The only runner from our list to follow tomorrow is Paul Nicholls New Little Bric in the 1.50. This should be a tap in at short odds but Nicholls runners have missed from the spot a couple of times recently.
Don’t forget to look in on this site during the Christmas period for a few special features.
Double Default was 2nd today, just lacking a turn of foot in the final stages. He is a chaser in the making.
The sharp drop in temperatures has put paid to Fakenham tomorrow and there is an inspection at the other jumps meeting up at Musselburgh.
The weather took a hand at Southwell today when the fog descended and cut short the day’s card after the third race. Not before the 11 year old Ionian Spring emerged from the gloom to notch his 11th career win. Not bad for an old timer – hope for us all perhaps!
If the frost stays away up in Scotland you could look out for Charlie Egerton’s Pukka in the 12.50. Pukka was 5th in North Light’s Derby and his half sister Pongee won the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks.
The only horse from the list to follow is Willie Pep, another Egerton runner, in the 1.50. He has decent form in bumpers and looks a fair recruit to the hurdling ranks. AP McCoy rides and this is a particularly good sign with runners from this stable. Key Time will be the big threat.
Take care
It tends to be quiet during the week before Christmas, on the racing front at any rate.
There is just the one runner from our list to follow in action up at Ayr tomorrow. Double Default (1.25), an ex Irish pointer, was 2nd at Hexham on his hur4dles debut. Although the form of that race probably doesn’t amount to a great deal he should be open to improvement and should go close tomorrow.
Nothing else much to comment on tonight. See you tomorrow.
Saturday proved a good day for trainer Henry Daly who took two of the day’s biggest prizes with Billyvoddan and Mighty Man. The first time blinkers may well have done the trick for Billyvoddan, while Mighty Man did well to win in conditions that he probably wouldn’t have liked. I was glad to see Henry Daly do well as he has recently taken charge of one of the Elite Racing Club runners, Inherent.
It was not a bad day for my list horses. Apart from Mighty Man there were 4 other winners. Tamarinbleu won for the 2nd time over fences. This was a determined effort as he didn’t look like getting up for most of the run in. Not a bad ride from Tony McCoy! Ringaroses, Cloudy Lane and Beef or Salmon were our other winners, the latter making a rare appearance over hurdles.
Best of the horses from the list that failed to win was Tarlac who was a very good second in the big handicap hurdle, beaten by a very nice horse of David Pipe’s.
A couple of my miscellaneous tips did OK. United won at 7/1 while Wild Cane Ridge was 2nd at 10/1. The latter race was quite an extraordinary one. The grey Kandjar D’Allier was the winner. He is a grey as were 4 of the 5 horses immediately behind him.
The only jumps racing tomorrow is at Taunton but we don’t have anything running from the list to follow.
It will probably be a quiet week with the better horses saved for the big meetings over the Christmas period. Stay tuned for various special features over the holiday period though.
It has not been a good week for Paul Nicholls with one of his big name chasers, Star de Mohaison, being ruled out for the season through injury. Things got worse for him today when two of his highest rated novices, Pepperoni Pete and Natal were both well beaten odds on favourites. Natal’s conqueror was Briareus, who as I mentioned yesterday is something of a favourite with me. He has shown promise on his chase debut and confirmed that promise today over a longer trip.
Ascot 12.25 Tamarinbleu was 6th in the Paddy Power and that run should have put him straight for this. He was a winner at Ludlow last season and was only pipped at the post by the useful Accordion Etoile at Cheltenham.
Old friends abound in the 1.10. The one I like though is Harris Bay who has a progressive profile and should not be inconvenienced by the good ground.
1.40 Tarlac is our list horse and has already obliged for us this season. AP McCoy rides and this ex German course and distance winner has a sound chance. The ground will be ideal for the novice King’s Quay who looks an each way alternative to Tarlac.
2.10 Mighty Man and Neptune Collonges are our runners in the Long Walk Hurdle. Mighty Man is very consistent and has been in the first 2 on 9 of his 11 starts, and 3rd once. He was 2nd to Hardy Eustace here last time over an inadequate trip and will be hard to beat, as long as the ground is not too soft. Neptune Collonge won the Rehearsal Chase but is back over hurdles here. I just think that Mighty Man will have too much toe for him unless the ground rides soft.
2.45 Ringaroses was a smooth winner in lesser company at Kempton last time out and is my tip. Grecian Groom is a flat bred bumper winner whose dam was a half sister to the High Class flat horse Gamut. He won a couple of bumpers at Huntingdon but was then beaten out of sight at Cheltenham and has something to prove.
All eyes at Haydock will be on Rhinestone Cowboy who returns to the track in the 2.05 after an absence of 961 days when I think everyone assumed that his career was over. At his best he would win this but just how much ability he retains is anybody’s guess. On his last run he beat Iris’s Gift, who was ironically recently retired through injury, at Punchestown. Oscar Park was 2nd to a well handicapped rival at Newbury last time and comes into the reckoning. The Bajan Bandit is capable enough on his day, especially in this ground. He is 3 lbs higher than his last win over hurdles. Like The Bajan Bandit, Tees Components is rising 12 but has relatively few miles on the clock. He won’t mind the ground but the trip could be on the short side. I am going to take a chance on the mare United who will be suited by the trip.
In the 2.35 it might pay to side with Wild Cane Ridge who will relish the ground. He has plenty of weight though. At the other end of the handicap Rosie Redman acts on any ground and stays all day.
At Newcastle Go Commercial represents our list to follow in the 1.50 at Newcastle, He has failed to get round in either of his last 2 starts and is hard to fancy.
2.20 Cloudy Lane has been a bit disappointing so far, especially at Bangor last time. He is stepped up to 3 miles today and that should be in his favour.
Irish selections
Fairyhouse 1.55 Beef or Salmon
2.30 Ballytrim
SUNDAY
Navan 1.05 Mounthenry
2.35 Dun Doire
Good luck and see you tomorrow
I have had all sorts of IT problems tonight so I will keep the update short.
Pepperoni Pete has had an infection that has kept him out since his debut hurdles win in October. He reappears tomorrow in the 3.00 at Exeter and should win.
All 5 runners in the 2.35 are of interest. Harmony Brig, Natal and Briareus are on my current list to follow while the other two were on last season’s list. Natal’s form is rock solid and he has to be the percentage call. Briareus made a good impression on his chase debut and the extra distance tomorrow should eb in his favour. He is a horse I have always liked and I hope he goes well.
The best race at Uttoxeter is the 1.50. Opera De Coeur was 2nd to the useful Lennon on his chase debut and will be hard to beat. Main danger is King Revo who put in an eyecatching run despite a long absence when 3rd to Harmony Brig.
See you tomorrow
Sir Jimmy Shand won for the list to follow at Newbury this afternoon at 5/4.
Our other list runner was Reach for the Top in the novice chase. He made a number of jumping errors though and was possibly not suited by the soft ground. The race was dominated by a couple of horses that I had on my list to follow last season. Irish Raptor has taken a bit of time to get the hang of things since arriving in the UK but he jumped beautifully today and made just about every yard. The mare Heltornic ran well enough in a clear second without ever really threatening the winner.
We have 5 list runners in action tomorrow. The first is at Catterick in the 2.20 where top weight Prince of Slane has a good track record. He does however seem to prefer good ground so he may not relish the conditions.
Bold Bishop and Mort de Rire are our representatives in a competitive looking 1.40 at Exeter. Bold Bishop won over fences twice last season and looks reasonably handicapped. The ex French Mort de Rire is a good jumper who won at Leicester on his UK debut last season. He went on to finish a respectable 3rd to the decent Halcon Generlardais at Wetherby. Bold Bishop is my selection.
Mister Quasimodo was pulled up on his return to action in October but may have needed the run. He is a winner over hurdles and also a dual bumper winner and looks very much a chasing type. His dam was placed in both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Grand National. He acts on soft ground and the step up in trip here should suit him. Our other runner in this race is Travel Agent. He only had one outing over hurdles when showing considerable promise. He looks a good prospect for fences and comes from a stromg family line.
At Gowran Park Perce Rock is my selection in the 1.05.
Bye for now
Snakebite and God Citizen were winners for the list to follow today, but Forty Acers was pulled up.
We have a couple of runners at Newbury tomorrow. Reach for the Top has shown promise in two outings over fences. Timmy Murphy rides him in the 12.50, where the top weight Hot ‘N Holy could eb the one to beat. Reach for the Top is owned by “Lucky” Jim Lewis, who of course owned Best Mate.
Sir Jimmy Shand is our other runner. He goes in the 3.00. He has only tasted defeat once in 4 starts and outclassed his rivals last time at Folkestone. Good chance here although very soft ground may not be ideal.
See you tomorrow
Of the horses mentioned last night Echo Point and Strong Resolve were non runners, while Netherley and Skippers Brig were short priced winners.
Snakebite was no match for the top class Denman at Newbury last time but faces a much easier task in the 1.10 at Folkestone. This looks a good opportunity for him to get off the mark over fences.
Tony McCoy is up at Sedgefield where he rides recent winner Forty Acers for David Pipe. His main rival looks to be Good Citizen who is entitled to go close on his hurdles form.
Bye for now
Collier Hill is one of the unsung heroes of UK racing. The 8 year old won the Hong Kong Vase yesterday, scooping the winning prize of £600,000. He was competing in his seventh country in the space of eight months and has now scored in Hong Kong, Canada, Dubai, Sweden, Germany and Ireland, as well as at home. Quite an amazing record for a horse that once won a maiden hurdle at Kelso!
We had one winner from the list to follow today thanks to The Pious Prince who won the bumper at Musselburgh. Trainer Lenny Lungo has always spoken well of this horse and has now given him 3 runs in bumpers. The next stop for him now might be a novice hurdle somewhere in the north I would imagine.
Racing tomorrow is at Ayr and Plumpton but note that Plumpton is subject to a morning inspection.
Although there are no runners from my list to follow on Monday there are a few possible selections for you to consider.
Echo Point was an impressive winner at Sedgefield last season but suffered a knee injury that kept him out for a while. He was 4th on his chase debut at Carlisle and I would hope he would come on a bundle for that run. He runs in the Ayr 12.50.
Corrib Lad is one of the biggest horses in Len Lun go’s yard. He won over fences last time at Carlisle. He reverts to hurdles in the 1.20 where he may be able to take advantage of a favourable hurdles rating. He acts with plenty of give in the ground.
Strong Resolve was one of my fancies for the Grand National a couple of years back but he made a hash of the water jump and never really got back into the race. He failed to win last season but looks in better form this time round.
He is a course and distance winner and my tip for the 2.25.
All for Luck was only 6th on his UK hurdles debut but that performance was probably better than the bare form figures suggest. He was an impressive winner of a point to point in Ireland and is an interesting one. Another to consider in the 3.00 is Skippers Brig. This 5 year old gelding had some good bumper form but unseated on his hurdles debut. He is a half brother to Skippers Cleuch a winner of 10 races, 3 of them in early December!
Netherley hasn’t run for nearly 2 years so presumably something has been amiss. Netherley, trained by Venetia Williams has form figures of 212 in bumpers. He is an old fashioned chasing type who could be worth noting if fully fit. He runs in the 1.45 at Plumpton.
Hope to see you again tomorrow.
Continue reading “Diary: December 11 2006”
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