Thursday, March 15, 2012

Cheltenham Festival 2012 - Friday

I just can't believe it - one false keystroke and Blogger has erased all my input!

Revised much briefer notes...

The highlight of the week is the Gold Cup. Paul Nicholls said earlier today on Radio 5 that his stable is out of form (despite Rock On Ruby and Big Buck's) but Nicky Henderson is having something of a ball with six winners in the bag already. I'm sure Kauto Star has been given the kid-glove treatment but Long Run is the percentage call. The top-rated pair have 15 pounds and upwards in hand over the rest of their rivals. Best each-way chance may be Weird Al (12/1 Ladbrokes) who disappointed in this race last year but is now with Donald McCain. I confess to having taken a small each-way interest in The Giant Bolster at 66/1.

Invariably the Triumph is tricky and often a very rough race and this year's renewal looks no diferent. It should prove informative looking to the future.

In the County I'll take a small each-way interest in Magnifique Etoile (25/1 Boylesports). I met Calum Madell who owns a small share in this one at the recent Haydock preview evening; Calum writes theyoungracegoer.com while his colleague James Yeddell writes thestableview.wordpress.com. Calum thinks Magnifique Etoile has seven to nine pounds of improvement in him. Another reasonably handicapped from the same yard is Grandads Horse who goes in the conditional jockeys' race at 4.40 but 16/1 about Henderson's Molotov looks tempting given this one had entries in some of the better novice hurdles run earlier in the week.

I was surprised to see Boston Bob declared for the Albert Bartlett rather than the Neptune - he looks a worthy favourite; I would have bet Rocky Creek if I could have been certan of the stable form. C4 presenter Tanya Stevenson has tipped up Fox Appeal for this.

And finally, in the finale, Ferdy Murphy's De Boitron would be worth an each-way interest at 11/1 with SkyBet.

Good luck everyone for this the final day of the 2012 Festival!

1 comment:

GeeDee said...

Kauto Star (3/1) was pulled up, while Long Run (7/4f) was unable to reach last year's heights in third. For a moment or two my speculative 66/1 about The Giant Bolster looked as though it might come off big time but I had to settle for second as McCoy got a fine tune out of Synchronised (8/1) to take this year's Gold Cup. Weird Al (8/1) didn't run well and, on balance, doesn't look up to this class.

Magnifique Etoile (10/1) finished tenth in the County while Boston Bob (6/5f) had no answer to the front running tactics of Brindisi Breeze (7/1).

Nicky Henderson saddled three of the first four home in the concluding Johhny Henderson Grand Annual with De Boitron (14/1) claiming sixth.