Wow factor was missing with Vautour at Ascot
This was the horse that blew literally everyone away with a scintillating 15 lengths success in the JLT Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in March.
That extraordinary display of jumping and raw power had become firmly embedded in all of our minds and, subconsciously at least, we settled down to watch Ascot expecting more of the same.
But do you know what, with the benefit of hindsight, that was probably being unfair to Vautour and to all those most closely associated with the horse.
After all this was his seasonal debut, on foreign shores, and there was no chance Willie Mullins would have had him anywhere near fired up for a contest in November, when all that matters is the Cheltenham festival.
Keeping that in mind, however, there is little doubt this was a performance that fell a fair way short of what we have come to anticipate from the most exciting chaser in training.
The facts are that, at the start at Ascot, he had 17lbs in hand of Paul Nicholls’ Ptit Zig, who did, admittedly, have an outing under his belt.
Ruby Walsh on Vautour: “Ptit Zig had match fitness and our horse was big and rusty. I like horses that can win like that when only half fit”
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) November 21, 2015
Vautour should nevertheless have been capable of shrugging off his rival with reasonable ease, so it was more than a trifle disconcerting to view Ruby Walsh having to go for his partner big time on the approach to the final fence.
Vautour, to his credit, did find plenty and it was encouraging he ran all the way to the line to score comfortably enough in the end by a length and three parts.
The two miles and five was the furthest he has ever gone and now all thoughts turn to the three mile King George at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day.
This will represent easily Vautour’s stiffest test and taking on the likes of Cue Card, Don Cossack and Silviniaco Conti - who likes Kempton - will reveal a lot more about the horse than we know now.
Vautour was inclined to jump left at Ascot and, afterwards on Channel 4, Walsh essentially dismissed any notion he was a better horse travelling left-handed.
Then Walsh turned up subsequently on Racing UK and this time seemed mildly more open to the idea that it was a possibility.
Well, prior to Ascot, Vautour, since he arrived from France, had run just twice right- handed, on both occasions at Punchestown.
Neither figures among his better efforts. At Cheltenham last year, he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in brilliant style by six lengths.
Then he went to the Punchestown festival in May and took a Grade 1, but was nowhere near as impressive.
At Punchestown in January of 2014, he fell in against Western Boy by three quarters of a length.
Western Boy has run 15 times since, scoring twice on the flat, but failing to win over jumps in eleven attempts.
So will travelling right-handed at Kempton prove a major problem for Vautour? It could very well do, but it is worth remembering that Kauto Star, who also had a tendency to jump to his left, won the race five times.
Christmas, as usual, will house terrific racing in Britain and Ireland, but the King George is the contest that will create by far and away the greatest interest. Will we see the real Vautour?
If you were one of the many - I wasn’t - that laid Willie Mullins’ French-import, American Tom, at Gowran Park last Saturday then you were entitled to be as sick as the proverbial parrot.
American Tom was making his debut for Mullins and, having a big reputation and with just four horses to beat, the chances were he would stroll home.
He went off at 8-15, although there were plenty on the exchanges who seemed to think they might get him beaten.
By my reckoning, for instances, almost €800,000 was matched on the contest on Betfair. Heading to the second last American Tom looked well beaten, struggling to get to grips with both Gunnery Sergent and Neverushacon.
But, inexplicably, the two in front went at that flight and American Tom was left to stroll home in splendid isolation.
For those anticipating a tasty touch it had to be a real sickener and any intelligent cat that might have been in the vicinity at the time would surely have read the signs and immediately bolted to relative safety! Interestingly, the Mullins team seemed far from disheartened by American Tom’s rather insipid display. He looked no horse to my eyes, but doubting this outfit is a dangerous pastime.
The €60,000 to the winner Troytown Chase at Navan last Sunday shaped as a poor renewal beforehand and what happened on the track did nothing to dispel the notion. It was a lot of money for horses rated between 113-135, basically attracted a small field and just didn’t work. I accept that handicaps bore me to tears anyway, but this was just a long-winded yawn!
