'Hopefully it will be the start of bigger and better things' - Feronily has first run in JP McManus silks

No chaser improved as rapidly as Feronily last season when he went from having never jumped a fence in public before the second week of April to Grade 1-winning chaser by the end of the month. It was the swiftest of ascents up the chasing tree.

The progress caught the attention of JP McManus too as he snapped up yet another potential star from Paul Byrne having previously bought The Shunter, Corbetts Cross and Filey Bay from the young owner.

Feronily wasn't disgraced when fifth in the French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil in mid-May, and the six-year-old returns to action in the Mongey Communications Chase (3.35) at Galway.

He is a general 33-1 shot for the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup and trainer Emmet Mullins is hoping he can start back on the right foot before having his sights raised.

Mullins said: "The conditions of the race are nice and it's a good starting point for him. Hopefully it will be the start of bigger and better things.

"I suppose you could say he achieved a lot in a short space of time, but you could also argue it took him a good while to get his act together. When he did, he had a good time!"

He added: "His best asset is probably his jumping and that will stand him in good stead. He's come back from Martinstown looking great and he's training well, so we're looking forward to getting him started again."

Mullins was tight-lipped on future plans for the young chaser and is keen to get this four-runner event out of the way before divulging which route he will take this season.

Feronily's finest hour last season came in the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase at the Punchestown festival when making all to beat Appreciate It, James Du Berlais, Classic Getaway, Journey With Me and Sir Gerhard despite it being just his second start over fences.

His biggest threat is last year's winner Frontal Assault. He has some solid handicap form on his CV, having finished fifth in the Troytown Chase at Navan and sixth in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park last season. He was also runner-up to Lord Lariat in the 2022 Irish Grand National.

Trainer Gordon Elliott said of Frontal Assault: "He's a good, solid horse with plenty of experience. He was very good in the race last year and hopefully he can start his season on a positive note, although it won't be easy against Feronily."

The quartet is completed by the promising Lucid Dreams, who made a very favourable impression on his chasing debut at Sligo last week, and the consistent My Design, who looks up against it on official ratings.

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