Today’s best bet, by Chris Cook
You know it’s autumn when you start reading reports from various ‘owner days’ at jump racing stables. Paul Nicholls, Jamie Snowden, Noel Meade and Jonjo O’Neill all had major events at their yards yesterday, where they talked about their prospects for the new jumps season, and collectively they’ve produced enough material to fill the front five pages of the Racing Post.
It’s quite a phenomenon, when you consider we’re still at least six weeks away from races like the Persian War and the Charlie Hall. The equivalent for Flat racing would be John Gosden, Sir Michael Stoute and others discussing their charges in early March but of course there is no such tradition. Even if there were, coverage would be drowned out by the Cheltenham Festival previews which are everywhere at that time of year, which again is a ritual with no Flat-racing equivalent.
Differences like these make it easier to be a fan of jump racing than the Flat, I submit. If you want your sport to thrive, you have to give your most devoted followers every chance to indulge their inner geek.
To Windsor, where 11mm of overnight rain was a lot more than was forecast and gives me a sense of foreboding about the nap, Vimy Ridge, whose best form is on a faster surface. But the ground should be fine for the NB, Mark Johnston’s progressive juvenile Go Now Go Now (2.20), a 13 -8 shot in a nursery.
Winless in novice races, this colt is two from two since switching to handicaps and is still only 6lb higher than for the first of those wins. Crownthorpe, who has chased him home each time, won by daylight at Sandown on Saturday.
Later, Oh It’s Saucepot (4.50) is a 2-1 shot to make it three in a row, having twice scored on a surface with some give this summer. The useful claimer George Wood takes over from Ted Durcan in the saddle.
Fans of the Neil Mulholland yard might be worried about the fact that both his entries at Brighton today have become non-runners with vets’ certificates. Ambuscade has apparently returned a bad scope while Rubheira has a respiratory infection and we must hope these problems are confined to those horses, who were due to have their first runs for the yard today. I imagine Mulholland will get some improvement out of them at some point.
The pick at Ripon could be Tarboosh (3.40), a 7-1 shot to make it four wins from six since he had a wind operation. From the Paul Midgley yard that is going so well just now, he is only 3lb higher for his Carlisle success 12 days ago. Paul Mulrennan replaces Cam Hardie.
Tips for all Monday races
Windsor
1.50 Take Me With You 2.20 Go Now Go Now (nb) 2.50 Lester Kris 3.20 Vimy Ridge (nap) 3.50 Royal Line 4.20 Sandy Shores 4.50 Oh It’s Saucepot 5.20 Kings Academy
Brighton
2.00 Daybreak 2.30 Strictly Carter 3.00 Haveoneyerself 3.30 Alwaysandforever 4.00 Good Business 4.30 Ambuscade 5.00 Tulip Dress 5.30 Rubheira
Ripon
2.10 Mokaatil 2.40 Porchy Party 3.10 Zack Mayo 3.40 Tarboosh 4.10 Pepita 4.40 Gakku
