Interesting piece by Geoff Lester from the Alan King website yesterday (http://www.alankingracing.co.uk):
"You could not see in front of your face at first lot this morning, so bad was the fog, but come second lot the mist had cleared and it was almost spring-like up on the gallops and did much to clear the head following a late night of celebrations at the Emirates.
It was a joy to see so many of the good horses back out at exercise after the problems of last season, and Invictus and Montbazon came up the climb together three times, looking in terrific nick.
I might struggle walking half-way up the ascent once, let alone three times at the canter, but Montbazon, who was a top-class novice and looked to have an exciting future until he went on the injured list 18 months ago, does everything so effortlessly, and both he and Hennessy-bound Invictus, whose novice form looks rock-solid following the exploits of Bobs Worth, caught the eye.
Alan said: "Ideally, I would like to give Invictus a race before Newbury, but we are very much weather dependent and I have not been able to school on the grass since last April. He is a big, heavy-topped horse, and so far we have just been ticking away steadily on the all-weather, but the horses are getting there and look great, so we just have to be patient and wait for some proper ground.
"Montbazon, who has not raced since finishing fourth in the Supreme Novices Hurdle of 2012, has only run the five times, so he will stay hurdling, but we have not decided whether to do likewise with Batonnier or switch to fences. He is already a Grade 2 winner at Cheltenham and it's great to have him back, too."
Others that caught my eye were L'Unique, who looks to have thrived physically through the summer, and the promising Gone Too Far."
I really hope Invictus and Montbazon can get a good, injury-free season. I know Sir Barney is a huge fan of Montbazon and I think Invictus could be a major force to be reckoned with in the top staying chases this season. His official rating of 145 looks tailor-made for the Hennessy
"You could not see in front of your face at first lot this morning, so bad was the fog, but come second lot the mist had cleared and it was almost spring-like up on the gallops and did much to clear the head following a late night of celebrations at the Emirates.
It was a joy to see so many of the good horses back out at exercise after the problems of last season, and Invictus and Montbazon came up the climb together three times, looking in terrific nick.
I might struggle walking half-way up the ascent once, let alone three times at the canter, but Montbazon, who was a top-class novice and looked to have an exciting future until he went on the injured list 18 months ago, does everything so effortlessly, and both he and Hennessy-bound Invictus, whose novice form looks rock-solid following the exploits of Bobs Worth, caught the eye.
Alan said: "Ideally, I would like to give Invictus a race before Newbury, but we are very much weather dependent and I have not been able to school on the grass since last April. He is a big, heavy-topped horse, and so far we have just been ticking away steadily on the all-weather, but the horses are getting there and look great, so we just have to be patient and wait for some proper ground.
"Montbazon, who has not raced since finishing fourth in the Supreme Novices Hurdle of 2012, has only run the five times, so he will stay hurdling, but we have not decided whether to do likewise with Batonnier or switch to fences. He is already a Grade 2 winner at Cheltenham and it's great to have him back, too."
Others that caught my eye were L'Unique, who looks to have thrived physically through the summer, and the promising Gone Too Far."
I really hope Invictus and Montbazon can get a good, injury-free season. I know Sir Barney is a huge fan of Montbazon and I think Invictus could be a major force to be reckoned with in the top staying chases this season. His official rating of 145 looks tailor-made for the Hennessy
............