A top class card at Newbury yesterday saw some quite brilliant racing, and despite being a bit late to the party I thought I’d have a quick look back at the action and of course how it will have affected things for the Cheltenham Festival next month. To keep things simple I’ll work in race order, starting with what most people regarded as the best performance of the day.
Sprinter Sacre Steals The Headlines
It was a performance of class, dominance, incredible raw talent. The business or the real deal, to steal a couple phrases from jockey Barry Geraghty. However you want to sum it up, it was further evidence that Sprinter Sacre is firmly one of the best – if not the best – novice chasers we have seen this season. One small negative that could be made, if I was being ultra fussy, is that he took a keen pull at the start. But once sent to the front he wore down his opponents whilst barely exerting himself. He jumped with the same electricity as we saw at Kempton and he cruised over the line still on the bridle. Despite this, he broke the course record and left everybody wondering just how special this horse could be. The bookmakers were quick to react as his price for the Arkle contracted once again. He’s now even money with several firms, but can be backed at 6/4 with Ladbrokes. It’s really quite difficult to envisage him getting beaten at the festival now, but my personal opinion is it would be foolish to write off Peddlers Cross. When a horse gets as close to Hurricane Fly as Peddlers did in last year’s Champion Hurdle you have to afford plenty of respect. At this stage I’d have to favour Sprinter Sacre but won’t be making my mind up about this race just yet. All I know is we’re set for a red-hot renewal for this year’s Arkle.
Long Run Receives Mixed Reaction
In the Betfair Denman Chase Long Run scraped home to record a narrow victory that wouldn’t have been comfortable viewing for backers of the 4/7 shot. There mixed reaction to the race, with plenty of people being fairly unimpressed with last year’s Gold Cup winner. His jumping has often been cited as his achilles heel, but to me he looked to jump fairly well and I felt it was a decent ride from amateur Sam Waley-Cohen. Several firms pushed Long Run out slightly but to me he is still the most likely winner with Cheltenham sure to suit him more. Burton Port ran a massive race, recording a 1-2 for trainer Nicky Henderson, but just failing to get the better of Long Run. Coming from a lengthy absence it was a taking performance that puts him in the Gold Cup frame behind the big two. He was receiving weight, and despite the lay-off it would still take a huge effort to reverse the result with Long Run. Long Run is a best priced 5/2 with Betfred.
Zarkandar Rallies To Land Valuable Prize
The big race of the day was the Betfair Hurdle. A hugely valuable race that was always sure to be a fiercely competitive affair. Zarkandar had topped the market since the early ante post prices, with last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner looking to maintain his unbeaten record. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls had made it clear that he wasn’t fully primed for this race, with the Champion Hurdle being his target for the season. The race was ran at a frustratingly slow pace at the start and wouldn’t have suited Zarkandar. Ruby Walsh kept him up to his task however, and he surged through late to make it three winning favourites from three at Newbury. Without doubt it was a blow for the bookies. It’s difficult to know where Zarkandar now stands in the pecking order for the Champion Hurdle. He didn’t win all that impressively, but then this was a hugely competitive handicap that wasn’t run to suit. For me he’ll simply be joining the others fighting for a place behind Hurricane Fly.
Montbazon Boosts Supreme Claims
In a tight looking novice hurdle we saw Montbazon show real strength to land the spoils from Vulcanite. Tolworth runner-up Colour Squadron looked well in contention when falling and it then become a battle between the the front two. Many people would have been looking for Vulcanite to win, having impressed when a facile winner last time out, and having been selected by Pricewise. However, he was forced to take the lead and it likely didn’t suit as Montbazon pulled seven lengths clear at the end, with All The Aces a further six lengths behind in third. I know trainer Alan King likes Montbazon and it’s fair to say the way he battled to victory will help him in the Supreme. For me, though, I can’t see the winner coming from this race. I’d expect a better performance from Vulcanite at Cheltenham but can’t see any of these winning.
Knock A Hand Battles To Game Success
In the ‘Betfair Supports Walking With The Wounded Handicap Hurdle’ Knock A Hand battled to victory over Gullinbursti. Under a strong ride from Richard Johnson the horse completed a five-timer and showed a likeable attitude. Gullinbursti has also been impressive this season, only failing to beat the potentially smart Rocky Creek last time. The pair both put in their all and gave us a thrilling finish. Both of them might not be finished winning yet, but my gut feeling is they will be lacking a bit of class if tackling the major races at Cheltenham. The Albert Bartlett would be the obvious choice and I’d expect a few to be too good for this pair if they decide to take their chance.
For Non Stop Keeps On Going
In the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novice Chase For Non Stop put a series of second-placed efforts behind him to finally record a victory over fences. His form has read ‘F222′ but he’s lost little in defeat when going down to horses such as Al Ferof and Cue Card. Whilst this Grade 1 looked competitive, it was perhaps an easier assignment than previous races. Walkon was sent off favourite but disappointed somewhat. For Non Stop received a patient ride from Noel Fehily and came home strongly to take victory from Michael Flips. It was a deserved success for this tough and consistent horse, who now heads to the Cheltenham Festival as a Grade 1 winner. The Jewson looks the target at Cheltenham and he appears good value at 8/1 with William Hill. With several runners still in the market who are likely to have other targets he represents solid value for me.
Shutthefrontdoor Gets Up Under Brilliant McCoy
The concluding race of the day saw what could prove to be one of the hottest bumpers of the season. Multiple winners lined up again with Shutthefrontdoor going off a narrow favourite in the famous McManus colours. The race also featured the fascinating Gevrey Chambertin, a full brother to Grands Crus who bolted up on debut. It was Chambertin who took up the running and showed a great attitude when fighting all the way to the line. The Philip Hobbs trained Village Vic had looked the likely winner when traveling ominously. However it was a potential ride of the week candidate from Tony McCoy as he somehow managed to rally Shutthefrontdoor to get his neck ahead over the line. Just hours earlier McCoy had taken a nasty looking full on Darlan in the Betfair Hurdle, so it was a sign of incredible strength that he was up and riding a winner just a few races later. I’m not sure which of these will go for the Champion Bumper but I suspect we may see several winners come out of this race.