Saturday, October 09, 2010
IN LOTS of ways, at least for me, today marks the real start of the National Hunt season. I’m at Chepstow and ride seven horses for Paul Nicholls.
We start with one you will not have heard of, Domtaline, in the juvenile hurdle. The plan is simple, he is primed to get us away to a flying start.
Domtaline has come from France, having finished third in a Listed hurdle at Auteuil in May. Fitness shouldn’t be a major worry, considering it isn’t that long since he ran.
He has schooled well and is pleasing Paul at home. There will be no messing, you don’t know how three-year-olds are going to jump, so Domtaline will be near the front throughout and I won’t be risking him getting into any trouble that might be going.
Pennellis, in a handicap hurdle, has no more than an each-way chance. His last run was at Wincanton in February, falling two out when beaten.
Watamu Bay is interesting in a novice chase. He is having a first run for Paul, having previously been with Charlie Mann.
He’s been doing things right at home, but overall we really don’t know where we stand with the majority of the horses at the moment.
We’re simply not sure how fit they are and will be a lot wiser when Chepstow is behind us. You could possibly describe Watamu Bay as our first shot in the dark!
Escort’men has top weight in a handicap hurdle, but is an exciting horse and has earned it. He does takes a fair bite and I won’t be in any hurry. I’m hopeful, top weight or no top weight, that he’ll go close.
Earth Dream, following a spell chasing, now tries his hand at a handicap hurdle. He battled well when winning at Newton Abbot in August and is very fit.
Listen, he’s ordinary and there’s no point dressing him up any other way. But it is that fitness which gives him a real shout, against a number of others who are returning from extended breaks.
Gullible Gordon is strongly fancied for a handicap chase, notwithstanding the fact he’s having a first run for 199 days.
But he goes well fresh and Paul has had this in mind for a while. Gullible Gordon won at the meeting a year ago, is tuned for the day and this is his Gold Cup.
I end on Merehead, beaten by a hot-pot of Nicky Henderson’s at Newbury in March, in the bumper. I know nothing else about the horse, but the lads in the yard tell me he will win.
I’m at Limerick tomorrow for the Munster National and team up with Paul Magnier’s Duers in the big race. He’s handicapped on 10-0, but will definitely carry 10-2 or 10-3.
He ran well behind Having A Cut at Roscommon, but this is a far stiffer test and I’d have to be a lot more hopeful than confident.
Who’ll win? Well, it’s savagely competitive, but if you put a gun to my head then I’d row in with Swift Counsel, who ran a cracker in the Kerry National at Listowel.
I’m on Steeltown for Tom Taaffe in the opening novice hurdle. Barry Geraghty rode him to win at Roscommon, while I was on Drumfire when finishing third at Navan.
Now Barry is on Drumfire, but too much shouldn’t be read into that, because he usually rides Eoin Griffin’s horses anyway.
I’m delighted to be on Steeltown, who was impressive at Roscommon and will love stepping up to two miles and five.
If fitness doesn’t find out Sweet My Lord then he will be hard to beat in the conditions hurdle. The problem, of course, is that we don’t know hot fit Willie Mullins’ winter horses are.
CHARGEN has the ability to go well in a handicap hurdle, but whether I can get it out of him remains to be seen.
The day ends with Uncle Junior in a beginners chase and he looks my best chance of a winner. He was coming back from a very long absence when second to Wise Old Owl at Listowel. Uncle Junior made a bad mistake at the fourth last and will certainly strip a lot fitter now.
I was at Paul’s yesterday and here are a few horses I schooled who should enter your notebook, starting with Celestial Halo.
I schooled him over fences and, let’s just say, I was absolutely delighted. Sang Bleu also popped over fences and he’s a gorgeous horse.
And then there was Al Ferof, who was runner-up in the Cheltenham bumper in March. He should have a real future over hurdles this season.
I will be at Punchestown on Wednesday and Thursday, buckets of rain wouldn’t go amiss, and then it will be Cheltenham next weekend.
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