Djaks inexperience worries Walsh

Ruby Walsh is more worried about Djakadam having had only three runs over fences rather than the fact that he is only a five-year-old going into Saturdays Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.

No horse so young has ever won the prestigious race, but Walsh rewrote the history books on the Paul Nicholls-trained Master Minded who won the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2008 when just five.

Trained by Willie Mullins, Djakadam was last seen falling in the JLT Novices Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, on just his third outing over fences, and he runs off a mark of 142, having won his first two starts last season.

It is that, rather than his age, that Walsh feels the red-hot favourite needs to overcome.

Speaking in his blog for Paddy Power, Walsh said: The pundits are saying that Djakadam cant win the Hennessy Gold Cup on Saturday because hes only a five-year-old.

A bigger worry for me is that he has just three runs over fences and is inexperienced for a race like this.

David Pipe expects Ballynagour to run with honour, as long as his stamina holds out.

The eight-year-old claimed the Byrne Group Plate at the Cheltenham Festival in March and was second to Sizing Europe at Punchestown a month later.

Ballynagour has, however, never been campaigned over the Hennessys extended three-and-a-quarter-mile trip, so will be taking a shot into the unknown.

The Nicholashayne handler told http://www.davidpipe.com: He seems very well at home and Tom Scudamore was in schooling him the other day.

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Djaks inexperience worries Walsh