Slade Steel provided trainer Henry de Bromhead and jockey Rachael Blackmore with the best possible start to the week when staying on strongly to land the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle.
A winner of four of his six outings to date, Slade Steel ensured his connections enjoyed a fairytale beginning to the Cheltenham Festival when landing the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle on Tuesday.
The six-year-old son of Telescope brought some solid form to the table having finished runner-up to red-hot Gallagher Novices' Hurdle favourite Ballyburn in Grade 1 company at the Dublin Racing Festival last-time-out.
Market leader Tullyhill set out to make all the running and although Willie Mullins' grey travelled strongly throughout the majority of the two-mile Grade 1 contest, he always looked suspectable to a challenger in the closing stages.
A confident-looking Rachael Blackmore made her move as the field turned for home and seemed to have matters under control approaching the last. However, a slightly untidy leap at the last cost Blackmore and her partner some momentum and the supremely well-bred Mystical Power would strike the front at the landing side of the final flight.
The pair set out for a ding-dong battle up the Cheltenham hill but with proven winning form over two and a half miles at Navan under his belt, Slade Steel found plenty for pressure, wrestling back the advantage up the run in before going on to score by a length and a half.
Slade Steel's opening-day success provided a timely boost to the form of Ballyburn's chances in the Grade 1 Gallagher Novices' Hurdle tomorrow and de Bromhead was keen to credit owners Robcour for avoiding that rival this afternoon.
"I'm delighted with him, Rachael gave him a super ride and fair play to the Robcour team – they said Ballyburn has beaten us twice and we need to just avoid him, so that's what we did, and it's worked out really well for us," said De Bromhead.
"I was always travelling, "said Blackmore. "I didn't really want to be in front jumping the last, but he kind of took me there and battled back so well after the last."
"It's unbelievable, I just love this place. It's just amazing to be coming here and riding these kinds of horses. It's unbelievable. Henry's training of them every year, to bring them here in the way he does, is incredible. Davy Roche and all his team at home do some job with all the horses."
"It's what every jockey wants to happen - to win the first race, to get that done. Getting to win the first race on the Tuesday is just massive. I've been so lucky here the last couple of years on the Tuesday, and I can't believe my luck is continuing.
"I knew I had a really good chance coming into the race. He's a really, really tough horse with a massive future. He battled back really well after the line, and I think he won with a little bit [in hand] as well. It was a really good performance. He's progressing all the time. He stuck his head down and battled back really well to the line. They're two very good horses, the first and second.
"I was confident about him over two miles, especially after riding him in Leopardstown the last day. Prior to that, I maybe wouldn't have been as confident, but he jumped much sharper that day, he travelled really well beside Ballyburn; he did things that suggested he would be 100% in a two-mile race, and with the ground going the way it was, that was a help as well.
"He tanked me down between the first and second [hurdles], but then he was really relaxed for the rest of the race. He's a dream ride, really - he's very straightforward.
"I could feel him picking up, I was headed but I never thought I wasn't going to battle [after the final flight]. I knew after two strides that I was going to get there. A lot can change between the last and the line here, so you don't want to get there too quick."
As a result of Slade Steel's opening race success, Ballyburn was cut to a general 4/7 to take out the Gallagher Novices' Hurdle tomorrow.
