A quiet Saturday for us with just two runners at Sandown but we should be much busier next weekend where Newbury takes centre stage. The likes of Luccia, Iberico Lord, and Doddiethegreat could well take their chance in the Betfair Hurdle, and I might even back up Under Control again. She was positioned a little too far back at Doncaster but stayed on very well to the line and has come out of it in great form. She takes her racing well and won at Sandown last April after winning at Cheltenham about nine days before so I wouldn’t be concerned about running her again.
Unfortunately Impose Toi won’t be running anywhere for a while after being the victim of another jockey’s error who managed to gallop his mount into the back of our horse which chopped into the hind tendon above the hock – which was very bad driving in my book; but that’s jump racing for you. It’s nothing particularly serious, but nevertheless very frustrating.
Shishkin is on course for the Denman and we all hope that Nico will be back in time to ride.
Jonbon has come out of the Clarence House in perfectly good shape and will now head straight back to Cheltenham for the Champion Chase. It was very unfortunate what happened, and had he jumped the last he might well have won, but these things happen and I certainly won’t be losing faith in him off the back of just one run. He will do plenty of schooling and, as long as he stays sound, will be primed for March.
Sir Gino was excellent in the Triumph Trial and did what we all hoped he would do. His work had been very good and he really could be anything.
I have been told that the bookmakers pushed out Jeriko Du Reponet in the betting for the Supreme after a supposedly unimpressive performance in the Rossington Main. His price makes absolutely no difference to me, but I do feel it could be quite an overreaction. Mark (Walsh) said they went much too slow early on, which meant he could never get into a rhythm with his jumping, but when they quickened in the last half mile, he was really able to hit top gear and take a cut at his hurdles. He is a very good horse I certainly didn’t have him fully tuned up with the Festival the main objective.
First Street got put up another 5lbs for finishing third in the Unibet Hurdle which seems particularly unfair, and he is now going to be very hard to place. It’s highly unlikely that he will be declared for the Betfair.
I shall be at Sandown to saddle our two runners on Saturday before heading to the airport to catch a plane to Dublin en route to Leopardstown on Sunday to catch up with State Man and the rest of the Mullins battalion!
SANDOWN
12:50
Jaitroplaclasse (James Bowen)
Things haven’t really clicked into place with him yet but he’s a smart animal and works ok at home. He was quite keen at Newbury last time, which was unlike him, so James will be trying to get him to relax and finish his race, and this might not be the strongest Novice Hurdle Sandown has ever staged.
1:25
Jingko Blue (James Bowen)
He showed a good attitude to win at Newbury last time on his second run over hurdles and I’d like to think he has come on a lot for it. Quite how strong that was race, I’m not sure, but he’s a person we think an awful lot of and and this race will tell us more.
