Alright everyone.. So much racing huh.. So some info to kick the day off... 2:25 Yarmouth - Falcon In Flight e/w 4:20 Redcar - Cameron Highland 5:05 Warwick - Retractor e/w My Fancies.. 3:20 Warwick - Mac's Power - Found a nice starting point for a succesful campaign 5:25 Fairyhouse - Regal D'estruval ew - Makes a few mistakes but if can get a clear round with the fitted blinkers can go well at a price. Good Luck
Going through a few of the races at Fairyhouse, including the big one, just for fun 2.40 Get Me Out Of Here 2/1 (NAP) 3.40 Alderwood 9/2 4.50 Irish National Allee Garde 14/1 ew 6.25 Elsie 20/1 ew
2.40 Fairyhouse: OSCARS WELL 6/4 Said to appreciate the better ground and has always looked better over this trip, especially when an unlucky loser in last years Neptune at Cheltenham. Is the class horse of this race and this is a great opportunity to get his head back in front. 8L behind in the Champion Hurdle and the closest to Hurricane Fly on penultimate start- I think he has enough to see off Get Me Out Of Here at this trip. 3.40 Fairyhouse: IL FENOMENO 8/1 I think we all knew that the dead-heat with King Vuvuzela was a below par performance of Allure of Illusion and this was easily the best of Willie Mullins' trio in the Supreme Novice. Made really good headway up the inside that day but was not good enough to get into the frame in the end, leaving quite a puzzle to solve for this race here. Davy Russell again deserts Midnight Game, who frankly looked out of sorts at Cheltenham and whose form is there to be picked apart in any case, leaving Steps To Freedom as the main danger but short price favourite. It was disappointing at Cheltenham, but is a course and distance winner here. However, I think Il Fenomeno, without any Cheltenham exertions, will like this sort of track and a return to the bare minimum trip, having travelled pretty well in the Deloitte before a mistake at the last and a tired finish saw him 4 lengths behind Sous Les Cieux. Capable of making the improvement when you look at his progression from this time last year- most definitely on an upward curve overall, but this is his chance to make the step up. 4.10 Fairyhouse: ROGUE ANGEL 10/1 e.w Made a taking impression in only point start to date and came home very easily. Must have place claims here and is certainly an interesting horse to watch develop. Gigginstown have already picked this one up. 2.25 Yarmouth: GRAVITATE 10/1 EACH-WAY- Mus emphasise each-way here as the Godolphin horse is potentially smart. However, Gosden sends two here and this very much looks first string. I really like Pivotal horses in the earlier part of the season (can have ground that suits better than the hard summer tracks) and Gosden is capable of readying one. His string have been shaping well of late and this one won't be far off the mark. 3.00 Yarmouth: AFKAR 8/1 - Is well handicapped on 2010 Maiden form and shaped reasonably well on the All-Weather on reappearance. Should strip fitter for that and IF there is improvement, then I see no reasin why this can't go close today, other than the fact Clive Brittain trains it. Nioely bred and will pop up at some point this season- preferably today. 4.45 Yarmouth: SAMBA KING 7/2 Dettori is on the favourite and "first string" but this one has posted a much better speed figure and now has the chance to put that to good use on better ground than it had last autumn. Barzalona is only here for two rides and with Frankie expected to have won on at least one earlier in the card, I think Mikael might be on the better of the two here and we can put that to good use by taking a very nice 7/2 price.
Afternoon all, a rare appearance for me in here since 'porn gate' killed my work access, hope everyone is well and winning. Irish National - Allee Garde and Start Me Up both each way for me. Allee Garde fell in the 4 miler at Cheltenham when very well fancied, stays all day just forgot how to jump that day, Start Me Up was going well for a long way under Nina in the Kim Muir and she was just starting to get a second wind out of the horse when making a bad mistake 2 out that effectively ended all chances, he gets in on a very nice weight in this and despite the worrying jockey booking he could go well at a big price. Good luck all
A nice each-wayer at Fairyhouse: 3.10 Bat Masterson - this is an almost impossible handicap but I've had a small e/w dabble on Noel Meade's runner who I think will relish the step up in trip today after several decent efforts over 2 miles in juvenile company, most recently when 13 lengths 8th in the Fred Winter. He stayed on really well up the hill that day and the 2m6f could bring out the best in him today.
I see the 2/1 about Get Me Out Of Here has gone. I don't have time to explain the reasoning behind all of my selections but what I will say is that I think GMOOH has run very well in two competitive handicaps and gets 7lbs off of Oscars Well today. Son of FLicka was an absolute job and GMOOH was best of the rest under top weight. I fancy him to do the business here all being well from that run but I'm slighty worried that a few of you like the fav!!
Can't be ersed looking through all the cards, so lazily decided to see what Gary Moore runs at Plumpton, as he rarely leaves empty handed. Beau Fighter in the 4.50 is clearly a tricky ride, but could offer some e/w value if Jamie can get him settled and jumping. Felt obliged to stick a couple of pins in the bog-trotter's national, and came up with Cross Appeal, laid out for the race by Noel Meade, and Saddler's Storm, simply because Tony Martin has done me plenty of favours in the past.
****, I hate it when you have no word about an Abdullah horse. Oh well Id take a place very happily!!
Maybe nass though I'm inclined to agree with Zen. He's been rated 150ish for a while so has been lumping weight a lot of the time making him an easy target for well handicapped horses.
Too drunk to edit but Allure of Illusion ran a cracker in the Supremes and finished best of the three who ran in it. 3.40 Fairyhouse Allure of Illusion 6/1 The other horse at a bigger price is Willie Mullins 6 year old Allure of Illusion who I think has been a bit overlooked in the market. Playing second fiddle to stablemate Midnight Game in the betting, Allure of Illusion has only had 4 starts to date spread out over 18 months with two starts in bumpers and 2 latterly over hurdles. Allure of Illusion was successful on debut in a bumper at Killarney in August 2010 and showed a likeable attitude to overcome interference and some obstruction to eventually get up and score. After this, Willie Mullins' charge was 8 months off the track before making his reappearance in a Grade 2 bumper at Aintree in April last year when finishing a 10L beaten 3rd. That day, Allure of Illusion had a rather rough race getting bumped on several occasions when short of room before having to come widest of all to make his challenge coming into the home straight. That race has a lot of significance in terms of the Supreme Novices with the front two that day Steps To Freedom and Montbazon re-opposing on Tuesday and although you can't directly translate bumper form to hurdles form you'd think this 6 year old would have a bit to find with those two rivals. However, the race that day went along at an absolute snails pace and it really suited the first two home given their high cruising speed and with the Supreme likely to be a frantic pace it will surely help Allure of Illusion to bridge the gap. After another long 9 month gap, Allure of Illusion made his hurdles debut for Mullins back in January where he was a 1L beaten 2nd behind Joxer, although that certainly does not tell the story of the race. After hurdling rather excellently for a debutant, Allure of Illusion was horrendously hampered by a faller and it would have killed so much momentum. However, he again showed his tough nature by brushing this off before nearly doing what seemed unthinkable and getting up to beat Joxer, with the front pair drawing well clear. Although Joxer has disappointed in his races since, I think he sets a good standard of form and he is a talented horse and I don't think he has been right in his 2 subsequent starts. After a solid bumper career, Joxer made his hurdling debut at the Leopardstown Festival in December where he finished 0.5L behind Midnight Game, Allure of Illusion's stablemate and a 9/1 shot for the Supreme Midnight Game. Given that it was Joxer's hurdling debut and Midnight Game had already had 2 starts over hurdles, Allure of Illusion finishing 2nd to Joxer on his hurdling debut when the latter already had experience under his belt certainly shows me that it is definitely possible that Allure of Illusion could be a better horse. On his final start, Allure of Illusion appeared to disappoint in a huge way on the face of things when only dead heating for 1st last month when a 1/5 favourite. Although many perceive in the context of this race that on this showing Allure of Illusion would have no chance, this effort was a full 4f longer than his debut effort and I certainly believe that it is possible that Allure of Illusion may simply have not stayed the trip. He travelled into the race better than anything and cruised all the way to the last flight and when Ruby Walsh popped him the question there was little to be found, often an indicator that the horse didn't stay the trip. With the Supreme Novices 16.5f, the very unexposed Allure of Illusion should relish the step back in trip and if I am right about not staying than I think he has some rather strong form in the book and he looks great value at 33/1.
