Equinties - monster's holiday

Gm Equinauts

We were treated to some great racing over the bank holiday - weapons scorching across the flat and stags flying over fences, there was something for everyone and anyone who likes racing.

Arguably the best sight this weekend was when Olly Murphy was richly rewarded for sending his yard legend BREWIN’UPASTORM over to Ireland to compete in the Grade 2 at Fairyhouse, more for the horses than for Olly - everyone loves old BREWIN’UPASTORM for his big wins and heart breaking near misses.

Hitting the front and not stopping, BREWIN’ managed to fend off the efforts of odds on ZARAK THE BRAVE but in all honesty, Olly Murphy’s old boy never looked like losing and got back to winning ways in big style adding a third Graded race to his brilliant CV.

British trainers really should try their luck over in Ireland more often.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

INTENSE RAFFLES LANDS PRIZE

Following INTENSE RAFFLES’ Irish Grand National win, jockey JJ Slevin said: “Tom [Gibney, trainer] said he’d thought he’d win and he was right.” That’s not a bad piece of after-timing to have. 

It seems like there was a fair bit of confidence behind the gallant grey sporting the recognisable double green silks of Simon Munir & Isaac Souede as the six-year-old was sent off a solid 13/2 despite the 13lb hike in the weights. The 3m5f heavy ground contest took some getting, but the horses the market thought would hit the frame did so including well-handicapped old boy ANY SECOND NOW who managed to finish second bless him– the third time he's finished second in a National, MINELLA COCOONER bounced back to form in third and FRONTAL ASSAULT made use of a lower mark to bag fourth.

Where to go with him now? Well, the beauty of him is he is just six, so it's fair to say that improvement could still be there. Furthermore, despite his age, he’s had 12 runs already thanks to his time in France and he is unexposed in Graded company as he’s yet to try it. Could he be one for those top-level Graded races? 

MONSTER’S HOLIDAY

It’s fair to say that this season has been a tough one for the connections of CONSTITUTION HILL for a number of reasons. Poor ground conditions and setbacks have meant the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner has raced just once this season in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle, a contest that saw him show off his immense talent. 

However, since the turn of the year, the champ has been plagued with problems - he had an unsatisfactory scope which ruled him out of Trials Day, bad bloods after a poor piece of work at Kempton ruled him out of the Festival and now, to top it all off, he’s recovering from a bad bout of colic meaning he won’t be facing off against STATE MAN in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.

He’s back at Seven Barrows, but the last few weeks have taken it out of him, and CONSTITUTION HILL will now go on his summer holidays. Adding to Henderson’s statement on X, Buckley said: "When you're on a lot of antibiotics to fight that infection, you're probably not best-placed to deal with this, but hopefully we don't have a recurrence and he can put himself back together over the summer.

"He's been knocked about a bit, so there's no chance you could consider running again this season, but you won't believe how much it means to me and Nicky all the messages we get about him.”

There’s no need to throw abuse Henderson’s way for making sure his stable star has been okay this season. It seems he has genuinely been unwell, so we hope he can rest up over the next few months.

More: https://www.racingpost.com/news/britain/michael-buckley-no-chance-constitution-hill-could-run-at-punchestown-i-just-hope-hes-back-next-season-to-give-us-more-great-moments-aZoXn7K2BMnF/ 

WEEKEND EYE-CATCHERS

SALSADA – SATURDAY 14.05 HAYDOCK

We think we have worked out the way SALSADA needs to run, and we also think we know what race she could run in next to have a good chance of landing a nice pot. SALSADA ran a good race to finish a staying-on third in the valuable two-mile handicap hurdle at Haydock, and this was the fourth time she had raced out the back of the field over hurdles.

Of the other times this occurred, she finished second to EPATANTE in the Grade 2 Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle, won on debut, and then massively disappointed. This weekend was very promising, and a return to Haydock for the Swinton Handicap Hurdle on potentially better ground could see her go well. 

RIALANNAH – SUNDAY 14.44 MARKET RASEN

Sue Smith knows this family well having trained a couple of the half siblings, in fact TARAS HALL finished 2nd in the race after! Back to RIALANNAH, she went oh so close to winning this weekend and has got to go in soon. Both her pedigree and her Huntingdon form makes her quite well handicapped. She’ll need the same conditions as Sunday - mares race, 2m on good ground will be perfect. Sue often employs the aid of job jockey Nick Scholfield so watch the market. 

RISK ON

Easy double landed yesterday,

we’ll be a little less ambitious today and just go for a shortie single:

 15.00 EL SAVIOUR

Bred well and on the up versus a field, the majority of which are exposed. Ludlow’s hurdle track should suit this big lad. 6/4

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