Paisley Park back on song as he bids to regain his Stayers’ crown

Emma Lavelle has reported her stable star, Paisley Park, to be fit and well as he looks to regain his position at the top of the staying hurdlers division.

For the best part of two years, Paisley Park was untouchable. Emma Lavelle’s eight-year-old ran up a dominant unbeaten streak of seven consecutive victories, a run highlighted by a superb victory in the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle.

Paisley Park was sent off as the 4/6 favourite to win the feature Championship race on day three of the Cheltenham Festival in March, with many refusing to side against Aidan Coleman’s mount. However, to the dismay of the crowd, Paisley Park was comprehensively beaten, as 66/1 outsider Lisnagar Oscar produced a shock for the ages to claim that historic Grade One.

Lavelle and her veterinary team were keen to examine Paisley Park following that seventh-place finish. An irregular heartbeat was discovered, and the two-time Grade One winner immediately underwent treatment.

Paisley Park was forced to wear a heart monitor when he returned to full work in the autumn, but Emma Lavelle seemed confident that those injury problems were behind her flag-bearer when she spoke to the press this week.

“He has been absolutely brilliant,” Lavelle told the Racing Post on Wednesday.

“Barry (Fenton) rides him all the time and he knows him inside out. All the way through this season he has been happier with him. He is much more up for it and hasn’t had any questions asked of him.”

“He has felt really sparky and well in himself. Barry came in with a beaming smile after that as he was pulling for more as they crossed the line.”

“I would say that’s probably the equivalent of three pieces of work we have done with one swinging canter around here. It took so much to get the fat off him from the summer last year.”

“I love these events as they do so much more than they would at home, not necessarily about galloping, but just getting that adrenaline you don’t necessarily get at home.”

Like the previous season, Paisley Park will make his reappearance in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury at the end of November. While it seems the bookmakers haven’t given up hope that the real Paisley Park will return in time for Cheltenham, the betting for this season’s Stayers’ Hurdle is looking extremely open.

Paisley Park sits a point clear of Sire Du Berlais, who’s won the last two editions of the Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival. McFabulous, Fury Road and Roksana have already thrust themselves into the Stayers’ Hurdle picture with strong victories during the early weeks of the season, while Grade One winners Thyme Hill and Benie Des Dieux are yet to make their return to action.

Paisley Park’s victory at Cheltenham in 2019 earned him a spot in the affections of the British sporting public, and everyone will be wishing Emma Lavelle’s star well as he bids to prove his fitness at Newbury’s Ladbrokes Trophy meeting.