The third race of Cheltenham’s Open Meeting 2012 had,
since the entry stage, looked like a key pointer to the upcoming novice hurdle events
over two miles with most of the entries promising much either, last season, the
start of this season, or both. Once the declarations had been made it appeared
we were in prospect for a highly informative clash that was bound to have a
significant bearing on the, all important, Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2013.
There is no doubt we saw a group of high class novice hurdlers
that, in all likelihood, will make up into horses capable of challenging in
March, but whether we learned the respective merits of the runners in this race
is another matter. The main problem, that had been alluded to beforehand, was a
lack of pace. The race was full of horses in need of the experience or with
concerns over their ability to settle; therefore nearly every runner’s ideal
conditions were a fast run race in which they could settle in behind, receiving
cover. As a result, nothing wanted to make the running leaving the bizarre
situation where the tapes went up and it was nearly 15 seconds before the race
actually began.
With Dodging Bullets
having already had one season over hurdles and bearing in mind his convincing victory at the track last time, Ruby Walsh was reluctantly willing to set the pace on him. Walsh
took the field along at a very sedate pace leaving a number in behind pulling
for their heads, most notably Duke Of Navan who nearly pulled his way to the
front rounding the first bend out of the home straight. Dodging Bullets settled
well enough in front, largely jumped well, and, after Walsh bunched the field
up one final time coming down the hill, he quickened smartly using all the
advantage he had gained through the race to best effect, consequently running
out a 1½ length winner. If there was going to be any danger to him it would
have been following his mistake at the last but it lost him little, if any,
ground and he was in fact quicker over the obstacle than the second.
There was strong support for Paul Nicholls’ charge before
Friday’s race but I had question marks over him. He had won an extremely weak
race at the previous Cheltenham meeting and he was up against high class horses
here, from the flat and bumpers, for example, Court Minstrel who had won more
decisively in a stronger race on the same day at Cheltenham’s October meeting.
Although, on the back of Dodging Bullet’s first season over hurdles he had
every right to be favourite, particularly when one reflected on his run in the
Triumph Hurdle. With this win under his belt over seemingly decent opposition
he should look a very appealing prospect for the Supreme, especially with his
trainer showing so much faith in him that he is being considered for the
Christmas Hurdle. The way the race panned out is just as likely to have
inconvenienced Dodging Bullets as any other horse in the race and this is the
point his connections and supporters will focus on going forward as he won in
spite of the race being unsuitable. I take the view that in the end this was a
farce of a race which was far less informative than it promised to be. I failed
to see enough from the winner to dispel the doubts I previously held and would
be willing to look past him at this stage for the 2013 Supreme Novices.
I was far more taken with the performances of the second and
third, both of whom I would rather have on my side going forward. Second behind
Dodging Bullets was River Maigue,
who was making his hurdling debut in this Grade 2. This is hugely significant primarily
because it shows the high esteem in which he is held by trainer Nicky Henderson,
who has any number of high class novice hurdlers in his care, including My Tent Or Yours who was
entered in this race at the five day stage. River Maigue, an impressive
point-to-point winner, started his career for Nicky Henderson in one of last
season’s best bumpers at Ascot where he was beaten into third by Royal
Guardsman and Atlantic Roller, having pulled hard for most of the race. He then
went on to the bumper at Ayr on Scottish Grand National day which Nicky
Henderson had won for the previous two years, once with Sprinter Sacre, and
River Maigue was impressive having again been keen early on, this time picking
up well when asked. I was taken by this performance and he was one of the
novice hurdle prospects I was most excited by this season and all my enthusiasm
for him is intact after Friday, despite getting beaten.
As the horse had had issues settling early on in the past
Barry Geraghty was keen to find him cover at Cheltenham once the race finally
started. He settled River Maigue as well as he could in behind Magic Star up
the straight before pulling himself alongside Magic Star on the exit of the
first bend. The Zagreb gelding kept taking himself forward until he was nearly
alongside Dodging Bullets before a slow jump at the fourth intervened. Geraghty
was happy enough to give the front runner a three length lead and it was only a
prodigious leap at the third last which took him alongside Ruby Walsh’s mount.
Another sound jump two out put him there with a winning chance but on approach
to the final turn he couldn’t match the instant acceleration from the flat bred,
race fit, experienced rival, thereby losing the ground he had made up at the
third last. He was quickly shoved along to regain the ground but could only
stay on up the hill with the easy lead handed to the winner proving crucial.
Also crucial was River Maigue’s lack of fitness. This was
his first run of the season and he is entitled to come on for it but in the
paddock he certainly looked as if he was carrying some excess weight, Henderson
suggested afterwards that his bay gelding had done a little too well over the
summer. With this run under his, hopefully looser, belt he should improve considerably
and I would not be in the least surprised were he to reverse the form with the
winner even without the 7lb weight concession he received here. River Maigue is
a horse with class and should prove himself very smart in a strongly run two miles.
He jumps and travels so well that he could make up into a serious contender for
the Supreme but as a convincing winner of his point-to-point over three miles
he could also be even better over further. As an individual, he is well made
with enough scope to make a high class chaser and the way he jumps his hurdles suggests
this could be where we eventually see him at his very best, he does remind me very much of Finian’s Rainbow.
In third behind Dodging Bullets was the hard luck story of
the race, Court Minstrel. If the
race had panned out slightly differently, even off this ultra slow pace, I suspect
he would have won and he comes out with a huge amount of credit. Evan Williams’
excitable son of Court Cave came into the race off the back of a striking victory over course and distance in October and the form of that race has worked out reasonably
well with the second and sixth winning since, while fourth, fifth and seventh
have been placed. Court Minstrel has been an excessively free-going sort
throughout his time with Evan Williams and it would appear that he must be
dropped out in rear in order to settle. These tactics resulted in him being
most inconvenienced by the farcical nature of the contest, yet it was not just the
ground he had to make up and the lack of a decent gallop which cost him here. Having
managed to settle well in behind, Court Minstrel jumped fluently through the
race and his rider, Paul Maloney, guided him into contention approaching the
last. Unfortunately for him Magic Spear just jumped across in front, leaving
him unsighted at the final hurdle, causing a mistake and a collision which cost
Paul Maloney’s mount ground, momentum (just as he was quickening) and,
crucially, race position. Court Minstrel then had to recover and it took him a
few strides to organise himself, but once he did he flew up the hill passing
Magic Spear and Duke Of Navan in the process. Without such interference I am
confident that he would have been at worst second. With all his attributes and
a new found maturity, in that he has finally learnt to settle, Court Minstrel
looks tailor-made for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and if forced to have an
antepost bet on something from Friday’s race it would be on him.  |
| Tominator |
Of the rest of the
field behind Dodging Bullets, Duke Of
Navan shaped the best, finishing just half-a-length behind Court Minstrel.
He had strong bumper form, including behind River Maigue where, just like on
Friday, he pulled himself to the front rounding the first bend. If he learns to
settle he can put in more high class displays akin to his hurdling debut. Joint
second favourite for this Supreme trial was Tominator. A talented stayer on the flat, he started his hurdling
career at Bangor where he won decisively but his hurdling was far from fluent
as was the case here. He also had a fast pace to run at that day ,set up by a
stablemate, and he looks one for handicaps over further as his jumping
inadequacies will find him out at this level.
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