Equinties - flat plans Bloom

Gm Equinauts

Now, being a predominantly British racing focused newsletter, we tend not to focus too much on the Irish stuff.

That’s not because it’s not good - obviously Irish racing is the best - but too much racing can blow your mind. We don’t need it to enjoy racing and make it pay.

But this week is different:

We can’t wait.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

FLAT PLANS BLOOM

Sports gambler, poke player and Brighton owner Tony Bloom is strengthening his racing presence by teaming up with pro punter Patrick Veitch to find more top flat horses to go to war with.

Alongside Ian McAleavy, who part-owns Gimcrack winner LAKE FOREST alongside Bloom, the trio are set to establish a breeding operation called First Bloodstock at Hillwood Stud. 

Bloom said: “We’re joining him in having our breeding operation at Hillwood Stud, but Ian and I are also keen for more runners on the Flat. Patrick has agreed to help with some of those and chose Lake Forest which got us off to a great start.”

Bloom and McAleavy’s Flat racing empire has been growing over the last few seasons, but they added some big names at the recent Tattersalls December Mares Sale as they bought GET AHEAD, the Flying Five runner-up, for 2.5m guineas as well as PRIMO BACIO for 1.1m guineas and MY EYES ADORE YOU for 380,000 guineas.

As for Veitch, he said: “What’s happened at Brighton has quickly established Tony as the shrewdest name in the world of football. Being able to bounce ideas off minds as sharp as theirs will certainly be helpful.

“We've decided that going forward all the horses we breed will be sold as yearlings. I’m happy to focus just on breeding rather than owning these days, whereas Tony and Ian are keen to have runners in their colours”.

More: https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/tony-bloom-and-patrick-veitch-to-team-up-as-brighton-hove-albion-chairman-eyes-increased-presence-on-the-flat-abywZ1Q8TV1g/

WARRIOR AGAINST A MARINE

A mouth-watering clash between GAELIC WARRIOR and MARINE NATIONALE looks set to occur at the DRF this weekend as trainer Willie Mullins is set to run his Grade 1-winning novice chaser in the Irish Arkle. 

MARINE NATIONALE is a general 1/2 shot for the 2m1f contest that highlights a brilliant opening day at Leopardstown and without the presence of GAELIC WARRIOR in the field Barry Connell’s seven-year-old would be without much competition. 

However, Mullins is not one to stand down without a fight, meaning his Rich Ricci-owned six-year-old will step back down in trip for what should be an battle. 

We all know about MARINE NATIONALE over this trip, so what about GAELIC WARRIOR?

He’s run over two miles twice during his time under Mullins; once when beaten in the Boodles off 129 (we still don’t understand how this happened) and once in the Liffey Handicap Hurdle at last year’s DRF. 

Both times he jumped out to his right remarkably – probably the most of his career – so would a return to a faster run race exaggerate this tendency. After all, he was pretty decent at Limerick but he still showed a small jump out to his right even on a right-handed track. The race will be fascinating and just one of the reasons to look forward to the DRF.

MILT-OFF!

Milton Harris has been a naughty boy. What he’s done exactly we don’t know but we imagine more will be revealed in tomorrow’s newsletter!

A LOOK AHEAD

Under the futures microscope this week is the 15.10 at Sandown on Saturday, a three-mile handicap hurdle worth £100,000. Here are a few interesting entries which we will male comment at this stage with the ground still an unknown (currently soft but no rain forecast?):

The first of note is TRANSMISSION after THAT ride by Joe Anderson lto. 

Aside from the recovery, we said in the newsletter after this success that he could well be improving and may be easy to keep onside nto. The handicapper has only given him 6lbs and he won nicely at Plumpton. He was a gamble that day - was that ‘his’ race?

Well, with his Irish maiden hurdle form alongside INTHEPOCKET and JOYEAUX MACHIN, he could still be well-treated off 125.

Another who has had a mention in the newsletter before is SAINT DAVY as he won on seasonal reappearance at Ludlow earlier this month. 

He was talked up as a novice chaser for this season, though connections have kept him to hurdles. Does he jump fences like a fridge or is there a plan with him? It could be costly to speculate, but one would imagine he could be competitive given the apparent ease of his win last time.

Swerving back to the top of the market, ED KEEPER and FINE MARGIN are similar in price. The latter is trained by Willie Mullins and was second to SLATE LANE in the Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle lto, a race that got a form boost thanks to CRAMBO. Mullins can do NO wrong at the moment.

As for ED KEEPER, he was a big gamble at Newbury and hacked up. He then looked the winner of his next start at Cheltenham before making a shuddering mistake at the final flight before keeping on behind BUTCH. Sammy Twiston Davies was had a double handful (and casually pulled a set of goggles down) when James Bowen was at the pump on BUTCH.

We think ED KEEPER would have won that race had he not basically stopped to a standstill and the way he travels in his races, it’s likely the Sandown course will suit.

As for other eyecatchers this season, RAMO stuck on well in defeat to NURSE SUSAN who is probably still the gamble of the year landed (so far) and actually stayed on past her after the line. NURSE SUSAN must have been well in to attract the support she did (and her breeding suggests she still is!) meaning you might want to mark up RAMO’s last efforts. RAMO is qualified for the Pertemps and could be looking to increase his mark to get into the Final, more, Venetia has won this race the last twice.

At bigger prices, DUBROVNIK HARRY was poor at Haydock in November but stayed on like a train at Cheltenham in a Pertemps qualifier to finish fourth behind HYLAND. Again, he would need a few more pounds to get into a Final and has nice form with COMPLETE UNKNOWN.

 Verdict: We think RAMO is the one to keep on side in this. Venetia targets the race and as a half to DJELO, he is bred to be better than his current mark and could prove well handicapped for a horse clearly in form.

RISK ON

14.55 AWAYTHELAD

It seems the whole world is on ROGER POL but we prefer Pauling’s in a two horse race. He was highly tried last year in ‘22 and ‘23, but the yard are a different proposition now. 11/8 against the whole of X.

15.15 DOLLY DELIGHTFUL

By far the standout (and collateral) form coming into this race for a yard bang in form. 6/5 in what reads as a two horse race against the Hendo horse looks a very good bet.

Highly likely there is a bit of a gamble later, but we want to watch the market and play it late. Will be on X @equinties if its a go.

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