Equinties - Old Hennessy Saturday

Gm Equinauts

Newbury was perfect yesterday. We backed a winner in OPEC but more, the sun was shining and the best UK jumps horses did their job well.

Today’s a new day, with equally as good horses in display, namely in the Fighting Fifth and the big Hennessy race at Newbury.

Christmas has truly started.

Good luck with your plays today, let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

HE’S THE MAN

THE JUKEBOX MAN was quite good, wasn’t he? For whatever he looked like on your screens yesterday, whether it was live or a replay, we can’t express just how amazing he looked in the flesh.

Stupidly, we opposed him yesterday.

You’ll understand why - it was his first run of the season on ground turning faster the day went on enough and the trip was only 2m4f.

But it’s for those reasons why we took him on, which made him so damn good.

Okay, he guessed at a couple and he got the fence down the back straight wrong, but you can’t fault the boldness of his leaps on the whole under a superb ride from the jockey.

It was so remarkable that it’s almost easy to forget that was his chasing debut!

If you can, go back and watch the full replay. His effort from fence to fence would make anyone fall in love with jumps racing, especially that leap over the water jump at the winning line.

As we said pre-race, the contest looked like a nice race on paper and most of the horses ran to form apart from CAPTAIN TEAGUE who was found to be lame post-race.

MASACCIO and JOHNNYWHO made use of their race fitness, but it was the former who finished the best and could be going up in trip soon.

As for THE JUKEBOX MAN, there was an interesting observation made post-race about the lack of a Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase to aim at.

Maybe Ben Pauling isn’t the happiest bunny at the lack of a 2m4f Grade 1 to aim at.

But still, he’ll make do, and that could start with a trip to Kempton for the Kauto Star on Boxing Day.

He said: “He’s the type of horse I could go to Cheltenham, Aintree, and then Punchestown with because he’s hard as nails. We’re not going to fall into the trap of not running a good horse because he enjoys his racing more than his work.

“We’ve lost the Dipper and that would be the obvious route. It leaves Kempton on the cards.

“I’m not saying I’m going to do it, but maybe there’s something in Ireland?”

So, he’s now 12/1 for the Browns and that’s the race he’ll run in at Cheltenham. He’s nice, let’s see how well he goes from here.

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