Equinties - Burdett Road to Cheltenham

Gm Equinauts

NAP, a couple of singles and the Cheltenham bumper - the winners came thick and fast in the newsletter for another big Saturday.

But there was a lot of action this weekend which didn’t need risk on to be enjoyed.

Let’s dive in.

Don’t forget: After giving away the Vegas trip last weekend, don’t miss our next prize - a £500 John Lewis gift voucher to help with your Christmas shopping.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

CHELTENHAM REVIEW

This weekend was massive for the National Hunt season thanks to a brilliant Cheltenham November Meeting.

The Prestbury Park action kicked off with MINELLA MISSILE’s easy victory in the Grade 2 Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle, a horse who clocked the sixth-fastest final furlong from Cheltenham all season. 

For is surprising performance, CAPTAIN TEAGUE disappointted for Paul Nicholls and his short priced backers. He will need to improve if he is to feature prominently in the Grade 1 Challow Novices’ Hurdle - a race Paul loves to target. 

the disappointed didn’t last long for jockey Cobden though as he did himself proud thanks to a memorable double in the two feature races, kicking off with his ice-cold ride on BURDETT ROAD. 

BURDETT ROAD started out life as a foal sale graduate, he didn’t meet his reserve and bought back home when knocked down to his vendor for £18k. The Greadley family are now reaping that misfortune as he is now a Royal Ascot winner and a Cheltenham winner.

As was predicted in Saturdays newsletter, the bookies now have the James Owen-trained three-year-old as their 7/1 favourite for the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle in March, and he seemed to impress many on Racing X. 

Less than two hours later, Cobden survived this.:

In order to do this on STAGE STAR in the Paddy Power Gold Cup:

Trainer Nicholls has the Ryanair as his big season-long aim and he wouldn’t be too concerned if the improving seven-year-old straight to the Cheltenham which would be sad if he didn’t as people want to the big horses run. The big names are what makes people fall in love with the sport, makes people turn up and makes people invest in the sport. If STAGE STAR was not to run, it would be so typical of the National Hunt scene with some trainers forgetting they’re working in the entertainment business. 

Another exciting chaser to look forward to this season is BROADWAY BOY who look’s like he could provide a lot of fun to connections this season. He has been a very consistent horse at 4 and 5 and looks to be at his prime as a 6yo.

He made a promising seasonal debut beating his stable mate WEVEALLBEENCAUGHT whose a good yard stick and behind FLOORING PORTER, it was expected that WEVEALLBEENCAUGHT would improve past him considering BROADWAY BOY had had the benefit of a run under his belt when they met but clearly BB has improved again.

He’s certainly going the right way and has some good course form now. The Kauto Star at Kempton was discussed as his next likely target but like all these NH trainers Nigel Twiston Davies has one eye on The Festival and the Brown Advisory was nominated as his most likely intended race. He wouldn’t be out of place in the National Hunt Chase but does have some speed.

Finally, on Sunday, JONBON kicked off his season swimmingly as he won the Grade 2 Shloer Chase by nearly 10 lengths. The winner is off to the Tingle Creek next – and is a 1/4 shot to win – with the Champion Chase in March a big possibility as long as Hendo doesn’t step him up in trip. 

The second, EDWARDSTONE, has both the Peterborough Chase and the Tingle Creek in mind for nto. 

INTERNATIONAL NOTES

It wasn’t just in the UK where we saw some eye-catching performances as the Irish action this weekend was electric. Here are the main stories. 

Starting with the novice chasers, FACILE VEGA won his beginners’ chase at Navan on Saturday with INTHEPOCKET nearly four lengths back in second – the winner wasn’t breath-taking at his fences, though he will improve, and the runner-up was given a bit too much to do, so his next engagement will be interesting to watch.  

The Sunday of Navan also saw AMERICAN MIKE make a successful start over fences in the 2m4f beginners chase – he was more impressive over his flights than FACILE VEGA and managed to beat FACT TO FILE, Willie Mullins’ big Brown Advisory hope, comfortably, so he could be a different proposition over fences this year. 

Over in the novice hurdling division, STELLAR STORY, the horse who beat Tony Bloom’s ILE ATLANTIQUE, sprinted clear in the 2m4f maiden hurdle on Saturday. He is now unbeaten in three and showed a good turn of foot after the last – he is now 6/1 from 33/1 for the Albert Bartlett. 

Back on track LUCKY SWEYNESSE, the three-time HK Group 1 winner for trainer Manfred Man, got back to winning ways at Sha Tin yesterday as he won the Group 2 Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint by a neck.   

Hong Kong’s top sprinter was defeated on his last two starts at odds of 1/5 and 2/5, both of which in handicap company, but a return to a conditions race has worked as he became the first horse since Gold-Fun (2015) to win the race while carrying a Group 1 penalty. 

The Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint in December is his next big target, a race that could see him take on HIGHFIELD PRINCESS and KINROSS. 

SPOTLIGHT NUMBERS

3 -COKORIKO had a fruitful weekend of 3 Group winners for the French Native, now standing at €12,000, up from €1700 nearly 10 years ago. HOMME PUBLIC, IBERICO LORD and COKO BEACH all obliged over the weekend, ALBEIT the former probably the lucky winner when JPR ONE unseated Brendan Powell. 

265k - looking to the future, COKORIKO has the French chaser EXCELLO who is entered at Ascot this coming weekend for his debut on these shores, previously unsold at €265,000 and now in the care of Nicky Henderson.

60 - the Jumps racing fans are always out in force. 60,000 people attended the November meeting across the 3 days…not bad for a miserable day in November.

23 - STRAUSS gave MAURICE his 23rd stakes winner when winning the Gr2 Tokyo Hai Nisai on Saturday. The reason he is in the highlights is that he could be the next ‘big thing’ in Japan, now a country that produces World Champions like ALMOND EYE and EQUINOX. Actually, EQUINOX is a recent winner of this race and so is top stallion CONTRAIL. In fact 11 of the past 18 winners have gone on to Gr1 success, including 3 Derby winners.

RISK ON

No bets today.

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