Equinties - Mullins’ options

Gm Equinauts

Boy oh boy were we close to landing an epic bet Saturday with our 40/1 selection RAPPER just running out of track.

We anticipate it’ll be a very good time for Risk On horses this week.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

BALLYBURN BINGHAM

It takes just one innocent race to make Racing X spiral into disarray. Yesterday, it was the performance of TULLYHILL in the Listed Sheila Bourke Novice Hurdle that caused Willie Mullins bingo to hit its heights.

TULLYHILL, the horse that was beaten by 24 lengths in his first maiden hurdle over 2m6f, has put his season back on track with a success at Naas last month and a fairly dominant performance at Punchestown yesterday.

His jumping has improved, but he’s still not slick and he was given a freebee from the front against inferior rivals, one of which (NO FLIES ON HIM) drifted from 7/4 to touch 11/2 before going off 4/1.

TULLYHILL is now as short as 6/1 for the Supreme which looks on the sharp side. After his big disappointment in November and his poor jumping display in Naas, it would have been hard to fancy him for the contest at the time.

One month has passed and now he is meant to have a single-figure chance for the Supreme? We’re not sure. As for the Mullins bingo, with both TULLYHILL and MYSTICAL POWER likely to head to the Supreme, it throws into question whether BALLYBURN, the 11/8 Supreme favourite, will be aimed towards the Baring Bingham.

Mullins loves to win the Supreme. To start the meeting off with a bang is crucial and in BALLYBURN, he has a proven Grade 1 two-miler who is clearly the best horse in the race. TULLYHILL and MYSTICAL POWER would give him a good hand if they both went to the Supreme, but there would be a chance something could pop up at a price. With BALLYBURN, you would imagine that he should be winning. Closutton doesn’t have the strongest hand in the Baring Bingham as MYSTICAL POWER at 5/1 is their shortest-priced runner, but the likes of READIN TOMMY WRONG and ILE ATLANTIQUE could produce a nice performance. To be honest, BALLYBURN would probably win both the Supreme and Baring Bingham and it’s probably the latter that is a weaker race. We all take the piss out of Mullins, but you wouldn’t envy him in this position.

CLASSY COBDEN

If you didn’t know, Harry Cobden is a very good jockey. In fact, he’s the best in the country, by far. 

Thanks to a Sean Bowen injury and some world-class riding, Ditcheat’s number-one is three victories ahead of Bowen in the race to become this year’s jump jockeys’ champion in what he believes will be his first and only attempt at the title. 

His talents and ability were thoroughly highlighted onboard PIC D’ORHY in the Grade 1 Ascot Chase on Saturday as he caught a few jockeys sleeping to win from pillar to post. 

Saturday marked a second Grade 1 success for PIC D’ORHY as he beat FAKIR D’OUDAIRIES in the Marsh Chase at Aintree last year, though he is likely to skip Cheltenham next month ahead of a defence of his Aintree title.

But should he be heading to the Ryanair in Cheltenham? Arguably, if not for getting in tight to the last at Kempton in the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase two starts ago, he could well have beaten BANBRIDGE, a horse he was giving 3lbs to. In a race that lacks out-and-out quality, PIC D’ORHY is fairly ground versatile (unlike BANBRIDGE) and he has no problems going left-handed. He disappointed at Cheltenham on his only Prestbury Park start in the 2019 Triumph, but that was nearly five years ago. Is it not worth giving him another chance?

WEEKEND EYECATCHERS

ROSY REDRUM - WINCANTON 13.30 SATURDAY

After 448 days off the track and on heavy ground, ROSY REDRUM’s third in the opener at Wincanton on Saturday was one that connections can be proud of. The six-year-old has always been well-thought-of within the yard, though an obvious setback has kept her away from hitting the track. 

Before her time away from the track, she was in the process of running a good race in a Listed contest at Newbury behind LUCCIA before falling and she was a decent bumper horse, though she was taken out of the Champion Bumper in 2022 for heavy ground.

Out of DIAMOND DUCHESS, a good ground-winning mare, and by PRIDE OF DUBAI, she probably prefers better ground and she will probably come on for the run. She’ll get a mark after her run on Saturday and may be interesting in a handicap. 

KILBEG KING - ASCOT 13.50 SATURDAY

As losing eye-catchers go, KILBEG KING is probably one of the most unlucky ones we have included in this section. Anthony Honeyball’s nine-year-old is very big at his fences, but he failed to get into a fluent rhythm around Ascot. If he jumped the second last or, more importantly, the last fence, he would have probably got his head in front. This tweet below is pretty accurate as he looks like a proper stayer and his 14/1 for the National Hunt Chase looks fair enough. 

JIGORO - PUNCHESTOWN 15.05 SUNDAY

Gordon Elliott has now got four runs into JIGORO after his third to TULLYHILL yesterday. The five-year-old by FREE PORT LUX has exclusively been campaigned over two miles on ground ranging from soft to heavy, and with one win under his belt as well as placed efforts in Listed and Grade 2 company, he has done well so far. JIGORO tends to finish his races out well with a consistent gallop, so potentially a step up in trip could suit well – could this be Elliott’s Martin Pipe horse? If he is, he’s 25/1 to do so. Looking back on his success at Navan in early December, Jack Kennedy got off and said he would get further, so there is scope to speculate this.

YOUNG BLOOD

Unfortunately there are no bumpers today!

RISK ON

18.00 TUNEFUL

Apparently quite well-handicapped and expected to win.