American Trilogy will take all the beating
The feature is the rather valuable bet365 Gold Cup and I renew acquaintances with Hoo La Baloo, having finished fourth on him a year ago.
He, possibly, didn’t quite stay the three miles and five plus then and was a bit too fresh as well.
Paul Nicholls, wisely, gave him a spin round Lingfield four weeks ago and that should have knocked the freshness out of him.
He ran well at Lingfield to boot, finishing fourth over two and a half miles, which was all too short.
Hoo La Baloo was originally set to carry 10-11 and that would have been ideal. But Roll Along came out yesterday morning and that has seen a 9lbs rise.
As a result my fellow now has to hump 11-6 and that’s an entirely different matter. I will be dropping in and going down the inside, because he tends to jump right anyway.
This has long been the plan and I hope to arrive going to the final fence. That’s the theory anyway, so let’s see how it pans out.
The first contest on the card is a mile flat race, involving a Flat v Jump jockeys challenge.
I’m on Collateral Damage for Tim Easterby and will probably make plenty of use of him from a good draw.
Otherwise, I don’t know much about the six-year-old, other than that he performed well enough on his reappearance at Newcastle.
I’d imagine American Trilogy is my best of the afternoon in the Listed Hurdle. He has his little flaws, but possesses lots of ability.
He absolutely bolted away with the County Hurdle at Cheltenham and than ran a corker at Aintree.
I got to the front too early at Aintree and we were finally run out of it and beaten a neck by El Dancer.
Wherever American Trilogy finishes today, I can guarantee you I won’t make that mistake again.
He will love the ground and the track and, looking at the opposition, I believe will take all the beating.
Twist Magic’s prospects, in the Grade 2 Celebration Chase, will depend on what side of the bed he gets out of this morning!
To put it mildly, he’s a moody character. Twist Magic ran no sort of race in the two-mile Champion Chase at Cheltenham and was tailed off when falling at the second last.
That’s the downside of the horse, but we must remember he is a winner of a Tingle Creek at Sandown and was bound for second to Master Minded, in the Tingle Creek again, earlier in the season when falling.
There will be loads of pace in the race and I just hope Twist Magic is on a going day, he just loves this track.
Sendani has an each-way shout in a handicap hurdle. He was returning from a break and the ground was too soft for him at Cheltenham last time.
He will relish the drying ground and could sign off with a big effort, prior to going chasing.
If Gowran Park gets the green light tomorrow then I’d be hoping for the best with my two rides there.
I’m on Colbert Station for my dad in a maiden hurdle. It’s obvious he’s no star, but is fit and well and shouldn’t be far way in what is a bad race.
Glenview Leader has to carry top weight in a handicap hurdle, although still a maiden. He never jumped a hurdle for me at Navan, after getting a fright at the first, but came home well to take second.
I’m very much looking forward to Punchestown and have a lot of nice rides lined up, including Master Minded, Mikael d’Haguenet, Cooldine and Quevega.
I rode work on 12 horses of Willie Mullins’ on Thursday morning and he is certainly aiming a bundle of his charges at the Festival.
For good measure, as well as Master Minded, Paul Nicholls is also bringing across Gungadu and Tatenen.
Anyway, I will be with you next week in the Examiner and we will talk in much greater detail then.
