As it says on the tin- your best bet for the week ahead!! 5.15 - Danny Kirwan-4/1 Stealing abit of Sticks limelight by ripping up a horse in a bumper but boy he was impressive lto- listened to a bloodstock podcast months ago and they were all about this horse. This must have been his number one target after that race. He looks an absolute monster and is a great price at the moment Howver I can only see him going off shorter
Friday Ron. I got the nod for him the other month when he beat a useful one of Hendos. If he goes then as Wooly says the 9/2 is gone. Gonna get my money down upon my return tonight. Also would add On The Blind Side and I love the 6s on Redicean but the rain is dampening my enthusiasm on him.
Interesting shout. But do you think he will beat Lieutenant Henderson’s Pym again??? On a strict interpretation of their Kempton form Pym (7 lbs better off for a 2 length beating) is certainly weighted to turn the tables. The latter has obviously had his problems, because it would never have been the intention, at the commencement of the term, for the old boy not to make his seasonal bow until the end of February or have a 2nd campaign in bumpers, but he’s always been highly thought of and made his racecourse bow in the Ayr bumper the Lieutenant loves and has now won 4 times since the legendary Sprinter Sacre won the heat in ’10. That was Pym’s first run for 10 months and he should come on bundles for it. I doubt I’ll be wagering in the heat though as am pretty clueless re which one will have improved the most since Kempton. But I guess the winner will be the one who has improved the most from either this pair or one of the other countless unexposed individuals set to line up. Quite eye-catching though that neither the Lieutenant nor Mr Nicholls have won any of the last 10 renewals of this heat. Nor has any favourite obliged in this time. This race though won’t be the ‘be all and end all’ for either animal and I note that both figure prominently in the market for next terms ‘Supreme’ – Danny 25/1 and Pym 33’s. Onto the original question and I’m tempted to say Santini (Sefton Novices Hurdle). Love this horse and I think he will be a revelation when sent over the big ‘uns and would at this point in time be my pick re the 2020 CGC (now that’s long range tipping!). However, he’s plenty short enough at 2/1 and you never really know how animals will come out of the Cheltenham Festival after just a few weeks off. My advice though will be the Lieutenant’s Kilcrea Vale, each-way at 25/1, in Friday’s ‘Topham’. He’s on a very attractive perch of 135 (peak of 142 over fences and 147 over hurdles) and if in the right frame of mind should go very well off a comparative feather weight. Many have questioned his attitude over the years (although in fairness he has still run some respectable races this term earning £22k in the process) but these fences could spark him into life and rejuvenate the old boy – alternatively he could take one look at them and holler, ‘Not on your nelly, Squire’ but 25/1 is a risk worth taking, methinks.
Do you think the forums 2nd favourite trainer behind Mr Gosden will run both Santini and On The Blind Side in that Barney? Would be a mouth watering clash that. He certainly isnt afraid to go pit them against each other with Apples Shakira an We Have A Dream
I can’t see why not as both, in all probability, will be going over fences next season and there are really only, a maximum of, 2 races left for either over hurdles – a Grade 1 novice at Aintree and/or a Grade 1 novice heat at the Punchestown Festival. Both are really all about fences now with any additional prizemoney accumulated before that a bonus. Re Apples Shakira / We Have A Dream he’d have next to no input where either ran to be honest – that would be decided by both owners management team.
Cyrname to get punters off to a flyer in the very first race. Better at the weights with Terrefort on Sandown running and comes here a fresh horse.
I know earlier this year there was a word going round for 007 being primed for the topham thoughts barney
Stood to win a packet on PYM last time out but this fella breezed by him. Horse with an absolutely massive future!
He was 4th in the valuable contest (whopping £140k prize pot) last year so it was always likely to be the aim this time around for him. Is 2 lbs lower than last year but his form hasn’t been outstanding since – and in fact his last 2 runs have been ‘Ben Pauling’s Brother’ (i.e. A Pauling). Now if that’s because he’s regressed or connections have been trying to get his perch down is something open to huge conjecture – a you pays your money and you takes your pick choice if ever there was one. The Stewards 2 runs back (Cheltenham Trials Day) did hold an ‘enquiry’ into his running and interviewed both jockey and ‘trainers representative’ so maybe they suspect ‘nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more…’ tactics have been employed with O O Seven with Friday in mind. He’s most likely to be the stable number 1 in the market but looking at his bare form 150 is an awfully high mark to me. Positively though he does handle the unique course and is berthed with the chap who has won 3 out of the last 5 runnings of the race. I’ve also wondered, in the past, if perhaps he always commits 100% (particularly at the finish) but then you could say the same, most deffo, about Kilcrea Vale as well at times. Look, of course, he could win but I do also think he’s very high, maybe unrealistically so, in the weights. It would be Kilcrea Vale, off 15 lbs lower, for me.
Race has certainly cut-up. Cyrname only has 5 opponents in the 'card commencer'. Interestingly why have Aintrree named this novice chase after Big Bucks?!? Cor blimey, he could hardly jump fences! Surely a hurdle race would have been much more fitting.
I fancy barrakilla in the foxhunter tomorrow for fergal will love the mud and I'm not sure stick might know Zoe baker is one of the top lasses in his yard.
Perhaps a touch of irony from the racecourse exec? His fall in the Hennessy is ultimately what started the career of the greatest ever staying hurdler
In the Bowl tomorrow I fancy Bristol de Mai. I won't be backing it as working but has been kept fresh for this, had a wind op and will like the ground . I m not convinced Might Bite will be at the top of his game so this is the one I would back and would be my best bet of the three days outside the Grand National.
