Equinties - Hendo’s open day

Gm Equinauts

The team behind this newsletter are a man down this week (skiing)

but we’ll still try give the people want they want and knock it out the park.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

A BRITISH RAID

We don’t usually highlight races like this as a review, but it’s worth giving a nod to Stuart Edmunds who raided Ireland in the Listed Colreevy Mares Novice Chase to beat LAW ELLA and HARMONYA MAKER. 

She has been running in some nice races this season, notably when second in a Listed race at Warwick to ARCLIGHT who runs in the Grade 2 Pendil Novices’ Chase on Saturday, and this success tops the lot.

LAW ELLA didn’t have too much form in the book ahead of yesterday, but HARMONYA MAKER won nicely in a Grade 2 at Thurles lto and she has been kicking it about with SILENT APPROACH, BRANDY LOVE, and HAUTURIERE. MARSH WREN is now 25/1 in places for the Mares’ Chase, but she will need to improve.

HEDO’S DAY

Seven Barrows opened its doors to the UK press yesterday for his pre-Cheltenham Festival media day. 

Not much new information came to the fore as we all know enough about CONSTITUTION HILL, SHISHKIN, and JONBON, but a few bits did catch some interest.

The first is that Hendo thinks DODDIETHEGREAT is his “secret weapon”, so this backs up what he was saying after the Betfair Hurdle (and backs up our reason to highlight him as an eyecatcher two weeks ago). 

If he gets in, which isn’t a guarantee, then there is a nice level of bullishness around him. 

Elsewhere, he still thinks that UNDER CONTROL is well-handicapped with the County Hurdle on her agenda, and SHISHKIN, having worn them when he refused at Ascot, is very unlikely to wear cheekpieces in the Gold Cup. 

Follow @ASymondsJourno for more Cheltenham Festival content.

FERGIE TIME 

If your name is Sir Alex Ferguson, then there’s reason to be excited at the moment.

Firstly, CALDWELL POTTER is back in a work regime having moved to Ditcheat after the Caldwell dispersal sale and he could be one to see at Aintree. 

In the more immediate future, SPIRIT DANCER – in partnership with Ged Mason and Fred Done – is set to contest the $2 million Group 2 Neom Turf Cup at the Saudi Cup on Saturday. Having beaten ISRAR in November’s Bahrain International Trophy, he ran a good race when fourth in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta last month and he now drops back in grade for this valuable contest this weekend. 

On his chances, Ferguson said: “We’re so excited about it and after Bahrain, we are quite optimistic. “He had a little problem when he was three years of age, he got over that and he’s just got better and better. He’s not had a lot of racing. That’s what Richard keeps saying, that he can race a lot more than he’s been doing. So we’re getting the benefit.

“The international element is something we didn’t expect. I’d been to Dubai some years back and I was saying to myself I wonder what it’s like to have a horse involved in it – now we’ve got one, I’m enjoying it.”

He has the Aidan O’Brien duo of LUXEMBOURG and TOWER OF LONDON to take on in what should be a fascinating contest.

MEYDAN MUSINGS 

It’s all about Buick again at Meydan. They have such a strong team out there that really target these races for the big boss.

The 14.40 is SAPPHIRE SEAS race for the taking , she’s the one they have to beat. She won a Listed race by nearly 3 lengths at the back end of last year , against older horses and useful ones at that. Been off for 156 days, she was beaten on debut but that was down to greenness. But if she can’t win off a break, her main dangers are Appleby’s second string ENGLISH ROSE with Barzalona steering. Basically, all of these fillies, apart from Sapphire Seas ran in the Cape Verdi on the 19th January. And English Rose whipped them but found Sapphire Seas too good. On that evidence; maybe just do a forecast with the two Godolphin runners at the top of the market.

15.50. Another race dominated by Buick and Appleby, as OTTOMAN FLEET is the 15/8 fave and they have the second in the market NAVAL POWER. Both are the highest rated in the race and the likely contenders as the market suggests. Ottoman Fleet does well round Meydan, although the reposing ALFAREEQ has beaten him last year. but OF must have improved since then. SAN DONATO is the place bet, or even the fly in the ointment but unlikely to be improving at 8 years old. The verdict would be OTTOMAN FLEET.

The 17.00 is dominated by, (drum roll), Buick and Appleby. And BARZALONA on the second string which also looks like the forecast. Away from SISKANY and NEW LONDON - it is worth mentioning GALLERIST who looks a likely improver and one to watch for the rest of the season. He ran 3rd to Siskany at Meydan last time out having not ran since September, he wasn’t beaten far that day and at 9/2 would be the place/eachway play. If it’s not his day keep GALLERIST in your tracker as he could win some nice pots in France this year.

RISK ON

Yesterday was a tough watch. Richard Mitford-Slade hasn’t trained a winner for over a year but had LAZY SUNDAY cherry ripe to retain the same Lingfield race she hacked up in last year. If you didn’t watch the race but just noticed there was less money in your betting account, you can feel hard done by, she was cruising in the lead, the rest off the bridle and fell two out when the race was hers. That’s racing.

YOUNG BLOOD

JOYAU ALLEN is the best bred in the Exeter bumper in what should be a two horse race with JJ’s. We wouldn’t be wanting to take in the sibling of ENVOI ALLEN.

We think there is a bet today but it’s yet to come through… will tweet it.