The meterologists have been out in force in the last seven days and the weather has been nothing short of desperate. Many of the week's fixtures have been cancelled and hope for a bit of rest bite is on it's way for the weekend.
The Hennessy weekend is always full of anticipation and excitement, the quality of racing on show will again aid us in finding future champions at the Cheltenham festival.
On with the card...
Newbury (Going:Soft at the time of posting this)
1.25pm The Fulke Walwyn Trophy 2m 6f 110y
SIZING SANTIAGO is a very interesting runner here. For me he makes most appeal due to his progressive profile and the fact he can jump a fence or two. This Accordian gelding expressed himself well over fences last time out and stayed on well in the finish over the 22 furlong trip at this very track on soft ground to land a competitive race. A replication of that performance will certainly put him in the mix here. SIZING SANTIAGO is running off the same handicap mark and is nicely weighted. I was also taken by his excellent run at Cheltenham the time before last over the 3 mile trip. With what we have seen so far it looks like trip, ground and track are all positives. An excellent chance and could be one to put in your notebooks for future reference.
2.00pm Sporting Bet Handicap 2m 3f
Philip Hobbs has certainly got his yard in ship shape at present with the likes of Captain Chris and Wishful Thinking winning recently and it looks like he may indeed have another in the shape of PRINCELY PLAYER. This hurdler has put in an excellent performance on his reappearance last time out at Kempton. He travelled well throughout and just couldn't land the killer blow near the finish. His form at the back end of last season was also good when beating King Edmund at Exeter on soft ground, that horse is now rated around the 140 mark which illustrates more progress can come from PRINCELY PLAYER who beat King Edmund by three and a quarter lengths. With the yard in form and the likely going I see him in with a winning chance.
3.10pm Hennessy Gold Cup (Class 1) (Grade 3 Handicap) 3m 2f
The annual renewal of this race is always something to behold, a true test of jockeyship and bravery coupled with a strong, gallant horse who can jump consistently and still have enough in the 'tank' to win this prestigious race. The operative word is 'tank' and what great memories we have of Denman probably my favourite jumps racehorse of all time. Nicknamed the 'Tank' and 'Bull' he won this prize on two separate occasions and in the process bringing a tear to my eye in the 2009 renewal when carrying top weight, made most of the running ans stayed on to win by over three lengths (just watched it back again!). Anyway, what about 2012? I hear you cry! Well it's tough, not least because of the ground conditions but also because of the handicappers assessment of some of these. FIRST LIEUTENANT would be my most solid tip. Has always been a horse I've thought a hell of a lot of but as yet he hasnt quite gone on and delivered in all his races. However, the trip and ground for me wont inhibit his chances too much nor wil the weight his carrying. On form he had a terrific end to last season when running an absloute blinder behind Bob's Worth in the RSA Chase and that form is standout for me. I realise Bobs Worth lines up against him again but I'm not convinced that he likes this sort of ground over an extended 3 miles. FIRST LIEUTENANT also has the benefit of a run in the JN Wine chase at Down Royal over the 3 miles. In this race he showed yet again what a fighter he is in the finish losing by a length to a potentially classy Kauto Stone. In short a solid, strong travelling horse who will give all he's got in the finish. DIAMOND HARRY, now here's a horse who is nothing short of enigmatic. To be frank if he can run up to his rating of 152 back in 2010 where he won this race then he quite clearly will take all the beating at a current big price. However, a word of warning, he's been pulled up on his last three starts and hasn't ran anywhere like his best in his previous five starts. Consequently, on that premiss it may look like a bad bet. If you believe he can recapture his old self with ground he likes and with a featherweight on his back then DIAMOND HARRY could indeed be the bet of the NH season so far at 25/1. Me, I still believe...
Comments
Post a Comment