If he can run to that form again George then he has a major chance. I just wonder how much it might have taken out of him. Bucks - Andrew Lynch won't be taking anyone on for the lead on Flemenstar, he'll be sitting nice and quiet in 2nd or 3rd waiting to pounce. Ferrari against Skodas mate
Im a big tidal bay fan i just feel that he may get found out at the very very top level which i feel flemenstar and sir des champs are. I would be thrilled if he does win it though, even though i have bet on flemenstar
Interesting runner in 3.40 Leicester tomorrow. STRUANMORE ran a nice race behind Tanerko Emery at the start of the month. I was really surprised to see it entered at Ascot last weekend in a 3miler but it was scratched. Turns up here back at 2 miles. What are they playing at???
Will be having a rather large bet on Zaidpour in the Christmas Hurdle tomorrow, can't see the extended trip being an inconvenience and I'm more than happy to take the 6/4 on him to confirm the form of the last day by beating Monksland and VLV.
I'm also convinced Zaidpour is the most likely winner tomorrow. Backed him a few times in victory so he owes me nothing. Looks the classiest animal in the race and loves the ground. The trip shouldn't hurt. Do I want to take 6/4? No. Not really so i'll just watch him.
Zaidpour loves it heavy and that ground looked nice enough by Irish winter standards today. MONKSLAND 4/1 (NAP) is a serious animal and Meade made it clear from the early days that this is a horse who will improve for less testing ground. Fluent hurdler and I think he will travel all over this lot over 3m and can put it to bed with a nice turn of foot. If he wins as well as I think he might, he will be a big player for the World Hurdle, as Noel Meade said there was no point taking on Big Bucks. If it transpires that he doesn't stay, hopefully they send him the Champion Hurdle route. The Lexus looks fantastic and I fancy Sir Des Champs to turn it around this time and even things up at 1-1 with Flemenstar heading to the Gold Cup, though I do fancy Flemenstar for the Cheltenham showpiece. I just fancy SDC to be right at his best tomorrow because they will be looking to find out what he has in reserves now he has lost his unbeasten record, and I wonder if Flemenstar may have peaked LTO and that he runs slightly below his best.
Fair do's Boston. I'm just of the opinion that he is nowehere near his best when it is not testing, and his form suggests perhaps that may be the case. He won well LTO to be fair to him but 3m and the 2lb pull he gives Monksland is enough for me. Monksland is the one I'd take for the festival though for sure.
I wouldn't take any of them for the Festival unless your lad destroys them all tomorrow. I don't think Zaidpour will even travel. VLV is over the top.
Zaidpour's form on soft if perfectly fine. He does handle bad ground very well but it's not the be all and end all for him. There's rain forecast for tonight and early morning so that should keep it more testing than good and that should be enough for him to show his better stuff.
2.30 Lingfield Kakatosi 10/1 I think Mike Murphy's new recruit has a fantastic chance on his stable debut dropped back to 6f for only the 2nd time in his career (well beaten other time) and I expect this extremely well handicapped 5 year old to run a very big race. Formerly with Andrew Balding, Kakatosi was a very decent 3 year old who won 4 races on the spin including in a handicap off a mark of 94 and at his best he was a 104 rated animal. However, he's been largely out of sorts in the past year which has seen him fall from a mark of 95 at the start of the year to a career low mark of 80 which I think Murphy will definitely be able to exploit. He has shown the odd glimpse that his ability remains intact as shown when only beaten a length at Brighton off a mark of 83 at the end of September and I am hoping that the change of scenery will work wonders and Kakatosi looks exactly the sort that Mike Murphy will excel with. I find it very interesting that he is dropped back to 6f on his stable debut and I think its definitely a trip that is worth exploring and I think the race looks like it could pan out very nicely for him. Looking through the opposition, there certainly doesn't look like there will be much pace and although he doesn't always lead I really hope Eddie Ahern makes full use of his draw in stall 1 to make all. I feel there is a strong chance he'll get an uncontested lead and hope he'll be able to kick off the front and utilise his stamina which should hopefully make him very hard to catch. He's got a good record at the track with a win in a maiden and a narrowly beaten 5th in his 2 course starts and its clear its a venue he likes. At 5 years of age, he certainly isn't over the hill and I'd be very surprised if he can't be competitive off his current mark. Mike Murphy has his horses in very good form at the moment and this represents his only runner of the day at a track where he has an excellent 3-12 record. Clearly a well handicapped horse, if a change of scenery has worked the oracle then I think Kakatosi will run a very big race and hopefully land a confident bet at a nice price.
3.20 Catterick Carmela Maria 11/4 Clearly was never going to be as nice a price that was available about her the last day but I'm very confident that Carmela Maria can defy a 7lb penalty for her win over today's C+D 10 days ago and land this race for the 2nd successive year. Mike Sowesby's 7 year old is a completely different horse at Catterick with her form in handicaps at the track 1-1-3-1 and I think she'll take an awful lot of beating as she attempts to repeat her 2011 exploits by winning the same two races at Catterick in successive seasons. Prior to winning LTO, Carmela Maria's form this year had been pretty poor but it was very clear to me that she was being aimed at the Catterick contest for quite a while and she had fallen in the handicap to a mark that was just 1lb above her 2011 success of 85. Under today's pilot Ed Linehan, Carmela Maria ran in snatches throughout the race but was given a lovely ride by her young pilot as she made up an awful lot of ground in the long run in between the final 2 flights but after jumping the last level she pulled clear up the run in to score by a going away 5L. She was definitely helped by long time leader Our Jim, who reopposes tomorrow on 7lb better terms, hitting the hurdle hard but there is no doubt in my mind Carmela Maria would have won regardless. The penalty for that victory brings her mark up to 92 which is 2lb above the mark she scored off last year and I'm confident she'll have no issue with the higher mark. Moreover, she is 10lb below the mark she was only beaten 1L off over today's C+D in February this year. With conditions absolutely fine, I'm very confident that Carmela Maria will run her usual great race at Catterick and I'll be a little surprised if she doesn't land this race for the 2nd year running.
Pride Of The Parish 4/5 at limerick, Our vinnie is a decent tool but this is a serious horse and he should get the job done in receipt of 6 pounds. Pacelli Road 11/8 in the first could be the one to double up with.
JACKIES SOLITAIRE 2.20 Catterick 4-1 was just being eased into the race at Doncaster last time out when making the first semblance of a mistake and unseating Ms Green. She is on board again today so lets hope she has the velcro lined jodphurs on today. This filly mixed it with some of the best juvenile hurdlers last season and was not far short of being a really class act. She has guts in abundance too. Like Doncaster she gets all the age and sex allowances and gets as much as 12lb from some of them. Given a clear round she looks unopposable to me.
2:30 Lingfield Italian Tom 4/1 3:00 Leopardstown Tidal Bay 5/1 3:50 Wolverhampton Pelmanism 5/1 6:50 Wolverhampton Alazan 4/1 Lucky 15 EW
The chase scene is fantastic at the moment, but I have to say that the hurdles scene is woeful. Hurricane Fly faces just 4 rivals in the Istabraq Hurdle - Thousand Stars, Unaccompanied, Captain Cee Bee and Tilabay. Pathetic turn out for a grade 1 prize.
Interesting bet being offered by my bookie: Will the product of Frankel out of Danedream win first time out? 23/1 I suppose if you want to tie up your money for nearly 3 years ................
