Equinties - Sir Gino

Author

BGP Capital
February 11, 2025

Equinties

Gm Equinauts

Let’s dive in.

HEADINE ROUND UP

CHELTENHAM FAVE OUT

SIR GINO is out for the season. This was the line at the start of yesterday, and we thought this was bad enough, but as we went to bed last night, that was the least of every one’s worries.

So, let’s start at the beginning. Matt Chapman warned us that there was a Seven Barrows update imminent yesterday morning, and just like that, Racing X blew up.
Initially, the statement looked ominous but hopeful.

SIR GINO’s state had got worse, the infection had invaded the ligaments, he was visiting an equine hospital, and he would need lengthy treatment.

We don’t know of any horse this has happened to, but sadly we do know friends who have had it. It’s not good news.

Of course, Racing X had their word on the matter. Most of the comments were sensible, normal, and expected. They were mostly regarding wishing Henderson well and hoping that SIR GINO would be okay.

Others displayed a severe lack of emotional intelligence.

But you can’t fix stupid.

The Racing Post got in touch with Henderson and he provided a bit more explanation about SIR GINO’s condition and, well, it’s not what many were expecting.

He said: "We’re in the lap of the gods and the vets as to what the future holds, but we’re fighting away. He needs a bit of help from some very good vets, and he also probably needs help from upstairs too.

"This suddenly went down quite quickly from what we thought was all right. We were upbeat on Saturday morning but yesterday morning wasn’t so good at all, and last night wasn’t either. These things come on so quickly. It’s horrible and it comes from nowhere."
Ominous. Quotes like “we’re in the lap of the gods” and “he also probably needs help from upstairs too” would not fill anyone with confidence. Rather than fighting to be back next season, it feels like he is fighting for his life.

God, we hope he is okay. Horses are fragile animals, and it’s brutal to see this happen to such a brilliant, brilliant horse.



EYES ON NASH

It’s confirmed; IROKO will miss the Cheltenham festival.
This hardly comes as a surprise. Connections have had their eyes on the Grand National all season and they have campaigned him in the best way possible, even if it has been fairly obvious.

His run behind MOON D’ORANGE at Cheltenham on Trials Day goes into the ‘tenderly handled’ folder in the filing cabinet, and as such, he remains on a mark of 152.

Although Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero are keen to get another run into him before the Nash, that run won’t occur at Cheltenham.

Greenall said: "He's going to run once more before Aintree, if everything goes right," he said. "He's in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Kempton [on February 22] and the Premier Chase at Kelso [on March 1] is the other option. He won't go to Cheltenham because it's too close to Aintree."
So, funnily enough, he could take on GREY DAWNING in the Premier Chase. Now that could be a fun little clash.

It makes sense to miss Cheltenham with him. The turnaround is tight this year, and why would you ruin a season-long plan just to run in the Ultima?

Furthermore, Dan Skelton actually highlighted the gap between Cheltenham and Aintree on Luck On Sunday last weekend. He suggested that it should be widened, and we can see the angle.

Season after season we see horses with the best form in the book underperform at Aintree because of their previous run at Cheltenham.

Plenty of Irish horses get to wait for Punchestown, though some (IL ETAIT TEMPS) do both. If the Brits aren’t going to go over to Punchestown, why not move Aintree back a little bit and allow the nice horses to do Cheltenham and Aintree?
Think about the Flat. Horses get to go to Royal Ascot, Goodwood, York and more because they are properly planned out.



BIG BUYING

Whisper it quietly, but the Flat is coming. Yes, we know, Cheltenham hasn’t even happened yet, and that’s before we even talk about Aintree or Punchestown. But we can’t f*cking wait!

However, the Lincoln is 46 days away, and that’s just the start of it. So, why don’t we talk about one of the fastest-rising owners in the game, Wathnan Racing.
They have added another high-class horse to their ranks, and the horse is KING’S GAMBIT, the London Gold Cup winner.

He went on to finish second to JAYAREBE in the Hampton Court, third to ALFAILIA the York Stakes, and third to LOS ANGELES in the Great Voltigeur.

He was a nice horse last season, and he will now sport the silks of Wathnan Racing rather than his previous owner Mohammed Jaber.

And, well, that sporting of silks is set to occur quicker than expected as he will line up in the Group 3 Emir’s Trophy at Doha on Saturday worth €1,000,000, though James Doyle is set to ride SUPERCOOLED instead!

On his weekend assignment, Richard Brown, spokesman for Wathan Racing, said: “We’re delighted to get King's Gambit on the team. We were impressed with him all last year, especially in the London Gold Cup at Newbury and also by his run when third in the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.

"He’s very consistent and didn’t have a lot of luck. He’s gone a mile and a half only once before, but around the easy track at Al Rayyan it should be perfect for him.

“At the moment, the plan is for Mickael Barzalona to ride him. James Doyle rode King’s Gambit in a racecourse gallop at Kempton last week and he rode Supercooled in a piece of work in Doha this morning, and he’s gone with the latter.

“James had a tricky decision to make but Supercooled has done it over there and run more recently, whereas King’s Gambit hasn't run since Ascot in October."

RISK ON

We have bets today but they will be posted on X @equinties.

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