'Awesome' Acapella should be favourite says excited Hughes

Sandra Hughes thinks Acapella Bourgeois would be favourite for the RSA Chase if he were trained by Willie Mullins and has described the trailblazer who thumped his Navan rivals by 32 lengths last month as "awesome".

The daughter of six-time Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Dessie Hughes was not surprised by what Acapella Bourgeois achieved at Navan, and the scary aspect for rival connections is that she thinks he has improved markedly since that runaway success.

"Everyone seemed to be taken by surprise by what he did at Navan but I certainly wasn't," said Hughes.

"We're seeing that every morning on the gallops at home. We know what he can do and you were just seeing it for the first time. He has such a long stride and covers so much ground. He's awesome. You have to think he'd be favourite if Willie Mullins trained him."

Acapella Bourgeois is available at 10-1 for the RSA a week on Wednesday, with the market headed by Might Bite at 11-4, despite the Hughes-trained seven-year-old having been raised 15lb for his Navan blitz to 158, a 4lb higher rating than Might Bite possesses.

Hughes added: "I was quite relaxed watching him at Navan. It looked like he was cantering the whole way and he never looked out of his comfort zone. I knew he'd keep going.

"He stays strongly and the RSA should bring out the best in him. I think he has improved plenty since Navan. He has a swagger about him now and knows he's the top dog around our place. He's full of confidence and I'm really excited."

As for tactics, Hughes stressed her new stable star does not have to make the running to be effective.

"He doesn't have to make it, definitely not," she said. "If something wants to go faster than him, so be it. He can tuck in, no problem.

"He's very comfortable out in front, though, and the way he covers ground takes horses out of their comfort zone. He really does have a huge stride. Hopefully he'll get into a nice rhythm early."

One slight concern is the ground, with Hughes hoping it stays on the soft side.

"He won a Grade 2 at Fairyhouse over hurdles on yielding but he's so much better on deeper ground," she said. "But the only way he wouldn't run is if it was very quick."

Hughes believes Roger Loughran's part in the progress of Acapella Bourgeois has been paramount and would love to see the long-time member of the Osborne Lodge team celebrate a first festival winner.

"Roger has been absolutely brilliant on him," she said. "He knows him inside out. He gives the horse so much confidence, and you could see that at Navan. They're a match made in heaven.

"Roger has been with us a long time and it would be terrific to see him have a winner at Cheltenham."