February is a month full of prep races. In the US, there are many local prep races for the local major 3-year-olds races, which themselves are the prep races for the Triple Crown. 3-years-olds, males and females, were sorting themselves out at Oaklawn, Tampa Bay, Aqueduct and Santa Anita. In Australia, February represents the beginning of the preparation for the major fall canival races during Easter. There were a number of listed to group 2 races at Monee Valley and Royal Randwick over the weekend. In Britain and Ireland, prep for the Cheltenham festival races continue this weekend with high profiles names appearing at jump tracks at Newbury, Gowran Park, Warwick, Exeter and Navan.
Feb 13, Newbury, 14:30, Aon Chase-G2, 3m
The race is full of irony. Denman's regular rider Ruby Walsh, who was already committed to ride Kauto Star at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, lost his mount on Denman to A. P. McCoy. He settled with another Paul Nicholls trainee in Tricky Trickster. AP took Denman to the lead from the start, always riding him ambitiously with his typical more aggressive style. At 4 out, Denman made a bad mistake on the landing and almost lost McCoy. He completely lost all momentum and Niche Market took the lead easily. At 3 out, Denman said "no more McCoy! Let me tell you who's in control" and he just brushed through the fence and McCoy lost balance and fell. The entire Newbury grandstand was shocked. The no-jockey Denmand well on ok to jump the last 2 fences.
It looked like this will be an easy win for Niche Market as he managed a comfortable lead after the last jump. But Ruby and Tricky Trickster closed galantly in the final furlong and the crow roared and they overtook the lead in the final stride and won the race by a short-head.
Ante-post for Denman immediately jumped to 3/1 or better at most firms. This is just almost unreal before the Aon Chase. If the horse is still sound, I wouldn't mind to back him at this odd.
More Story
Result
Replay
Feb 14, Navan, 14:10, Ladbrokes.com Boyne Hurdle-G2, 2m5f
War Of Attrition won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2006 - a year when Kauto Star was still racing at 2m chases and ran 4-lengths second behind Monkerhostin at Exeter; and when Denman was still a novice hurdler and ran second at Cheltenham. WOA is now 11 years-old and he recently won two Group 2 hurdle races in a row in Ireland, the latest one on Feb14 at Navan - he made all in the Boyne Hurdle. His trainer, Mouse Morris, said, "He's in the World Hurdle, but the betting suggests that is a one-horse race. "We'll also have to wait and see what weight he gets for Aintree (Grand National). This is his last season of racing so we'll take things step by step." I don't like that move. I wonder if they had a "Plan B" of going to races like the Irish Grand National and/or the Punchestown World Series Hurdle instead.
Story
Chart and Replay
No comments:
Post a Comment