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With the National Hunt season around the corner I thought I’d start a thread with the aim of identifying a horse to follow in each division. Unsurprisingly I’ve gone for four Irish horses. Believe me when I say it was a struggle to pick anything from outside Willie Mullins’ stable: call it blinkered, biased, whatever you like but there is an amazing amount of young talent in the yard.
<b>Novice Hurdler: Faugheen</b>
<b>Older Hurdler: Annie Power</b>
<b>
Novice Chaser: Defy LogicOlder Chaser: Sir Des Champs</b>
Cracking little novice chase at Listowel there. The first three should all win races this season. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Toner D’Oudairies at Cheltenham in October
Comiserations to connections of Killyglass, fatally injured at Stratford today. Looked to have a very bright future and it looked like a complete freak injury.
With the National Hunt season around the corner I thought I’d start a thread with the aim of identifying a horse to follow in each division. Unsurprisingly I’ve gone for four Irish horses. Believe me when I say it was a struggle to pick anything from outside Willie Mullins’ stable: call it blinkered, biased, whatever you like but there is an amazing amount of young talent in the yard.
Novice Hurdler: Faugheen
Older Hurdler: Annie Power
Novice Chaser: Defy Logic
Older Chaser: Sir Des Champs
Absolutely giddy with excitement about the new jumps season. There are so many young horses that look capable of producing some special over the coming months.
No better place to start than the unbeaten Annie Power. Blew away all opposition last year – I genuinely think she could have been placed in the Supreme Novices or the Champion Hurdle last year if she had gone that route. Destroyed Don Cossock and Defy Logic. She can take her pick of the Supreme Novices, the Mares hurdle or the Champion Hurdle. Hope connections don’t take the conservative option of the mares hurdle.
Other top novice hurdlers to watch are Blackmail, Briar Hill, Empiracle, Minella Foru (who won a very strong P2P in Lemonfield with On Blueberry Hill back in fourth, and won an impressive Maiden Hurdle today in Listowel), Empiracle, West Wizard and Akorakor.
From an up and coming chasers perspective; 2 Irish horses interest me. Rebel Fitz looks a class act – beautiful looking animal and has jumped very impressively in some early season beginners chases. We’ll know if he’s an Arkle contender by the end of the Autumn as Mick Winters plans to bringing him to Cheltenham November meeting. The other one that caught the eye last year was Bright New Dawn. Big scopey, long-striding horse that was born and bred to jump fences. Looks like he’ll stay too so maybe RSA potential.
In terms of the more obvious ones to watch it will be fascinating to watch the Champion Hurdle contenders progress – The New One, My Tent or Yours, Jezki, Our Conor etc. as well as the contenders for Bob’s Worth’s title – will Simon Sig be the one to add to the mix?
Can’t wait…
I am looking forward to My Tent Or Yours cruising through the small-field trials, being hyped into odds-on favouritism for the Champion and then dogging it yet again in March.
I’ll be adding to the MTOY lay fund every month!
I am looking forward to My Tent Or Yours cruising through the small-field trials, being hyped into odds-on favouritism for the Champion and then dogging it yet again in March.
I’ll be adding to the MTOY lay fund every month!
If you’re so confident of that TYF you can put up some 7/1 for me to tuck into
I’ll be interested to see how Hidden Cyclone fares this season. He looked a horse of immense talent a couple of years ago but disappointed last season, maybe his recent win will rebuff his confidence and he can show everyone the horse he promised to be this time around.
This
Clean Sheet
acquired from the Enda Bolger yard could be the latest in the McManus-Henderson novice hurdle machine to follow this term, although
West Wizard
from Seven Barrows is another obvious one of interest.
Diamond King
from the McCain yard looked electric in his bumper wins last term and is another on my radar.
Moyle Park
could also go well from the all-conquering Willie Mullins stable in staying novice hurdles, with the Albert Bartlett being a possible final destination for him.
My Tent Or Yours
is my massive fancy for the Champion Hurdle, and given Nicky’s recent record of novice hurdlers strengthening over the summer and maturing into top 2 milers I think there’s plenty of improvement to come out of an already exceptional prospect.
Un Atout
and
Bright New Dawn
hold significant interest going chasing for me on a personal level, both of whom I expect big things from and could end in festival triumphs in March in the Jewson and RSA respectively.
Chatterbox
is very much a dark horse so to speak and achieved plenty in a relatively light campaign last year. He could be a smart prospect over fences.
First Lieutenant
could be regarded as last season’s ‘unlucky horse’ considering that he never got his conditions and was placed poorly in his festival race. At a good ground festival I make him a big Gold Cup player still. I’ve also had a fiver on
Same Difference
for the Gold Cup at silly odds on Betfair, albeit not expecting any returns. I don’t think it’s as ridiculous a bet as it sounds however, as I see plenty of improvement to come from him. I can see him contesting plenty of the big staying handicaps, including possibly the Hennessy and Welsh National, which, with improvement, could lead to him at least lining up at Cheltenham in similar fashion to the ill-fated
Synchronised
, and we all know what happened there. I also hope
Al Ferof
can return well from injury and show himself to be a major force in staying chases.
Green Flag
is considered as one to follow from Lucinda Russell’s yard. Rated 132 as a hurdler, he’s expected to step up on that once going chasing and is likely to make his mark in staying novice chase ranks this season.
One that impressed me at the Arlary Open Day was
Clondaw Knight
who schooled very impressively in front of the Racing Club members gathered. He rated good enough to be taken to Cheltenham for his bumper debut but didn’t cut any ice there. He ran thrice in hurdle races and the form doesn’t look to exciting, but to my eye he has developed over the summer and seems to have got it right between the ears now.
I’ll post my 20-ish to follow from Scotland and the North of England on the Notebooks sections in the next few days.
Rob
Been looking at some of the bumpers from Ireland last spring. The trio Akorakor, Made In Germany and Concordin (who was runner up to both others) should be above average novice hurdlers imo.
I am looking forward to My Tent Or Yours cruising through the small-field trials, being hyped into odds-on favouritism for the Champion and then dogging it yet again in March.
I’ll be adding to the MTOY lay fund every month!
I’m adding to the Back fund myself TYF,if he gets to Cheltenham in March he’s the biggest certainty of the festival.He’s only just come back in and he’s a different horse to the one who finished his season in April,if ‘Sprinter Sacre’ is a Bugatti Veyron then MTOY is a Bentley Continental GT Speed. On good ground he’ll hack round granted a better gallop than last year,it wasn’t the soft ground that beat him this year it was the gallop,they just never went quick enough for him in the ‘Supreme’.TAPK sitting on a 33/1 voucher and its already burning a hole in my pocket.He’ll do it for ‘Darlan’!
I would expect better things from ROLLING STAR did not show best form in triumph but be stronger now maybe ew bet in champion hurdle.
WHISPER and OSCAR WHISKEY to be top class over fences this season
MADE IN GERMANY and DEVILS PRIDE as well both be better over fences can do well over hurdles too.
JUST A PAR from Paul Nicholls yard too.
I am looking forward to My Tent Or Yours cruising through the small-field trials, being hyped into odds-on favouritism for the Champion and then dogging it yet again in March.
I’ll be adding to the MTOY lay fund every month!
I’m adding to the Back fund myself TYF,if he gets to Cheltenham in March he’s the biggest certainty of the festival.He’s only just come back in and he’s a different horse to the one who finished his season in April,if ‘Sprinter Sacre’ is a Bugatti Veyron then MTOY is a Bentley Continental GT Speed. On good ground he’ll hack round granted a better gallop than last year,it wasn’t the soft ground that beat him this year it was the gallop,they just never went quick enough for him in the ‘Supreme’.TAPK sitting on a 33/1 voucher and its already burning a hole in my pocket.He’ll do it for ‘Darlan’!
When and where did you get 33/1??
Annie power 20/1 is the pick for me, an absolute machine of a mare…I am looking forward to My Tent Or Yours cruising through the small-field trials, being hyped into odds-on favouritism for the Champion and then dogging it yet again in March.
I’ll be adding to the MTOY lay fund every month!
I’m adding to the Back fund myself TYF,if he gets to Cheltenham in March he’s the biggest certainty of the festival.He’s only just come back in and he’s a different horse to the one who finished his season in April,if ‘Sprinter Sacre’ is a Bugatti Veyron then MTOY is a Bentley Continental GT Speed. On good ground he’ll hack round granted a better gallop than last year,it wasn’t the soft ground that beat him this year it was the gallop,they just never went quick enough for him in the ‘Supreme’.TAPK sitting on a 33/1 voucher and its already burning a hole in my pocket.He’ll do it for ‘Darlan’!
When and where did you get 33/1??
Annie power 20/1 is the pick for me, an absolute machine of a mare…Pointer, those with the credentials to spot a good’un picked up the big prices prior to MTOY hosing up in one of the seasons hottest handicaps – The Befair. Honestly, if he gets there in one piece they wont see which way he goes!
Someone on here even managed to bag 66’s….
Been looking at some of the bumpers from Ireland last spring. The trio Akorakor, Made In Germany and Concordin (who was runner up to both others) should be above average novice hurdlers imo.
Concordin is entered in a two mile maiden hurdle at Clonmel next Thursday. Also entered is Henry De Bromhead’s Miller Of Glanmire. I heard great things about him before his debut flop, and was duly stung, so I’ll be thorny enough if he bites me in the ass next week! A lot better is expected of him when he runs again, but to me he looked like a horse to avoid, and if he runs against Concordin I can only hope that means a better price on Robert Tyner’s animal.
Willie Mullins’ impressive maiden hurdle winner,
Vicky De L’Oasis
, is also entered on the same card.
Teelin Star
, who went off hot favourite for the Gigginstown bumper at Fairyhouse but whose reputation has been somewhat deflated since, is entered in a 2 mile beginners chase at Sligo on Wednesday.
Ipsos Du Berlais
and
Minsk
both entered in a beginners chase at Roscommon on Monday.
"… like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains."
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