Panel: Gary O’Brien (GOB) – attheraces Matt Chapman (MC) – attheraces John Hackett (JH) – Hackett Bookmakers Davy Russell (DR) – jockey Tony Mullins (TM) – trainer Johnny Ward (JW) – Irish journalist Christian Williams (CW) – jockey Kevin O’Ryan – Jockey agent A good crowd was in attendance for what must have been the longest preview night I’ve ever attended! The atmosphere was good though and the banter between MC and DR was top class. The format of the evening was to cover the hurdle races and then move on to the chases. Supreme Novices’ GOB: Is Dunguib beatable? JH: Yeah sure, impressive so far but jumping is a question mark, tough to beat though. Menorah e/w for me. MC: Dunguib is a certainty, should be 1/2 in my book, 5/6 is massive. Menorah is a nutcase, Get Me Out Of Here is promising but I think Bellvano is the best McManus runner. Just get Dunguib in the Champion Hurdle, Sea The Stars of the jumps world. KOR: Dunguib is a certainty but why Champion Hurdle? MC: Champion would be run perfectly to suit. DR: Dunguib wouldn’t get involved in the Champion this year; would finish 8th. Honestly he wouldn’t live in it, don’t know why we’re evening talking about it. TM: Dunguib will win half he track, 5/6 unreal price, certainty of meeting, no one will get him off the bridle, most exciting horse I’ve ever seen. JW: His jumping isn’t an issue, never looked like falling, 1/4 in my book. Neptune Hurdle GOB: Some Present, Davy? DR: Very good horse but Dunguib beating him has hurt his confidence, Rite Of Passage is a big problem for us. Irish better than the English. GOB: 3/1 ok for Rite Of Passage? DR: Standout out novice, bar Dunguib, Dermot Weld is crazy about him, future Melbourne Cup winner. TM: Big fan of him but looks more a flat horse to me. His best performance to date was on the level in the November Handicap. Looks a poor race this one actually, I’ll arrive late and miss it! Form is all mixed up and Weld hasn’t had a Cheltenham winner for 20 odd years. JW: I wouldn’t back him @ 3s and I prefer Quantitativeeasing @ 16s. KOR: I like Rite Of Passage, impressed me no end and will be hard beat. Jumps well and is solid. Quel Esprit e/w if he runs here. MC: Weld just uses Cheltenham to get ready for Galway, we all know that! I’m nor convinced by Rite Of Passage, not sure he’s quite good enough. Reve De Sivola not a sexy horse but is already a Grade 1 winner. JH: Peddlers Cross has been well supported and I’m happy to lay the favourite. CW: Favourite will take the beating but Reve De Sivola is the best of the British. Albert Bartlett GOB: What about the Iirsh? JW: Quel Esprit if he goes for it has a big chance. Shinrock Paddy is ok too. CW: Tell Massini, I rode him in work the other day and was impressive. He’ll be hard to beat. TM: Hope Shinrock is, he’s a good horse with a chance. Quel Esprit though he goes for it. Enterprise Park is a very good horse though and is improving fast. DR: Competitve race, Tell Massini is good, Shinrock is class but stamina is a worry for him. Enterprise Park is interesting. KOR: Big fan of Quel Esprit and this 3m would really suit him. MC: Not a good ante-post race as no one really knows who’s going for it. Quel Esprit must be better than we’ve seen seeing as how much Willie Mullins goes on about him. Najaf is the interesting one though. CW: Najaf will be better next year in my opinion. JH: Enterprise Park is the interesting one for money. Triumph Hurdle GOB: Mile Chief now doubtfull. DR: Hard to assess. Carlito Brigante has done nothing wrong, but he works terribly at home, so its hard to figure him out. Don’t take his beating of Alavian seriously, and Alavian is probably the one to beat. TM: All of these have been beating each other, so I think they are all useless. DR: I’ve heard good things about Super Kenny from Nicky Henderson’s yard. JW: The Irish are strong. Not Carlito nor Alavian but Secant Star is the one to beat. CW: English horses are poor, the Irish will win it. Alan King loves Mille Chief, but I can’t have him. KOR: Alavian worthy favourite and hard to beat. He is slowly getting the hand of things and is a different class. JH: Most money for Secant Star, although Super Kenny is interesting and has been nibbled at. Champion Bumper GOB: Tavern Times? DR: Very nice horse. His Tuesday morning work will decide if he runs or not. The bumpers this year are hard to judge. TM: Day of a Lifetime is the best of Willie Mullins’ gang. It is so hard to judge bumpers in Ireland now; using inside tracks are no good. Al Ferof is a very good horse. He is an improver and is tough. JW: Really like Shot from the Hip, and I’m not too keen on anything else. Ignore the hype, and follow the form. TM: Hidden Universe has no chance. He is a 100-1 shot and it is completely impossible for him to win. KOR: Al Farof has been impressive. CW: I’m not Irish, so what do I know?! World Hurdle GOB: Is Big Bucks beatable? CW: He’s no value, but a certainty for this. Along with Kauto Star he is the best horse in training. JW: He’s a funny horse. He often looks in trouble but is clearly just taking the mick. Mourad for the E/W money but Tidal Bay can go well too. TM: Big Bucks is a world apart. Tidal Bay is value though, and a good bet without the favourite. Can’t see what all the fuss is about Mourad. DR: War of Attrition loves the track and will stay. E/W at 33s is cracking value. I’m gutted the Grand National has been ruled out BUT there is still a chance he might run. KOR: I respect War of Attrition, but I like Tidal Bay and Cousin Vinny E/W. MC: Big Bucks is good value, as he’s world class. Powerstation can make the frame. Champion Hurdle: GOB: Zaynar’s defeat has opened it all up… DR: I have a great chance with Solwhit but I am worried about Go Native. I am slightly concerned Solwhit might lack a gear at a crucial time. I can’t fancy Zaynar, but Punjabi is not a million miles away. CW: Go Native was maybe lucky last year at Cheltenham. Khyber Kim is the best of the English. JW: Solwhit is an awesome bet. He just keeps improving and keeps going, and Go Native won’t hold him off up the hill. TM: I’d love to see Go Native win and get the £1 million bonus. Zaynar should be 100-1 but Punjabi should be there again. It’s basically Solwhit V Go Native, and it’s hard to split them. MC: Go Native is a dog. Zaynar is no good. Medermit is rubbish. Punjabi is boring and Celestial Halo is slow. Solwhit wins, and only Davy Russell can muck this up! Arkle GOB: Big Irish challenge… JH: We (Irish) should win this and rightly dominate. Mikael D’Haguenet taken out of betting after schooling here after racing today. MC: Captain Cee Bee is better since his injury and having McCoy onboard will help. Market has is right. Somersby not for me. KOR: Great training to bring back Captain Cee Bee. Somersby is a good horse but I’ not sure about Hen Knight. DR: I’d ride Captain if I had the choice, best horse in the race. Somersby is the danger, can’t have Sports Line. TM: Captain is the class horse. Clear round = certainty. Sports Line is improving and is doing better than the opinion of him in the yard. JW: I’ve got 25s on Captain so I’m happy! Sizing Europe has no chance but Sports Line is value. CW: I’m surprise AP (McCoy) has got off Somersby for Captain. RSA GOB: Pandorama is doubtful which is a real shame… KOR: Uimhiraceathair schooled well today but he’s not good enough. Punchestowns and Long Run can fight it out. MC: Don’t like the Irish, Punchestowns decent bet at around 7/2. TM: Punchestowns is the class, Irish are well behind. DR: Very tough ask for Weapons Amnesty, he’s getting better but not good enough for this. + Ryanair GOB: What did you make of Tranquil Sea’s win today? MC: Didn’t impress me, even allowing for the trip being short of his best. Don’t like Poquelin, Barber’s Shop seems so obvious. Quality animal running over his perfect trip. KOR: I liked Tranquil Sea today actually. JW: Me too, plenty to like about it, did nothing wrong. TM: Barber’s Shop is class, Tranquil Sea for the Irish. Head-to-head between them. JW: Terrible race. Is it exciting? Tranquil is solid DR: Tranquil Sea the value bet of the meeting. Queen Mother GOB: Master Minded Christian? CW: We all know how good he is but I like Kalahari King. DR: The one odds-on favourite that is beatable, Kalahari King is a real danger. His performance at Doncaster was very impressive. JW: MM was flattered in this 2 years ago but with question marks against all his rivals he should win again. TM: Best ever performance I’ve seen at the Festival was his two ears ago. If Nicholls is right, and he’s back to his best, then it’s game over for the rest. MC: Probably the greatest 2m chaser ever, nothing is in his league. Gold Cup GOB: Denman vs. Kauto, the main event…Cooldine schooled well today. CW: Big Denman fan but you can’t be with him after that last run. Have we seen the best Denman since his Gold Cup win? No. DR: I agree but he’ll be better at Cheltneham. Not sure if McCoy is the right man, Sam Thomas should have the ride. CW: Maybe he needs blinkers now. MC: If both horses are at their peak then Denman wins. They need to be ultra positive on him, I’d grind them into the ground. DR: I agree, take them all on early. Sam Thomas knows the horse better than anyone. TM: Not sure why we’re talking about this as Kauto will win! Cooline worth a second look. JW: Denman has no chance.
paul nicholls said that his best chance of a winner at the festival is Big Bucks, says it all really as he has quite a number of chances of winners. Patrick Mullins said last Friday night at the one i was at, that what ever race Mikael D'augenaet runs in - BACK HIM. Andrew Lynch said that his bes chance of a winner is Sizing Australia in the cross country
I'd fancy Sizing myself to turn the tables on Garde, as long as the weights don't go ridiculous ill back him..
weights must be out now surely? if dunguib is beaten, there will be a lot of dissatisfied people i can tell you.
checked racecards on sporting life there and thats the only race they dont seem to have up for the Tuesday yet.
Kalahari King each way at 6/1 - I dont think u can actually lose on that, he is defo gonna be second if he cant beat masterminded!
yeah i think out of all of nicholls / walsh odds on fav's, master minded is the most likely one to be turned over. law of average would say that kauto star, big bucks and master minded all can't win..... you never know though however.
Bar the last fence cock up (which Ruby blamed on himself) MM looked phenomenal the last day. His 2 jumps at the 2nd and 3rd last were incredible.
Oh I think Masterminded is sure to win but I dont think anybody else in the field will get close bar kalahari king so each way at 6/1 I think is a cert to give a return. He'll get second atleast for sure.
Has just been ruled out of Cheltenham by Willie Mullins. I think Long Run is a great bet for the RSA @ 9/2, this horse is potentially the future of staying chasers.
The event went ahead at about 9:45 and did not finish up until 12:45am . There was no English coverage which was a pity but all panel and the video guy done the night for free so with the 20e Admission going to various charities in was just about worth it . Gordon Elliot did not have much to say on the races and PP had someone on the panel but did not give out any free bets to the public but did give Charties bets to the panel . Gary O’Brien was a good MC and Kevin O’Ryan did a great job and was the heart and soul of the night. Will Lattimore seemed a shrewd judge. Gordon Elliot = GE Robbie Power = RP Franny Woods = FW Kevin O’Ryan ( Jockeys Agent & ATR) = KR Will Lattimore(ATR) = WL Paul Paddy Powers = PP Gary O’Brien = GB Supreme Novice Hurdle GE – Dunguib class horse , Jumping a worry but if he stands up he wins. RP= Dunguib Wins , Blackstairs Mountain ew chance. FW = Dunguib should win but Oscar Whiskey a good ew bet. KR = Dunguib will love better ground and will win. WL = Dunguib Wins but Menorah w/o looks a great bet. Arkle GB = Had a good anti post on Captain Cee Bee but thinks Sportsline is now the ew Value PP = CCB is a poor jumper and Sportsline is a huge ew price at 12/1 GE = Osana EW RP= CCB is a lot better than Sizing Europe , Somersby is a big danger to the Irish runners but overall Sizing Europe is a major lay FW = CCB wins , has course form and will love the ground KR = Hen Knight is a shit trainer and Boy George could of trained Best mate so he cant back Somersby , Sizing Europe is the class act in the field and should be winning. WL = Somersby is a great jumper and won the best trail for the race and is a massive price at 6/1. Champion Hurdle PP = Medermit and Sublimity EW GE = Starluck EW RP = Solwhit is a bit lazy but got a great engine , Go native is a bridle horse and cant win . Zaynar is a huge price now and with Blinkers should be fav. FW = Go native should win , but has been backing sublimity ew and huge prices KR = Between Go NAtive and Solwhit went for Go native WL = No front runner in the race which is a huge issue , Celestial Halo will go from the front with Ruby up and will take all the beating. Cross Country GE = Silver birch wont get into the NAtional so this is his gold cup and will be there trying its best. Mares Hurdle Just quick runa round and all the guys went for Voller de Veddet for Colm Murphy Neptune Novice hurdle GE = Peddlers cross has a great chance and his mate Jason McGuire think the world of the horse. GB = Quiel Esprit is his fancy and was chatting Ted Walsh about race and he also fancies Quiel Esprit PP= Wide open Finnians rainbow ew RP – Summit Surge is a huge price and will go very close he will ride it. KR = Rite of Passage to win on his way to running in the Melbourne Cup next Autumn FW = RoP wont win and peddlers cross ew WL= RoP cant jump and wont be sited Queil Esprit is a huge price RSA Chase PP = Seen Mickeal Dhaugnet school amazingly over fences on tuesday and looked like a superstar and will run on Sunday. Will be about 4/1 not the 14s now if he wins. GB – Unceatheir mor is a big price ew GE = Punchestown should win RP = Fancies Punchestown KR = Be very surprised if MD runs the bounce factor would be a huge worry if he did fancies Punchestown. WL = Huge value in Weapons Amnesty has ran five times over fences which wil be a huge help compared to a lot of his rivals who have only ran once or twice. Champion Chase Everyone said Master minded was a cert and Big Zeb will probably Fall WL = Kalahari King W/o Master Minded was a good punt GE = Agreed With Will About Kalahairi Cheltenham Bumper KR = thinks Hidden Universe will be the weld runner , but even though he is Pat Smullens agent he think its crazy having flat jockeys riding in the race. They all went for Al Ferof stating that Day of a life time was by far the best Mullins horse this year. but was a race to leave alone. KR = Said he would not not back tavern times cause it was a pig of a thing like its owner DR RP = Weld wont win becuase if he does not know which of his two is the best , both of them are probably only average. RyanAir RP – barbers Shop has been running in top class races adn should be winning FW = Voy por has to have a great chance and is a huge price WL = Voy por is one of the bets of the meeting at the price KR – tranquil Sea small ew GB – J’Vole ew GE = Tranquil Sea EW World Hurdle They all said Big Bucks wins and War Of Attrition a solid ew bet at 33/1 KR – Cousin Vinny is a solid ew bet in a poor race outside the fav , Tidal bay is a cert to be placed GB- Sentry Duty ew Coral Cup WL – Noble price will go very close for Paul Nolan RP – rides Prince erik and should get a place Jewson FW – The package will go very close to winning Triumph hurdle GE – Carlito is in great form and should take a lot of beating . FW – Didnt like race hope GE should of won. RP – Alavan should win KB – Don’t like Pettoni Alavan is the best of the Irish with Mille Chief best of the English Cheltenham Gold Cup They all said Denman has no chance and only won hennessy because of Ruby and he might fall, Kauto will win on the bridle. GE – Imperial Commander to be second to Kauto Albert Bartlet RP – Shinrock paddy will go very close Wl – Enterprise Park is worth a decent bet Charity bets WL – 100 ew Celestial Halo 16/1 KR – 100 ew Tidal Bay 10/1 PP – 100ew Restless Harry FW- 200 Captain Cee Bee GE – 100 ew Silver birch at 33/1 to finish in first five – PP guy gave it to him after a few min. RP – 100 ew War of Attrition @ 33/1 Gb – 100 ew Quiel Esprit 12/1