Hello, team. Happy New Year!
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Although I must admit that mine was tempered slightly when the news emerged from Sandringham that Princess Camilla hadn’t been able to fully enjoy the festivities due to a ‘heavy cold’. Let’s hope that no taxpayer expenses are spared in seeking out the ideal cough mixture for the forum’s favourite Royal.
These were a few notes I made over Christmas and the Festive period re the old racing –
I know I always get shouted at when I say this but it is my firm belief that Kim Bailey couldn’t train Ivy (lovely girl incidentally) to grow up a wall. I therefore have always been of the opinion that had The Last Samuri been barned with someone like the Lieutenant or Mr Nicholls, in his younger days, then he would have been CGC class. The old boy, now an 11YO, made his debut for Harry Fry in late December (no Lieutenant or Mr Nicholls but a significant step up from Bailey) and ran very much as I expected - going down by 19 lengths on his first start for 8 months and getting a 3 lbs ratings reduction in the process. Now on 154 if he has a similar run prior to the release of the GN weights he is going to be of huge interest re the big ‘un at Aintree. Currently 50/1 available.
Yanworth is now back in training at Barbury Castle. Great news.
Santini was backed off the boards, on St Stephen’s Day, and although I was initially disappointed, that he didn’t oblige, on reflection it was a corking effort to be beaten just 3 lengths, at Grade 1 level, on just his 2nd chase start. He will come on a ton for the effort and the sharp Kempton track just wouldn’t have suited him. It was a great education for Santini and on a more galloping course over 3 miles+ I can’t see the 2 animals who finished in front of him troubling him in the future. He remains a CGC winner in waiting, crew.
It was nice to see the Mr Charlton / Jason Watson partnership begin at Wolverhampton on 27 December. They didn’t commence their alliance with a winner but in ’19, I believe, this will be one of the best and most profitable combos around.
Upon seeing that Lieutenant Henderson had declared Kilcrea Vale to run in a 3 mile chase I snorted, ‘Cor blimey, don’t make it so obvious, ‘Endo. He wouldn’t stay 3 miles in the back of Charlie Slater’s taxi!’ However, it seemingly ended up being job done as Kilcrea Vale had a lovely spin around Kempton Park and his 13 length defeat I was almost certain would lead to a perchings reduction. However, that arch-villain, the old boy handicapper, was having none of this and evidently saw through the plan as despite the double digit defeat left Kilcrea Vale unchanged on 137 (the stewards also enquired into the horses running but seemingly accepted Jerry McGrath’s comment that ‘the horse was never travelling’). That’s still a very exploitable mark but a reduction would still have been welcome ahead of his main target in April namely the Topham on the eve of the Grand National. He remains stand-out re this future target.
Loved the Lieutenant’s words after Altior had romped home in the ‘Desert Orchid’. ‘If it was Strictly Come Dancing I think he would have got a 10!’ Wonderful comment. However, as is the way these days, this note must be accompanied by a flashing health warning. If you spend 3 hours in the ‘Owners and Trainers Bar’, prior to a race, you too will emerge believing you’re Darcey Bussell.
Megan Nicholls had yet another winner in an apprentice’s heat. In recent times she is now 3/3 in such contests – at odds of 7/4, 11/1 and 33/1 (dear old Mouchee). Keep an eye out for her next ride in such a race.
How absurd was Leopardstown’s Grade 1 3 mile novice chase on 29 December?!? One owner had 5 of the 7 runners. The NH sphere will become a joke if this continues.
Did we all Twist again, like we did last summer, on the afternoon of Sunday 30th?!? The forum’s favourite trainer took a break from the NH sphere to get it up on the all-weather. Brilliant training performance and great to see Twist oblige.
On New Year’s Day (1 January in old money) Cheltenham didn’t schedule any race, on the chase course, beyond 2 o’clock. To quote old boy Jim Royle, ‘Natural amphitheatre, my posterior’.
But the major note I made and the one that I would advise, the dear old regular readers to really listen to, is that on St Stephen’s Day the Blake barn qualified Coole Cody for the ‘Pertemps Final’. And it was done in true ‘nudge, nudge…’ style to boot – finishing 6th and receiving a 5 lbs ratings reduction (now 137) in the process. Not a bad perch for a horse whose last run in a hurdles race, prior to this qualifier, was at Grade 1 level! Furhermore, the horse is 1/1 at Cheltenham and will have no problems with the extended trip. Is going to be of huge interest if pointed towards the Final in March, methinks. Keep an eye on this one, troops.
Any comments on the above notes / observations or did something catch your eye over the old Festive period??? What, what?!?
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Although I must admit that mine was tempered slightly when the news emerged from Sandringham that Princess Camilla hadn’t been able to fully enjoy the festivities due to a ‘heavy cold’. Let’s hope that no taxpayer expenses are spared in seeking out the ideal cough mixture for the forum’s favourite Royal.
These were a few notes I made over Christmas and the Festive period re the old racing –
I know I always get shouted at when I say this but it is my firm belief that Kim Bailey couldn’t train Ivy (lovely girl incidentally) to grow up a wall. I therefore have always been of the opinion that had The Last Samuri been barned with someone like the Lieutenant or Mr Nicholls, in his younger days, then he would have been CGC class. The old boy, now an 11YO, made his debut for Harry Fry in late December (no Lieutenant or Mr Nicholls but a significant step up from Bailey) and ran very much as I expected - going down by 19 lengths on his first start for 8 months and getting a 3 lbs ratings reduction in the process. Now on 154 if he has a similar run prior to the release of the GN weights he is going to be of huge interest re the big ‘un at Aintree. Currently 50/1 available.
Yanworth is now back in training at Barbury Castle. Great news.
Santini was backed off the boards, on St Stephen’s Day, and although I was initially disappointed, that he didn’t oblige, on reflection it was a corking effort to be beaten just 3 lengths, at Grade 1 level, on just his 2nd chase start. He will come on a ton for the effort and the sharp Kempton track just wouldn’t have suited him. It was a great education for Santini and on a more galloping course over 3 miles+ I can’t see the 2 animals who finished in front of him troubling him in the future. He remains a CGC winner in waiting, crew.
It was nice to see the Mr Charlton / Jason Watson partnership begin at Wolverhampton on 27 December. They didn’t commence their alliance with a winner but in ’19, I believe, this will be one of the best and most profitable combos around.
Upon seeing that Lieutenant Henderson had declared Kilcrea Vale to run in a 3 mile chase I snorted, ‘Cor blimey, don’t make it so obvious, ‘Endo. He wouldn’t stay 3 miles in the back of Charlie Slater’s taxi!’ However, it seemingly ended up being job done as Kilcrea Vale had a lovely spin around Kempton Park and his 13 length defeat I was almost certain would lead to a perchings reduction. However, that arch-villain, the old boy handicapper, was having none of this and evidently saw through the plan as despite the double digit defeat left Kilcrea Vale unchanged on 137 (the stewards also enquired into the horses running but seemingly accepted Jerry McGrath’s comment that ‘the horse was never travelling’). That’s still a very exploitable mark but a reduction would still have been welcome ahead of his main target in April namely the Topham on the eve of the Grand National. He remains stand-out re this future target.
Loved the Lieutenant’s words after Altior had romped home in the ‘Desert Orchid’. ‘If it was Strictly Come Dancing I think he would have got a 10!’ Wonderful comment. However, as is the way these days, this note must be accompanied by a flashing health warning. If you spend 3 hours in the ‘Owners and Trainers Bar’, prior to a race, you too will emerge believing you’re Darcey Bussell.
Megan Nicholls had yet another winner in an apprentice’s heat. In recent times she is now 3/3 in such contests – at odds of 7/4, 11/1 and 33/1 (dear old Mouchee). Keep an eye out for her next ride in such a race.
How absurd was Leopardstown’s Grade 1 3 mile novice chase on 29 December?!? One owner had 5 of the 7 runners. The NH sphere will become a joke if this continues.
Did we all Twist again, like we did last summer, on the afternoon of Sunday 30th?!? The forum’s favourite trainer took a break from the NH sphere to get it up on the all-weather. Brilliant training performance and great to see Twist oblige.
On New Year’s Day (1 January in old money) Cheltenham didn’t schedule any race, on the chase course, beyond 2 o’clock. To quote old boy Jim Royle, ‘Natural amphitheatre, my posterior’.
But the major note I made and the one that I would advise, the dear old regular readers to really listen to, is that on St Stephen’s Day the Blake barn qualified Coole Cody for the ‘Pertemps Final’. And it was done in true ‘nudge, nudge…’ style to boot – finishing 6th and receiving a 5 lbs ratings reduction (now 137) in the process. Not a bad perch for a horse whose last run in a hurdles race, prior to this qualifier, was at Grade 1 level! Furhermore, the horse is 1/1 at Cheltenham and will have no problems with the extended trip. Is going to be of huge interest if pointed towards the Final in March, methinks. Keep an eye on this one, troops.
Any comments on the above notes / observations or did something catch your eye over the old Festive period??? What, what?!?
All is not lost as they say...
