Minor miracle if Long Run wins the Gold Cup with Sam aboard
He managed to get Long Run up close home to land a second King George at Kempton on Wednesday and, from what I could see and hear on television, everyone seemed quite happy that both horse and rider emerged from the contest with great credit.
But most pundits on television, and indeed in newspapers, bend over backwards to avoid having to mutter even the mildest criticism, so a lot of what we hear and read is more or less worthless anyway.
We’ve said it here before and we’ll say it again, Sam is a good amateur. But that’s what he is - an amateur.
Essentially, he was actually pretty good on Long Run for the most part and got some mighty leaps from him to boot.
But just as we’re beginning to think twice about the man, he goes and lets us down on the approach to the final fence.
This wasn’t good. Sam just didn’t go for broke and that’s very much keeping in mind that Long Run was tiring.
But he was no help to the horse at that last fence, allowed him to run down it, the inevitable mistake duly followed and it was something of a miracle that Long Run got back at a legless Captain Chris, almost on the line.
It’ll be another miracle, at least a minor one, if Long Run can win another Gold Cup with this man aboard.
The maiden hurdle won by Ned Buntline at Leopardstown on Wednesday looked a contest that may well throw up its share of winners.
Certainly the second and third - Urano and Grey Monk respectively - look nailed on, sooner rather than later.
Willie Mullins’ Urano is ex-French and has now run two solid races in Ireland. Both have been over two miles and he appears to be crying out for further.
Henry de Bromhead’s Grey Monk produced a very promising display in third spot. His only previous experience was when winning a point-to-point by eight lengths from a horse called Ceasar Milan.
Now Ceasar Milan then won his next point-to-point, before reappearing to take the bumper at Down Royal on Wednesday.
Grey Monk drew 19 lengths clear of the fourth horse at Leopardstown and, I think, we will very much want to be with him next time.
That case of the former post office manager who was sentenced recently to three years in prison, after a court found he had stolen €1.75m over a 14-month period to feed his gambling habit, didn’t half strike a chord.
Regarded by Paddy Power as a ‘a highly valued customer’, he had an account with the firm which, staggeringly, over that 14-month period, had a turnover of €10m.
The net result of his betting saw him lose €1.7m. Isn’t there something really disturbing about the affair, especially if you have been one of those who has struggled with all the firms at various stages to get on a half-decent wager?
Of course it would be quite wrong to think that Paddy Power are alone in laying mugs for all they want and, you could argue, should not have to act as moral guardians for any customer.
But all these firms sup from the one cup. The system is quite simple: you can have as much on as long as you are a loser, and winners, essentially, need not apply.
One is reminded of the former top-class footballer in England, who did his proverbial brains betting on horses some years ago.
It was said that if the player could pass a betting office like he could pass a ball, he would have been a millionaire. Needless to say no one ever tried to close his account either.
The executive at Limerick on St Stephen’s Day were quite entitled to feel well peeved at the response to their Grade 2 race over fences.
This had the makings of a cracking contest, with plenty of prize money on offer, after attracting a very healthy entry of 23 possibilities.
But come declaration time last Sunday morning all that was left in the contest was a pathetic five runners.
Among those was Mikael d’Haguenet and, looking at the opposition, any idiot could work out he was certain to go off an odds-on shot.
The likes of Dedigout, Mount Benbulben, Sword Of Destiny and The Westener Boy all swerved the test, with the result that this was a Grade 2 in name only.
Limerick, providing four days for the industry over the Christmas, surely deserved far better.
