His equine namesake doesn't have quite such deep stamina reserves, but he relishes three miles with give in the ground and will find tomorrow's conditions right up his street.
The Baracouda roadshow rolls into town for the Tote Scoop6 Handicap Hurdle, giving Sandown regulars the chance to see a horse whose loping stride has carried him to 13 wins from his last 14 starts.
Tomorrow's £60,000 prize is being billed as a springboard to his bid for a third consecutive Stayers' Hurdle win at Cheltenham, but how should punters approach the race?
Clearly, much depends on how bookmakers price up the best stayer in Europe. No-one will get rich trading at odds on, and this looks more one to watch rather than bet on. That said, Mistanoora thrived for a change to waiting tactics at Warwick and could represent a bit of each-way value.
Rhinestone Cowboy has been mentioned as a possible rival to Baracouda in the Stayers', but those with a line to what goes on at Jackdaws Castle insist that Jonjo still favours the Champion Hurdle.
Nothing less than victory in tomorrow's Agfa Hurdle will suffice if the 'Cowboy' is to ride into Cheltenham with a serious chance of toppling Rooster Booster next month.
And a win looks firmly on the cards. Jonjo insists that you can put a line through Rhinestone Cowboy's disappointing effort at Leopardstown last time. The eight-year-old looked very good indeed when bolting up at Haydock in November and will be tough to beat if he's back to that level.
Channel 4's live coverage tomorrow is completed by a novice chase featuring a clutch of Cheltenham possibles.
Choosing between them isn't easy, but Ladalko is completely unexposed and looks the sort to step up a good deal on the form he showed to bolt up on his British debut at Folkestone.
At a time when televised coverage of racing is such a hot topic, it's a shame the BBC haven't found a slot in Sunday Grandstand to cover the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
It's equally sad that British trainers keep swerving this prestigious contest, especially as the absence of Beef Or Salmon leaves a £100,000 pot up for grabs.
Fortunately, Ted Walsh has never been one to worry about whether the Brits turn up. Rince Ri represents him on Sunday and, with the testing ground to suit, he looks poised to put up a very bold show indeed.
TONY DOBBIN will have to pass the course doctor at Catterick today following his crashing firstfence fall on Mr Hornblower at Kelso yesterday.
RED LANCER, one of the horses involved in the Jockey Club's "wide-ranging" probe into suspicious betting patterns following a controversial defeat at Wolverhampton in October, is back in action for the first time at the Midlands track today.
HENRY CECIL, the nine-times champion trainer, is to rent out part of his Warren Place yard to fellow handler Neil Graham. Cecil, who has seen the number of horses in his care fall, saddled only 25 winners in 2003.
