prestigious race in its own right, it is quickly becoming a key guide towards the Champion Bumper, and of course, two of those previous winners returned to Cheltenham the following year to win a novice hurdle.
Willie Mullins has won three of the four renewals to date and following Tuesday’s forfeit stage, he is responsible for two of this year’s remaining seven entries. Both Embassy Gardens and Facile Vega won at Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival, with the former successful by just a nose, over 2m4f (a race which was won by Appreciate It before he won this contest). The six-year-old son of Shantou moved well to the home turn, but took a while to get by the eventual runner-up, only getting in front in the shadow of the post. The second failed to advertise that form over the weekend and he would appear to be the stable’s ‘second string’.
24 hours earlier, the beautifully-bred Facile Vega won by 6 lengths, with a yawning gap back to the remainder. Having raced prominently throughout, the son of Walk In The Park – who is out of the top-class mare Quevega – strode clear inside the final quarter-mile, to score in impressive fashion. The form was given a boost when the runner-up won what looked to be a decent event at Navan last month. This was a hugely taking start to his career and whilst the ground is likely to be considerably quicker this weekend, his pedigree suggests that handling it won’t be an issue. Currently vying for favouritism for the Champion Bumper, he is likely to be clear market leader for the concluding race on day two of the festival, should he put up a similar performance, in this much stronger company.
The horse who chased home Facile Vega on 26th December (Joyeux Machin) is trained by Paul Nolan and the County Wexford handler looks set to run Sandor Clegane, who was a 15-length winner at Punchestown in early-December. A five-year-old by Fame And Glory, he has already proven himself on relatively decent ground and having raced quite keenly in the early exchanges, pulled himself to the front heading out into the back straight. The field was still quite tightly bunched off the home bend, but he galloped on strongly from that point to win comfortably. A lot more will be required here, but this was a most promising start.
Gordon Elliott is the only other trainer to have won this race and with the exciting American Mike taken out on Tuesday, he will rely on Navan winner Itswhatunitesus. Another son of Walk In The Park, he created a deep impression when completing the final leg of Elliott’s remarkable seven-timer at the County Meath track on 4th December. Ridden confidently by Jamie Codd, he eased into contention up the home straight and was still on the bridle when hitting the front inside the final quarter-mile. Quite green when initially asked to pick up, the penny appeared to drop inside the final 100 yards and he hit the line quite strongly. The runner-up boasted experience from the previous season (actually finished runner-up to Kilcruit in that very same race) and won next time, although has since been beaten twice over hurdles. I would expect Itswhatunitesus to take a big step forward and he looks to be another exciting prospect for Alymer Stud, who could have My Mate Mozzie in action on day two of the meeting, in the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle.
The only dual winner in the race is the Peter Fahey-trained The Big Doyen, who has to concede 3lbs to the remainder of the field. A good-ground winner at Roscommon last September (travelled really well), he backed that up by beating Gigginstown’s Cool Survivor by 15 lengths (conceded 7lbs) at Punchestown. He again moved well throughout and pulled right away from the maiden Points winner, who has since finished 30 lengths behind Facile Vega (level weights). His pedigree suggests that he will need further in time and whilst he is another bright prospect, it surely won’t be easy to concede weight to what could be the strongest bumper field assembled so far this season.
The remaining pair – Carnfunnock and De Capo Glory – have already clashed once, when third and fifth, respectively, in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper, at the Punchestown Festival last spring. The runner-up from that contest, Springwell Bay, gives that form a solid look, as he won impressively on his debut for Jonjo O’Neill in mid-November, and this pair have both won their only start of the current campaign. Carnfunnock made a successful start in the silks of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, when winning comfortably at Ayr, just two days before Springwell Bay won at Market Rasen. Still in the care of Stuart Crawford, the Getaway gelding travelled all over the opposition and quickened up stylishly to win with any amount in hand. That form wouldn’t be as strong as his Punchestown third, however, and he will need to improve again in this grade.
De Capo Glory hasn’t been seen since making a winning reappearance at Galway in late-October and again that form wouldn’t amount to a great deal. Despite being short of room on the home bend, he shot clear to win by the best part of 5 lengths on soft ground. Padraig Butler’s son of Fame And Glory is a half-brother to Argonauta (winner of a bumper and novice hurdle for Tom Lacey during 2021) and adds further intrigue to what could be a high-class contest.
It is also worth noting that the winner of the 2018 Weatherbys Champion Bumper, Relegate, won the Grade 2 Coolmore N.H. Sires Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race at this meeting. There are still 17 mares engaged in Sunday’s race at this stage and last year’s contest was won by Grangee, who finished sixth in the Champion Bumper, before winning the Grade 3 Weatherbys General Stud Book Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race at the Punchestown Festival. Both bumpers at this meeting are quickly developing into hugely significant contests in the calendar and are a breeding ground for future hurdling winners.