Equinties - can't knock Equinox

Gm Equinauts

Lot’s of action from the weekend to review so we’ll dive straight in.

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HEADLINE ROUND UP

PORTER FLYING HIGH

Cheltenham became the Gavin Cromwell show this weekend as the Irish trainer provided national hunt fans with some taking performances for the return of action at the world famous Prestbury Park.

Cromwell and his sidekick Keith Donoghue began proceedings early on the Friday as MY MATE MOZZIE who won ever so snugly on his second start over fences. The end result was a facile win but he did make a few errors and did look slightly in trouble coming around the bend with our view being he would need to improve to become a live contender for this season’s Arkle.

35 minutes later, Cromwell’s ENCANTO BRUNO laid down a marker in the 2m4f novice hurdling division as he won impressively on stable. The money before the race suggested a few big punters knew exactly how much Cromwell had improved him. Make the most of that sighting though, he might not be seen too much over the winter.

It wasn’t just Friday fun for Cromwell and Donoghue. Saturday landed the spoils for them too as FLOORING PORTER made his debut over fences at the age of eight, impressing onlookers with his slick jumping.

Donoghue guided the two-time Stayers Hurdle winner to success under a hands-and-heels ride with bookies going 16/1 about him for the Grade 1 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase – with the uncertainty about this year’s crop of staying novice hurdlers, that price will interest some.

HANDICAP PLANS

Sticking with Cheltenham, Paul Nicholls could be lining up next month’s Greatwood Hurdle with BLUEKING D’OROUX who won the Masterson Holdings Hurdle.

The four-year-old has an official rating of 138 but is set to go up a few pounds for the run, and connections are eyeing up either the Greatwood (14/1), Betfair Hurdle, or to swerve both of them in favour of Ascot.

Over at Aintree, CRAMBO, last seen when seventh in the Grade 1 Mersey Novices’ Hurdle, won cosily on seasonal reappearance for Fergal O’Brien and Connor Brace.

The Betfair Exchange Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle in November has been his target for a while and the way he won yesterday suggests he has a few more pounds up his sleeve.

We suggest following @Asymondsjourno on X, he certainly gets about:

INTHE NOTEBOOK

The highly talked about INTHEWATERSIDE got his head in front at Aintree yesterday on his first start over hurdles.

Although he only won by a head in the end, the tall brute was very keen for the majority of the trip and was visibly green on the first circuit under Harry Cobden. Despite this, he had to go and win his race twice to get past both RICH SPIRIT and JAGWAR up the famous Aintree run-in. The Irish may have a few good novices yet to make their seasonal reappearance, but INTHEWATERSIDE could be one to fly the flag for the UK this season.

AWAY FROM THE JUMPS

ANCIENT WISDOM

ANCIENT WISDON gives Godolphin something to smile about after winning the Gr1 Kameko Futury Stakes by a comfortable length.

Godolphin haven’t had a great season, especially by their standards so this was a welcome win for the boys in blue.

ANCIENT WISDOM was a 2 million euro purchase from the infamous Monceaux Stud Farm in France. If you bought every yearling from Monceaux you’d probably do ok, they reared BEAUVATIER as well amongst a host of other Group performers.

By DUBAWI o/o a Gr3 winning DALAKHANI mare. Second dam is a Gr3 winner and she has produced 4 Group winners and 3 more who were Group and/or Listed placed. Third dam is the dam of the mighty mare GOLDIKOVA, Gr1 winner GALIKOVA and multiple Gr1 placed ANODIN.

Winning rider William Buick commented after the race, “It was a proper test and the ground is such that it's hard to show any brilliance,”. “He loves a battle and the plan wasn't necessarily to make the running, but it fell right, he pricked his ears and he's just a horse who is very uncomplicated. That goes a long way in this ground. You go through the list of two-year-olds that have won this race and it bodes well for next year. I'm very much looking forward to him and delighted with what he did there. I don't think it's crazy that he could be a Guineas horse–he put a lot of distance between him and them in the Autumn Stakes.”

EQUINOX 

The best racehorse in the world put in a serious display this weekend - a track record time and a proper demolition job.

The 4yo was initially pencilled in for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at the start of the year. On form lines with WESTOVER he would have, arguably won the Arc. He had beaten WESTOVER by more than 3 lengths in the Dubai Sheema Classic and was eased down at the winning post, of course ACE IMPACT beat WESTOVER by a length at Longchamp. It’s all hypothetical, but that Sheema Classic was pretty darn good.

MOSTAHDAF was 4th and he has since won the Juddmonte International and Prince Of Wales. ZAGREY was in 3rd and he has since won the Gr1 Preis Von Baden, ZAGREY and WESTOVER filled the first 2 in the Gr1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud.

EQUINOX’s display over the weekend winning the Gr1 TENNO SHO (Autumn) was a similarly dominant display than when he won in Dubai. Another track record and another Grade 1, his fifth Group 1 on the bounce now! Just like the Springboks, this was another sporting moment from the weekend to savour and the big bay colt is only the 3rd horse in history to record back to back wins in the race. The same owners had achieved the feat before with ALMOND EYE.

So what next? Races in Japan may include the Atina Kinen or the Japan Cup. Another voyage to the desert possibly? We all dream that we could see him at Royal Ascot next year in the Prince Of Wales Stakes, or even give Japan their first win in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe. Let’s hope he stays in training as a 5yo.

SHAQUILLE TO STUD

SHAQUILLE was retired by Julie Camacho and connections yesterday and will stand at Dullingham Park Stud in Newmarket.

The brilliant enigma climbed from an official mark of 90 at the end of 2022 to finish with a rating of 120 thanks to his Group 1 successes in the July Cup and Commonwealth Cup. Everyone who kept on top of the Flat scene this season had a great time watching both the July Cup and Commonwealth Cup and seeing him win in the manner he did was exhilarating.

What a horse; happy retirement, SHAQUILLE!

YOUNG BLOOD

Our Aintree bumper preview should have been celebrating a 16/1 winner yesterday. We have an easier race to assess today:

HUNTINGDON BUMPER

JEUNE BELLE has been squeezed from 5/2 into 6/2 (we did that). She’s a half to Wadham’s GAME ON FOR GLORY, a previous bumper winner for us. The one they all have to beat both on pedigree and form.

LOOKING AS YOU ARE is a year younger than JEUNE BELLE. A half to a bumper winner and has run well last two starts. Good form in the book. Contender.

WOOLBERRY is nicely bred out of a very nice mare. Went off fave on debut but clearly ran below expectations. Drifting today.

Milton’s CHASE PARK looked average on debut and others a better bred for this particular race. One for further down the line.

BATWOMEN looks fairly exposed and hasn’t stopped drifting all morning.

Neil King runs the half sis to his good LOOKAWAY in SANS CHOIX. Out the back in debut, one for later.

Pam Sly knows the family of DARTING ROSE very well having bred her. Price says one for handicap later down line.

Verdict: WOOLBERRY nicely bred but only ran okay lto, improvement needed. Back on better ground we think JEUNE BELLE will be very hard to beat at a track Wadham targets.

RISK ON

16.10 JEUNE BELLE

Strong fave and the one to beat.

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