Here is our thoughts on what makes him a lively candidate.

On March 5th last year we headed to Borris House in County Carlow with great expectations for the Duninga 4 year old Maiden.

All the talk on the day was of the highly touted Joyau Allen. The full brother of Grade 1 winner Envoi Allen was sure to sluice up in his maiden run in Point-to-Point company. A sleek horse and slick jumper he was joined at the head of the market by the son of the sire of the moment Jukebox Jury in Geordie Dreamer. His dam is a half-sister to the Coolmore sire Catcher in the Rye and the top flat dam Dream Peace.

Very few gave Tellherthename much consideration as the unsold foal had failed to find a bidder at €9,500 and as a 3 year old Store got vendor bid up to €20k at the Derby sale in Tattersalls where the bidding stopped.

On the day in March he went off a generally ignored 8/1 shot. Kicking out from the off he soon had his highly touted rivals under pressure. Geordie Dreamer cracking first and inheriting 3rd from subsequent point winner Ireland’s Call and Joyau Allen keeping on well but never closer than the 5 lengths he was beaten by. Tellherthename kept on well to the line and won hard held.

On closer inspection it became clear what had been missed before the off. On a thin looking page one notable name is hidden. That of high class mare Brandy Love. Out of a half-sister to her dam Tellmethename was not such a bolt from the blue after all. This was not lost the following week as he went on to make £200k in the post-race auction in Cheltenham. He has since been trained by Ben Pauling.

Keilan Woods calls him “the best I have ever sat on”, his trainer says “Make no mistake, Tellherthename is as good as I’ve had”. The only significant blot on his copybook so far has been the flop in Aintree. The jockey said the gelding lost his action that day and can be forgiven as a result.

Both ground and distance will suit tomorrow and once again Tellherthename face regally bred rivals, not least of which being Majestic Power. They say of sons of Galileo that they will run through a wall for you, just don’t ask them to jump it and his dam Annie Power had her own high-profile last fence exit in Prestbury Park. The race is open. Tullyhill isn’t foot-perfect at his jumps at times. It could just be Tellherthename picking up the pieces.

Author: Diarmuid O'Donovan