The leading racing analyst has five horses to note for the Christmas period including new recruits from France who could make a splash at Cheltenham.
Paul Nicholls won the Ladbrokes We Play Together Introductory Juvenile Hurdle at Kempton (12.45) on Monday in 2011, 2012 and 2013 with French-breds. ICEO looks tailormade for the two miles event on his UK debut having won by five and a half lengths at Dieppe in August (third has won over fences since).
Given time to acclimatise since arriving from across the English Channel, I spoke to assistant Harry Derham last month and he reported that the Chris Giles owned three-year-old had been working and schooling well at home. With Harry Cobden on duty at Chepstow, Bryony Frost is set to take the ride and, while he shoulders a penalty, the Coastal Path gelding can go close.
SAO is a horse I have had on my radar for the William Hill Castleford Chase at Wetherby on Monday (2.15) for some time.
The two miles event has lost a lot of its lustre with the winning purse this year being a mere £12,254 – in 1998, Cumbrian Challenge beat Direct Route winning a pot of £18,424.
The 2021 version looks set to be a competitive affair though with Nuts Well due to head the weights off a mark of 158 (11st 12lb), which means Rebecca Menzies’ charge will be carrying 10st 3lb, plus Nathan Moscrop will take a further three pounds off. The former Paul Nicholls’ trained seven-year-old likes a strongly run two miles with ease in the ground.
Inclined to race keenly, he has run two good races at Aintree and Doncaster this term. He travelled powerfully on Town Moor and paid for it late on, but it will have put him spot on for this. Unbeaten at the track, he is only two pounds higher than his win over C&D in January and appreciates a flat track. It will be disappointing if he doesn’t reward each-way support.
Willie Mullins has made 46 entries at Leopardstown and Limerick on St Stephen’s day, including a couple for the once-raced STATE MAN. A four-year-old by Doctor Dino, he is a half-brother to stablemate and Grade 1 winning novice hurdler Statuaire and performed with a lot of credit on his sole outing in France last year.
Beaten two lengths by Joseph O’Brien’s 137-rated novice chaser Busselton at Auteuil in May 2020, the race has worked out particularly well with the third winning a Grade 3 chase since and the fourth placed at Grade 1 level.
The two mile maiden hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday (12.00) was won by subsequent Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Klassical Dream three years ago – history has a knack of repeating itself.
VAUBAN was highlighted as one of my horses to follow in the seasonal preview in mid-October. The three-year-old has yet to jump a flight of hurdles in public, but that is set to change over the Festive period.
Successful in two of his four races on the Flat in France, including a Listed contest at Vichy in July, the Galiway gelding is prominent in the ante-post lists for the JCB Triumph Hurdle and a bold showing is anticipated on her jumping bow.
Entered at Limerick (12.25) on Sunday and Leopardstown (12.05) 24 hours later, the latter event is traditionally a very strong maiden juvenile hurdle having been won by the likes of Ivanovich Gorbatov (2015) and the ill-fated Sir Erec (2018) in recent years. Reported to have schooled proficiently, Willie Mullins’ charge demonstrated a good turn of foot in his home country and the watered ground at the Dublin track shouldn’t pose any problems. Rich and Susannah Ricci may have another high-class hurdler on their hands.
Following a personal best 25 winners last campaign, things haven’t quite gone as anticipated for Laura Morgan this season. Without a success in 41 days, it is hoped WHERES MAUD GONE can redress the balance in the Hinton Memorial Maiden Hurdle at Sedgefield (1.25) on Sunday.
A bumper winner in Ireland for Sam Curling over a year ago, the five year old was acquired for £75,000 and developed into a smart bumper performer for her new connections last term. A winner at Ayr in March, the daughter of Yeats was an excellent fifth behind Me Too Please in a Grade 2 mares’ bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting.
Reappearing in a Listed contest at Cheltenham’s November fixture, she travelled strongly until tiring late on. Beaten five lengths, she is ready to go jumping now and this looks a nice starting point.
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