Forgive me, dear reader, for today I have fallen victim to the excesses of man, in the shape of several glasses of tar coloured ale. (I hate to think what my intestines look like, and - in the interests of many of your upcoming (hopefully not literally) dinners, I implore you not to ponder the hue of my bowel for too long either!)
So how was it for you? Day three. Small ‘t’ in three, because this is majoritively poor fair, when compared with the illustrious sport of the other three days. Nevertheless, each race presents a betting opportunity and a winning opportunity to boot.
The day started with tremendous excitement as Ferdy Murphy - what a man! - did it again, with 20/1 shot L’Antartique. Now nobody who reads my bluster can have failed to at least considered the animal for this race, as I gave him a huge shout yesterday. So well done if you backed him. I was on for small money (should, as always with a winner, have been on for more!)
The favourite, King Revo, had no right whatsoever to win. And if you backed that, I’m afraid you get a mug ticket in my book. Its just not as easy as following the money in these races.
Onwards and downwards as, alas, it was for me today.
In the second race, I had poohpoohed the possibility of dodgepot Monet’s Garden here, and he had no excuses in a well beaten fourth. In his stead, I had favoured one of the ‘up and comers’ in Racing Demon, who I nominated as a strong each way bet. Finishing only fifth, he was a little disappointing. The way he jumps, with his back arching to one side, he looks like he may have a muscle problem, but I’m not a judge of these things.
The race was won by an improver in Taranis, and I’m glad it was. If this event is to establish itself at the Festival, it needs to be for providing a springboard for intermediates on the up, rather than being a ’soft’ option for horses dodging the big races. Sorry if you backed Monet’s but he is just not my cup of tea. (Incidentally, I can’t bear his trainer, Nicky Richards, who is off the TTS list next season, and I am convinced is - lets say - ‘romantically entangled’ with the inept Rose Davidson, who he keeps putting up on horses with good chances. She couldn’t ride a finish at home on the sofa!)
My mates backed the winner here, and I got through the placepot with Our Vic. More on that sob story later…
The third race, and by a country mile the highlight of the day, was the Stayers Hurdle, now sponsored by Ladbrokes and referred to for some reason as the World Hurdle. Black Jack Ketchum was the main imponderable around a group of established and proven form animals, with a few exciting novices chucked in for added seasoning. A real spicy casserole of a race, my cash had fallen on the Man who is Mighty (that’s Mighty Man, in case you’ve been asleep the last couple of days) to finally put the BJK myth to bed.
Alas, the myth remains, as BJK - who struck the first hurdle - fell at, I think, the third. It was a heavy fall and he will have lost some confidence in the process. McCoy is having a mare of a festival, but may redeem himself tomorrow.
So it was that the more established players contested the relevant end of the race. Inglis Drever, who looked in a spot of bother at one point, picked up the bit turning in and swooped wide. From there, it was always a vain chase for the sweet travelling Blazing Bailey and the Mighty Man. Both threw down noteworthy challenges to the leader, but I was left with the impression that the winner had a little more in the tank.
The one to take from the race is the admirable Blazing Bailey who, at five years young, has many more turns to try and win a Stayers Hurdle.
Incidentally, place wagers on the second and third almost recovered my win losses on the same two horses.
Mighty Man hitting the frame, and the first three favourites notably absent from anything you might place around a picture, meant that I was also into a nice placepot position, having banked in the second and third legs to give me plenty of options in legs 4 through 6.
So it was to the fourth leg. I had had a smallish bet on Opera Mundi, but that horse was never traveling. As a fan of Nicky Henderson, I’d chucked in Mariah Rollins as a speculative, and she / he managed to squeak third.
Having notched three from the first four in the first race, and my bankers in the second and third legs, I had now got through a tricky event to move onto the fifth leg. (My pal, whose birthday it was today, backed L’Antartique, Taranis, Inglis Drever and Idole First. Now that’s what you call a birthday!)
As regular readers will know, I’m not a fan of amateur races, and I especially detest this one. Over four miles for novice chasers, jumping 27 fences, in the incapable hands of a bunch of aspirant wannabe’s who never will be. Staggeringly, the jolly old favourite, and class horse of the race, Gungadu, was put up at 11/8 in the morning.
Sensibly, his jockey, “Aye Aye” Cap’n Snowden had him out front and out of trouble from the other horses. The trouble with Gungadu though is that he is his own worst enemy and pretty much always clouts one or many of those pesky impediments called fences that litter his path to glory.
Today was no exception: he’d failed to show finesse at a number of bushes, before being ‘laissez faire’ in the extreme at the second last and taking his - and my placepot’s - chances with him.
My wagers - and fellow placepot selections - in this race were on Miko De Beauchene and Swift Thyne. You probably don’t need me to tell you that in the ‘Can’t Jump Won’t Jump: Can’t Ride Won’t Ride’ Novices’ Chase, these both hit the deck. Miko was traveling ominously well and would certainly have made the frame, bar the fall. But that comment may also apply to a number of other competitors whose contribution in this annual farce concluded with them assuming the horizontal position turfwards.
Knowing that the placepot pool was shaping up nicely, and with (very) limited other interest in the last, I was hoping that my four in the race would come a cropper.
Alas, the fickle finger of fate favours ironic fun over mercy killings. And so it was that one of my selections, Oscar Park, held the late rally of Material World to secure me my third consecutive (and most painful to date) five-out-of-six placepot day. The sugar on this pill was that I had a vast £2 on Oscar at 26 with betfair. I’d actually spread £14 evenly over seven rags in this race, a tactic I adopt when I’m bereft of clue, as was the case here.
One of my National hopes, Cloudy Bays, took a nasty fall when leading early in the race, and I hope he’s sufficiently well to take his place in the second week of April.
As ever, it was tough for punters today. I managed to clear a small profit, broadly down to the new Messiah, Ferdy Murphy, and I hope some of you had it too.
Tomorrow is outstanding as the best day of the week, in my opinion. And I have taken some fairly strong punting views. So it will certainly be a decisive day in terms of winning or losing on the week.
This will be my last post on Cheltenham, aside from a brief wrap up some time over the weekend. I’ve been drinking Guinness - tea - Guinness - tea this week to ensure I retained sufficient sobriety for these pieces. So I hope, dear reader, that you will forgive me tomorrow’s lapse into self-indulgent hedonism.
Best of luck with your choices tomorrow - mine are posted on the blog.
http://www.nag-nag-nag.co.uk/blog.html
I hope your week has been as enjoyable as mine. If its been half as good, you’ll have had a great time!
Until next time, my racing friends, may your next wager need collecting.
Matt