Ben Linfoot and Matt Brocklebank highlight half a dozen horses that you should add to your My Stable trackers following the festive racing.
1. Embittered – 3rd in Future Champions Novice Hurdle, Leopardstown Dec 27
I’m almost completely sold on Abacadabras as far as the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle is concerned so I’m dead keen to follow anything that has been mixing against Gordon Elliott’s monster.
Step forward EMBITTERED – in the same Gigginstown House silks, but trained by Joseph O’Brien. He was fifth when Abacadabras chased home Envoi Allen in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse and again caught the eye when third over Christmas.
The son of Fame And Glory has been shaping like a step up in trip was required all season, even when beating Blackbow over two miles on his hurdling debut at Naas and I can’t wait to see how much he could improve when faced with two and a half miles.
He’s currently top of my thinking for the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham – a race O’Brien won last season with Early Doors – and it will be interesting to see if he goes straight there or takes in another Graded race en route at the Dublin Racing Festival.
Sky Bet and William Hill both make him 25/1 in their markets to win any race at the Festival.
(Matt Brocklebank)
2. Cerberus - 2nd in Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle, Chepstow Dec 27
What kind of freak is Allmankind?
To be as keen as he was on heavy ground in the Grade One Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow yet still win by nine lengths is a testament to his natural ability and it will be fascinating to see how he gets on in the Triumph Hurdle.
Runner-up CERBERUS was the only one to give him a race and he moved through the contest well before failing to quicken in the conditions at the business end.
This looked another step forward from the Joseph O’Brien-trained horse, though, and with four hurdling starts under his belt he’s requiring some much valuable experience at a high level ahead of his spring assignments.
He could be a Fred Winter horse at Cheltenham or he might be a bit better than that, but either way he’s worth following with jockey Robbie Power remarking that he could be better suited by a sounder surface.
(Ben Linfoot)
3. Highway One O One - 3rd in Ladbrokes 'Where The Nation Plays' Handicap Chase, Kempton Dec 27
Speredek set a strong pace in the Ladbrokes ‘Where The Nation Plays’ Handicap Chase at Kempton on December 27 and HIGHWAY ONE O ONE was the only rival to keep tabs on him on the first circuit.
As Nigel Hawke’s horse dropped away Highway One O One was left in the lead and Jamie Moore ended up going for home on him a lot earlier than he would’ve liked.
Still in front at the last, he was headed by a couple of rivals on the run-in but he can be marked up for his effort in a race that didn’t pan out well for him on his first go at three miles.
This opens up options for him as he looks versatile regarding distance and Chris Gordon can place him to advantage before the season is out.
There’s not a lot of room for manoeuvre from his current handicap mark, but he only went up 2lb for what could easily have been a victory on another day and better ground could well help him find another level.
(BL)
4. Vis Ta Loi - 3rd in Lyons Of Limerick Jaguar Land Rover Novice Hurdle, Limerick Dec 27
The Grade 2 novice hurdle at Limerick over Christmas is always worth keeping an eye on.
In 2013 Faugheen won it and he went on to win the Ballymore (then Neptune) at the Cheltenham Festival. A year later Martello Tower won it before landing the Albert Bartlett. The season after that Penhill did the same double. And then a year after that Delta Work was second at Limerick before winning the Pertemps.
Last year Defi Bleu was also runner-up in the same Irish Grade 2 before finishing third in the Martin Pipe, so this is clearly a race to peruse for Cheltenham clues and this year’s Limerick winner Fury Road is third in the betting for the Albert Bartlett at 12/1.
He looks a good horse, but the one to take out of the race could be VIS TA LOI in the Hurricane Fly colours for Willie Mullins.
This lightly-raced French import tried to make all and is clearly a staying chaser in the making. However, he jumps well and showed great tenacity to keep going for a close-up third once headed, so he could easily develop into a Martin Pipe contender of the Sir Des Champs or Don Poli mould.
(BL)
5. Ex Patriot – 4th in Paddy Power Handicap Chase, Cheltenham Jan 1
With all eyes on the dramatic three-way go between Oldgrangewood, Saint Calvados and Lalor, there’s a chance that EX PATRIOT’s effort in fourth might just have been overlooked by many.
Whereas the front three are all set for a rise in the ratings, the Irish challenger is unlikely to go up at all and he’s the one I’d want on side in a potential rematch at the Festival.
Ellmarie Holden’s horse is only seven and lacks a bit of experience over fences but this effort might just put hairs on his chest and it shows he’s more than capable of mixing in the best handicaps.
He’d previously run well in defeat in Graded novice events at Cork and Punchestown while his progressive form over fences earlier in the year left the impression he could yet make a better chaser than hurdler.
Having reached a mark of 149 over the smaller obstacles and finished fourth in Defi Du Seuil’s Triumph Hurdle in his youth, that augurs well and he looks a smashing prospect for the spring, with jockey Derek O’Connor’s Cheltenham record another appealing factor.
(MB)
6. Musical Slave – 1st in Watch On Racing TV Now! Chase, Exeter Jan 1
What with the split screen and dreadfully poor visibility at Exeter, MUSICAL SLAVE may have slipped under a few radars and he’s well worth flagging up.
Philip Hobbs’ Getaway gelding came into this novices’ handicap chase as the outsider of the field following a couple of low-key efforts over fences at Plumpton and Wincanton.
But he’s always looked a chaser in the making and did sign off last term by completing a hat-trick of handicap hurdle wins with victory in a valuable event at the Punchestown Festival on May 1.
And he duly bounced right back to form with what looked like quite a comfortable victory over the pace-setting, 2/1 market leader darling Maltaix.
From what we can see from the limited replay available, he passed the post with something to spare and could still have something up his sleeve after reassessment having won from a mark of 128.
He stays further than this two miles, three furlongs and will probably get three in time so the future’s bright for the seven-year-old.
(MB)