Equinties - Pauling Power (1)

Gm Equinauts

Newbury races and the Six Nations, Saturdays rarely get better than this.

Let’s dive in.

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BRITISH ORDER

Yesterday, Alan King’s MASACCIO won at short odds in a fairly sub (Kempton’s) standard 2m5f novices’ hurdle. 

He was priced at 6/1 on and obliged as easily as the price suggested but the race will never offer any useful argument towards form (we spent far too long trying to find the ew or place bet in the race but those in behind were so bad we couldn’t).

So where is this lad in the British Novice’s pecking order?

Probably not that high tbh. MASACCIO was beaten by JINGKO BLUE at Newbury by a nose (a Saturday boom for us), though JINGKO BLUE was in receipt of 6lbs. He has since won a handicap off 124 in comfortable fashion, a success that caused the handicapper to raise him 14lbs in the weights. 

That form looks pretty solid, but you only have to go back one run to see that JINGKO BLUE was beaten three lengths by Ben Pauling’s PERSONAL AMBITION at Warwick – he has since won a Doncaster novices’ race by a distance. 

As we know, that wasn’t the only time a ‘Hendo hope’ has been stuffed by one of Pauling’s, new recruits. Only this week HANDSTANDS put away market hot pot JANGO BAIE…easily!

A Hendo horse who hasn’t been stuffed (yet) but was fairly disappointing last time out is JERIKO DU REPONET who was the big talking horse of the British novices this year. Even though he won last time out, the market was so unimpressed with his performance it’s done nothing but sell him off in the Supreme. Rightly so as his collateral form stinks; he beat SECRET SQUIRREL at Newbury who has since been beaten by FIRE FLYER and the second from his British debut, KING WILLIAM RUFUS, has been well-beaten in two starts since. He must have ability as Nicky Henderson wouldn’t talk him up as much as he has, but if he was to line up against the aforementioned horses, he wouldn’t be fave… and that’s without the Irish!

As for British Baring Bingham horses, GIDLEIGH PARK is leading the way at 14/1. He beat LUCKY PLACE at Cheltenham lto, and although some may question that form, LUCKY PLACE finished second to GOLDEN ACE at Taunton in January while giving a stone away in weight. GOLDEN ACE has cantered to success recently, franking the form.

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