A great night yesterday for the blog with an awful stalemate at Eastlands providing us with a win courtesy of a 1 goal start for City. While neither team really looked like scoring, it must be a huge worry for City fans that despite a massive spending spree and the likes of Yaya Toure, Milner, Tevez and David Silva, they were playing with 3 Defensive midfielders, not the kind of attitude that will win you the title, and away trips are still an annoying problem for such a huge squad. It remains to be seen how Balotelli will bring more force into the squad, but there are some worrying omens for the Blues. Liverpool haven’t been beaten in 5 games (four in the League) but the general deterioration of their performance has to be a big worry as they will need another huge effort at Stoke and they looked tired in the 2nd half, despite the fact they should have won the game. Newcastle once again suffered a big win hangover, and Bolton won with the 1 goal start courtesy of a draw.
With the Breeders’ Cup done and finished for this year (and what a meet it was, which will get its own blog) the focus is fully on the jumps for me. The Open meeting is when the season really gets going – three days of the highest quality to get the jumping juices flowing, with seven Graded races topped by the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Among famous recent winners at the fixture are Imperial Commander, Katchit, Well Chief, Rooster Booster and Sizing Europe, along with the likes of Punchestowns too.
1.15 – The opening race is a tight looking Conditionals H’cap chase, so only a small each/way will do (probably better left altogether). There’s likely to be little or no mileage with Quattrocento’s price, and THEATRICAL MOMENT (each/way) ran well in the William Hill Trophy at the festival last season, and was probably over the top in the Scottish National. This is easier than both those tasks and he should go well off a lenient mark.
2.25 – The likes of Rivaliste, Dave’s Dream, and Du Boitron should have good chances if wound up, while Keelaghan has to be respected coming from the shrewd Tony Martin yard with Ap McCoy up, but a rise of 14lbs for a 12 length win gives SAFARI JOURNEY (win) a pretty fair chance of going on from his impressive romp in a very good handicap at Ascot last time. His yard are in amazing form and he should be going close.
3.00 - Joe Lively is a fascinating runner as he should go well fresh and looks the type for these fences, while Lacdoudal is well weighted and evergreen, but the focus will be on Garde Champetre, who goes for his sixth Cross – Country success here. He’s likely to run as well as ever but evens is very short for a horse who couldn’t get back into it when hampered badly at the festival Cross-Country chase last year and SIZING AUSTRALIA is a fantastic each/way call at 9’s with Bet365 (at time of writing) for a horse who has jumped very well over these fences before and was twice placed behind Garde Champetre last season, including when third in this event, but looked an improved animal when finally breaking his duck over fences in a beginners' event at Thurles last month.
4.05 - A cracking novice’s chase with last year’s World Hurdle runner up, a double Grade 1 winner over hurdles, and a horse who was widely tipped for the Neptune before finishing fifth in the Coral Cup. Time For Rupert would be the pick on overall form, but he does seem to need a run first time out this season (would like a longer trip as well) and surely REVE DE SIVOLA (win), second to the unbeaten Peddlers Cross at the Festival after having won the Challow Hurdle before winning at the Punchestown Festival, has a huge chance of winning here first time out. He goes well fresh and should be hard to beat.
You’d expect Mr Thriller expect him to win races (was going places before being stopped by an overinflated mark last season), there are two concerns in that he's shown a liking for genuinely soft ground in the past and hasn't brought his best to this venue.
Quantitveeasing adds depth to an already fascinating contest. He was talked about as the next big thing before being beaten by Phildippes (a useful horse in his own right) at Newbury anfd ran a fantastic race for one so inexperienced in the Coral Cup. Punchestown was too much for him but he should be much better over fences and will go close here. Othermix is exposed but sets a useful standard and sets a good standard.
Recommendations
1.15 Cheltenham
0.5 pts each/way Theatrical Moment
2.25 Cheltenham
1 pt win Safari Journey
3.00 Cheltenham
2 pts each/way Sizing Europe
4.20 Cheltenham
3 pts win Reve De Sivola
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