11.30am Guineas gamble Gleneagles on course for Curragh
Tony Paley: The 2,000 Guineas favourite Gleneagles will be seen at The Curragh on Sunday after trainer Aidan O’Brien confirmed the gambled-on colt will be part of the Ballydoyle string working after racing.
Gleneagles has been heavily supported for the season’s first Classic at Newmarket and O’Brien is delighted with his condition.
Speaking in a stable tour with At The Races, the trainer said: “Everything seems fine with him so far. He’s a Galileo with a lot of speed and he doesn’t do much once he gets to the front, which is coming through from his pedigree as a lot of them were like that.
“He’s a full-sister to Marvellous, but he’s a much stronger traveller and pacier horse than she was. He would have had no problem winning over six furlongs last year if we’d asked him too and he has more than enough pace for a Guineas.
“You’d imagine he’ll get a mile and a quarter, but you couldn’t be sure he’ll get much further than that. He’ll go for a spin at The Curragh on Sunday and we’ll sit down and make a plan for him after that.”
O’Brien also revealed he sees impressive Vintage Stakes winner Highland Reel as a horse that “could go straight to the Guineas.”
The chief Derby hope for the yard appears to be John F Kennedy, while Ol’ Man River is another likely Classic candidate. That pair are also bound for The Curragh this weekend.
“He [John F Kennedy] has done well over the winter and everything seems fine with him so far,” said O’Brien. “He was very babyish in all of his three starts last year, even after his third start he was whinnying in the winner’s enclosure after the other horses went out of the ring.
“At this stage it looks like we’ll stay at home with him for his two trials in the Ballysax and the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial. We think he has grown up mentally this year, but the fact he was so babyish last year means that it probably makes sense to keep him at home for his first couple of starts rather than pitching him in deep by travelling abroad early this season.
“Fast ground won’t be a problem, he has a big stride and plenty of speed. He will go to The Curragh on Sunday for a day away with the rest of them.
Today’s best bets, by Chris Cook
The news about The New One having a kissing spine has produced a most alarming story from Kim Bailey this morning about Mr Frisk, who will be remembered by many of you as the flashy chestnut who beat Red Rum’s record time for the Grand National when the ground was like a road in 1990. Mr Frisk went on to win the Whitbread (now the Bet365 Gold Cup) three weeks afterwards and remains the only horse to have won both races in the same season.
Incredibly, it appears he had a kissing spine when he won the Whitbread and quite possibly when he won the National as well. The first indication of trouble came between those races, when the horse was taken for a wee swim in Oliver Sherwood’s pool and, on emerging, collapsed in agony, thrashing around as if in his death throes.
After a bit of sedation, he was back to his old self and doubtless those present resolved never to put him in a pool again. He won the Whitbread and only after that was diagnosed with a kissing spine, which appeared to resolve itself with a summer’s rest.
It just goes to show that there are more things going on in these stables than we imagine. I certainly don’t remember this story coming out ahead of the Whitbread, though I was only a teenager at the time. I imagine the horse might have started a bit bigger than 9-2 if it had been widely known, but he nevertheless hosed up by eight lengths. He won his first two races the following autumn as well.
By the way, if anyone can explain why Oliver Sherwood is known by the acronym BHMFE in Bailey’s blog, I’d love to hear it. I remember that Nigel Twiston-Davies is TFFFN (The Fat Farmer From Naunton). When Twiston-Davies was doing his own blog, Bailey was known as Big Nose. It’s like the most affable playground ever.
We talked in this space yesterday about Paddy Brennan and how he had lost the ride on the Roger Brookhouse-owned Seven Nation Army to Denis O’Regan. Seven Nation Army was duly beaten at odds of 1-2 and, as the Racing Post has put it this morning, does not look one to trust.
Brennan is on a mini hot streak of sorts, having been first or second on his last six rides. He has a big chance at Newbury today on Owen Na View (3.40), an 11-4 shot to follow up his win at the course on Saturday. I remember thinking last summer that he’d make a chaser and half fancied him for his fences debut at Market Rasen.
In the end, it took him six runs over fences to get off the mark but there wasn’t much of a fluke about his weekend win to my eyes, as he hammered the in-form Village Vic by 11 lengths. I feel Owen Na View has taken a significant step forward in the four months he was absent over the winter and, if so, we should see another strong showing from him today under a penalty, with the extra half-mile most unlikely to be a problem on this decent surface.
Morning Reggie, his market rival, is another penalised runner who scored by 39 lengths at Warwick but I don’t think the drier ground is in his favour and there wasn’t much strength to that race.
Earlier, I’ll give another chance to Katgary (3.05) at 4-1 for the 2m5f handicap hurdle. He was given a bit to do on dry ground at Kempton recently, his first start for three months, and I think we might see a stronger showing from him in this weaker contest with cheekpieces on for the first time and Sam Twiston-Davies aboard. He’s only 1lb higher than the mark from which he was second in last year’s Fred Winter, beaten less than a length.
Chosen Well is the natural favourite after two easy wins in novice hurdles but he looks a future chaser and this step back in trip on a much drier surface is not certain to help.
I’ve also got an eye on the last race at Chelmsford tonight, in which Leoncavallo (8.15) could prove well treated on his handicap debut with Adam Kirby on board for the first time. Charlie Appleby’s runner has got a low rating of 62 for such a well-bred beast and showed some promise after being given a lot to do on his Polytrack debut last time, also his first start since being gelded. He’s a well-backed 6-5 as I type and I’m afraid that might have gone by the time this is launched.
Tipping competition, day four
Our winners so far:
Monday
Mighty Mambo 8-1
Frozen Over 6-1
Cosway Spirit 15-8
Tuesday
Palm Grey 3-1
Mr Squirrel 11-2
Conserve 3-1
Wednesday
Kapstadt 6-1
Brody Bleu 5-2
Clampdown 15-8
And our leader is. . .
yasmin11 +9.88
. . . who was already in contention before being one of just two people to pick Kapstadt (along with 15244, now on +2). sandiuk +7.50 and dean055 +7.38 are also up there.
Today, we’d like your tips, please, for these races: 3.40 Newbury, 3.50 Ffos Las, 5.20 Newbury.
This week’s prize is a copy of Timeform’s Horses To Follow for the coming Flat season. Retailing at £9.95, it offers 50 horses to follow, chosen by Timeform’s team of experts, plus Irish horses to follow, ante-post tips and plenty more in the way of winner-finding features. If you don’t win, you can buy it here.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -9.
In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day.
For terms and conditions click here.
Good luck!
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