When it comes to strength in depth, Punchestown's Grade One races are a fair bit below Cheltenham's and we can see that clearly in today's Champion Hurdle. Still, that's excellent news for connections of Sublimity (4.20), who have a chance to put a positive gloss on a disappointing season.
Stuffed in the Bula when a long way off peak fitness, Sublimity came there to win his second Champion at Cheltenham but couldn't match Katchit and Osana up the hill and I'm afraid there must be a suspicion that trainer John Carr again left him short. Well, he's a hard horse to train, with longstanding soundness problems.
His main rival today is Punjabi, who won a novice race at this meeting last year and put up a huge effort for a five-year-old when third at the Festival. Still, he'd never have gone past Sublimity if that one had kept going and, with a steadier pace likely from today's smaller field, I expect Sublimity's class to tell.
There's much less midweek racing on terrestrial TV these days but we had the BBC at Nottingham on Wednesday and today Channel 4 give us a little taste by showing the first two races at Sandown in a weird little one-hour programme. Maybe that's how to make Thommo bearable - small doses.
The opening Esher Cup, a mile handicap for three-year-olds, is highly competitive but I really like Jedediah (1.15), available at 20-1 on Betfair. This one ran with great credit when fifth to Ibn Khaldun in a Group Three at Ascot last October, having previously won his maiden over today's course and distance on similar ground. With Andrew Balding's yard flying, he should not be such a big price, though a place saver might be the better part of valour in such a tough race.
A three-year-old who never ran over shorter than six furlongs as a juvenile, stepping back to five for his seasonal reappearance - normally something to avoid, but Corrybrough (2.25) has an awful lot of pace. He's likely to get a good tow from Bosun Breese in the adjacent stall and, with the good to soft going to help, he should be able to get there in time. Like Balding, trainer Henry Candy has also made a good start to the season.
Skadrak will be a warm order for the opening maiden at Wolves, his home reputation having swollen to the point where he is being touted for the 2,000 Guineas. His debut second last year, when with Peter Chapple-Hyam, showed a lot of promise but he wintered with Brian Meehan, who has sent out one winner from 38 runners so far this year. Barry Hills is in much better form and his Slugger O'Toole (2.15) has the benefit of a run already this year, when a good fourth at the Craven meeting.
Acknowledgement (6.35) ran a most interesting race on his first run for almost a year when fourth of 17 in a handicap hurdle at Towcester recently. Indeed, he may have poked his head rather too far over the parapets of publicity, as far as those looking to back him today are concerned, as he is already down to 4-1 on Betfair for a similar race at Newton Abbot tonight. He is certainly capable of winning this.
It's always a bit sad to see what was once a decent horse scrubbing round in claiming company but I suppose Cerium (6.20) isn't worried about his loss of status, so why should I be? Paul Nicholls doesn't drop many of his into this grade but it is not usually a desperate act of despair when he does so - from 10 runners in claimers over the last five seasons, he's had five winners and Cerium can be another at Chepstow tonight.
Controversy watch
Lord Samposin and Michael McAlister, who so famously failed to go past Tony Dobbin when that veteran jockey was having his final ride recently, are reunited on a racecourse for the first time since in Perth's 5.10 race. Success would almost be an embarrassment for the jockey but this is a very different race - there was only one serious rival at Carlisle that day, whereas the pair face a big, competitive field here. I prefer Billesey.
1.20pm Not today for Jedediah
Martin Dwyer settled Jedediah well off the pace and the pair never got competitive. Still, the horse ran on nicely under considerate handling and I should think there will be another day for him.
2.20pm Slugger O'Toole KO's Skadrak!
You heard it here first. A fine tactical ride from Chris Catlin, who sat his mount behind the pace-setting August Gale. Skadrak sat up close behind the leader but Robert Winston let his rival get first run and Skadrak could not find the pace to catch up. The Guineas looks a long way off for this one.
That's a 9-4 winner for Talking Horses.
2.30pm Shelling peas
Corrybrough zooms home at 5-4 looking like a horse to follow. M'colleague Tony Paley, however, has his eye on the third home, Rash Judgement - one to watch for next time, quoth he.
4.10pm Dar Re Mi is new Oaks favourite . . .
. . . after winning a maiden impressively at Sandown today. John Gosden's filly didn't beat much but did it well and will now go for the Musidora at York. Stan James offer 6-1 for Epsom, which is a bit of a joke, but the Tote and Paddy Power go 10-1.
4.30pm Punjabi wins Punchestown's Champion Hurdle . . .
. . . making it a clean sweep of the major races by English trainers at this week's festival, after the earlier wins of Twist Magic, Neptune Collonges and Blazing Bailey.
Barry Geraghty judged it nicely on the winner but Philip Carberry misjudged things, giving Sublimity too much to do. Last year's champ could certainly have made a race of it if Carberry had sat a bit closer to Punjabi and the pair were closing all the way to the line.
Controversy update
As expected, Lord Samposin and Michael McAlister found the fences getting in the way at Perth. It'll be a weak race that this horse wins.
6.40pm Poor old Cerium
Pulled up with a circuit to go, which hopefully means the start of a long and happy retirement for the gelding, though he is only seven years old. It's amazing how quickly some of these French-breds lose their ability.
Acknowledgement a non-runner now, so I'm fresh out of tips. Until tomorrow, then . . .
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