It's been a while since I did one of these, so for old times sake........ BEAR ISLAND FLINT; Third on debut to Another Hero who has gone from strength to strength since. The runner up has since been a well beaten second over hurdles but it still represents very decent form. The Powell/McCoy combination is not as strong in practise as one might think and at the end of the day you are left to decide if the English form is better or worse than the Irish. HMS INTREPID; Had a couple of juvenile bumper runs for David Pipe before going point to pointing. He has since moved to the Anthony Honeyball yard and they do well with this type of horse. He is sure to have strengthened up in the meantime and has to be respected if the market speaks in his favour. JOCK DES MOTTES; Was last seen under rules for the Charlie Longsdon yard. He has since been point to pointing with some success. Back under rules and things will be a little different without the emphasis on stamina. LOOSELIPSSINKSHIPS; Was beaten a long way out behing Gdai Sydney and despite the application of a tongue tie it is hard to get enthusiastic about his chances. MINELLA HERO; Was second on his only start in a Gowran bumper. He has since changed hands for £50,000 and joined a new yard. Three winners have come out of that race and the winner is now in the hands of Paul Nicholls. He ran a nice race that day but I didnât think he looked like one with too much scope. The form stacks up though and he has an obvious chance. STANTASTIC; Has looked a non stayer in bumpers to date and his yard do not inspire confidence in this sphere. TUNNEL VISION; Has looked distinctly moderate in a bumper and a few points. He also has a long absence to overcome and is easily passed over. UIOP; Form reads ran out in his only start but that is a little unfair. He was very green on debut and collided with dolled out rails whilst looking everywhere but where he was going. I think in time he could be a nice horse but I cant see that he will have gained too much for the outing. He has the same apprentice on board today and he could be in for another difficult ride. I will be keeping an eye on him for the future but I cannot see him winning today. WORTH A GO; Is a nine times raced point to point maiden. Difficult to see him winning against what look like two pretty decent individuals. Conclusion; Itâs between the two market principles for me and my narrow preference is for BEAR ISLAND FLINT who ranged up to Another Hero very nicely on debut before running out of steam. I think he will improve a lot for the run and even though the combination do not have a sparkling record I still think having McCoy in the saddle is a huge plus and it doesn't even look like he will be favourite.
