Saturday racing highlights: Reaction to Waiting Patiently, Our Duke and Black Corton who all enhanced their Cheltenham Festival claims
Our Matt Brocklebank reacts to the victories of Waiting Patiently, Our Duke, Black Corton and more following a stunning Saturday's racing.
Patiently does it for team Jefferson
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Reaction: "We always believed in him, but he settles so much better now, he can give you heart failure early in a race, but his jumping has been accurate and when Brian (Hughes) asks he gives everything. This horse's name does some dad up, but he was named in Ireland before we got him. Dad did like to take his time and it has paid off." Ruth Jefferson
Sky Bet: Waiting Patiently 3/1 and Cue Card 8/1 for Ryanair Chase (NRNB)
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Analysis: Such a brilliant Grade One chase is a rare thing away from the major spring festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree and while there may have been a shake-up in the antepost Ryanair market after Waiting Patiently's win, this Ascot Chase will live long in the memory for co many reasons aside from what it means a little over three weeks down the line. Waiting Patiently has been brought along marvellously well by the late Malcolm Jefferson and it was heart-warming stuff to see him step up and deliver on the big day for Ruth Jefferson and Brian Hughes. The fact it was Cue Card who gave the seven-year-old the sternest examination of his credentials elevated the whole race to another level and the manner in which the old boy went down fighting was almost as exciting to see as the real emergence of a potential star. Waiting Patiently has now won all six of his career starts over fences and who knows where he might end up if staying sound, but connections are entitled to be dreaming of just about everything from Queen Mother Champion Chases to King Georges next season. Quite how important soft ground is to the son of Flemensfirth remains to be seen, but after beating the 166-rated Cue Card, with Frodon (164) and Top Notch (164) the next two home, we're looking at a bone fide 170 horse and they don't come along too often in the north of England.
Duke denies classy novice Percy
Reaction: "All being well he'll go to the Gold Cup now and I won't have to do much with him, which is great. He had to come back and do that as you couldn't go without that race and he'll be sharper again." Jessica Harrington
Sky Bet: Our Duke 8/1 for Cheltenham Gold Cup (NRNB); Presenting Percy 5/2 fav for RSA Chase (NRNB)
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Analysis: Recency bias is a potentially dangerous thing in the world of sports betting but Our Duke looks to have put the finishing touches to his Gold Cup preparations at exactly the right time, against exactly the right type of horse. Presenting Percy is a top-class novice chaser, I'm convinced of that, and he just couldn't reel in Our Duke, who was given a good, attacking ride by Robbie Power, who felt his recent run in the Irish Gold Cup, when a bad mistake two-out all but ended his chance, had served as a very respectable start to his campaign proper (had pulled-up on seasonal bow, after which he'd undergone back surgery). So it's all systems go for last year's Irish Grand National hero, who was winning here over a distance (2m4f) significantly short of his optimum, on ground much softer than he likes. Jessica Harrington's MO of sharpening horses up over shorter distances has worked wonders in the past and, together with Irish Champion Hurdle winner Supasundae, Our Duke now goes up in trip with a huge amount of momentum behind him. He remains two points bigger than stablemate and 2017 winner Sizing John in the Gold Cup betting, though there's unlikely to be much in it if they both get there in top form.
Black Corton ice cool under Frost
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Reaction: "He was ready to run, but he will improve on that. At Kempton he trod on the bulb of his heel and was in his box for a fortnight. We gave him a break and he hasn't had a massive amount of work. We thought he'd need it, but he looked really well and he has just astonished me how he's found what he's got." Paul Nicholls
Sky Bet: Black Corton 8/1 for RSA Chase (NRNB)
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Analysis: What's not to like about Black Corton? Moments before RSA Chase favourite Presenting Percy was beaten in the Red Mills Chase, albeit by a legitimate Gold Cup contender, Paul Nicholls' charge galloped and jumped his rivals into the ground in the Reynoldstown at Ascot. Bar Yanworth, whose target remains slightly up in the air, Black Corton is now the shortest priced British challenger in the RSA betting and there's still a chance he could be underestimated slightly in the Festival build-up. He's done it on all types of ground and at all types of course, right through from last summer, winning eight times as a novice chaser. His revised mark will be pushing 160 after giving Ms Parfois weight and a convincing eight-length beating here and a massive factor is that he's already 2-2 at Cheltenham. It doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to see him going off second-favourite come the day.
Elgin marvels in Kingwell Hurdle
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Reaction: "We'll seriously have to consider supplementing Elgin for the Champion Hurdle after that performance. I thought it might be a big ask coming here for this race, but he looks a very progressive horse now." Alan King
Sky Bet: Elgin introduced at 20/1 for the Champion Hurdle (NRNB)
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Analysis: The Champion Hurdle market badly needed a shot in the arm with Buveur D'Air long odds-on in every antepost list and while Elgin didn't make much of a ripple against the reigning champ, he is now into 6/1 in Sky Bet's 'betting without the favourite'. And that doesn't look the most prohibitive price in the world given the improvement Elgin has made this season. He started off the season winning the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham in November from a mark of 145 and he's now possibly in line for a rise to the mid 150s, so he is at least entitled to take his chance. He'll have to be supplemented, something Alan King admitted was now more than likely, and he's a horse that looks likely to show up well for a long way in a fast-run Champion. Better ground has been considered most suitable in the past so it is to his credit he won well on Saturday and on a line through runner-up Ch'Tibello - who was fourth to My Tent Or Yours in the International Hurdle - he should be right in the hunt for a place in the big one next month.
Henderson's Chef serves up a treat
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Reaction: "He stays well, he's progressing very well and maturing with each run. He has a tendency to jump out of my hands and was having a look round late on. He stays well so the Albert Bartlett would look his race." Noel Fehily
Sky Bet: Chef Des Obeaux 6/1 for Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle (NRNB)
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Analysis: Claimantakinforgan may have blotted his copybook rather up at Musselburgh but Nicky Henderson's team of novice hurdlers heading into the Cheltenham Festival looks a seriously strong one and Chef Des Obeaux appears to have thrived over the past few months. He was slammed by subsequent Cheltenham winner and stablemate Santini at Newbury earlier in the season but is 2-2 subsequently and oozed class on Saturday. He was consequently cut to an even shorter price than Santini for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle, which may not make much sense on the face of it, but clearly underlines the strength in depth that the champion trainer has at his disposal. There must be a chance that one of that duo may be held back for Aintree, with the inexperienced Santini now looking more likely if one is to skip the Festival.
Encore une fois
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Reaction: "It's a good sharpener because they've gone a good gallop. He travelled well and we know he stays well. In the National last year all he did was stay and went past several horses on the run-in. He'll go straight for the National now." Anthony Honeyball
Sky Bet: Regal Encore 33/1 for Randox Health Grand National (NRNB)
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Analysis: Regal Encore is a difficult horse for punters but there's no denying that when he's on a going day he's a very capable performer and there's a pretty decent case for this being a personal best performance. He won a handicap over the same three miles at Ascot in December 2016 but scoring from 150 takes some doing and he'll now head for a second shot at the Grand National with around 6-8lb in hand. He was a fair eighth in the big one when sent off 33/1 last April, which wasn't a bad first sighter at the course, and he'd have to be accorded some respect if there were enough cut in the ground at Aintree. It's hard to be overly enthusiastic over his claims, however, seeing as he's so inconsistent.
Brave Enki sinks Blaklion
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Reaction: "I thought he was in with a chance, but I didn't expect to win by that far. I knew my lad would stay, last time here behind The Dutchman was three miles and I was flat out all the way and he emptied. So I took my time today and knew he would keep going." Charlie Deutsch
Sky Bet: Blaklion eased to 12/1 for Randox Health Grand National (NRNB)
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Analysis: It is extremely hard to even begin to criticise the aggressive campaigning of Nigel Twiston-Davies' horses. Without it, The New One would not have won half as many races as he has; Ballyandy wouldn't have won the Betfair Hurdle last year. There are countless examples of his horses responding brilliantly to running every month or so and there will be countless more. And yet there is a pretty strong sense that running Blaklion in the National Trial again on bottomless ground, from a mark of 161 - 9lb higher than when beaten in the same race 12 months ago - just four weeks before the Gold Cup, may be a decision the team live to regret. Blaklion was not disgraced, far from it, he just looked exhausted trying to give Yala Enki over a stone in weight in such stamina-sapping conditions. It's hoped he recovers quickly from this to mount a challenge back at Aintree, where he does appear to be a much better jumper when faced with those famous fences. A possible Cheltenham Gold Cup tilt, however, is now surely under even more doubt than it was beforehand.
🏇 The Grand National Trial is won by the only horse in the field who doesn't have an entry in the big one at Aintree
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) February 17, 2018
🥇 Yala Enki
🥈 Blaklion
🥉 Mystereepic.twitter.com/yeMnrzUDNv
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