Am going for a bit if a favs day tomorrow, it is hard to see the main 3 or 4 getting beat! 1st race is between Rolling Star and Irish Saint I have gone for the nicholld runner due to the freshness of him but to go off favourite for the triumph you have to be good and it will be hard for him to reverse the placings! Captain Conan can go one better than he did last year, the ground is good so will have no problem staying is a class above the rest - ***o is a good horse but his jumping is too iffy and altho laid out for the race it was only becoz things went so wrong before!
I'm backing The New One tomorrow , i expect him to take this race and silence the doubters. Silviniaco should win but just a watching race for me at the price. Very good day racing in prospect.
Captain Conan is rubbish in my opinion, all hype! ***o should be no where near 3/1 & if he wasn't trained by Nicholls he wouldn't be! I'll chance His Excellency, ran twice at Cheltenham - a very good third in the Arkle and travelling well when coming down in the Grand Annual! At 12/1 I'll take a chance
The New One will not win tomorrow. Cracking card and don't forget to check out Taunton some good racing there as well
Cityhull you obviously missed His Excellency finishing nearly 20 lengths behind Captain Conan at Cheltenham earlier in the season
It is very tough racing indeed. Grandouet ought to be absolutely spot on for this as long as the fall has not knocked his confidence and I think it is telling that Geraghty chooses him. You have to take a bit of context with Grandouet- he conceded 4lb and heavy ground after a year off the track when 2nd to Zarkandar, and Geraghty was very tender on him. They rode him with a lot more purpose in the Champion and I think he would have gone close enough- certainly in the shakeup, and that form has to be taken seriously. If Geraghty thinks he will be suited to 2 and a haf miles on good ground and a flat track then that is good enough for me. Do you know Grandouet is still only a six year old? 12 hurdle starts and just his 3rd start this season. If he stands up he has a great chance. Aintree will suit him down to the ground.
When you’re lucky enough to have a job like mine you’re going to get times when tough decisions have to be made and I made one when I passed over Oscar Whisky for GRANDOUET (3.05) in the Aintree Hurdle. Under normal circumstances it would have been a no-brainer. Oscar Whisky has won the race for last two years and once again ground conditions will suit. But the elephant in the room is his performance in the World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival when he was never really travelling and I pulled him up before the last. He was disappointing in the same race a year ago before he won at Aintree and under normal circumstances I’d have been on board at Liverpool - but unlike the previous two years, Nicky Henderson has another serious runner in the race in Grandouet. Unlike Oscar Whisky, Grandouet was running a grand race in the Champion Hurdle until we came down four out. I know it was a long way from home but I couldn’t have been any happier with the way he was travelling and I’m pretty sure we’d have been right in the action at the finish. On the plus side, because he was out of the race so soon, he didn’t have a hard race although you can argue that would have been balanced out by the heavy tumble. But if you go back to the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December when Grandouet was second to Zarkandar after over a year off you’ll see that he comes out of that race the best horse having to concede the winner 4lb. Look, I’m under no illusion that I might have got this wrong. Both horses have worked well since Cheltenham but I’ve got to go with my gut instinct and that tells me Grandouet. He’s entitled to improve, will like the nice ground and I’d be very surprised if the first try at two and a half miles around this sharpish track doesn’t suit him really well. We’ll see, but I hope I’m right. Of the others, I can see the increase in trip suiting Countrywide Flame and the nicer ground will be in the favour of Prospect Wells although he does have plenty to find on paper. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Geraghtys ATR blog.
People who are avidly against The New One tomorrow, is it just against him for this race, or do you think he is not up to a Champion Hurdle next year? Personally I think he is tailor made for a Champion Hurdle but I am against him tomorrow on nothing other than the fact he was amazing at Cheltenham- to do that again just 3 weeks on will take some performance and for me it is almost inevitable he runs a bit flat- every year its the same. Pedders Cross, Cue Card, Denman are three big names I remember from the 2011 festival who struggled.
It's easy to talk on here. I cant lose on the horse because as you all know he made my Cheltenham. I actually think this race is perfect for him tomorrow. He will be even better on the ground and coming off a decent pace he has great speed. I think the current group of senior hurdlers are overrated with perhaps the exception of Hurricane Fly. My boy will put them to the sword tomorrow, you will all be converted.
I think Barry Geraghty was wrong to get off Oscar Whisky, and he's going to be very annoyed with himself after the race. You never get off a horse who's been there and done it
Stick I am a massive fan of the horse and as I said yesterday this is the first time I have said he won't win. Toppy this race mate think he will be right up with the best next season.
JUST FOR FUN AINTREE 15:40 HUNTERS CHASE 2m 5f 110y 04-04-2013 15:40 Win or E/W Each Way Odds: 1/4 places 1,2,3,4 Battlefront @ 14/1 (GP) AINTREE 17:25 HANDICAP HURDLE (GRADE 3) 3m 110y 04-04-2013 17:25 Win or E/W Each Way Odds: 1/4 places 1,2,3,4 Jetson @ 7/1 (GP) AINTREE 16:15 HANDICAP CHASE (GRADE 3) 2m 04-04-2013 16:15 Win or E/W Each Way Odds: 1/4 places 1,2,3,4 Kings Grey @ 20/1 (GP) AINTREE 14:30 BETFRED BOWL CHASE (GRADE 1) 3m 1f 04-04-2013 14:30 Win or E/W Each Way Odds: 1/5 places 1,2,3 Cape Tribulation @ 12/1 (GP) SMALL EW L15 AND EW ACCA S T A Y F R O S T Y AND NASS GET THAT CARD SENT IVE LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG AND YOU KNOW REEEEEBS HAS WHIPPITS """"""""""""""
Have stayed away from racing pretty much since Chelts but had a quick look at a few threads from the last week or so and wish I hadn't as there have been some top tips flying around on here recently!! Well done boys and girls!! Anyway, Aintree tomorrow so I have decided to weigh in with a few bets. Will post them up shortly...
