Super Saturday Other Meetings

I like the look of a couple of horses at Uttoxeter and the first is One More Cookie who is over fences off a lowly mark of 105. She’s no world beater but is by Old Vic so 3m in soft ground should be right up her street and she should be up to defying a mark like this. Barrakilla is the 2^nd horse I like on the card as I simply think he’ll turn out far better than these. He’d probably prefer better ground but may have the class to win anyway. The final horse I like is my strongest fancy at the course and that is Kim Bailey’s Ballywatt, a horse I have put up twice before and narrowly been beaten on both occasions! Kim has since said in his (excellent) blog that he has been running the horse over the wrong trip and that the drop to 2m (seen today) should see him winning races.

 

Over at Warwick the first thing to note is that AP McCoy is there and not Newbury. With that in mind I quite like the look of Open Day who finished 2^nd behind the progressive Dark Lover at Cheltenham last time out. He was beaten a fair way in the end but that could be due to the heavy ground that day and this better ground could help enhance his claims as I think he’ll turn better than his current mark of 119 would suggest. AP also has strong claims aboard Ma Filleule who looks like she’ll be winning sooner rather than later, but Fago is the French recruit I find most interesting on the card and although he won’t be a backable price, he could be a very very good horse and should enhance his Arkle claims by taking this trial. Young Hurricane wouldn’t be a strong fancy but could improve for slightly better ground and is on a low mark, whilst my final interest at the Midlands track is Vice Et Vertu who Choc Thornton rides for Henry Daly when his boss Alan King also has one in the race. I know nothing about the horse bar that, and that he’s by Network, another French sire of note (sire to a certain Simonsig).

 

The final “outside” card is Leopardstown where I hope both Champagne Fever and Boston Bob can win their respective races. The former had a lung infection when flopping last time, but whether he goes for the Supreme or Neptune (his owner also has the current favourite for that contest), I’d like to see him winning again as he’s a horse I rate highly. Boston Bob should improve for better ground and hopefully he’ll take this en route to the RSA, a race I think he’d have major claims in should Cheltenham also dry out nearer March. The final horse of note is Old Kilcash who amassed around £300k at the sales. He didn’t win on his first start for connections but will no doubt be winning soon enough and with improvement likely on that run, the form also looks ok as Moyle Park won the race, so he could be worth being on in the lucky last across the Irish Sea!

Super Saturday @ Newbury

Sat on the train down to Newbury and to say I’m excited for tomorrow’s racing would be like saying it’s a little chilly outside – a massive understatement! Whilst we may be enjoying Baltic conditions, I can overlook that when we have such a feast of top class racing to look forward to! I’ll be looking at Newbury’s card in this article, with a few fancies and a few other things to make note of (with regards to the future), and will put up a couple I like from the day’s other meetings in a separate article.

 

The 1.15pm Novices Hurdle kicks off what looks to be a highly competitive card, and this race could be just that! Chatterbox will have plenty of followers given he beat the highly regarded (and well fancied for the Betfair Hurdle later in the day) My Tent Or Yours on his hurdling debut, and whilst that is his only start to date, it’s by far the strongest form on offer here. Though Nicky Henderson’s charge has that vital form in the book, I am afraid to say I’m sucked in by the hype of a Paul Nicholls runner – again!! Lac Fontana is reportedly held in high regard at Ditcheat and after Clifford Baker put him up as his horse to follow on Channel 4 Racing a couple of weeks back, Mr Nicholls himself has spoken rather favourably of this juvenile in his Betfair column since. He obviously has a tough task on his hands here but the 16lb he receives from the aforementioned Seven Barrows representative will no doubt be a major help, particularly given the soft conditions in which they’ll be racing. Whether I have a small punt on this race will, as always, depend on the market, but I have already had a couple of quid each way on Lac Fontana for the Triumph and it’s fair to say that if he wins this affair he’ll shorten considerably for March.

 

Next up is another competitive race as a field of 18 line up for the 3m Handicap Hurdle at 1.50pm and again I like the Nicholls representative (for a change eh!). Rangitoto has arguably disappointed, particularly over fences, since justifying the confidence I had in him when he won a Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in November 2011. Having expected him to go on from that and forge a fairly successful career over fences he hasn’t accomplished a great deal since, but the return to soft ground from extremely testing, heavy ground could help him and bring about some further improvement. The likes of Master Of The Sea and Monetary Fund are all interesting, progressive sorts, and there could be more to come from a few others like Knock A Hand,but Minella Class could be the real each way value in the race at 16/1. A friend text me this afternoon saying that Nicky Henderson’s horses in Handicap Hurdles who contested a Novice Chase in their previous race were 14/58, which is an impressive strike rate of 24%, and returned +106pts profit. Given these remarkable figures I think he would have to warrant an interest of some sort and at his price it won’t take too much of a stake to cover him.

 

Those regular followers will know that the favourite in the Denman Chase just happens to be my favourite horse in training. In short, I love Silviniaco Conti. Many will have also seen that I recently put him up in my Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview article, and therefore expect him to win this. David Bridgewater thinks a lot of The Giant Bolster, but while his chances may be better around Cheltenham at the Gold Cup trip, I still don’t think he’s as good as the Ditcheat inmate. The interesting rival for me is Tom George’s French recruit Mail De Bievre who is in receipt of 10lb, but even taking into account that he won’t be at peak fitness, I’ll be very disappointed if Conti can’t continue his winning streak with another facile victory en route to bigger things in March.

 

As you may have guessed by now, I fancy Paul Nicholls to have a very good day tomorrow. After he’s taken the 3 races above, I wouldn’t rule him out of nicking the Game Spirit either! I won’t be punting in this race but feel it’s worth noting that although Shooters Wood is 13lb wrong at the weights with stable mate Edgardo Sol, Ruby Walsh opts for the former. He looks somewhat similar to Edgardo Sol in that he appears to be as progressive as that horse was last year, rising a long way up the handicap with a few nice victories. Wishfull Thinking is quirky, Pigeon Island and French Opera look past their best (though the latter ran well behind Sprinter Sacre in this race last season) and the others simply don’t look up to it, bar possibly Majala who also looks a progress sort. One to watch and enjoy I think.

 

For the 5 timer – Pearl Swan! I’ve always been slightly biased about Team Ditcheat (not a bad thing given they’ve churned out champions for years!) but I just feel they do have seriously good chances in every race on this card. Pearl Swan was in touch and travelling alright when coming down not far from home in last season’s Triumph Hurdle at the Festival, and he hasn’t run since. He was staying on that day; has since had a wind op; and most will remember a certain Zarkandar following an identical path last season so it seems worth chancing that this one could do the same. My main doubt is that I don’t rate last season’s Triumph form as highly as I did when Zarkandar won it, but most of my other fancies want better ground so although I’ll be gutted if one of them wins, I can’t be backing them in these conditions. They primarily include Court Minstrel (who may not run), Cotton Mill (who is unproven having not encountered such conditions) and Claret Cloak (whose connections had been waiting for the ground to dry up). Pearl Swan is by no means proven in soft ground himself but I’m willing to take the risk that he will be, and although it looks a competitive race on paper, hopefully he’ll be ok. I think I’ll be going double handed as I can’t not have a small interest each way at 14/1 on Claret Cloak, even with soft ground, as I’m certain there’s a big pot to be won with him and he has gone okay on it before. The hot favourite My Tent Or Yours could take all the beating, particularly as AP will be flying (I guess) from Warwick for this ride as he rides on the card there earlier on in the day, but at 7/2 he is no price in a race of this nature so I couldn’t be backing him on value grounds.

 

The next race will be another “no bet” but I do find Hadrian’s Approach interesting. I think he’ll keep progressing and although Unioniste will obviously have plenty of support, I’d probably side with the Henderson horse (I can’t be on Nicholls in every race!). The last race however, I’m back on the master trainer! Vago Collonges looks another exciting prospect who is likely to make a name for himself over the next couple of years. He is by Voix Du Nord, a sire I have mentioned before who is seemingly becoming more and more fashionable, and his French form looks smart (he finished in front of this week’s winner Ptit Zig who also seems well regarded by connections) so I think he’ll take the final race impressively.

 

All in all it looks a cracker of a card and one I’m sure will have plenty of influence on some of the Cheltenham Festival markets for March. I hope you enjoy it as much as I know I’m going to, and hopefully there’ll be a winner or 2!

Cheltenham Gold Cup Preview

We may still be a good few weeks away from the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup but I think it’s fair to say the race is shaping up to be a cracker as contenders on both sides of the Irish Sea have been staking their claims, some better than others, for that big prize in March. Whether you’re a fan of the old guard (Long Run’s inclusion ironic in that the Gold Cup and double King George winner is still only an 8yo) or the new crop of potential champions, it certainly looks like being a race to savour and the next few weeks could be  quite interesting with the Irish renewing rivalries in the Hennessy at Leopardstown and some of the English aiming for the likes of the Argento Chase at Cheltenham and the Denman Chase at Newbury.

 

What better place to start than a previous winner of the race in Long Run, a French bred who appeared to have the world at his feet when bursting on the scene with a facile victory in the Feltham at Kempton. He followed up with another easy win at Warwick before finishing 3^rd in the RSA in March. Although flopping when highly touted for the PaddyPower Gold Cup on his reappearance as a 2^nd season chaser, he confirmed that earlier promise by winning the King George at Christmas before adding a coveted Gold Cup to his CV when beating those 2 all time greats Kauto Star and Denman in the 2011 Festival showpiece. It has been far from plain sailing since but Long Run showed he was still a very good horse when giving 10lb and a beating to stable mate Burton Port in the Denman Chase at Newbury before disappointing when only managing 3^rd behind Synchronised and The Giant Bolster at Cheltenham in the spring. Beaten again on reappearance by Silviniaco Conti (a very good horse whose Gold Cup credentials will be discussed below) he was always expected to improve considerably for it and did so to regain the King George a month later. The 7/1 looks slightly overpriced given he has been placed in all 24 of his races under rules and is a 4 time Gr1 winner, but whilst I think he has a fair chance of going close, I think he won the King George because the conditions didn't suit many of his rivals. There would however, be worse 8/1 each way shots than Long Run (pictured below).

 

Another who finished behind Synchronised in last year’s renewal was David Bridgewater’s The Giant Bolster. He’s an interesting candidate and shocked many last March, particularly given he’s only won once in a race over a distance of more than 2m5f, and that was a 2m7f affair at Worcester as a novice. In the aftermath of last year’s race I was sceptical to say the least regarding the strength of the race, believing Long Run failed to run his race and was never right after such a tough race first time out. I still feel that way but credit where it’s due as The Giant Bolster did fairly well to finish 7 lengths 3^rd behind Silviniaco Conti in the Charlie Hall in ground that would have been softer than ideal. His subsequent Kempton run can be ignored as the ground was appalling and he was never travelling. I don’t think he’s up to winning what is likely to be a very competitive race, but I do think he’s better than he’s been able to show so far this season and will improve for better ground (if we ever get any!).

 

Willie Mullins has a very smart prospect who also has good ground form at the Cheltenham Festival and that is Gigginstown’s exciting 7yo Sir Des Champs (pictured above). After winning on his Irish debut he was given a cracking ride by Emmet Mullins to win the Martin Pipe by half a length at the Festival, running just twice more over hurdles before being put away which indicates how highly he is regarded by connections. Kept away from the bigger novice races, he racked up 3 victories (including 2 Gr2s) before lining up back at Cheltenham for the Jewson and justified a big gamble to win fairly cosily by 4 and a half lengths. The manner in which he won oozed class and his Champion Trainer was quick to tout him as a future Gold Cup horse, and he took a 25f Gr1 at Punchestown to end the season unbeaten with big things expected on his return. He’s raced twice since and not won either, somewhat disappointing followers but at the same time still suggesting he is a live contender for the big one. He's likely to have needed the run when beaten by a race fit Flemenstar but his jumping was far from accomplished in the Lexus at Leopardstown, though he stayed on strongly to take 4^th and was beaten just ¾ of a length. That bodes well for his Gold Cup chances over the extended trip as he looked to have plenty left in the tank and on better ground (hopefully) with a cleaner round of jumping he looks one who will be there at the business end of the race. The 5/1 about him is short enough given the way he jumped last time but his records at Cheltenham and on good ground both read 2/2 so it’s fair to assume he'll improve if granted those conditions and his excellent handler will surely have him at his best come March.

 

The other strong fancy from the Emerald Isle is the aforementioned Flemenstar (pictured above) who has taken to chasing like a duck to water, having won 7 on the bounce since finishing 2^nd on his debut over fences, accruing an aggregate winning distance of 70 lengths! He has pace to burn and is more than capable of winning Gr1s over 2m but the fact that he’s never won over further than 2m4f does instill a slight doubt over his stamina and he didn’t appear to have much left at the end of the Lexus having travelled like an absolute dream. I personally think his optimum trip is that of the Ryanair but Peter Casey appears not to respect that race and would rather drop to 2m and take on Sprinter Sacre in the Champion Chase if they don’t go for the Gold Cup. He is apparently not the best of travellers, which would be another worry for at the Festival, and he seems and is bred to be best suited by soft ground so if the ground is good in March, there would be enough doubts over his chances.

 

Ryanair mogul Michael O’Leary (pictured above) and his Gigginstown operation could go into the Gold Cup with a double pronged attack as Sir Des Champs may be joined by RSA 2^nd and Lexus 2^nd First Lieutenant. Another with course form having finished a short head 2^nd in the 2011 Neptune behind future Champion Hurdle winner Rock On Ruby, this Mouse Morris inmate made a somewhat lacklustre transition to the larger obstacles in winning just 2 of his 7 novice chase starts last season, both of which were in fairly uncompetitive Gr3 affairs. He did however, improve considerably back at Cheltenham in the spring to finish just 2 and a half lengths behind current Gold Cup favourite Bobs Worth in the RSA, which bodes well as he has proven a liking for Prestbury Park and better ground (unsurprising given he’s by Presenting). The other positive to take from this season is that he has appeared to run to a higher level over these winter months having not doing so in previous years, which can only be a good thing if he produces the so far annual spring improvement. Some have worries over his stamina and feel he would be best suited by the Ryanair (a race sponsored by his owners company) which is a fair comment given he had the toe to go with a future Champion Hurdle winner in his novice season. However, the likes of Denman, War of Attrition and Ballabriggs are all by the same sire as First Lieutenant and they certainly had stamina aplenty so you’d expect him to be fine over the extended trip having stayed 3m in that stamina sapping ground at Leopardstown. For a horse who is proven at Cheltenham, proven on the likely good ground, and who is bred to stay the trip, I think 12/1 is a fair price for an each way bet.

 

The hero of the Lexus Chase (arguably the race of the festive period) was in fact the Paul Nicholls trained Tidal Bay (pictured above). Now those of you who follow this blog will have read my feelings on the horse, and the training performance behind him, as one of my racing highlights of last year; but that doesn’t mean I fancy him to take this illustrious crown. If I’m honest, I don’t think he’ll even line up in this race and can see him taking on the best staying hurdlers on the Thursday instead. He's almost certain to stay the trip but I think his trainer may be right in saying that on good ground they may go a bit quick for him to be competitive over fences and although he’d certainly be staying on all the way to the line, I think he’d be left too much to do in the early parts of the race (he was niggled along for most of the 3m in the Lexus even in testing ground).

 

Before I get to the 2 I fancy most to be victorious and crowned King of the staying chase division, it's worth mentioning a couple of others who could take their place. Imperial Commander (pictured above) needs no introducing as another former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner. He burst a blood vessel and pulled up in Long Run’s Gold Cup, but prior to that his 3 most recent visits to Prestbury Park were most fruitful, bringing home a PaddyPower Gold Cup, a Ryanair and a Gold Cup. In short, he loves the course and has won a total of 6 races there. However, he has been off nearly 2 years now and although he goes best when fresh, he's now a 12yo and so wouldn’t be my idea of the winner but could run a nice race in the Argento in a fortnight. Athough likely to have his work cut out against Bobs Worth, it will be nice to see a former champion back in action and he has a nice chance of making the frame. Grands Crus is may go this route but although he stayed 3m behind Big Bucks in the World Hurdle, I think a fast run Ryanair would be ideal for him and would hope connections drop him in trip to contest that race. Captain Chris was never my idea of a Gold Cup winner but his run behind Long Run in the King George somewhat surprised me and did prove he has a fair amount of stamina. My fear for him is that he's better right handed, but he won an Arkle at Cheltenham so has to be of consideration given he's won at the course and has the proven stamina any Gold Cup winner will need. The final mention has to go to last season’s fairytale horse, Hunt Ball. Another you may have read about in my post on 2012 racing highlights, it would take a brave man to rule this horse out of anything! His runs this season can be ignored as he’ll much prefer better ground, and although not having won over 3m to date, he was staying on in the Bowl at Aintree so he’s probably the one horse who may not surprise if he improved considerably.

 

Plenty of candidates who will no doubt run massive races on March 15^th, but the 2 I think have the most solid profiles for the race are yet to come. The first of these is the very solid 3/1 favourite Bobs Worth (pictured above), who although by no means unexposed, looks well worth his current price in my opinion. He’s 6/6 going left handed; 4/4 at Cheltenham (including Cheltenham Festival wins in both the 2011 Albert Bartlett and the 2012 RSA); and has a record of 8 wins, 2 seconds and 1 third from 11 career runs. These figures are remarkable and given that he won this season’s Hennessy off 160 (beating Tidal Bay, though in receipt of 6lb) and is still a progressive, lightly raced 8yo, you would have to think he is very deserving of his place at the top of the market.

 

 

The other horse I’m very keen about is my favourite horse in training (as regular blog readers will know) and that is Ditcheat inmate Silviniaco Conti (pictured above). In short, I love him. This 7yo son of Dom Alco won my heart when hosing up in the Persian War at Chepstow, beating subsequent Arkle winner Captain Chris in the process. After a fair season hurdling for a certain chaser in the making he was put away to mature before embarking on a career over fences in the autumn. Reappearing at Chepstow he was by no means given a hard time, finishing 3rd behind Cue Card and jumping impeccably. With that educational introduction under his belt he stepped up next time to take the Rising Stars at Wincanton by 25 lengths on the bridle, again perfect over his fences. Some feel he disappointed in finishing 2^nd to imperious Feltham winner Grands Crus but given Nicholls has since stated he doesn’t feel that track suits (hence skipping this season’s King George), it suggests he did well and he was staying on right to the line. After running poorly at Ascot he was given a break and sidestepped Cheltenham before returning to demolish the field at Aintree, making Champion Court (who chased home Sir Des Champs at Cheltenham) look fairly ordinary. I felt from the start of last season that Conti would improve considerably on anything he did as a novice as he still had plenty to learn, and he justified my excitement by winning the Charlie Hall impressively on reappearance. The acid test came on his only other start to date when stepped up to Gr1 company to take on Long Run in the Betfair Chase at Haydock. He didn’t disappoint and won under a smart ride from Ruby Walsh who made all in a steadily run affair, proving this is a horse to be reckoned with and connections immediately stated he was Gold Cup bound. The doubters claim he’s merely a “flat track bully” and unproven at Cheltenham, but I think he ran well on his only visit to Prestbury Park. He has also won at Chepstow which is another undulating, left handed course that somewhat mirrors Cheltenham (without such a steep finish). He has run well on all types of going; is a progressive 7yo; is arguably the best jumper of a fence in the race; and is trained by Paul Nicholls, the master of trainers. Ruby Walsh (pictured below with the boss) is likely to ride which is, in my opinion, the reason he hopes Tidal Bay goes the World Hurdle route. Granted I'm probably a little biased, but I’m certain there is more to come from this one and he could be the next superstar to come out of Manor Farm Stables.

 

To summarise, it looks a hugely competitive race and the Irish challenge, in my humble opinion, looks likely to come from the Gigginstown pair of Sir Des Champs and First Lieutenant, both of whom are proven around Cheltenham and love better ground. They look far stronger than the Irish staying chasers of recent years, but will need to be if they are to topple the mighty English contingent that could be made up of around 5 or 6 genuine contenders. I wouldn’t like to oppose Long Run given his super-impressive consistency and the fact that he stays all day, but would be more confident in backing either Bobs Worth or Silviniaco Conti. They are both progressive and will no doubt be picking up a number of big prizes between them over the next few years, but with the Nicholls horse 4 points bigger, I’d be siding with him each way at the widely available 7/1 (NRNB). Bobs Worth is only big enough for a win bet which I wouldn’t be 100% confident of in a race of this nature but in any case it is very much a race to be enjoyed, and one that can’t come soon enough!

 

SILVINIACO CONTI   7/1  e/w  (NRNB)

 

 

Increase in Prize Money for Elite Races

 

“I’m not entering him in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the prize money isn’t worth it”.

 

How many owners will you hear utter this statement? I shall tell you – none! In which case, why continue to increase the already excessive prize money allocated to such illustrious and well supported races? Could this funding not be used to benefit the sport in other ways? How about increasing levels of prize money for the lowest levels of racing?

 

To hear that prize money in racing has increased will always be music to the ears of both those who work in the industry and those who simply enjoy racing. Higher prize pools generally mean higher class of horses on show which is obviously positive, and it is good to hear that certain lower levels of racing have had their prize funds increased. But I fail to appreciate how much of a difference will be made by adding an extra £50,000 to the £500,000 already on offer for the winner of the Gold Cup, and an extra £30,000 to both the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase prizes. Horses competing in low grade handicaps can often win around £1,500, which, once deducting jockey fees, entry fees, trainers/stable staff cut, cost of diesel and other related costs, will often not even cover a month’s training fees! I appreciate that those owners with horses competing in the upper echelons of the sport are likely to have invested a larger proportion of capital to acquire their horses and so expect a decent return should they be successful, but I strongly feel that this gulf between the 2 extremes of racing is unhealthy for the sport in general and is similar to that which now exists within football whereby a number at the bottom level are being forced out of business whilst those at the top afford great luxuries.

 

As with any sport, the bottom is vital to the future of the top. Whilst many of the horses in low grade races will never achieve more than that level, it is still imperative that these races exist as they make up a far higher percentage of total number of races than the big money races. If horses are not there to compete in smaller races, racecourses won’t be able to stage a great number of the meetings they currently do (some racecourses aren’t fortunate enough to host any major races) and will seriously struggle remain a going concern, which will lead to more closures like Hereford and Folkestone.

 

 

From both ownership and racecourse perspectives, surely a more effective alternative would be to divide the additional funding across lower class races, as this could help to instigate a number of outcomes. With more prize money on offer for lower class races it could initiate an increase in the number of horses in training (as there would be more appealing prizes on offer) and attract more competitive and higher quality entries at smaller meetings, which should help to improve attendances as racing fans will be more inclined to part with their cash to see better horses in action. This should, in theory, lead to an increase in racecourse turnover which can be used to boost future prize funds, but also enables courses to improve the facilities on offer to race goers, therefore improving the overall customer experience which would hopefully continue the cycle in attracting more visitors. Although not as high profile an arena for sponsors (Betfair used as an example pictured above) to target, these smaller meetings at smaller courses still receive national press coverage (online, TV and newspapers) and so represent an additional opportunity to promote brands as the companies are already receiving great levels of exposure at the Cheltenham Festival from the huge sponsorship deals they already have in place. The other crucial benefit of this proposed idea is that in attracting greater attendances, these new or more frequent visitors are more likely to develop their passion for the sport. Increasing racing’s audience is vital to the future viability and success of the sport, so the powers that be must do all they can to attract new people.

 

These are merely my own, probably narrow minded and biased views, but I do believe that the future of the industry would be brighter should the currently deprived (in terms of prize money) levels of racing be awarded increased financial backing and provide greater incentive for prospective new owners, particularly given the expense they must go to if they wish to become involved in racehorse ownership. Please feel free to comment if you have an opinion on this issue as views would be much appreciated.

Deja Vu at Wincanton?!

In the 2.40pm at Wincanton I think Consigliere may have a bit in hand even though he’s now a 10yo. He hosed up by 20 lengths in this same race last year off 136 so has C&D form and a fortnight later he finished 4 lengths 3^rd behind According To Pete in the Gr2 Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock in heavy ground off his new mark of 145. He has since run on Good ground twice, then Good To Soft twice (both of which were at 2m even though his 2 best runs recently have been at 2m4/5f) and has dropped to a mark of 138. He has another 7lb claimed by Kieron Edgar so looks to be off a nice mark (lower than his C&D win in race last year given the claim) and a racing weight of less than 11st is likely to come in handy given the testing conditions as he steps back up to 2m5f. Pipe (pictured below) likes to have winners at Wincanton and the yard sponsors (Bathwick Tyres) are again sponsoring tomorrow’s card.

 

 

New Years Day Horses of Note

EXETER

12.25 Florida Quays (more to come over obstacles)

1.30 Ambion Wood (could be near top class)

2.40 Gullinbursti (could be top class)

 

CATTERICK

12.40 Special Catch (decent form, should go in again)

1.45 Nicene Creed (has to win soon!)

3.30 Dungeel (beat a decent one easily last time)

 

FAKENHAM

2.30 Likearollingstone (good claimer offsets penalty)

How Do You Pick Just 5 - A Few Racing Highlights From 2012!

To pick just 5 racing highlights from 2012 is like picking your favourite member of Girls Aloud – not fair!! If I was to go through everything I’ve enjoyed in racing during the past year you would be celebrating the start of 2014 by the time you had finished reading it, so I’ve picked out 5 that were probably the most enjoyable or admirable:

 

Those of you who read this blog will already know I’m a member of Cheltenham Racing Club, and I must include having a winner as an “owner” in my racing highlights for 2012. Though only very small time, it is still a great buzz when one of the horses wins and we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy 4 this year! We had Kings Story at Newton Abbot, Keltic Crisis at Bangor, Is It Me at Perth, and Old Magic at Chepstow, but I’d have to say Old Magic (pictured below with us in the winners enclosure!) was the one I enjoyed most as I’d missed the first 3 through work and a holiday!! To be on course cheering one home is a fantastic feeling and I’ll never forget that day. Seeing him being saddled up (he looked in great nick!), chatting to jockey/trainer in the parade ring (avoiding one of his rivals who was trying to kick anything he could!), cheering him on and being presented the winners prize, before supping the complimentary champagne post-race (thanks Chepstow!). We had an amazing day from start to finish and I hope to enjoy a few more similar days in the (not too distant) future!

 

Another 2012 highlight has to be the “black aeroplane” that goes by the name of Sprinter Sacre! He always looked a chaser in the making but until he proved it we were always going to be watching closely – and boy did he prove it! Having won on debut and then again at Christmas, the superstar from Seven Barrows was always going to be high in the Arkle Chase market and he soon became the short priced favourite after demolishing a reasonable bunch of established horses in the Game Spirit at Newbury. Still, he had his doubters for March, most of whom claimed he wouldn’t get up the hill. Barry Geraghty rather coyly suggested that his only worry about the hill was if he would have enough room at the top of it to stop his mount! As expected by many, he duly hacked up and was arguably the most impressive winner of the week (and the first of many for the Henderson team!). Sprinter Sacre (pictured below) is a hugely talented horse and it would appear the sky is the limit, so you flat fans can cling onto your Frankel memories, we have our own machine!!

 

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that Paul Nicholls is a superb trainer of racehorses, but 2012 has shown yet again how unbelievable he really is. At the beginning of the year, the Master of Ditcheat had never won the Champion Hurdle, Grand National or PaddyPower Gold Cup – he’s now won all 3! Noel Fehily and Rock On Ruby stormed up the hill to become Champions before that old boy Neptune Collonges got up by a whisker to land the ultimate prize in racing under Daryl Jacob in April; with Ruby Walsh partnering Al Ferof to another big Cheltenham pot in the November showpiece. What a year the Champion Trainer has enjoyed, and wins like this help quantify how successful he really is. However, one of the highlights of my year was the rejuvenation of Tidal Bay (in a similar way to Kauto Star last year!), turning him into one of the biggest names in jump racing (well, nearly). For a horse who won an Arkle in his younger days it is fair to say he somewhat disappointed thereafter, but his move to Ditcheat has seen him win the Bet365 Gold Cup (a Gr3 chase), win the John Smith’s Hurdle (a Gr2), finish runner up to Gold Cup favourite Bobs Worth (giving him 6lb) in Newbury’s Hennessy Gold Cup (a Gr3 chase), and then win arguably the race of the season in the Lexus (a Gr1 chase) at Leopardstown last week!!  All this from a horse who had won just once in his last 15 races before joining the Nicholls camp following the ban given to former trainer Howard Johnson. It makes you wonder what heights Tidal Bay (pictured below) may have scaled had he been in the right hands from the start.... To turn a horse around in such tremendous fashion is almost unheard of and we are truly lucky to be blessed to enjoy such expertise in our sport and the training performance has been one of my highlights of the year!

 

Though not one of my favourite horses, the meteoric rise of Hunt Ball is one of my favourite racing highlights for the year as he really is the racing equivalent of the “rags to riches” philosophy! Rated a mere 69 at the beginning of last season and still only 102 at the turn of the year, seeing this horse win at the Cheltenham Festival (with plenty in hand too!) was a real fairytale and provided his charismatic owner (pictured below celebrating the victory) with the result he had told everyone would happen. Hunt Ball improved a total of 88lbs from the start of the season to the end and gives hope to anyone who owns any horse – you never know how good they may turn out! At the Festival he won the final race of the day on a card that hosted the Supreme, the Arkle and the Champion Hurdle; yet he still received the greatest cheer on his return to the parade ring and winners enclosure which really does epitomise how closely the Hunt Ball story touched the hearts of racing fans.

Last of my 5 racing highlights in 2012 was seeing Silviniaco Conti (pictured below) justify the faith and optimism I have had in him since seeing him win at Chepstow on just his 2^nd British start. Those of you who know me personally will have heard me go on and on about this horse and how good I think he will be, so it was great to see him show everyone else the talent he has to offer. He was clearly not the finished article when disappointing around the middle of last season but returned to win impressively at Aintree after skipping Cheltenham in March. After a nice long summer break he returned to take the Gr2 Charlie Hall Chase in his first run outside of novice company, showing in the process that he had improved and was now looking more the finished article. His next run, however, was the real acid test as he was upped in class to take on former King George (now twice) and Gold Cup winner Long Run in the Gr1 Betfair Chase at Haydock, seeing off that rival and all others to confirm he is a serious Gold Cup contender. He’s not the biggest horse but in my (biased) opinion he is certainly one to be reckoned with and is one of the best jumpers around. Hopefully he will go on to enjoy more Gr1 success and make my 2013 racing highlights this time next year!

 

Well that’s 5, but as said above I could sit here all week listing my racing highlights over the past year. I’ve no doubt 2013 will be even better and I hope you enjoy following this blog ( give us a tweet with your 2013 racing highlights @kingofthejumps ), particularly as we draw closer to March! Happy New Year to you all and I hope you enjoy the racing ahead as much as I know I will!!