Thursday's Meetings Gowran Park N/H 7 Races 12:45-4:10p.m. Southwell A/W 6 Races 1:15-4:05p.m. Meydan(UEA) Dirt&Turf 6 Races 2:30-5:35p.m. Chelmsford(E) A/W 8 Races 4:25-7:55p.m. Fakenham Abandoned Wetherby Abandoned Racecards At The Races Racing Post Sporting Life Good Luck
3.00 Gowran Park- Inviation Only- 6/1 This will go off shorter. Willie has always shown such affection for this race being that this is his home track and has sent the likes on Djakadam, On His Own and Hedgehunter to win the race. This year again lacks the quality of previous races but a few regulars have turned up again However my strong fancy is INVITATION ONLY the only horse with true G1 form. This year he has the improving second season chaser about him. His first run over fences was pitched in to good company but just jumped a bit to big and couldn’t get his legs out in time. He went on to win his next two races including a g3 pretty comfortably. He did have a very busy spring running including going down by less than a length to Monalee over a trip you could argue is too short for him. And his run going off 9/2 for the JLT at the festival (in which I couldn’t see any of this field going off that price) was better than his PU says he was travelling extremely well before slipping badly which did for all his chances and the right thing was done and he was pulled up and altho it was hard to say if he would have won he would have surly put it up to Shattered Love at the very least! And again after Cheltenham he ran a credible race before a very novicey mistake scupperred his chances and he weakened in to 3rd behind Al Boum Photo and Shattered love again no horses or that quality in this field. His next run at the punchestown festival was the most eye catching he was actually dualling for th lead before Townend had a brain spasm at 2 Oht and Al Boum Photo basically took Invitation Only out and David Mullins had no chance of staying on and although he was being ridden 3 out he looked to be going strong enough under a ride and again hard to say he would have won but you couldn’t say he definitely wouldn’t. His last run and first run of the season looked like willie ironed out his jumping mistakes and you could tell he basically lacked the race fitness with imo this race in mind for him. He is only running off a mark of 152 tomorrow which with the step up in trip could be a very lenient mark and easily see him run past that In which he would probably only need to run to a mark of the mid to high 150s really to win this. And looks the only horse really capable of running it. But overall i Reckon he has been targeted at this race and is a very worthy favorite and the most likeliest winner!!
Gowran 1.20-On Call 40/1.Might sneak a place at a nice price, will like the ground and a decent claimer on board.
18 runners in the Thyestes. 8 From Willie's yard and 6 from Elliott's. Personally I hope one of the other 4 win it.
Invitation Only is Ruby's mount and sure to be popular despite Mullins having seven others in the race. It's first time in Handicap Company for Invitation Only and he's obviously unexposed but he is conceding weight to most of the field here, so his runs in better races have caught the assessor's eye to some extent. I had an early bet on Monbeg Notorious last season and watched him being heavily backed in. I thought he ended up a silly price and felt sure it was an accident waiting to happen but he travelled like the winner all the way round and scored easily. He was obviously well in from a mark of 137 and I did my dough on him big style in the Irish National when he was thrashed out of sight from a stone higher mark than the Thyestes. Monbeg Notorious ran much better next time back in Novice Company, when runner up The Storyteller as a 33/1 shot at Punchestown in a Grade 1 affair. Prior to the Irish National Monbeg Notorious had been unimpressive in a Grade 2 Novice as the 5/4 Fav but I felt he had looked a horse who would appreciate a real slog. In the end, perhaps the National Distance on Heavy ground just didn't suit. Only 8YO and having won the race last year, I will give the chance for Monbeg Notorious to follow up from higher mark this season. Hopefully Davy Russell can get a good tune out of him and show some of the zest he went with last year. Obviously very tricky but at 10/1 Monbeg Notorious should be thereabouts if he's tuned up by Gordon Elliott for this defence.
That is unbelievable and in the long-term this will just turn people off the sport – where is the wonder, the mystique, the excitement, the romanticism, the ‘small owner triumphing’ story, that NH racing thrives on and has been built on, when everything is centralised in just 2 barns?!? Reminds me of the Grade 1 race, at Leopardstown, over Christmas when Gigginstown had 5 out of the 7 runners. This will not be good for the long term health of the sport, people…
Not sure what to make of Arctic Fire going novice chasing this afternoon - hope he gets round safely. Mall Dini should go well in the Thystes, seems to run better in races with big fields. I couldn't back Presenting Percy at 6/4 but hopefully he gets through his Gold Cup prep race OK. Limini trying 3 miles for the first time is interesting.
You have to give credit to Willie Mullins though after Gigginstown took their horses from his yard. He is still firing in the winners all over the place. He was Champion Trainer last season, despite all Elliot's firepower, and is once again ahead this season with a much better win ratio: My two hopes are that (1) Joseph O'Brien can close the gap to the top 2 and (2) Gigginstown spread there horses around more to give the likes of Henry de Bromhead and Noel Meade more ammo.
The concentration of ownership is surely the biggest problem , with Ryanair having a profit warning this may resolve itself in time .........not healthy having so many eggs in one basket
The fact that most horses seem to run in p2p’s and get sold for massive sums is also one of the major problems. The same owners are fighting it out for the horses and ruling out smaller owners and syndicates. The NH industry is a right mess, in both countries
Gtown are ruthless, all about results.Take Mouse Morris for example-Won them the grand national and then they took their horses out of his stable a couple of years later. They really need to limit the amount of runners each owner can have to make racing more competative this side of the pond.People are just getting bloody bored of watching these big hcapps with ten different colour Gtown hats to keep track of.
The Thyestes is a decent looking race and yes it is rather spoiled by the trainer and owner multiple entries. Surprising that JP doesnt have one for it! I didnt have the winner last year but am not at all surprised to see that some did. Monbeg Notorious will have to put up a mighty effort to win today in my opinion. He is 15lb higher in the ratings this year and arrived racing fit. For me the top five in the race have it all to do under their burdens. Champagne West is the only 150+ rated winner in the last ten years and a couple of those near the top of the handicap are likely to have other priorities later in the season that they working their mark towards. I am not sure that having Rupert in the saddle is necessarily a pointer to Mullins best chance, he has been on only one of the handlers three recent winners of the race. I prefer the profile of two of his others, Up For Review and SOME NECK. I am sure there is better to come from Elliots Borice and will have an eye on that one. Mr Diablo has a chance at the weights but may just lack the class to win a race like this. General Principle also has a fair racing weight but may not have this as a main objective. Sumos Novios goes well for Robbie Power and will run a big race I think but again looks a few pounds high in the weights. Up For Review has scope for improvement at this trip and is still pretty lightly raced for a ten year old. He carries the Wylie second cap for obvious reasons but I can see him finishing ahead of his stablemate today. He does however have a little too much to find with SOME NECK for my liking. Some Neck is a decent looking novice and has scope to improve with only having had a dozen starts. His chance is further enhanced by having a talented claimer on board. It is their first association but in a competitive race like this that 5lb could be very handy. He started last season really well when winning a beginners chase at this track but his subsequent form last season was really dissapointing. He looks to be back in good form this season though and stayed on really well to beat Blow By Blow at Punchestown. He should go on from that and start fulfilling his earlier potential.
