Equinties - Sir Gin-go for fences

Gm Equinauts

This newsletter was on fire yesterday with out one risk on horse winning, our ‘eye’s on’ horse in IT’S HARD TO KNOW obliging first time up for Ben Pauling and the bumper verdict horse for Jamie Snowden bolting up too.

We only bet the one horse - one bet one winner but it’s nice to see that our eye is in so to speak.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

SIR GIN-GO FOR FENCES

Tis’ the season for four-year-olds over fences.

We saw the chasing debut of KALIF DU BERLAIS on Monday and yesterday, Nicky Henderson confirmed that SIR GINO will be tried as a novice chaser this season.

The plans for the Grade 1-winning juvenile hurdler have been up in the air for some time, but some expert schooling at Seven Barrows has swayed the opinion of Henderson and Nico de Boinville.

Henderson said: "We tried him a few weeks ago over a fence and he was just so good. He's a highly talented horse as a hurdler but what we saw the other day from him was extremely good. He looks like a chaser, he's a big boy."

Much like KALIF DU BERLAIS, he always had the frame of a novice chaser last season, but their ability got them through the juvenile ranks until this season. If connections are happy with what they are seeing at home, why not send them over fences when they are four?

After all, as Henderson said in his Unibet blog, they can always come back to hurdles, much like they did with BUVEUR D’AIR in 2016 who won his first two chase starts before switching back to the smaller flights and winning two Champion Hurdles.

What Henderson also said in his Unibet blog was the potential seasonal reappearance of SIR GINO, and that race will be the 2m2f beginners chase at Kempton later this month. From there, he could well go to something like the Wayward Lad at Christmas as that’s what both ALTIOR and SHISHKIN did after their win on chasing debut at Kempton.

Or, because he is a horse coming out of juvenile company, he might be tenderly handled and given a bit more time before the Lightning Novices’ Chase which is now at Windsor in January.

We can’t wait to visit Windsor in the winter!

NO EASY START

If, like us, you spend more time than the average person wearing tin foil hats, you might be inclined to read a little too much into this news on SIR GINO.

‘Well, if SIR GINO is going over fences, CONSTITUTION HILL must be back!’

Hold your horses.

Yes, CONSTITUTION HILL’s wellness has probably had some, and when we say some, we mean small influence on the plans of SIR GINO this year. After all, Henderson was leaning towards hurdles when speaking in recent stable tours, so any news about The Freak would probably give Hendo something to think about.

Furthermore, SIR GINO is owned by the Donnellys who also have STATE MAN in the two-mile hurdling division. It would make no sense to send two horses up against an on-song CONSTITUTION HILL only to be beaten, so it’s probably smart to send SIR GINO down a different route.

But, ultimately, Henderson will only do what is right for SIR GINO, so this move to go over fences will have been mainly dependant on how the horse schooled. You know, the usual test!

Why are we mentioning this?

Well, yesterday, the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle entries were revealed, and CONSTITION HILL was in the list.

However, if he is to make his belated reappearance at Newcastle later this month, he might not have an easy time of things. It looks a brilliant race.

MYSTICAL POWER, BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD, and GOLDEN ACE were all in the early list, though the former would have to be the most interesting.

We know that Willie Mullins is hell-bent on retaining his British Trainers’ Championship, and with the potential idea that BALLYBURN could stick to hurdles this season, may BALLYBURN and STATE MAN head to the Morgiana Hurdle while MYSTICAL POWER comes over the Irish Sea for the Fighting Fifth?

All will be revealed soon, but it’s all very interesting!

DRY SPELL

No, we’re not talking about our sex life, we’re talking about the actual weather in Gloucestershire currently because for their second meeting of the new jumps season, Cheltenham is expecting good ground this weekend for their November meeting.

There has been no notable rain this month to add to the high pressure experienced over the last few weeks.

So, it will be quick ground this weekend, but how quick?

Ultimately, Jon Pullin has to water to make it safe ground on Friday ahead of a three-day meeting and while no figures have been produced on Twitter or on the BHA website, Pullin said: “At Cheltenham, we've given two rounds of watering over the whole course to point us in a good position going into next week. We did notice the course really started to turn this week. It's a balancing act.

"One slight benefit for Cheltenham for this meeting is that it's the last meeting on the Old course until the festival, before we switch to the New course for December and January. There are obviously areas where the course crosses over the New, so we need to be careful we don't create a problem by watering too much.”

So, there are two outcomes you can expect from the good ground at Prestbury Park this weekend.

Firstly, small fields as trainers won’t want to start their horses off for the year on good, and some summer horses (like FLYING FORTUNE in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle) will be there who have the benefit of race fitness over some proper winter horses.

Keep an eye on these clues but if you can’t be arsed, don’t worry we’ll do the hard work for you.

VAUBAN STAYS

We told you he’d stay all day…in Australia. He’ll be missed in Europe but at least he’s one to track and bet when he starts to mop up Down Under!

BUMPER

A nice bumper preview verdict winner in LADY TADITA for Jamie Snowden, she owned the standout pedigree in yesterdays Huntingdon bumper and really should have been a bet but we were happy with our one winner with risk on.

That takes us to 4 winners from our last 8 bumper verdict horses.

AYR

This bumper is another bad one. The market is dominated by CASTLE CARROCK who is bred to be the best of this lot and the pricing suggests that.

Of his rivals, WILD REIVER is one for handicaps over fences.

SHES ALL PRIDE has a useful pedigree and might give the hot pot fave most to think about. She actually quite well-related but ran poorly in her point so might need more time but is one to watch in girls company.

Irish raider PORTNABLAGH was pulled up in his point but first time over fences can be forgiven, this is a different sort of race. His second dam has produced good horses. A bit of an unknown!

GLENVILLE looks like he’s getting handicapped for later and JACK DEMPSEY will be on for later.

Verdict: The market is screaming for CASTLE CARROCK and with the best pedigree for a race like this, he’s the verdict. He could win by half the track and we wouldn’t put you off a distance bet. Three lengths is 5/4, that’s our bet and if it wins we’ll give the winnings to a reader!

BUMPER RESULTS

03/10/24 KAYLAN 2/1 (11/8 SP) - 1st

08/10/24 LAURA LOU 11/1 & PLAYAWAY GIRL 14/1 - 6th & 9th

09/10/24 JOTO 2/1 6th

09/10/24 ID GO MANIAC 5/2 - 4th

12/10/24 MONEYGARROW 5/1 (13/8 SP) - 1st

16/10/24 KINGSLEY 7/1 - 8th

18/10/24 STRONG RUN 5/1 - 2nd

22/10/24 SECRET SNIPER 5/1 - 3rd

23/10/24 THE LONG WALK 100/30 - 3rd

27/10/24 SIOG GEAL 5/2 - 2nd

27/10/24 QUINNS REWARD 9/1 (14/1 SP) - 7th

27/10/24 TENNESSE TANGO 9/1 (12/1 SP) - 1st

28/10/24 ALLSTITCHEDUP 12/1 - 9th

30/10/24 KOSAC D’OUDAIRIES 11/2 (5/2 SP) - 5th

01/11/24 BEAU GOLD 11/2 - 8th

02/11/24 KAJIKIA 17/2 - 1st

07/11/24 BROOKSIDE LA 5/2 - 4th

07/11/24 EL CAIROS 100/30 - 1st

09/11/24 JOTO 7/1 (16/1 SP) - 4th

09/11/24 LINALENE 6/1 (9/4 SP) - 3rd

09/11/24 SWINGIN SAFARI 11/8 - 1st

11/11/24 OH CLARE 8/1 (3/1) - 4th

12/11/24 LADY TADITA 7/2 (5/4 SP) - 1st

RISK ON

A good winner in CAMINO ROCIO yesterday, one bet one winner, today we’re going with the following:

13.55 DO IT AGAIN & LAUTREC DE GOUGNY

Playing two in this race because only these two can win on pedigree - it’s such a bad race. Anyone who watched the 3yo junior hurdles race last week will remember what a mess it was:

Basically, all these youngsters have very limited experience and it’ll be the best schooled winning it, or the best raw ability. Owed to Noel George’s training practices, DO IT AGAIN should be most familiar with obstacles so much so, he’s probably popped more hurdles than this lot combined! The best pedigree in this race by far is LAUTREC DU COUGNY and should he not be out for a jolly, it would be no surprise he go close but he might be there for a schooling.

Strong bet on DO IT AGAIN 11/8 and at the price, a 5% stake saver on Greenall’s LAUTREC DU COUGNY at 20/1.

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