Tom Nugent
Staff Writer
Well, well, well. Yesterday was a fairly different day for my pocket as I continued to ride the Cheltenham rollercoaster, it can pay off to keep the faith it turns out. I was up early again to look at any changes in the markets and knew that if something didn’t click today I would be in a spot of bother going into the second half of the festival. I decided to change my betting venue in hope of striking up some luck and went to the bottom of Grafton Street. My bets for the day were Four Commanders each way, Simonsig win, First Lieutenant each way, Finian’s Rainbow win, Edeyemi each way and my hero, the son of Stowaway, Champagne Fever each way.
The first race saw Four commanders lead most of the way round and was just pushed back into second jumping the second last but lacked the pace on the flat. He held on to place and got the day off to a decent start and calmed me down immensely. The more I read about Simonsig, in the next, the more I fancied and decided to get stuck in. He was held up in the pack most of the way round and had one dodgy jump and I got worried. But when Barry asked him for more three from home he responded well and ran on to win easy. Anything else is a bonus from here on in, I thought to myself.
In the next I fancied Grand Crus to be beaten but was cagey about First Lieutenant so I went each way just to humour myself. He got a good start and tracked the leaders nicely, managing to hold the lead narrowly at about the twelfth flight. He was out of gas on the flat but stayed on for second behind an impressive Bobs Worth. In the next I really thought Sizing Europe was the one but I decided to have a punt on Finian’s Rainbow, just because I thought the bookies were due another upset and didn’t want a repeat of Hurricane for me. The steward at the second last fence could be getting a strongly worded letter from some punters. The fence was flagged due to and injured jockey but it was done so poorly and caused confusion amongst the runners. They pulled wide of it late and it could easily have cost Sizing the race, I wasn’t complaining though as Finian pulled away.
I stayed away from the next, thankfully, with the 16/1 shot Son of Flicka beating all. I also said I wouldn’t get involved in the penultimate yesterday, but I decided if I was going to tip I wasn’t staying out of two on the trot so I might as well put my money where my mouth was and get on Edyemi. This was, as predicted, wide open, and saw the 40/1 shot, from Nicky Henderson’s, Une Artiste prevailing. I was very happy to see my fella stay on into second and add to the day’s winnings.
The last was my big one. The horse with Kilkenny ties, Champagne Fever, drifted all the way to 16’s before the off but I still had faith. He made all the running and stayed on with real class, under pressure in the last furlong or so, to win from New Year’s Eve. The cherry on top was a large one indeed!
With my pockets full and spirits high I look, with confidence, to today’s card where there are a couple of very tasty encounters indeed.
The first race today is the Jewson Novice’s Chase over two mile four. This race will be very competitive indeed with the top six horses priced very tightly. The favourite is Peddlers Cross from the McCain stable and, with his form will take a bit of beating. This horse won the Neptune in 2010 and was a close second to Hurricane fly in the Champion hurdle last year. There are a couple of others worth mentioning here but the horse that I have real time for is Sir des Champs. This lad has ridiculous form with five wins from five starts on a variety of different ground conditions, including a win at the festival last year, and is well worth a look.
Next is the Pretemps Final over three miles. The favourite here is David Pipe’s Our Father currently priced at 4’s. However, there is plenty of talent in this field and it is well worth a look around the market. The second favourite is Buena Vista, again from the Pipe yard. His form doesn’t show much talent, but he is rated well down the weights with the jockey, Tom Bellamy, claiming another 10lbs off his back. There has been money for this horse and it has gone under the radar; keep an eye on his price tomorrow. An Irish horse in with a squeak is Thehillofuisneach and is well worth some each way money at 12’s.
The Ryanair Chase is off at 14:40 and is run over two mile five. The favourite for this one is Riverside Theatre which sees Barry Gerraghty and Nicky Henderson team up to maintain their festival form so far. There is no doubt that this is a decent horse, but it is beatable. Irish punter’s eyes may light up when they see Rubi Light priced 8’s, but I wouldn’t be too keen on him as he really does rely on boggy ground. The crafty Paul Nolan of Wexford presents Noble Prince to the market and is definitely worth a look. The horse I like though is Medermit who will be ridden by Choc Thornton. Alan King had him entered in the Gold cup but decided to run him here instead. Watch his price as could well fall from the 7/1 pricing. He has good form and shouldn’t be far away.
Next is the Ladbrokes World Hurdle over three miles. The nap for the day has to be the punters hero Big Bucks. This horse has not been beaten since unseating his rider in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 2008. Give him a break, he was only 5! Now, at the ripe old age of 9, he is a machine. I cannot see this horse being beaten, but I said that about Hurricane too! Each way value lies with Thousand Stars. Oscar Whisky should also run a decent race.
The second last race of the day is the Byrne Group Plate over two mile five. This is a fairly open contest and will be tough to call. I like the look of Crackawayjack at 7’s currently. He is a good horse, has won at the track, but has only one run this term. Again, keep an eye on his price to see what the big boys do. Niceonefrankie definitely deserves some each way interest and Jessica Harrington has been pretty sweet on him for the last week or so.
Finally is the Fulke Walwyn Challenge Cup over three mile one and a half. Wide open again but there is value to be had. The favourite, Sunnyhillboy, is priced at 8’s and I reckon has a good enough chance. The other one I would have a look at is Faasel, priced at 12’s, from David Pipe. He won last time out in Doncaster on similar ground and that was only his second run of the season. Pipe has brought back a couple of horses from long lay-offs this year and I think this one could click for him in the festival.
There are real chances to make a few bob today so box clever and plan carefully. Skin them.
Go n-éíri an t-ádh libh!
