O'Brien readying 'real fighter' Ask A Honey Bee for Champion Bumper tilt

A ten-mile trip to Cheltenham awaits for triple bumper winner Ask A Honey Bee with Fergal O’Brien readying his smart prospect for a crack at the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

The six-year-old has won at Southwell, Haydock and Wetherby in three starts since November and appears a bargain buy having been bought for £38,000 at the Goffs UK Spring Sale in May.

Ask A Honey Bee is a general 25-1 chance for the Grade 1 event last won by the home challenge with the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Ballyandy in 2016.

O’Brien, who could also run Butte Montana in the race, said: “Ask A Honey Bee has earned his chance to run at Cheltenham and he’s a good horse as not many can win three bumpers. He’s very tough, a real fighter and shown his versatility.

“He’s very straightforward but doesn’t show us a lot at home. He doesn’t burn up the gallops, but he’s lovely to deal with and we’re lucky to have him.

“I could see him running very well. If he’s in the mix at the bottom of the hill he’ll definitely tough it out at the finish and he stays well, but it’s just whether he’s got the gears to go with them early on and when they scoot down the hill.”

O’Brien moved to a new yard at Ravenswell Farm in Withington for this season and his bumper horses have operated at a 22 per cent strike-rate this term with seven winners and seven other first-three finishers from 32 runners.

He said: “We don’t train our youngsters specifically for bumpers but we educate them and get them fit. When they go to the racecourse we see it as a first day at school. We ride all our bumper horses from the back to give them a good education and hope to see them improve with experience.

“The cream rises to the top and the good ones find their way to the front but it’s all about the future with them.”

Fergal O'Brien: will enter Quick Grabim in the County HurdleCredit: Edward Whitaker

Quick Grabim, a recent addition from the Willie Mullins yard, could line up in the Randox Health County Hurdle rather than fulfil his Champion Hurdle entry, while Paint The Dream is being aimed at the Northern Trust Company Novices Handicap Chase and has some eyecatching form, including second in the Dipper Novice Chase.

O’Brien, who will also run Champagne Well and Jarveys Plate at the meeting, said: “Quick Grabim ran okay for us at Kempton on ground he probably didn’t like and we hadn’t had him long then. There’s a bit of improvement in him and he’s likely to go for the County Hurdle.

“Paint The Dream ran a shocker at Ludlow the other day but he made a bad mistake early on and pulled a shoe off and was never going after that.

"He had two solid runs at Sandown and Cheltenham in the Dipper and the form has been franked, so I could see him running a big race.”

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