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Can you shed any light on "M A Watt" by any chance Jeremy? Quite taken with the form of Lord of Illusion from last season and horses often run better than the odds/form seem to suggest first time out for a new yard and at 33’s he looks a big enough price each-way.
Very very little to go on in recent years here, Irish. Michael Watts hasn’t had a runner of any description in 2009-10, and Lord Of Illusion is the only horse he’s got registered to hunt (with the Carmarthenshire) or point so far this season.
The gelding has presumably been ready or close to ready to run for a few weeks, as he was entered up in the Vale Of Clettwr point-to-point at Erw Lon on February 6th, but never turned out.
The same venue is holding the Carmarthenshire’s meeting this Saturday, so you’ve got to read what you will into the fact Watts is eschewing the likely easier pickings of Erw Lon in favour of Ffos Las today – is he confident that Lord Of Illusion is fit and well enough to nail these even without a prep run, or has he been drawn in by today’s prizemoney?
Watts had a single solitary runner last pointing season – Eastwell Violet (20-1) pulled up at halfway in a Llandeilo Farmers Restricted point back at Erw Lon on Grand National Day.
HTH,
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Thanks Jeremy – sounds like an interesting runner and looks the type to benefit from the "hands on" one to one approach of this particular type of trainer
Now that I don’t know!
Doesn’t seem to be any "trainer is a liability" sort of comments in last year’s Mackenzie & Harris regarding Mr Watts, but at the same time I’m not sure of his history prior to 2008-9, if there is one – Eastwell Violet pointed for HJ Barton before that season, and ran under Rules for Alison Thorpe earlier still.gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I see Chesnut Annie and Isabel are in that race; hope they do well. Would they qualify for Cheltenham if they did? I’ve no idea how horses qualify for that sort of thing.
Aye, they did alright, didn’t they! Absolutely thrilled with that performance – easily the best she’s jumped over Rules fences and forced them all into mistakes in behind.
Still appeals as more of a Dunraven Bowl sort of horse than a Cheltenham Foxhunters one to me, though, as I can’t imagine nothing else will try to take her on in the latter.
As regards qualification for the big one at HQ, her stack of Open point wins had already made her eligible umpteen times over. However, today’s hunter chase win could prove decisive if balloting ensues at the overnight stage – point-only winners are at a disadvantage in that regard.
Atta girl!!
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Hurrah; I’m so chuffed for them…..however, was going to go and have an ew but was too tired having done a double shift at work [have just fallen asleep in the bath….still, it was good news to wake up to, and at least I didn’t drown…]. I noticed that the price had been dropping considerably, even though they were up against some big names. Hope it’s on ATR replay!
Yeah, nines was a bit shorter than might have been expected in a field of that quality, unless the local money (and to a far, far lesser extent mine!) had a bearing.
Incidentally, I’m still under strict instructions from Zoz to kidnap Chesnut Annie the next time I see her in action so that said TRFfer can keep her as her own.
I suspect I might not have the opportunity of doing so from some Welsh pointing venue for quite some time now!
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Likewise, Moe. A fragile horse at the best of times (just his 15th career run EVER today) without tasking a perler like that.
No mention of injury in the
Post
‘s comments in running. However, Mackenzie and Harris do their own race-reading for hunter chases to go into the
Loose-Leaf Update
, so I expect Martin Harris, who was coincidentally duty commentator today, would have made it his business to confirm the wellbeing or otherwise of all casualities for that publication at the very least.
I’ll let you know if I find out anything over the next few days.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Not much of the weekend’s pointing programme survived, as you can probably imagine, but one horse that did manage to get his last pre-Cheltenham prep run in was Amicelli, who won the Mens Open at Brocklesby Park, North Lincolnshire, on Saturday.
Omen-spotters will point to the fact he won the same race in 2008 before landing the Foxhunters a month later (he also fell in the same race last year). However, whilst his was the fastest winning time of the day once again, he made pretty hard work of putting away a marathon specialist in Teeton Bollinger (all 2009 wins over 3m6f+), and I’m yet to be convinced fully that he’s quite back to his best of the previous two seasons. Maybe on the big day…?
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
I emailed the trained re Murphy and got the following pretty instant reponse – good news……..
bumping into him in mid-air, but is unscathed and will head to either Fontwell or Leicester for his pre-Cheltenham
race.Many thanks for your concern
Splendid news – ta, Mort. Grand of connections to be that forthcoming. I can also confirm that he is one of 22 entered for the Fuller’s London Pride Foxhunters Trial at Fontwell on Sunday, so it certainly appears he’s none the worse and ready for action again.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Ah, fastest finger got there first, GD!
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
How quickly we can forget. Is it really only 15 months since Island Flyer was sent off favourite for the Hennessy Gold Cup? Indeed it is.
Having struggled to follow up his nose second in the Badger Ales Trophy the race before that during the rest of 2008-9, I can confirm that Tom George’s chaser – now in the care of wife Sophie – is set to reappear in points at either Howick (near Chepstow) or Chaddesley Corbett (Worcestershire) this coming Sunday. Still young-ish, and without the handicapper to dance all over him, I think he could have a decent future in this sphere. 2008 Cheltenham Foxhunters second Bon Accord is entered in both races as well and would rate the threat were they to clash.
Even more eyecatching on the Chaddesley card is the former 160-rated hurdler Mister Banjo, now 14 years old and only twice raced since April 2004. Both of those runs resulted in easy wins in point-to-points, however, the last of which was at Chaddesley almost exactly two years ago.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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