Racing Nerd

The magnificent Honeysuckle and the equally magnificent Rachael Blackmore were the racing heroines at Punchestown on Friday. She is just far superior to all other two-mile hurdlers at the moment and had the luxury of taking a very long look at the last before getting down to business again to hold off Sharjah. Much of the debate afterwards revolved around a potential chasing career. That will be a discussion that I am sure the team will have but for now we should enjoy the brilliant performances she has given us this season ably assisted by her wonderful jockey. She has danced every dance and to remain unbeaten is a testament to all involved. She appears to be getting better and improving all the time and whatever rout they take she has the National Hunt world at her feet. It was disappointing we didn’t get to see Bob Olinger again and Gaillard Du Mesnil was a workmanlike winner of the Grade 1 novice hurdle. I was delighted to see David Maxwell get his head in front aboard Bob and Co

It continues to be the Willie Mullins show and the Closutton team have had an incredible week at Punchestown. On Thursday it was the turn of Klassical Dream to blow us away in the Stayers Hurdle. Undoubtedly, some of the market principles underperformed for various reasons but Ronald Pump is a pretty solid yardstick and the fact he was easily dismissed in third gives the form some substance. Then there was Energumene. The performance just magnified the feeling that we missed something spectacular at Cheltenham. Hopefully he meets Shishkin at some point next season, it will be one hell of a race. For what it’s worth, I just can’t see any horse beating Energumene on his day. What he did timewise in comparison to Chacun Pour Soi at Leopardstown was very good, particularly as Chacun appears unbeatable away from Cheltenham. It hasn’t been the fairytale week for Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore but one feels that the traditional Ladies Day Friday may be Rachael’s day this year as sh

It was a frustrating day from a tipping point of view on Wednesday as I pulled Gallopin Des Champs before posting after his price collapsed, while the sole selection Kemboy was very disappointing in the Gold Cup. To add further insult to injury, Clan Des Obeaux won again having been one of my fancies of the season when only third in the King George. Gallopin Des Champs was incredibly impressive and one can’t help but feel that we will be hearing plenty more about him next season. Similar comments apply to Kilcruit who confirmed the feeling that he was unlucky at Cheltenham when turning the tables on Sir Gerhard comprehensively. What a stable of superstars Willie Mullins has at his disposal. Moving on to Thursday and of all the days this week, I found it particularly difficult to find a bet. I am looking forward to seeing Energumene again. It was an awful shame he missed Cheltenham and the clash with Shishkin. Hopefully, he can be as impressive here as he has been all season and we ca

What an opening day we had at the Punchestown festival! Chacun Pour Soi was back to his spectacular best in the Champion Chase. One can only wonder if they had decided to be more aggressive at Cheltenham, would the result have been different. Echoes In Rain was very impressive in the Novice Hurdle. I think she could be a dark horse for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next year. I really like her. While we didn’t get the clash we were anticipating in the Grade 1 Novice Chase, Colreevy deserves unbelievable credit. What a tough mare she is! I wonder if the owner’s are regretting covering her? I am sure the foal will be worth a few quid all the same!! There is plenty of quality ahead of us tomorrow once again. While it is a pity that Minella Indo was withdrawn from the Gold Cup, we have a small but select field. Al Boum Photo, who went down fighting in his attempt at history in March, sets the standard. However, it was a hard race at Cheltenham and I prefer his stablemate Kemboy who

Tuesday’s card at Punchestown is one I am really looking forward to from an enthusiast’s point of view if not from a betting one. Realistically, if you can’t enjoy the mouthwatering clash of Envoi Allen and Monkfish without having a bet in the race, then perhaps this may not be the sport for you. They come here on the back of a couple of below-par performances at Cheltenham with Envoi Allen losing his unbeaten record when falling in the Marsh Chase and Monkfish underwhelming when winning the RSA. If I had to choose one, it would marginally be Monkfish but I will not be putting any hard-earned money on the line. I just think his performance at the Dublin Racing Festival was astonishing in every way you look at it, with the visual impression strongly affirmed by the clock. Hopefully both will enjoy a clear round and we should be in for a real treat – sit back and enjoy! The Champion Chase is another one that is intriguing with Allaho dropping back to 2 miles after routing a quality fie

Aintree has been one of those weeks for me unfortunately. Clan Des Obeaux (King George) and Abacadabras (Champion Hurdle) both came back to haunt me on Thursday while the three selections I gave yesterday proved simply appalling. The two in the Topham jumped the worst of the whole field and Politologue apparently bled. I also got Fakir all wrong and he bounced back from his Cheltenham run in style. Today is another day though and I am down but certainly not out.  The card looks as difficult today and the question all week of how horses recover from Cheltenham is one that there is no definitive answer to. Thyme Hill was a horse I was sorry to see miss Cheltenham and his record fresh suggests he should go close today but he did have a setback and I am not going to suggest backing him at a short price. I found the two in the Novice hurdle hard to split as I like My Drogo and while the Irish have won everything in terms of novice hurdles, he may well be the best of the English novices.  Ha

Thursday at Aintree threw up some strange results and Friday doesn't look much easier in truth. One man that had a good day was Paul Nicholls and he could have another good day on Friday with plenty of strong chances. The pick of those is probably Bravemansgame who won't have anything like Bob Olinger to deal with here and the Ballymore third should improve for the step up in trip, particularly on this ground. It will be interesting to see how he fares but he isn't a bet at the prices for all that he could be a class above this opposition.  I am interested in a couple of his stable companions though. Politologue missed his Cheltenham assignment at the eleventh hour but that might be a blessing in disguise. He is a horse that is definitely best when fresh and his form figures after a break of 60 days or more read U111211. Whether 72 days will be quite enough to see him at his best is anyone's guess but what we do know is that if he is at his best, he will take a hell of

The first of three fabulous days at Aintree takes place tomorrow with the racing having an extremely competitive look to it. Much has been made of the Irish domination in the aftermath of Cheltenham and it will be interesting to see if Ireland can be as competitive with a smaller team and many of the big names waiting for Punchestown. My first impression is that tomorrow is the most difficult day for betting opportunities, certainly in terms of value.  The opening Novice Chase is a sign of the competitive feel throughout the day, with 10lb officially separating the field and I have it even tighter than that. Marginal preference would be for Hitman but it is not a race I have a strong opinion on. The 4-year-old hurdle looks a match and they look priced up right to me. Similar comments apply to the Mares bumper, although I am looking forward to seeing Eileendover again as I think she could be a potential star of the future. The Aintree hurdle over two and a half miles is a race I normall

The Irish Grand National is the highlight of day three and indeed the entire weekend of the Easter Festival and as one would expect it looks a very competitive affair. More thoughts on that later but the two Grade 2s preceding the big race caught my eye from a betting point of view. They both had short enough favourites that I thought were beatable with a relatively small field and a couple of standout dangers to choose from.  The withdrawal of Beacon Edge has meant that the price of French Dynamite is now much shorter than it was previously in the Grade 2 hurdle at 3.50 and for that reason I am (just about) willing to let him run. The Bosses Oscar is now the clear favourite and perhaps justifiably so, but I think the price difference between the two is too big. French Dynamite has his ideal conditions here and he has run to a very high level when getting his optimum conditions in the past. He actually beat the The Bosses Oscar at Thurles last year and while there is a 7lb swing in the

We have an action packed weekend of racing ahead, typical of this time of year, with the National Hunt season edging towards the final few weeks and the flat just starting. I have remained focused on the jumps racing for the past few weeks and usually find Guineas weekend as the point when I fully adjust to finding suitable flat selections. The flat poses a different set of variables, with draw replacing ability to jump obstacles and an increased emphasis on the predicted pace and where it may come from.  Having said that, my resistance was broken when I saw a personal favourite of mine Muntadab priced up at tempting odds at Musselburgh (1.50). While he was originally 20/1 (at least), I still think there is plenty of value in his current odds. He was a winner for us at Epsom on Derby weekend last summer and is 7lb lower tomorrow after a mixed campaign following that win. There are plenty more positives though as his record at Musselburgh is very promising too with a win and two second