Yahoo Finance Dreal Deal continues meteoric rise with success at Punchestown
The Cheltenham Festival will open in March with more anticipation than usual thanks to this season’s sensation that is Dreal Deal, whose meteoric rise from obscurity reached new heights with Grade 2 success at Punchestown on Sunday.
The six-year-old was not even a name in his own household in Northern Ireland last September with 13 races without success.
After his win in the Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle, previously won by the likes of Douvan, Min and Vautour, Dreal Deal will go to the Sky Bet Supreme Novice Hurdle with much more expectation and his new winning rider Denis O’Regan on his back for the festival curtain raiser on March 16.
The omens on Sunday were far from propitious as Dreal Deal had drifted in the betting from overnight 7-1 to be sent off 22-1 outsider of the seven runners, no doubt in part because the handicapper had added a 30lb anchor after his fifth win in a row.
That price did not look generous as Dreal Deal was a detached last turning into the short straight but a fierce pace and testing uphill run to the last brought a quick turnaround in fortunes.
It saw Dreal Deal come wide round his rivals to swamp them without O’Regan having to exert full pressure and win by three lengths from Ganapathi.
While the famous past winners came from the champion trainer Willie Mullins, Dreal Deal is owned and trained in Northern Ireland by Ronan McNally.
Bookmakers might reconsider their 20-1 Cheltenham price behind the Mullins’ favourite Appreciate It after McNally revealed Dreal Deal’s preparation had been anything but ideal.
“The horses weren’t well over Christmas and we gave them a week off and then they missed valuable work with ten days of frost,” said the Armagh trainer. “He hasn’t even really galloped, not been eating as well and his coat wasn’t right - he’s going to be better the next day.”
Just for good measure, McNally added: “Denis said he was only getting to know him by the end of the race.” Punchestown had started with what became an exhibition piece of work for the unbeaten Envoi Allen after market rival Asterion Forlonge fell at the first fence in the Grade 3 Killiney Novice Chase.
