Tag: Sprinter Sacre

Henderson delays Sprinter Sacre decision

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National Hunt fans will have one eye on the weather for the rest of this week in the hope that Saturday’s card at Ascot can go ahead. The meeting is not currently in danger but Nicky Henderson has warned that he will not risk stable star Sprinter Sacre on heavy ground. A final decision may be left as late as Saturday morning.

The gelding established himself as the best chaser in training in 2013 when romping to victory in the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham festival. He followed up at Aintree and Punchestown and only Arkle and Flyingbolt now stand above him in Timeform’s all-time steeplechase ratings.

There was media speculation that Henderson would be tempted to run him in the King George VI in 2014 but the Lambourn trainer decided to keep him to two miles. He suffered his first defeat over fences in unfortunate circumstances when pulled up at Kempton just over a year ago with a fibrillating heart. There were fears that we would not see him back on a racecourse but he has made a steady recovering under the finest veterinary care and attention.

Had it not been for his health problems, Sprinter Sacre would be long odds-on for Saturday’s Clarence House Chase. He is rated more than 20lbs higher than any of his five rivals but there are obviously going to be fitness concerns. Barry Geraghty seems confident that he is back to his best after riding him over five fences at Newbury after Christmas. Even so, he is not likely to push his ears off if he starts to labour in the closing stages.

With doubts still surrounding the participation of Sprinter Sacre, Dodging Bullets has been cut to a best price 7-4. He did this column a favour when landing the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at rewarding odds and represents Paul Nicholls who has been successful four times in this race.

I fancied Dodging Bullets in last season’s Arkle but he had to settle for fourth place behind shock winner Western Warhorse. He shaped well when finishing second to Uxizandre at Cheltenham in November and that clearly sharpened him up for Sandown. He should confirm supremacy over Somersby who was two and a half lengths away in third and reaching the autumn of his career at ten years of age.

Willie Mullins is represented by Twinlight who beat Hidden Cyclone in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Chase last time. He is not the safest of jumpers and tends to jump out to his right. He made a couple of blunders at Kempton on his only previous trip. The race will lose a lot of its interest if Henderson pulls out Sprinter Sacre but Dodging Bullets can continue his progression towards the Champion Chase in March.

Dodging Bullets @7-4 Ladbrokes

Sire De Grugy 25-1 for Champion Chase

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Champion Chase Ante-post Preview

Occasionally you see a price chalked up that is just too good to refuse. Admittedly the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham is still the best part of three months away but Sportsbet are still showing 25-1 about Tingle Creek and Desert Orchid Chase winner Sire De Grugy.

Of course the market has been left wide open by the doubts over Sprinter Sacre who was pulled up with an irregular heartbeat at Kempton over Christmas. We are all hoping that he recovers fully and is able to defend his title but there must be some doubt as to whether Nicky Henderson will risk running him again this season.

The latest prognosis was that the problem had righted itself after the race but that the horse will undergo stringent tests before any decisions are made. The welfare of the horse will be the first priority and if Henderson has any doubts at all he will surely not risk his champion chaser.

Gary Moore, trainer of Sire De Grugy, had previously doubted the wisdom of taking on Sprinter Sacre at Cheltenham but his horse is currently the best around over two miles. He did not receive the acclaim that he deserved for winning at Kempton but he looked a class act when winning The Tingle Creek at Sandown and it usually takes a good horse to win that event.

The most famous case of an irregular heartbeat in recent times was Denman who returned to run some magnificent races so all is not lost. I would be surprised if we see Sprinter Sacre this season and that makes the 25-1 a ridiculous price for Sire De Grugy.

His comprehensive defeat of Somersby and Captain Conan at Sandown was on ground faster than ideal, although he does seem far better on a flat track. He did seem to tie up disappointingly when beaten by Kid Cassidy but he had put in some awkward leaps that day and may simply have tired after the last.

Moore had been tempted to miss Cheltenham altogether and perhaps take his horse over to France but he must surely reassess that opinion in light of Sprinter Sacre’s likely absence. At one-quarter the odds a place 1,2,3, this is surely worth a punt. I am sure that those odds won’t last long so take it as a late Christmas present from Sportsbet!

Sire de Grugy at 25-1 Sportsbet.com.au

Grand National meeting Day 2 Preview

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Two races into the opening day and I was already putting a line through it and looking ahead to Friday’s card! In my opening day preview I had forgotten to mention that sometimes horses go backwards after running at Cheltenham. It is on days like these that you take comfort from the fact that the flat season will be getting into top gear shortly.

Friday’s card features the reappearance of Sprinter Sacre, the horse that has been the subject of more hype than any jumper in recent memory. He has coped with it admirably so far, winning the Arkle Trophy easily last year and then sauntering to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase last month. The problem is that there doesn’t appear to be anything around that can give him a race. Lining up against him on Friday are Ryanair Chase winner Cue Card and the Irish challenger Flemenstar. Cue Card was put in his place by Sprinter Sacre last season and Flemenstar is dropping back in trip after failing to stay three miles. The field also contains last year’s Champion two-miler in Finian’s Rainbow, finally getting the chance to race on a decent surface after floundering in the heavy going on his most recent outings.

The two and a half mile trip has been put up as a possible reason for Sprinter Sacre to be beaten but I don’t see it. Aintree is a flat turning track and the better ground is not going to make this a stamina test. The race does not offer much in the way of a betting contest but I’m sure that the hype will go into overdrive once again tomorrow.

Nicky Henderson’s My Tent Or Yours is odds-on to atone for his Cheltenham defeat in the opener and Dynaste (2.30) is also on a recovery mission after finishing second in the Jewson. Both horses cruised into the home straight at the festival but found one too good in the closing stages. At Fishers Cross is aiming for a sixth consecutive victory later in the 4.15, although trainer Rebecca Curtis will be anxious to make sure that there is sufficient give in the ground. With so many short-priced favourites on the card it could be a difficult day to eke out a profit. Perhaps one of those generous bookies will be offering enhanced terms on all four hot pots?

If you fancy a better price for your money, The Topham Trophy (3.40) and The John Smith’s Daily Mirror Punters Club Handicap (4.50) might be more to your liking. The Topham won’t quite be the same without Always Waining. He has won it for the last three years but will be going for the Grand National on Saturday. Races over the National fences are so few and far between that it’s difficult to be confident but I may have an each-way interest in Tartak here. He ran a good race at Cheltenham when finishing third behind Carrick Boy and he did win at this meeting in 2009. Alan King has his horses in fine form and poses a problem by saddling both Meister Eckhart and Manyrivertocross in the 4.50. Both ran well at the festival and look worthy of each-way support.

Accumulator: My Tent Or Yours, Dynaste, Sprinter Sacre, At Fishers Cross

Tartak 14-1 Skybet, William Hill
Meister Eckhart 10-1 Bet365
Manyrivertocross 14-1 Bet365

Grand National Week 2013 – A Few Early Pointers

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Having spent much of the last week shovelling snow just north of the border, it is hard to believe that they are actually watering the course at Aintree ahead of this week’s Grand National meeting! The entire jumping season to date seems to have been run on soft or heavy ground and it is slightly worrying that we could even have good ground by Thursday. That can sometimes turn the form on its head but you cannot ignore Cheltenham form at this meeting.

The Grand National is obviously the highlight of the week but there is a cracking supporting cast. The Aintree Hurdle is shaping up to be an exceptional race. Oscar Whisky and Thousand Stars have battled out the finish for the past two seasons but they are up against stiff opposition this week. Countrywide Flame finished third in the Champion Hurdle with Zarkandar fourth and Grandouet falling when still going well under Barry Geraghty. The final ingredient is supplied by impressive Neptune Novices’ Hurdle winner The New One. Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies is convinced that his horse will be a leading Champion Hurdle contender next year and he has been made favourite to win here.

I have been a fan of Countrywide Flame for some time and I thought he put in a great effort behind Hurricane Fly last time. As much as I respect the opposition, I think odds of around 5-1 are an insult to John Quinn’s gelding and I fancy him to gain a well deserved success.

Sprinter Sacre is due to run over 2 1/2 miles in the Melling Chase and is up against two smart performers in Cue Card and Flemenstar. I don’t have any doubts about Sprinter Sacre proving equally effective over this distance but his odds reflect his superiority over his rivals. Unless the bookies offer some generous odds on winning distances later in the week, I think this will be a race to watch rather than bet on.

One of the banker bets of the meeting must surely be Silviniaco Conti after his desperately unlucky fall in the Gold Cup. Ruby Walsh found the seven-year-old travelling almost too well throughout the race and he must surely have given Bobs Worth something to think about if he had stood up. He flew around the Mildmay Course last season and The Betfred Bowl looks his for the taking.

Big priced winners of The Lincoln and The Irish National are timely reminders of what we could be up against when betting on the big race on Saturday. On His Own looks likely to go off favourite having won over hurdles on his only start since falling last year. Having watched the re-run of last year’s race, there is no denying that he appeared to be going as well as anything when he crashed out at Bechers second time around. My only slight worry was that he seemed to get some way behind early on. He probably wouldn’t want the ground to dry out too much but is a worthy favourite and I’m taking him to give the punters something to cheer about.

I have plenty of respect for Sunnyhillboy, Seabass and Cappa Bleu (2nd, 3rd and 4th) but they all seem to be high enough in the weights. I was most impressed with Imperial Commander’s comeback run in the Argento Chase and it must have been incredibly frustrating for connections to miss out on his run in the Gold Cup. He adds a touch of class to the race whilst Always Waining looks overpriced at 40-1 for a horse that runs a stone better at Liverpool than anywhere else. Trainer Peter Bowen is keeping an eye on the weather and could yet send him for the Topham but most bookmakers are now offering NR/no bet on the National.

Countrywide Flame 5-1 with Paddy Power
Silviniaco Conti Evens with Paddy Power
On His Own 7-1 with Bet365
Always Waining 40-1 with Paddy Power

Aintree Melling Chase Betting Preview

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Normally when i write a preview with Sprinter Sacre in it, the preview usually goes along the lines of:

“Sprinter Sacre, jumps and he wins.”

Not in this preview however. Don’t get me wrong, hes a class animal, the most gifted of the Melling Chase field and a potential legendary superstar in the not to distant future. He’s unbeaten over fences at 2miles. He was beaten over hurdles at 2m 3f a few years ago, and the distance in the Melling Chase is 2m 4f. When you look at the sorts of horses he’s beaten over the past 2 years, you can ask yourself, what has he actually beaten? Sure, he beat Cue Card by 7lengths at Cheltenham last year, but after that he beat Toubab, Kumbeshwar, Mad Moose and Sizing Europe.

Now, i’m not knocking the horse in any way, he can only beat whats put in front of him. Henderson recently told Channel 4 that the horses parents both have 3m pedigree, and that they’re desperate to try further distances. The Melling Chase will be his biggest task to date. Flemenstar(4-1 Stanjames) and Cue Card come here in top form. Flemenstar has won multiple group 1s between at distances over 2 miles, including over the 2m 4f distance (when he got the better of Sir Des Champs by 5 lengths over Christmas). He took the step up to 3 miles as prep for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but was beaten twice, by small margins. Had he won both those races, he could of quite easily placed at the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

One major concern for Flemenstar is the fact he hates to travel. He gets himself so worked up it effectives him mentally. This is why he hasnt left ireland yet, currently trips across ireland to race cause much distress. This isn’t a good sign. No one will know whether he’ll travel soundly to the UK, if he does, he has a great chance of challenging Sprinter Sacre, if he doesn’t, he could even be withdrawn as to not distress the animal. It’s entirely possible they may not even try to travel him over if he shows signs of distress. Hmm.

Cue Card (6-1 Paddy Power) is interesting. He’s beaten all of the horses in the lineup apart from Sprinter Sacre and Flemenstar, obviously. He beat First Lieutenant over 2m 5f last time by 9lengths in the Ryanair at Cheltenham. First Lieutenant prior to that beat Sir Des Champes and Flemenstar in the Gold Cup Trial over 3 miles. Read into that what you will. We know Cue Card handles the ground, the trip and has course form, finishing 2nd in the Mersey Novices Hurdle in 2011. He’s really matured well and is turning into an exciting individual.

What’s the bet? Well, the equation to work out this race is:

If Sprinter Sacre stays 2m4f he wins
If Sprinter Sacre doesn’t stay 2m4f as well as two horses with distance form, he loses.

The fate of the race is in Sprinter Sacres hoofs. He’s currently 1/3 to win and rightly so on reputation alone. This is his toughest test and i could see Sprinter Sacre -> Flemenstar/Cue Card forecasts being the way to play here. I’ve already done an antepost wager on Cue Card on Coral, at 8-1 in a Sprinter Sacre, Flemenstar & Cue Card match bet.

It’s not a race to put your house on, my heart tells me Cue Card can beat Sprinter Sacre, but my head keeps on telling me Sprinter Sacre has pedigree to run over further and can progress yet again. Caution is advised.