Equinties - spreadsheet day

Gm Equinauts

The Middle Park is a load of sh*te and doesn’t warrant any headlines so we’ve named today’s newsletter spreadsheet day.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

HE’S BACK!

Last season, there were just three British-trained horses in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and ROYALE PAGAILLE, THE REAL WHACKER, and AHOY SENOR weren’t exactly strong competitors. It was a shame to see, and we really haven’t had many British-trained Gold Cup contenders in the last few years - PROTEKTORAT and BRAVEMANSGAME are the closest we’ve had.

However, at one stage last season, there was a Kim Bailey & Mat Nicholls-trained runner who was making his name known as a potential Gold Cup horse, and that animal was CHIANTI CLASSICO.

He won the Ultima in 2024, and on his return to the track last season, he went and won gamely at Ascot under top weight. He then valiantly finished third at Cheltenham at the December meeting, but in the process, he ripped a tendon off his hock, and it was all a bit doom and gloom from there.

Tendon injuries, as we all know, are pretty serious, and horses rarely come back from them at all, let alone coming back to their best ability. Furthermore, at the time of the injury, Mat Nicholls was sure he’d never come back to the track. Fast forward to this week, and it seems as if miracles have happened. CHIANTI CLASSICO is on the road to being back, and he could well return before Christmas!

According to reports on X, the eight-year-old is doing very well in Ireland with Enda Bolger, and if his recovery continues on the same path, he could be back in the Gloucestershire sunshine by next month. If he is, then he could be racing in November, which is so great to see.

Who knows what kind of horse we could see if/when he returns to the track? But Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls aren’t silly, and they won’t risk the horse if there is a chance of serious harm. He is a horse that a lot of people love because he is a Cheltenham winner, he was a big improver two seasons ago, and he is a horse who has lots of raw ability.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that he can get back to his best and stay sound.

In addition to the above jumps updates, Henry Brooke has recently had surgery following a leg break at Perth on Thursday. He had a huge season last year, a personal best for winners as he sat on most of Greenall and Guerriero’s horses. We wish Henry a speedy recovery in what is a horrible place in the season to get injured.

ZEUS OLYMPIOS

Before we go into our previews, we’ll give a nod to ZEUS OLYMPIOS, who could really be anything after yesterday’s win in the Group 2 Joel Stakes.

He was caught behind horses, but that didn’t stop him from flying home like a very, very good horse. He could be proper…. OPERA BALLO isn’t a bad horse in second.

His season is now done, so connections will have a very warm winter thinking of him as a potential Group 1 horse next year. On next year, Karl Burke said: "I knew he got stronger since his win at Haydock and he has a big future. There is nothing else for him this year, so we will put him away now and look at something like the Lockinge to start him off next year."

He’s steadily turned into a bit of a force in this mile division, and who knows what his competitors will look like next year. ROSALLION continues to get beaten (and he could go off to stud, maybe), DANCING GEMINI hasn’t won a Gr1 year, NOTABLE SPEECH might go to stud, and who knows what DOCKLANDS will be doing next year. They're all old blood; he’s fresh!

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