Author: Martin

 

At Aintree tomorrow I am hoping that Honest John can get us off to a winning start in the opener at 12.30. He won a strong bumper at the Liverpool track last season and looks an exciting prospect.

Quarry Town would normally be my selection in the 1.05 but my enthusiasm is tempered somewhat by the form of the David Pipe runners. Having said that there wasn’t much wrong with Tamarinbleu’s effort today.

Gwnako has proved he can handle the Aintree fences and would be one of my leading fancies for the 1.40 where perhaps the Nicholls/Thomas combination can gain some compensation for the defeat of Kauto Star. The other one on my original short list for this was Regal Heights who looks as though he has been trained with this race in mind. He would almost certainly need soft ground though as all his form has been in the mud.

Serabad won twice last season when trained by Peter Bowen. He is now with Tim Vaughan who runs him in the handicap hurdle at 2.15. He could well be open to further improvement. The same can be said of Auroras Encore from Sue Smith’s yard. These are my two against the field in this race.

Ferdy Murphy has made a slow start to the season but that is not really unusual. He does not rush his horses and one or two have been showing signs of form recently. He has Noir et Vert in the Becher Chase at 2.50 and I think this one has an each way chance at around 14/1.

Quaddick Lane and Tom Know’s are a couple that I fancy in the 3.25 but again there has to be a slight doubt over the well being of some of the David Pipe runners. Market support for either of these two would be worth noting. General Potter looks the type to improve with time and he has an each way chance.

Vodka Brook should be there or thereabouts in the 2.40 at Plumpton while my nap of the day is Pandorama in the 1.00 at Navan.

I must thank the artists responsible for my two pictures today.  The one at the top of the page is by Margaret Barrett and the second one, showing Comply or Die on his way to winning the Grand National last season is by Katie Scorgie.  Katy Scorgie was commissioned by the Spinal Injuries Association to paint this picture and it is featured on their Christmas cards.  These are available online from http://www.spinal.co.uk or by telephoning 01462 735 745

 

Jack the Giant has his favoured good ground in the Ascot 1.20.  He is a course winner and his trainer is in excellent form. 

I will start tonight’s preview at Ascot and the handicap hurdle at 12.45. Fairoak Lad was a progressive young hurdler last season and should be sharper for his run at Perth where he was 3^rd to Valerius. Arrayou ran consistently over hurdles last season and has dropped a couple of pounds in the handicap since finishing 3^rd in a better race at Cheltenham. These would be my main fancies with a preference for Fairoak Lad.

The 1.55 features a numbers of horses with Champion or World Hurdle pretensions and it should be an informative race. Crack Away Jack was giving over a stone to Squadron when winning at Chepstow and Alan King’s horse has since franked the form. Chomba Womba ran out a most impressive winner at Wincanton and comes from a stable in sublime form. Franchoek is most likely to go down the World Hurdle route as he needs at least two miles. He won 4 times last season and also ran well at both the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals. Paul Nicholls saddles Elusive Dream who has won 5 times over hurdles and will love the trip and ground. Not an easy one to solve this but for my tip I am going with Chomba Womba.

In the 2.30 Poquelin is likely to be popular but I am inclined to take him on with the unexposed Cheating Chance. He won nicely at Stratford last month and is open to further improvement.

Red Harbour showed a turn of foot to win a point in May and is well regarded by trained Paul Nicholls. He is my tentative choice for the bumper that closes the Ascot programme at 3.40.

There are only 5 runners in the 12.30 at Haydock but a case could be made for them all. Dolessthanme was a dual bumper winner last season and got off the mark at the first time of asking over hurdles at Kelso. He has AP McCoy in the saddle and gets my selection.

According to Pete has plenty going for him in the handicap hurdle at 1.05. He was 3^rd in a handicap at the Cheltenham Festival last season and has already won twice this season in novice chases at Hexham. He has a pretty sound chance but I am going to nominate a couple of others that I like. Victor Dartnall had a winner today with Lodge Lane and I expect his runner, Russian Trigger to go well. He is a real chasing sort that could one day develop into a Grand National contender. He won twice over hurdles last season though and I expect him to give a good account of himself tomorrow. Bluegun, a former Irish point to point winner is another that will be going chasing before too long one suspects. He won over hurdles at Uttoxeter last season and finished 2^nd back at the same track on his seasonal reappearance. Very lightly raced he is an interesting contender here. You can never ignore Paul Nicholls and the Ditcheat handler has Oberon Moon in this off a low weight with Harry Skelton taking off a further 5 lbs. A dour stayer who likes good ground he should be in the frame.

The 1.40 should be a penalty kick for Binocular while Kauto Star is hard to oppose in the 2.15. Cloudy Lane represents my list to follow and while he is a good horse he has plenty to find against the front 2.

Nirvana Swing won 3 races over fences for Sue Smith last season. He was pulled up on his return to the track at Cheltenham but is generally a good jumper that handles most types of ground and he has a bit of an each way squeak in the 2.45.

In the Huntingdon 12.05 Presenting Forever is an interesting runner. He could hardly be better bred. His sire is also responsible for War of Attrition and Denman while on the dam’s side he is related to Andy Pandy, Therealbandit and The Bajan Bandit. All of which means that 3 miles or more over fences is likely to be his game and anything g he does over the smaller obstacles will be a bonus. He may well pay his way over hurdles this season though.

Grancore Girl won bumpers at Clonmel and Limerick and makes her hurdles bow in the 1.10 at Gowran Park tomorrow. She looks fair value at around 8/1. I am also quite interested in Drumconvis in the 2.50. There are races to be won with him this season although he may want further that the 2.5 miles of tomorrow’s race.

Today’s pictures are by courtesy of the artist Katy Sodeau.  See my links for further examples of her work.

Bye for now.

One winner from 3 selections this afternoon so the weeks decent strike arte continues.

There are 3 jumps meetings tomorrow and hopefully all will go ahead in spite of the frost that is predicted.

Starting at Ascot Nicky Henderson’s Mad Max makes his belated appearance having injured himself before his scheduled debut when head butting his horse box! He won both his bumpers last season, the second of which was a strong looking event at Newbury. Nicky Henderson has said that he has never trained a bigger horse and the future for Mad Max will no doubt be as a staying chaser. The Henderson team could hardly be in better form and it would be no surprise if Mad Max were to win tomorrow on his hurdling debut in the 12.55. If he is going to start at odds on though he is hardly going to be a value bet.

Five of the 9 runners in the 2.05 come into the race on the back of a win so it looks quite a hot little contest. The two I like are Bakbenscher and Shoreacres. Bakbenscher won 2 of his 3 bumpers last season but had to work hard to win on his hurdles bow at Stratford. He is well regarded by his trainer Alan King and is quite probably better than he looked that day. Shoreacres also has solid bumper form, having finished 4th in the Cheltenham Festival bumper. He won well first time over hurdles beating a well regarded runner from Nicky Henderson’s yard by 10 lengths. These are my two against the field with Shoreacres the narrow pick if I have to nominate one horse.

Soleil Fix, who runs in the 2.40, is a real fun horse. He is always ridden by his owner and has won 4 races. I think he will add to his tally at some stage of the season, possibly at Fontwell the scene of all his wins so far. I will give him a miss tomorrow.

In the 3.15 Mokum will have both track and ground in his favour and could go well at a nice price. Another that should appreciate the good going is the consistent Cornas. He is my selection in the 3.50.

Fistral Beach is apparently quite high in the novice hurdle pecking order at the Paul Nicholls yard and he can make a winning start to his campaign over timber in the 1.05 at Exeter.

There are some promising novice chasers in the 1.40. Wichita Lineman got off the mark over fences at the first time of asking at Chepstow last month. He was rated 156 over hurdles and is clearly potentially useful. Lodge Lane has won 5 of his 7 starts and now sets out on a career over fences. He looks an exciting prospect. Pancake represents the stable that has won this race for the last couple of seasons. Pancake has more experience over fences than Wichita Lineman and is a serious contender. I am going to work on the basis that Lodge Lane will need the run and given soft ground Pancake may be the value bet.

Buck the Legend remains a maiden after 12 races which is a bit of a worry but he shaped with promise on his debut over fences at Chepstow and he looks interesting in the 2.50. Pistol Desbois won his last two starts over hurdles last season. He fell on his only previous effort over fences but was running a promising race at the time. He is lightly raced and looks the type to do well over fences. Buck the Legend and Pistol Desbois are my two fancies in this race.

A winning pointer in Ireland Putney Bridge won bumpers at Galway and Stratford last season. Trained by up and coming handler Tim Vaughan he should go well in the 12.15 at Kelso where the other one I like is Bogside Theatre. Trained by George Moore Bogside Theatre won twice on the flat but also ran well in defeat notably when 3^rd in the Northumberland plate.

The ex Italian Signalman is another winner from the flat. He made an encouraging hurdles bow when beaten a neck at Newcastle. He can gain compensation in the 12.45.

My best bet at Newcastle is Naiad de Misselot in the 1.50. He won the Coral Cup last season over hurdles and was most impressive when going down to Rightway Star by a head at Haydock on his debut over fences.

Today’s pictures are courtesy of the artist Karen Davies.  See links for more example of her work.

That is it for tonight.

 

Companero was a 7/2 winner for us today so the reasonably successful run continues.

Selections for tomorrow.

Market Rasen 1.40 – Nine de Sivola (danger Coe)

Thurles 12.35 – Cooldine

Thurles 1.35 – Carrigeen King

 

 

Backbord was a winner for us today while Buffalo Bob, recommended each way, was 2^nd at 10/1 so an OK day overall.

There is quite a tricky little handicap hurdle up at Hexham tomorrow. Companero won 3 times over hurdles last season and got off the mark over fences recently at Carlisle. He is back over hurdles tomorrow. He should relish the ground which just can’t be soft enough for him.

Huka Lodge is another mudlark but he does seem high enough in the weights. Tighten Your Belt had some decent form when trained by Venetia Williams but has never won much beyond 2 miles. Two of his wins have come at Towcester though which is a very stiff track. The main threat to Companero may come from the mare Scarvagh Diamond. She is as game as they come and excels in heavy ground. Companero is the selection with Scarvagh Diamond the danger.

My selection in the 1.50 is Warwick is Joker’s Legacy, trained by Victor Dartnall. He won twice in bumpers last season and was only beaten a whisker in a 3^rd. He handles soft ground and looks a good prospect.

Chapoturgeon will no doubt be all the rage in the 2.20. He did fall last time though and it might be worth taking him on with Songe. He has some fair hurdles form last season, made an encouraging start over fences when 3^rd to Free World, and has AP McCoy in the saddle.

 

It was a fair day for horses from my list to follow on Sunday.

Tatenen confirmed his place at the head of the market for the Arkle with an impressive performance in the opener at Cheltenham. He stays 2 miles well and jumped with accuracy bar one fence which he got slightly wrong.

Aigle D’Or ran a cracker in the Greatwood Hurdle as he was giving lumps of weight to the winner, and the Alan King Pair of King’s Revenge and Squadron ran well in 3^rd and 4^th. This looks solid form.

Punchestowns absolutely dotted up for Barry Geraghty and he looks some prospect for chasing later. Mick Fitzpatrick is clearly very keen on him as well from his comments on TV.

Another horse with any amount of scope is Diamond Harry. Despite still showing signs of greenness he ran on strongly after the last to beat Howard Johnson’s Door Boy, who improved significantly from his win at Kelso last time. The pair look smart novices.

I was pleased to see Imperial Commander win the big race on Saturday as he is a horse that I have followed more or less since the start of his career. He really likes Cheltenham and there are more races to be won with him.

Over in Ireland Hardy Eustace was surely value at 14/1. The horse to take out of the race though is Sizing Europe who didn’t have the race run to suit. Jered is better on a sound surface.

At Cork on Sunday Robin Du Bois was the one that got away. I should have tipped him but allowed the “experts” to put me off!

At Fakenham tomorrow Laterly could be interesting in the 2.00. He is a three times winner on the flat including twice at 12 furlongs.

Another ex flat horse that I like is Backbord, trained by Lucy Wadham. In fact this horse won in listed company in Italy on the flat. He has not been very consistent over hurdles but when things go his way he is capable of winning.

Buffalo Bob has an each way chance in the 1.10 at Folkestone while if the heavens were to open I would fancy Chopneyev in the 2.40. He has won 7 times in his career, 4 on heavy ground and 3 on soft.

Today’s picture is courtesy of the artist Sally Martin.

See you tomorrow.

 

At Leicester tomorrow I fancy Kalahari King for the 2.20. He won at Kelso and as horses from his stable normally improve for their first run. Trip and ground should suit.

Pterodactyl (thank heaven for the spell check) should go well in the 3.50 where The Hollinwell, a stable companion of Kalahari King would be an alternative at a bigger price.  Another to note for the future in this race is Circus of Dreams.  He is a half brother to Super Road Train and may want further in time.  He has run well in 3 bumpers.

 

 

Finding winners proved tricky this afternoon but there were a few mentioned in last night’s preview, including the big race winner Imperial Commander.

Tomorrow’s card looks the strongest of the 3 day Cheltenham meeting with the Greatwood Hurdle the highlight at 2.20 which seems a good place to start this evening.

The race has been won by some top class performers in recent years including Rooster Booster (pictured below) in 2002.

There are plenty with chances but I am going to put forward a short list of 7. Blue Bajan was a classy type on the flat and once ran Maraahel to a head at Chester. He won the Swinton Hurdle at Haydock in May and was an eyecatching 3^rd on his latest start behind Sentry Duty at Ascot. He hurdles well, has a good turn of foot and gets on very well with his jockey Graham Lee whose record aboard him reads 1113. The problem could be the ground as Blue Bajan is a real good ground horse and if the going is testing it will suit others better.

Much was expected of the ex South African flat horse Rippling Ring but he was most disappointing on his reappearance at Aintree last month. It seems he may have had a bit of a bug that day but I see that he wears blinkers for the first time tomorrow which just puts me off him.

Alan King has 2 runners who both come into the race in good form. Squadron ran 2^nd to the highly rated Crack Away Jack and then caused something of an upset when he won at Aintree. He is probably below top class but if this turns into a test of stamina he could be one to prosper. King’s Revenge was 2^nd behind Sentry Duty (Blue Bajan was 3^rd) at Ascot. Blue Bajan and King’s Revenge are closely matched on that form which makes the Alan King runner decent value as he is twice the odds of Blue Bajan at the moment. David Pipe is also double handed with Ashkazar and Mamlook. Very talented on the flat Ashkazar won Sandown’s Imperial Cup last season and just failed to collect at Cheltenham in the Fred Winter when beaten by Crack Away Jack. He has a good chance if reproducing that sort of form as does his stable companion Mamlook who has plenty of stamina as he showed when finishing 3^rd in the Cesarawitch. Aigle D’Or has winning form at Cheltenham, although he disappointed at The Festival. This is a very difficult one to call. I like the David Pipe pair but the stable has not really got going yet so I will give my selection to Aigle D’Or, a listed winner on the flat, from the in form Henderson yard.

Paul Nicholls had a miserable time of it today but can hit back with Tatenen in the Cheltenham 1.10. I am not sure that Straw Bear will be quite as good over fences as he was over hurdles and I’m So Lucky and Crescent Island could pose more of a threat to Tatenen.

I am going to put 4 horses forward for your consideration in the 2.55. No Panic put in a solid run when 3^rd to Hell’s Bay at Chepstow. My worry would be the ground as he seems best on a sound surface. Nicky Henderson saddles the top weight Punchestowns who won 2 of his 3 starts last season and has scope for improvement. Qlinton, a winner on the flat in France won over hurdles in heavy ground at Plumpton last season and was then only beaten a head by Ouzbeck. Balydub is an ex Irish points winner who won on his only start over hurdles for Hobbs at Newbury in soft ground. Given quite testing ground I would narrow this down to Qlinton and Ballydub.

The unbeaten Diamond Harry has shaped like a very good horse so far and he will be hard to beat in the 3.30. Howard Johnson’s Door Boy won at Kelso in a race where the 21nd and 3^rd have both won since and he could provide the biggest threat.

Lindeman, a relation of Denman’s is my fancy for the closing bumper at 4.00.

Otage de Brion could be very good over fences and I make him my best bet at Fontewell. He runs in the 12.55.

The big race in Ireland is the Grade 1 hurdle which is the Punchestown 2.15. The enigmatic Harchibald (pictured below) and former Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace line up here but may have to give way to the younger pair Jered and Sizing Europe. With the benefit of a recent run my selection goes to Jered.

The pictures today are courtesy of the artist Lisa Miller. For more examples of her work see links.

Notebook – Next time out *** New feature ***

I am currently waiting for the following horses to reappear as all impressed me on their last run; Crack Away Jack, Lordsbridge, , Door Boy, Kicks for Free, Pettifour, Blue Bajan, Island Flyer, The Polomoche, Tartak and Snap Tie.

Winners so far – Merrydown (6/4)

Pakineo Des Pictons has been removed from the list.

Diary

The stables of messrs Nicholls, King and Henderson remain in fine fettle and are dominating the jumps racing at the moment. Nicky Henderson trained the winner of the conditional jockey’s handicap hurdle today with Andytown. The horse was always travelling well and won as he pleased eased down by Felix de Giles.

The same trio of trainers look likely to play a major role in the racing tomorrow. In the 12.50 at Cheltenham Paul Nicholls is represented by R De Rien Sivola who made an encouraging start to his UK career when running out a comfortable eight length winner at Chepstow last month. He steps up in class tomorrow but can’t be discounted. My idea of the main danger is Alan King’s Saticon, a winner on the flat in France who got off the mark over hurdles at the first time of asking at Kempton.

Paul Nicholls and Alan King are again in opposition in the 1.25, with Big Fella Thanks and West End Rocker. These two are closely matched on their run behind Wichita Lineman at Chepstow and it may well come down to which one puts in the better round of jumping. Both like soft conditions but I would make a guess that Big Fella Thanks may be better suited by a real test of stamina which we may get tomorrow and he gets the selection. My selection in the 2.00 is Halcon Generlardais (pictured below)

He has been such a reliable sort over the years. Since coming to this country he has only fallen once and only finished out of the first 4 once, and that was when he was 5^th in the Scottish National. Beat the Boys could be a danger. He won 4 of his 7 starts over fences last season, is a gutsy sort and stays well. At a bigger price Flintoff has an each way chance. He ran well in the Scottish and Irish Nationals last season and also in the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup at Haydock. Lastly, Paul Nicholls can never be ignored and his Opera Mundi must be respected as he goes particularly well fresh and enjoys soft ground.

The Paddy Power Gold Cup at 2.35 looks a very open race. Silverburn has been laid out for this valuable prize by Paul Nicholls, has been my long term fancy, and will surely get in the frame at least. He jumps very well and may have benefitted from a wind operation that he had over the summer. Whether 7/2 represents value odds is another matter altogether and you may take the view that Silverburn is a false price because of the “Nicholls factor.”

In search of better value let’s have a look at some of the other contenders. I would love to see old Mister McGoldrick prevail. He is a course and distance winner and ran really well at Aintree on his last outing but no horse over 9 has won the race in the last 16 years so the stats are against him, and also against the 10 year old Ashley Brook.

Turko has plenty to do at the weights, Ouzbeck may not get the good ground he probably needs and Don’t Push It has something to prove after disappointing last season. Three Mirrors has a poor record first time out and is best on a decent surface. Another that would not want the ground too testing is recent Ascot 2^nd Stan. This one has winning form at Cheltenham and in big fields, the stable are firing and he is no forlorn hope. Maljimar is a course winner and has a good record fresh so is another that could run well at a decent price. My two each way alternatives to Silverburn though are Imperial Commander and Bible Lord. The former won twice over course and distance last season, has an excellent record first time out and seems to act on most ground. Bible Lord looks a well handicapped horse and if putting in an error free round of jumping should go close.

In the 3.10 Pride of Dulcote ticks all the right boxes and may well give Paul Nicholls yet another winner. If you want to back him don’t let me put you off but once again I am worried about the value. My short list of others to consider consists of Sullumo, The Sliotar and Diablo. Diablo was beaten at Chepstow last time out but that was over 2.5 miles and I am hoping that this return to a longer trip will enable him to recapture the sort of form that saw him win his previous race, which was at Cheltenham. Sullumo lost nothing in defeat when 2^nd at Chepstow on November 5^th, he is lightly raced and acts on soft ground. The Sliotar is an out and out stayer and will be going novice chasing I would imagine sooner rather than later. It is interesting that his canny trainer runs him over hurdles here.

The 3.45 looks a tricky. Keki Buku comes into the race on the back of a decent win at Wincanton and before that he was runner up to the useful Diamond Harry at Uttoxeter. The Paul Nicholls runner Hivikos could also be interesting. He should have learned plenty from his 3^rd at Chepstow. Tony Martin has sent over Salute Him for this race. The 5 year old has not run since August when he travelled well for a long way when 11^th in the Ebor that was re-routed to Newbury. He seems best on good ground but any market support for this Irish raider would be interesting.

Cape Tribulation is my tip for the 12.30 at Uttoxeter. Trained by Malcolm Jefferson Cape Tribulation has impressed in bumpers and on the flat and could be an exciting hurdler.

I have a personal interest in the 3.20 at Uttoxeter as Paquet Cadeaux makes his first appearance in the black and white colours of the Elite Racing Club. A winner over fences in France he couldn’t be in better hands as he is trained by Alan King. I am hopeful of a big run but a little fearful of the tough, consistent mare Overbranch. Fingers crossed!

Sue Smith saddles two in the Wetherby 2.55, Daldini and Super Road Train. Daldini has dropped down the weights which might enable him to get competitive. Super Road Train stays well and there are worse outsiders.

Mr Crystal has had a good season on the flat and returns to hurdles in the 3.25 where he has an each way chance.

My best offering at Punchestown in Trafford Lad in the 1.50.

My thanks to Kate Tann for her excellent photo of Halcon Generlardais.

Next update tomorrow evening.