Six-time Irish Champion Flat jockey Colin Keane will ride The Mourne Rambler for Noel Meade in the Champion Bumper.
Keane was announced as Juddmonte’s retainer last season, with his first winner coming on Blue Bolt for Andrew Balding. Keane won on Field of Gold at Royal Ascot, and the Fillies’ and Mares’ Stakes on Champions Day on Kalpana.
This will be an entirely different test for Keane who will make his National Hunt rules debut. “It’s very exciting,” Keane told the Racing Post. “I suppose it’s been on my bucket list for a while so it’s nice to tick it off. Would you believe I’ve never been to the festival before.”
Colin Keane has had 583 rides for Meade with 68 winners, a yard with six Cheltenham Festival winners. The pair teamed up to win the Tattersalls Gold Cup with Helvic Dream in 2021. This will be a new venture for the pair, with Keane seemingly impressed by the geldings work.
“He gave me a lovely feel” said Keane. “He worked with some jumpers and a few Flat horses and he didn’t feel like a slow horse at all. I came off him and told Noel he could win a Flat race with him. He’s not short of pace and I’d like to think he has a nice each-way chance.”
The Mourne Rambler was a three-length winner on bumper debut at Leopardstown on Boxing Day. Facile Vega won the same race en-route to Champion Bumper success in 2022. Florida Pearl also won that contest in 1996 before his Cheltenham success.
Prior to Leopardstown, The Mourne Rambler was second in a Portrush Point-To-Point with the winner now with Dan Skelton.
Meade yard poised for Cheltenham challenge
Noel Meade’s most recent festival winner came in the surprise form of Jeff Kidder in the Fred Winter. Meade’s biggest success of late came with Affordale Fury in the Savills Chase. Ridden to victory by Sam Ewing, he fended off I Am Maximus and Galopin Des Champs.
The Mourne Rambler hails from a family Noel Meade knows well. He’s a full brother to Sixshooter who was two from from in bumpers for the yard. Sixshooter was also third in the Lismullen Hurdle in 2020. The pair are also full brothers to Meade’s She’s A Star. The Well Chosen mare was a useful duel purpose horse, and the dam of last year’s DRF Bumper winner Colcannon.
Colin Keane could prove to be a smart acquisition by the yard who is looking forward to the occasion. “It will be nice to experience the atmosphere of it all, it’s brilliant to have a ride in the bumper.”