Tareze puts herself in Cheltenham picture with Navan victory

Tareze may have earned herself a place on Henry de Bromhead’s Cheltenham Festival team sheet with an impressive victory in the Ryan’s Cleaning Apple’s Jade Mares Novice Hurdle at Navan.

A runaway winner at Clonmel in October, the six-year-old was last seen finishing second to the Willie Mullins-trained Hey Sunshine in a Listed event at Punchestown.

Tareze was a 15-8 shot for another Listed assignment in County Meath and after travelling strongly in the hands of Darragh O’Keeffe, she powered clear on the run-in to score by eight lengths from Blue Mosque, with 7-4 favourite Just For Love back in third.

“She’s improving all the time,” said de Bromhead’s representative Robbie Power.

“She’s a fine, big mare and I thought that was a very good performance. She travelled very sweetly behind the pace and, when Darragh gave her a squeeze, she picked up well.

“She jumped super – she is a very, very good jumper.

“She could go to Cheltenham or Fairyhouse, but I think Sally (Rowley-Williams, owner) would be quite keen to go to Cheltenham (Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle). She’s probably entitled to go after that.”

Honesty Policy opened his account for Gordon Elliott in the Navan Ford & Opel Maiden Hurdle.

Second in a point-to-point and on his hurdling debut at Naas last month, the five-year-old was a 6-4 favourite to go one better and picked up well to score by eight lengths under Sam Ewing.

“He’s a nice horse. The further he goes, I’d say the better he will be,” said Elliott.

“He had a good run the last day in Naas and he followed up there today.

“We have no real plan, but I’d imagine he is going in the right direction. He will be a nice chaser down the road.”