Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Cheltenham Festival 2021 - Wednesday

The Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (1.20)

It's generally accepted that Bob Olinger was the the last victim of Billy the Kid - who also happened to be known as William H Bonney. 

Trained by Alan King, William H Bonney finished well beaten in a handicap chase at Newbury two weeks ago ('went modest fourth two out') while Bob Olinger, trained by Henry De Bromhead, has been chalked up favourite for tomorrow's Ballymore Novices' Hurdle with just seven set to face the starter at 1.20.

Bob was impressive in the Lawlor's of  Naas Novices' Hurdle last time, looking particularly slick over his hurdles. Given the manner in which the Irish novices dominated the Supreme earlier today, confidence will be sky high for this.

On official ratings Gaillard Du Mesnil, trained by W P Mullins, is one pound ahead of the favourite while the Paul Nicholls trained Bravemansgame looked a good winner of the Challow at Newbury over Christmas and is rated five pounds ahead of the favourite by the Racing Post.

Paul Nicholls considers Bravemansgame his best chance of a winner at the meeting and Sky Bet are offering money back as cash (to a maximum £10) if your horse loses.

Bravemansgame is my risk-free play against Bob Olinger with Sky Bet, quoted a 7/2 chance at the time of writing.

The Brown Advisory Novices' Chase (1.55)

Monkfish has looked exceptional this season and goes into the Brown Advisory (1.55) a long odds-on chance; the race makes little appeal as a betting medium. It's worth noting only three favourites have obliged in the past decade.

Team Tizzard have suffered a torrid time of it all this term but signs of resurgence are there to be seen.

Harry Cobden has described The Big Breakaway as the best horse he has sat on so, with an eye to the future, I'll watch this one closely along with Sporting John who looked a little raw on only his second chase start in the Scilly Isles at Sandown last time but still managed to win going away from Shan Blue (quoted 15/2 for the Marsh Novices' Chase on Thursday) and should be suited by this step up in trip.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.05) 

Chacun Pour Soi is a talented if fragile individual who was withdrawn on the morning of this race last year suffering from an abscess on the foot. On form he's the one to beat and he's priced accordingly but it's worth noting this is his first run at the track and there look to be some tempting prices about decent horses in this field.   

Altior isn't of them though, having been withdrawn yesterday following a dirty scope.

The going was changed to good to soft, soft in places after the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle this afternoon and, judging by the breeze battering Oli Bell and Chris Hughes on ITV's Social Stable, we can continue to expect the ground to dry out pretty quickly. 

Odds-on shot Defi Du Seuil failed to fire in last season's renewal run on soft ground, allowing Politologue to make all and win. 

Paul Nicholls' grey beat stablemate Greaneteen in the Tingle Creek (Rouge Vif third) but was comprehensively beaten by First Flow in the Clarence House at Ascot last time. 

David Bass gave Kim Bailey's charge an inspired ride that day; to date this one has shown his best form on soft / heavy ground but connections feel First Flow might prefer slightly better ground now he's that little bit older. The main worry is he would appear to prefer racing right-handed. 

Put The Kettle On won the Arkle over course and distance last year and is three from three at the track. The mare's defeat of Duc Des Genievres on her penultimate start was workmanlike (five lengths down two out) and she finished third behind Chacun Pour Soi and stablemate Notebook at Leopardstown over Christmas. She has shown her form on good ground, soft ground and everything in-between.

Sceaux Royale will certainly appreciate better ground. He finished a well beaten fifth behind Politologue last year but was a highly creditable third behind Altior in 2019. 16/1 is of interest for each-way betting purposes.

Rouge Vif at 28/1 (in places) is big but he's ground dependent and  I'm not certain it will have dried out sufficiently. 

His victory over course and distance on good ground in the Bentley Flying Spur Handicap Chase last October was particularly impressive. 

Just over a year ago he beat Nube Negra in the Kingmaker at Warwick but finished well behind Dan Skelton's charge in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas. The yard was going through a lean spell at the time but is in much better form now. 

It's noticeable layers aren't offering extra each-way places this race. 

A blog going under the name of PG's Tips really should tip up Put The Kettle On but 28/1 Rouge Vif is too tempting.

For those with a particularly strong constitution, Rouge Vif is the each-way selection (28/1 Bet Victor, three places).

Coral Cup (2.30)

Pressed for time, I haven't given this race the attention it requires. 

Top weight Thomas Darby has to give six pounds and upwards to the field but regular contributor TW makes a cogent case for this one:

Numbers have held up and a field of 26 is likely to go to post with system selection Thomas Darby [TD] heading the weights with 11-12. Whisper carried 11-11 in 2014 and William Henry 11-10 in 2019 to success and overall the quality of horse winning this race looks to have improved.

TD is quite lightly raced for an 8yo and this is only his 2nd try in a handicap. He never took to the bigger fences but his hurdle form is very good. Runner up in the 2019 Supreme, won his only handicap start [off 151, 4lbs higher today] giving 2lbs when beating the more than useful Song For Someone at Ascot over this sort of trip & ground. Since that handicap win TD has performed with credit in 3 graded stake races. TD has raced twice in big fields [11+ runners] winning one and 2nd in the other. His Cheltenham record from two runs is 12. He has never finished out of the first 3 [albeit some of these were small field affairs] and never been further than 5L behind the winner in hurdle races. He comes here a fresh horse [won after lay offs of 54 and 169 days]. He wears cheek pieces for the 1st time.

Nicky Henderson has won the last two renewals and Craigneiche, Birchdale, Monte Cristo and Janika all have their chances. The last-named ran a bit of a stinker at Ascot last time but was rated 164 on his last chase start (February 2020) yet comes into this with a mark of 145. Burbank carried my money in the 2018 renewal when trained by Henderson; he finished seventh that day behind Bleu Berry with Topofthegame second.

Grand Roi heads the market but I always think this is a tough race for five-year-olds. 

Shakem Up'Arry falls into that age bracket and will presumably be given a more prominent ride by David Bass after being held up in the Betfair Hurdle. Metier finished 12 lengths ahead in the Tolworth but did nothing for that form earlier today.

I'm going to take an each-way interest in Chepstow Silver Trophy winner Tea Clipper. 

Tom Lacey's charge beat Flash The Steel in south Wales but then finished behind that opponent on revised terms at Newbury in November. He'll appreciate drying ground and was freshened up in a jumpers' bumper won by Proschema at Newcastle last month. The yard is quite quiet at the moment but compared to some in this field he looks relatively unexposed.

Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair pay seven places and at the time of writing offer 40/1.

Tea Clipper is the each-way selection. 

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Day 2

Day 1: Invested 3.0 PTS, Returned 0.0 PTS, Net -3.0 PTS

On the back foot after the first day.

This morning’s going update is Good to soft.

Ballymore Novices' Hurdle

“Shocked by the complete annihilation of the British novices in the opener - both Metier and Soaring Glory out of contention three from home.”

Given your observation perhaps the writing is on the wall but Bravemansgame has not done too much wrong, 4/1 still looks a decent bet and I’ll be joining you in taking an interest. I feel the drying conditions may be a help to the selection with the two leading Irish horses having only raced on deeper ground.

1 PT Win Bravemansgame 4/1 B365

Brown Advisory Novices' Chase

Monkfish sets a clear standard, Sporting John could be the one to chase him home, a race to watch for me.

Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle

Thomas Darby is my main selection but I cannot help myself from also taking a small EW interest in Nelson River. Fourth in the 2019 Triumph Hurdle NR needs to prove himself at this trip but if he can handle it [breeding suggests he could] then he might run a huge race at odds of 100/1+

1PT EW Thomas Darby 14/1 6 places 1/5 odds [Ladbrokes]
0.25PT EW Nelson River 100/1 6 places ¼ odds [BET365]

Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase

Chacun Pour Soi [CPS] is, unsurprisingly, the system idea of the most likely winner and the lightly raced 9yo may win in a canter. He is short enough in the betting for a horse that has never made it to Cheltenham and clearly, given his limited racecourse appearances, he has, as you noted, some fragilities.

At much longer odds I’m going to take a chance on Politologue [P] who deserves a medal just for making it to 6 consecutive festivals. P certainly won a weak renewal last year and his unexpected defeat by First Flow [FF] in the Clarence House cannot be seen as a positive. The ground was pretty testing at Ascot and with the drying conditions the going in this race may favour P over FF.

Even if CPS fails to deliver other threats abound but I’ll take a chance win only.

1PT Win Politologue 12/1 VC


Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase

Ashutor ticks a lot of the system boxes and his performances stepped up a gear when switched to chasing last summer [won 2 out the 4 he contested]. Had a nice break since September before being given a pipe opener at the end of February. This will certainly be a lot tougher than pottering around Fontwell but that is factored in to the odds.

Tea Clipper looks another good EW play and a fitting alternative to Put The Kettle On!

0.5PT EW Ashutor 33/1 5 places 1/5 odds B365

Good luck

TW

Anonymous said...

RTG,Horse,WC%
176,BRAVEMANSGAME(FR),47.1
165,GAILLARD DU MESNIL(FR),16.3
167,BEAR GHYLLS(IRE),14.7
166,BOB OLINGER(IRE),8.4
159,DOES HE KNOW(GB),7.3
155,KESKONRISK(FR),4.7
147,OPTIMISE PRIME(IRE),1.6
,,
RTG,Horse,WC%
190,MONKFISH(IRE),67.2
185,SPORTING JOHN(IRE),12.3
180,THE BIG BREAKAWAY(IRE),9
179,EKLAT DE RIRE(FR),5.1
171,FIDDLERONTHEROOF(IRE),3.9
172,DICKIE DIVER(IRE),2.4
,,
RTG,Horse,WC%
173,THOMAS DARBY(IRE),13
173,CRAIGNEICHE(IRE),6.8
177,GUARD YOUR DREAMS(GB),6.7
171,GRAND ROI(FR),6.2
172,JANIKA(FR),6.2
173,MONTE CRISTO(FR),5.6
173,NELSON RIVER(GB),5.5
171,TEA CLIPPER(IRE),4.9
169,DANS LE VENT(FR),4.7
168,BIRCHDALE(IRE),4.6
171,OUR POWER(IRE),4.4
166,KOSHARI(FR),4.1
170,SHAKEM UP'ARRY(IRE),3
171,PALMERS HILL(IRE),2.7
167,BOTOX HAS(FR),2.6
168,WITNESS PROTECTION(IRE),2.6
167,BOREHAM BILL(IRE),2
162,SAYO(GB),1.9
164,HEAVEN HELP US(IRE),1.8
165,DYSART DIAMOND(IRE),1.7
159,BURBANK(IRE),1.4
164,BREFFNIBOY(FR),1.4
161,SAINT SONNET(FR),1.1
161,GARO DE JUILLEY(FR),1.1
165,ENCORE CHAMPS(IRE),1.1
154,BLUE SARI(FR),0.9
157,SNEAKY GETAWAY(IRE),0.9
162,SHANG TANG(IRE),0.9
,,
RTG,Horse,WC%
192,CHACUN POUR SOI(FR),32.2
186,POLITOLOGUE(FR),17.4
182,CILAOS EMERY(FR),8.6
180,PUT THE KETTLE ON(IRE),8.3
184,FIRST FLOW(IRE),7.7
179,SCEAU ROYAL(FR),7.3
178,NUBE NEGRA(SPA),5.6
179,ROUGE VIF(FR),5.1
179,GREANETEEN(FR),4.1
179,NOTEBOOK(GER),3.6
,,
RTG,Horse,WC%
177,IBLEO(FR),11.4
170,ENTOUCAS(FR),7.3
173,NOT THAT FUISSE(FR),7
172,BUN DORAN(IRE),6.9
173,ASHUTOR(FR),6.7
173,DUC DES GENIEVRES(FR),6.7
171,ON THE SLOPES(GB),6
169,AMOOLA GOLD(GER),5.7
167,EMBITTERED(IRE),5.6
169,CHOSEN MATE(IRE),5.2
169,SKY PIRATE(GB),5.2
172,MOONLIGHTER(GB),5.2
170,SIZING POTTSIE(FR),4.8
170,ZANZA(IRE),4.7
168,OR JAUNE DE SOMOZA(FR),4
167,US AND THEM(IRE),2.8
167,GLEN FORSA(IRE),2
163,CAPUCCIMIX(FR),1.7
166,WESTERN MILLER(IRE),1.2

TW

GeeDee said...

Many thanks for providing your analysis and ratings, TW.

Money for Gaillard Du Mesnil in the Ballymore this morning; we're both playing a Bravemansgame...

Nelson River noted at a huge price.

I offer the following by way of encouragement: considered Not So Sleepy in the Champion yesterday but in the end didn't play; William Hill were paying five places and he finished fifth at odds of 125/1.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Tea Clipper is the each-way selection.

Well done, cracking run....

TW

GeeDee said...

Once again it was the Irish novices to the fore as Bob Olinger (6/4f) was far too quick for Gaillard Du Mesnil (9/4) in the Ballymore; that one in turn finished four and a half lengths ahead of selection Bravemansgame (4/1) who had made the running until two out.

A rough renewal of the Champion Chase. 8/13 favourite Chacun Pour Soi didn't come up the hill as expected, with the result Put The Kettle On (17/2) became the first mare to win the race, holding the late run of Nube Negra (11/1) half a length; Dan Skelton's charge wasn't helped by an untimely stumble at the last. The favourite finished third while selection Rouge Vif (20/1) raced at the head of affairs but a mistake as the pace quickened four from home looked crucial. He appeared on the retreat when badly hampered before the third last and finished last of the nine runners. Politologue was withdrawn in the paddock beforehand and so was unable to defend his crown, connections suspecting the grey had broken a blood vessel.

The Coral Cup went to the appropriately named Heaven Help Us; Paul Hennessy's mare made all to win at odds of 33/1. Craigneiche (17/2) was her closest pursuer, beaten nine lengths, while selection Tea Clipper (33/1) ran creditably to claim third spot.