Minella Foru makes big impression in Listowel - Sat 21st Sep 2013, We’re living in hope with Minella Foru, the dream is still alive!

“I think that’s JP’s first winner of the week and he’s one to look forward to.”

Minella Foru had won his point-to-point in Lemonfield in March.

Jockey Mark Walsh said of him today: “He did it well on his first run over hurdles. He’s a good horse on the up. I’m very pleased and he’s very professional. It’s good to get the boss [JP McManus] a winner.”

Minella Foru scores for McCoy - The latest news from Navan this afternoon, where Minella Foru earned a 16/1 quote for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle.

Mullins can spring a surprise in the Royal Bond
Added by Peter Teazle on December 1, 2013.
Peter Teazle has two selections on an outstanding National Hunt card at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
Fairyhouse 12:40 – Renneti
There may be a disappointing turnout for the Hattons Grace later on the card, but the field for the Grade 1 Royal Bond Novices’ Hurdle is well up to standard and this looks a very exciting contest on paper. Minella Foru and Very Wood renew rivalry after a somewhat unsatisfactory outcome to their last meeting where the latter threw his chance by jumping so badly to the right. Gilt Shadow brings the best of last season’s bumper form to the table, while Willie Mullins and Jessica Harrington both saddle two very useful novices.
Finding the winner is not easy but when we examine the prices, the one horse that stands out as overpriced is the apparent second string for Mullins, Renneti. This son of Irish Wells was a very useful horse on the flat in France and won at up to 15 furlongs in that sphere. Like many horses that Mullins buys, he was given a full year off to mature after he was picked up at the Arqana sales in 2012 and he repaid the patience with a fluent success first time over hurdles at Downpatrick. That was a weak contest and he was fully entitled to win as he did, but he jumped and travelled well throughout and looked a very decent novice in the making. If he was priced at single figures he would make no more than a little appeal but the 20/1 quote from Stan James looks to be too big by quite some way. This looks to be based on the jockey bookings and this is a very big overreaction to the decision by Ruby Walsh to ride Alonso.
There are numerous horses in this contest that could turn out to be Cheltenham material but Minella Foru, Gilt Shadow and Very Wood all look like they may be better over staying trips later in the season and they could be vulnerable on this decent ground to a horse with a little but more pace. Renneti could be just that type and at the prices he is worth supporting.

Meade hoping for Wood win
Last Updated: November 30, 2013 11:12am

He suffered an odds-on Navan reverse at the hands of Minella Foru, who reopposes this weekend, but Meade is hopeful his charge can turn the form around.
Meade said: "There's a few more runners, which won't do us any harm I don't think as the last day he ended up in front and it turned into a bit of a mess.
"Hopefully they'll go a bit more of a gallop on Sunday, which will suit our horse and we'll see what happens from there.
"He's in good form, but obviously it looks a good race.

Its Minella for us at Navan today
Added by Peter Teazle on November 10, 2013.
Peter Teazle goes for a selection from both sides of the Irish Sea as his best bets on Sunday.
Navan 1:50 Minella Foru
This is a really exciting Grade 3 novices hurdle featuring two potentially top class prospects in Very Wood and Minella Foru.

Very Wood heads the betting at 4/5 with Ladbrokes after an impressive Galway win on his first outing over hurdles, which followed a taking display in a bumper at the Punchestown festival.
However we prefer the Ed Harty trained Minella Foru in this race. This son of Kings Theatre was an impressive winner of his point to point at Lemonfield and wasted no time in transferring that form to the track with an eye catching first effort at Listowel. He was very weak in the market on this occasion, which suggested that he would come on a lot for the run, but travelled powerfully through this 2 mile hurdle and won very cosily from the Willie Mullins trained Shamsikhan. This was the effort of a horse that could be one of the top novices in the country this season and he may have more pace than the favourite over this minimum trip.