Tipperary syndicate looking forward to 'a bit of fun' with Cheltenham runner

With the Cheltenham festival, the pinnacle of the jump racing calendar, now well and truly underway, much interest in Tipperary is focusing on horses with local connections.

They include Taponthego, which runs in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle on Friday.

The horse is owned by the Both Sides Of The Water syndicate, which comprises several Clonmel racing enthusiasts, including John Kennedy, Sean O’Sullivan, Pat Creed, Rob Ely, Sean Leahy and Paddy Conway, as well as Noel Hally from Ardfinnan.

“It’s a bit of fun, something I never thought I would be involved in,” says John Kennedy, who owns the well-known Toyota car dealership in Clonmel.

John is looking forward to travelling to Cheltenham on Gold Cup day on Friday, when the Prestbury Park racecourse will host its biggest attendance of the week.

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Taponthego’s form has been good all season. He won a maiden hurdle at Tipperary in November and has two second place finishes and two third place finishes in his four other runs, the most recent of which was a third place finish in a five-horse field at Punchestown last month.

The horse is trained by Henry de Bromhead at Knockeen in county Waterford. At the time of writing, Taponthego is the third favourite for what is the final race of the four-day meeting, with odds of 12/1 generally available.

“He’s a genuine sort and the race is suitable for him,” says John Kennedy.

“But it’s horse racing, so who knows. There’s a lot of luck attached, including the going”.

Elsewhere, Clonmel businessman Brian Acheson and his family, whose horses race in the Robcour colours, will be well represented at the festival.

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Their entries for the remainder of the week include the strongly-fancied Teahupoo (trained by Gordon Elliot) in the Stayers Hurdle on Thursday; and the Henry de Bromhead-trained Heart Wood, which runs in the Ryanair Chase, also on Thursday.

Robcour’s Gentlemansgame, which is trained in Everardsgrange, Fethard, by Mouse Morris, may get a run in the Gold Cup on Friday.

That owner and trainer combination also saddles French Dynamite in the Cross Country Chase today, Wednesday.

Mouse Morris will also saddle Franciscan Rock in the Pertemps Final on Thursday.

Edward O’Grady, who trains in the same neck of the woods at Killeens, Ballynonty, near Killenaule, might be represented by No Flies On Him in the Jack Richard Novice Handicap Chase on Thursday.

Meanwhile, trainer Willie Mullins has an exceptional record in the Bumper, one that he will be bidding to extend on Wednesday.

One of his six raiders in the 25-strong field is Bambino Fever, which is owned by the O’Connell Morgan Syndicate, which has Fethard connections.

Bambino Fever rounded off another memorable Dublin Racing Festival for Mullins at Leopardstown last month with victory in the Coolmore NH Sires Luxembourg Irish EBF Mares INH Flat Race.

At the time of writing he was 7/1 for the Bumper.