Equinties - go go greys

Gm Equinauts

Huntingdon bumper preview for premium subscribers, you’re welcome!

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

CHAMPIONS DAY

There’s reason to be quite excited about Champions Day this year. Firstly, the powers that be have introduced a new £250,000 two-year-old race to kick off the card. We LOVE LVOE LOVE the 2yo’s and an extra race to work out just suits us fine. We imagine it’ll stay and become very popular; six furlongs at Ascot for £250,00 at the end of the season; lots of different connections will fancy their chances.

19 horses were entered for this new race and even more were supplemented yesterday morning.

The likes of TRAWLERMAN, LAZZAT, BIG MOJO, ESTRANGE, KALPANA, WAARDAH, FIELD OF GOLD, ROSALLION, FALLEN ANGEL, DELACROIX, NEVER SO BRAVE, OMBUDSMAN, CALANDAGAN, and ALMERIC are still on for Ascot on Saturday, and that Champion Stakes looks very, very sharp.

There are, of course, a few other horses that we would have liked to see in Berkshire this weekend, but we can’t really complain, and there are a few interesting angles to consider.

The first is the ground. The jumps boys are praying for rain, and there are probably a few flat trainers who will hate to see good in the description this weekend having waited all year for a bit of cut. It’s not like good ground will see a raft of non-runners like the Chepstow jumpers last weekend, but the last few renewals of Champions Day have been on proper soft ground, and the results have shown that, ANMAAT introduced himself last year; BAAEED got himself beaten in the 2022 Champion Stakes; and Art Power won the Sprint at 40/1 in 2023!

Good ground, or even slightly quicker, will make Champions Day feel a little bit more like a ‘champion’ event, as the surface surely won’t be an excuse for the vast majority of runners. That’s not to say soft ground is bad for Champions Day, but it does bring more horses into the mix and that does make it harder to punt.

Secondly, that Fillies & Mares Stakes is deeply interesting. KALPANA was all the rage in the Arc, but she just didn’t pick up down the outside. Maybe she was given a bit of a rough ride, but she also got her ground in France, and she may not like decent ground this weekend. She does love Ascot (won this race last year and placed in the King George).

But there is also ESTRANGE to consider. According to David O’Meara, she has gotten over the sniffles that kept her out of stall 18… sorry, we mean the Arc, and having worked her yesterday morning, Danny Tudhope said that he was “really happy with her”.

Just say you pulled her out of the Arc because of her draw, David. We all know that’s the reason.

Anyway, she had her cult following for Paris, but will those same disciples follow her at a new track on potentially quick ground after a “setback”?

And then, just look at that Champion Stakes. OMBUDSMAN’s connections have riled a few people up by saying DEVIL’S ADVOCATE could be added to the race as a pacemaker.

We don’t have too much of an issue with it as surely a pacemaker will help CALANDAGAN as well? DELACROIX also wouldn’t mind a pace to aim at, and ALMERIC was held up in the Doonside Cup.

There’s also the small matter of ECONOMICS in the race, who is all set to run after impressing William Haggas in a recent racecourse gallop at Newmarket. Add all of that together, and that sets up to be a cracking Champions Day. We can’t wait for one last bash before those jumpers take centre stage.

JUMPING NEWS

Apart from Champions Day confirmations yesterday, there was little news to talk about, so we may as well tie up a few loose ends about the jumps season.

So, STUMPTOWN won the Velka Pardubicka on Sunday, and it was quite the performance. He jumped averagely all the way around, and he was pretty poor in the middle part of the race.

But it was the ride that Keith Donoghue gave the horse that won him the race. Just look at this sit from Keith Donoghue! Mental.

He has always been a good horse, but the last year has really shown him in a good light. He won four in a row after his Punchestown banks success in May 2024, culminating with Cheltenham Festival success in the cross country, and he is now the first Irish-trained winner of the Velka Pardubicka.

Anyway, Cheltenham in March is now his big target, and the Grand National isn’t really on their list of targets. Gavin Cromwell said: “Getting him back to the Cheltenham Festival is the end goal for this season. Where we go in between now and then, I’m not too sure. He’ll take a while to get over a tough race with three days of travelling, so we won’t be running him back too soon.

“We’ll make a plan, but ultimately Cheltenham is the goal. He obviously ran in the Grand National after Cheltenham last season, but that’s not really on the list for him this time – I’d say we’ll probably bypass it. Nothing is certain, but it’s not high up on his list of races for the season.”

As for another bit of racing news, EAST INDIA DOCK is on the medical bench for a little while, Tim Gredley revealed on Luck On Sunday.

This is a shame, as seeing him after finishing third in the Triumph Hurdle promised plenty. He probably would have been hard to campaign this season, in fairness, and a handicap mark of 147 isn’t easy. Anyway, the interesting point from this interview is that they may go chasing with him! Not many ex-Flat horses go chasing, but he is a big beast, so he could potentially go well over a bigger obstacle. He is also by GOLDEN HORN, the sire of GOLDEN ACE, NEMEAN LION, and PONIROS, though not many of GOLDEN HORN’s offspring have gone over fences as most are small.

If he gets back on the track in fine form, he will be intriguing over a fence.

GO GO GREYS

And finally, the sales are still going on in Newmarket, and even Dave Portnoy has been attracted to Park Paddocks.

Admittedly, it was Day 2 at the October Yearling Sales yesterday and Portnoy’s grey filly purchase occurred in Book 1, but still, this shows that the sales ring really can attract anyone.

Either that, or he has nowhere else he can get his hands on a grey.

Just in case readers of this newsletter don’t know, Portnoy, the owner of Barstool Sports, recently created Go Go Grey Stables, which, you guessed it, only buys grey horses. This is like the David Mawell of racehorse ownership!

Anyway, Portnoy purchased a HAVANA GREY filly out of the ELUSIVE QUALITY mare TALAMPAYA for 450,000 guineas, and she had plenty of admirers, according to his racing manager Bradley Weisbord. He said: "I think there were 18 greys [in the catalogue] before we got on the plane in Book 1.

"I think it makes it a lot harder. I don’t know how many times I've tried to convince him that only three per cent of all thoroughbreds are greys. I've tried to do power points on convincing him how dumb it is. But Dave understands how dumb it is and guess what? He doesn't care, that's his thing.

"With the last Havana Grey filly we bought for Dave, I believe Paddy Twomey was underbidder and he called me after the hammer dropped.

"He said she looked like an Ascot filly and was there any chance he could train her. I called Dave up and asked if he wanted to point for Royal Ascot but he said, 'I've bought a house in Saratoga to have my horses point for New York racing', so that didn't go so well!

"I will say that I brought him over to Royal Ascot a few years ago and he loved it, so don't discount us buying some horse, probably a proven horse, for Royal Ascot. He'll definitely be back."

Keeping your horse away from Royal Ascot because you want to watch them back home certainly is a valid excuse. Go well, Dave.

Anyway, back to yesterday’s action, Amo Racing was top lot again as they secured a STARMAN filly out of EMIRATES EMPRESS (half-sister to this season’s Irish Champion Stakes third ROYAL CHAMPION) for 525,000gns.

Kia Joorabchian also dipped into his pocket to buy three more STARMANs, all of which totalled nearly 1.3 million. The STARMAN hype is real, for now. On their top lot, Kevin Philippart de Foy said: “She was my pick of the sale. She’s from a very good damside. She’s a very easy-going filly, very racy, and Starman can do no wrong, he had more winners again today, so I’m delighted to get this filly. I’ve been very keen on her since the start of the day.”

Bullish words about a horse by an exciting sire!

RISK ON

We can’t back him, he’s been on the deck three times but surely it’s time for the well bred COUNTRY PARK to break his maiden in the 14.21!?

Elsewhere we’re backing:

15.51 CHIEF BLACK ROBE

Very interesting back with Fergal. The last time he moved yards and came back to Fergal’s he won at Market Rasen and his old form would carry this lot. A pattern worth betting. 100/30.

16.44 SARAB STAR

We backed this horse on debut. Very good horse and needs to win today for the HIT sale. 6/4 short but should win so a bet.

There might be another play at Market Rasen but we want to find out about it first, we will post on X @equinties should we move on it.

SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO ACCESS THIS WEEKENDS CHAMPIONS DAY EDITION PLUS DAILY SPECIAL CONTENT SUCH AS OUR SANDOUT STATS & BUMPER PREVIEWS

Become a paying subscriber to get access to all of our pedigree analysis, big race previews inc. bumper previews, standout stats and best bets over the coming NH season!

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.