Monday’s best bets, by Chris Corrigan
Cyclop – a horse with two eyes, despite his name – is on a National trail again. Not the Aintree one, but Monday’s Surrey National at Lingfield. David Dennis’s seven-year-old was a specialist at this pursuit in 2017, winning the Lincolnshire National at Market Rasen on Boxing Day, after finishing second in the Southern National at Fontwell in November, second in the Cambridgeshire National at Huntingdon in March, and second in the Somerset National at Wincanton in January.
On Sunday, Dennis expressed concern that Cyclop’s current handicap rating could prove a problem at Lingfield. “A rating of 120 makes life difficult for him,” the Worcestershire-based trainer said. “But he is a very good stayer, certainly handles testing ground and if he can get into a rhythm I’m sure he’ll run well.”
Two other factors can help Cyclop (3.50). As of Monday morning, Dennis had three wins from eight stable runs in the last fortnight, so is definitely in form. The horse’s regular rider, Trevor Whelan, is claimed by Neil King to ride The Boss’s Dream in the same race, but Dennis has booked Aidan Coleman, who has also won on Cyclop previously and has previously ridden a Surrey National winner.
Bookmakers made Fleminport an odds-on favourite earlier on the card. Jonjo O’Neill’s novice hurdler is again ridden by Coleman after the pair won at Hereford in soft ground three weeks ago.
The recent form of runners from the O’Neill stable continues to be very inconsistent, however. The trainer is highly capable of staging a big revival in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival but, for now, his charge looks worth opposing with Clash Of D Titans (3.15). Warren Greatrex’s runner should be suited by this longer trip after staying-on into third place in a two-mile contest at Leicester last month.
At Carlisle, Lucinda Russell saddles Haul Us In (4.05) and the trainer could have an improving staying hurdler on her hands. Haul Us In appears well weighted, and is proven in heavy going.
Fergal O’Brien 45% (11)
Sue Smith 40% (10)
Dr Richard Newland 38% (8)
Emma Lavelle 30% (10)
Kerry Lee 29% (7)
Alan King 26% (31)
Ben Pauling 25% (24)
Warren Greatrex 25% (20)
Ruth Jefferson 25% (8)
Colin Tizzard 24% (29)
Charlie Longsdon 23% (13)
Peter Bowen 22% (9)
Nicky Henderson 21% (34)
Nigel Twiston-Davies 20% (30)
Nick Williams 18% (11)
Neil Mulholland 17% (29)
Donald McCain 17% (18)
Tim Vaughan 17% (12)
Dan Skelton 16% (37)
Lucinda Russell 16% (19)
Oliver Sherwood 15% (13)
David Pipe 14% (21)
Venetia Williams 14% (21)
Nicky Richards 14% (7)
Paul Nicholls 12% (34)
Ian Williams 9% (22)
Tom George 9% (11)
Gary Moore 8% (36)
Kim Bailey 8% (12)
Philip Hobbs 6% (16)
Evan Williams 0% (23)
Jonjo O’Neill 0% (16)
Harry Fry 0% (11)
Brian Ellison 0% (4)
Rebecca Curtis 0% (3)
Chris Cook: Quite a few yards are showing a useful strike-rate, with Cheltenham just three weeks away. In addition to Fergal O’Brien, who tops our table for the second week running, it’s interesting to see powerful yards like Alan King and Ben Pauling back above 20%. Of those with fewer recent runners, Sue Smith appears to be flying, while Dr Newland has had three from eight in the past fortnight, including one at Ascot on Saturday. It’s good to see Ruth Jefferson up at that end of the table, too, and there will be a lot of goodwill towards anything she runs this season.
Venetia Williams had a couple of winners over the weekend and it was notable that her Yala Enki was the only one who could raise a gallop by the end of Haydock’s Grand National Trial. Perhaps the Ross yard is turning a corner.
Paul Nicholls is lower in this table than he’d like to be, though I haven’t had many concerns about the way his horses have been running. He won a Grade Two at Ascot on Saturday and was third in the Grade One.
Trainers like Dan Skelton and Tom George are going through a relatively quiet patch after being busy in the earlier part of the season. It’ll be interesting to see if they can punch their weight again at the spring festivals. Jonjo O’Neill and Philip Hobbs are much more in need of a revival.
Each Monday through the core jumps season, we’re monitoring the relative success of 35 major jumps stables. The percentage figure is their win strike-rate for the last fortnight, while their total number of runners in that time is in brackets.
Carlisle
2.00 Le Drapeau 2.30 Glingerside 3.00 Swing Hard 3.35 Blottos 4.05 Haul Us In (nb) 4.40 Bako De La Saulaie 5.10 Windsor Avenue
Kempton Park
5.20 Queen Moon 5.50 Give Him Time 6.20 Mansfield 6.50 Magic Mirror 7.20 Luna Eclipse 7.50 Oud Metha Bridge 8.20 Ardamir
Lingfield Park
1.45 You Raised Me Up 2.15 After Aspen 2.45 Arquebusier 3.15 Clash Of D Titans (nap) 3.50 Cyclop 4.25 Le Musee 4.55 Man Of Steel
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