Equinties - press day season

Author

BGP Capital
January 23, 2025

Equinties

Gm Equinauts

As the days grow longer, our evenings slightly brighter, rightly or wrongly, racing’s spring festivals draw closer to the forefront of punters minds as they dream of being on the money side of racing history.

A theatre spectacle with absolutely no forgone conclusion, there are clues to help punters build a picture of it’s possible ending - form, market moves and of course, the big yard press days which will come in to full force in the coming weeks,

As the duplicate content arrives on the sausage-factory-style conveyor belt of racing’s media outlets, we’ll decipher the key takeaways from each one and big chunk it for you.

Talking of dreamers, Amo Racing’s Kia is a topic of discussion again this morning as it’s rumoured he might be buying a Newmarket stud off Steve Parkin. We had strong suspicion his £30m sending spree at Tatts last year was more calculated than than the frivolous display of wealth most people guffawed at. He’s trying to build bloody Coolmore II. More to come on this…

Anyway, let’s dive in.

HEADINE ROUND UP

CONFIRMATIONS AND QUESTIONS

Willie Mullins and his Closutton yard held their pre-Dublin Racing Festival press day yesterday.

Ahead of entries closing for the novice races at the Cheltenham Festival, there was a bit of worry floating around Racing X that FINAL DEMAND, an impressive debut winner for Mullins, hadn’t been entered for any races with an hour to go. That was quickly put to bed when he was entered for the Turners and Albert Bartlett on the 11th hour, and seeing his name on the sheet of parading horses at Closutton will come as a welcome sight for any of his speculative ante-post fans.

It seems GALOPIN DES CHAMPS vs FACT TO FILE II is on. This was always going to happen, but Mullins gave the greenlight yesterday, and he will probably learn a fair amount from the clash.

If GALOPIN DES CHAMPS wins, and wins comfortably, they may just run FACT TO FILE in the Ryanair and leave the Gold Cup to GDC. If it’s tight, JP McManus will probably want a runner in the blue riband event, and he’ll force Mullins’ hand to run FACT TO FILE in the Gold Cup. Pretty simple stuff this.

Mullins said: "Fact To File is in good form and JP [McManus] and Mark [Walsh] are keen to take on Galopin Des Champs again.”

"He might have to try something different. We'll leave that to Mark. He might have a different tactic up his sleeve but we'll discuss it in the parade ring before the race.

"He was a bit gassy the last day, but as horses go through the season, they tend to be less keen, so he'll probably race a lot better than that. He has options and we'll see after the Dublin Racing Festival."

As for the other thing we learned, well, LOSSIEMOUTH will not head to Cheltenham on Saturday. Gutting. She wasn’t on the list of horses to talk about (weird) and Mullins very much sat on the fence regarding her next engagement – who can blame him. What do you do with a wonder-mare who had her ass handed to her at Christmas?

Brave to send horses across the sea in the forecasted conditions anyway!

 

A GENTLEMANS’ GAME

Cheltenham Trials Day will be proper entertainment this weekend (that’s if the day doesn’t get scuppered by the storm) even if a couple of the races turn out to be procession jobs. Several horses to note could make Saturday good homework for the future should they turn up, and yesterday we got confirmation that one of those would as GENTLEMANSGAME is set to run in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase.

He’s coming here fresh from chasing home GALOPIN DES CHAMPS in the Grade 1 Savills Chase at Christmas, but because of his win in the Charlie Hall Chase last season, he has to carry a penalty against L’HOMME PRESSE and co.

We’ll cover the race more on Saturday, but it looks like a contest between him and L’HOMME PRESSE at this stage. One horse was beaten 12 lengths in a Savills and another was beaten 12 lengths in a King George. Both were having their seasonal reappearances after over 240 days away from the track as well. So, it’s slightly a case of which form do you prefer - the Savills or the King George?

The Cotswold Chase has created a bit of a snooze fest in recent years (remember when CHANTRY HOUSE beat SANTINI in the slowest finish Cheltenham has ever seen?), but these two horses plus the likes of CAPODANNO, last year’s winner, and STAGE STAR could well make this year a fine renewal.

Anyway, on his participation, Mouse Morris said: "Gentlemansgame left on Wednesday and seems to be in great form. I thought this was a better option for him than going back to Leopardstown against Galopin Des Champs again. Hopefully we'll meet him again in the Gold Cup if all goes well for us on Saturday.

"I thought he ran a cracker over Christmas. That was his first run of the season, too, so he should come on a bit for it. Touch wood, everything has gone well since and I'm very happy with him."

 

14.13 GRADE 2 GALMOY HURDLE

It’s Thyestes Handicap Chase Day over at Gowran Park today, and it really is a race that the Irish love but, the Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle is certainly a contest that is worth previewing as there are some rather smart horses declared.

HIDDENVALLY LAKE will give a nice nod to how CRAMBO could run in the Cleeve Hurdle on Saturday as he was second to Fergal O’Brien’s Grade 1 winner at Ascot lto.

For a first run back, it was a huge effort - he took his time to get going, but he was doing his best work late on ground that was probably as fast as he would want. Yes, it was a Grade 1, but one could question how close horses like BEAUPORT, THE WALLPARK, KATEIRA, BLUEKING D’OROUX, and EAGLE FANG finished to the front two.

ASTERION FORLONGE is next in the market and of all the three-mile hurdle races he will ever contest, he must have his best chance here. It’s on a right-handed track on soft ground and he has the benefit of race fitness. Nice.

He is 11 now, but he has no penalty to shoulder and he should have a chance based on his TEAHUPOO, KLASSICAL DREAM, and MONKFISH form.

BUDDY ONE is returning to hurdles having had four chase starts, one of which was a winning one. He didn’t jump very well over fences, so he’ll appreciate the return to smaller obstacles. He finished ahead of HIDDENVALLEY LAKE in the Grade 1 Liverpool Hurdle when running off level weights, and the fact he gets 5lbs from HIDDENVALLEY LAKE today is notable. He does need to return back to his best, but soft ground should suit.

ROCKY’S DIAMOND and SANDOR CLEGANE finished third and fourth behind HOME BY THE LEE in the Grade 1 Savills Hurdle. It was a weird race the Savills Hurdle as SANDOR CLEGANE travelled like the winner around the home turn before the front two picked them off late on. It was a big run, and he has form with FACT TO FILE and SPILLANE’S TOWER.

ROCKY’S DIAMOND has had just five runs and the last one was huge to finish third at 66/1. He’s thoroughly unexposed having won on handicap debut at Gowran Park in October, and he’s very interesting.

FRANCISCAN ROCK is Pertemps qualified, so maybe he won’t be winning here, and MAXXUM is back up to three miles which should suit. He is rated to go well and he isn’t the worst each-way chance in the world.

VERDICT: This is ultra-competitive and a no bet race for us but we think BUDDY ONE might get the upper hand here and put his career back on track. You're getting a bigger price today because he can’t jump fences. Well, this is a hurdles contest and his mid-race travelling hasn’t been too much of an issue so far this season. He’s the tentative vote.

RISK ON

Close to a full house yesterday as DIAMOND KODA ran out of track, but TRIBAL ACT was nice viewing:

Today we like:

12.25 BUST A MOVE

This was a complicated juvenile event to work out. There has been warm money for NARRANGASETT for Mulholland. Last seen running close a Derham horse who went on to finish a brilliant third behind LULAMBA and MONDO MAN. We think that could be a false form line with Derham’s having massively improved. He’s making the market at 6/5 and going to take him on with BUST A MOVE who didn’t come off the bridle last time out, posted a good time and gets his favoured soft ground conditions. At 7/1 we think he’s a great ew.

12.55 PESO

We think Mullins’ CHART TOPPER is odds on because it’s Mullins but (we think) it cannot be overstated how bad his last time out win over in Ireland was - he raced nothing and was flattered. PESO on the other hand raced well bred NH types and beat them easily. 3/1 is a mistake and is a big ew in the trust, if he stands, finishes first or second for a reduced loss. Let’s hope we’re trading peso’s for pounds…finance joke there.

Small 31/1 ew double on the above two.

17.30 MANARA

Boughey’s has been smashed but we think that’s either market manipulation or bad judgement - we think he’s beatable today and we’re siding with the filly MANARA to love the step up in trip and do a four-timer. Trappy race so only a small bet here at 3/1.

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