Mai Marvels On Merseyside And Irish Aces On Show
Bristol Blows Betfair Arrivals Away
Saturday’s showpiece contest took place in the mud at Haydock, with the 2017 edition of the Betfair Chase. Billed as an almighty clash between the old and the new as three time winner of the race- and one of the most popular horse in training – Cue Card, locked horns with the emerging force that is Bristol De Mai, that titanic tussle did not materialise in the end, but we did witness something truly extraordinary. With Bristol De Mai finishing first and Cue Card second, it wasn’t the result itself which was remarkable, the winning margin however was something out of the ordinary.
You don’t often see a Grade 1 contest taken by 57 lengths – this was in fact the biggest winning margin in a top level contest since the turn of the century – but that is exactly what we witnessed here as this handsome grey jumped and galloped his rivals into the ground. Next stop, leg two in the £1 million challenge; the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day. The likes of Might Bite, Thistlecrack and Sizing John will lie in wait there, but in this sort of form Bristol De Mai will take some stopping. Win that and only the Cheltenham Gold Cup will stand between the six year old and the big money bonus. 888sport make him a 7/1 shot for King George glory.
Spinner The Winner In Staying Contest
The day’s major hurdling contest looked a hugely competitive affair on paper, with a decent case to be made for at least a dozen of the runners going to post in the Betfair Stayers Handicap Hurdle. Much like the main event of the day this turned into something of a procession in the end, as the Jedd O’Keeffe trained Sam Spinner put in a hugely impressive display from the front. Sent straight into the lead by Joe Colliver, challengers came and went but the five year old burnt them all off as he thrived in these stamina sapping conditions.
The seventeen length winning margin will have done his handicap mark no favours at all, but given his relative youth and rate of improvement, connections are entitled to aim a little higher than handicaps in any case. For those who think those ambitions may extend to the Stayer’s Hurdle, 888sport make him a 33/1 shot for Cheltenham’s Day 3 highlight.
Irish Cheltenham Challengers Emerging
Speaking of the Cheltenham Festival, the weekend saw a couple of highly touted Irish contenders make their next steps on the road to March. First up came the Willie Mullins trained, Min, who took his chase record to a perfect three from three at Gowran Park on Saturday. He may not have beaten much, but can have done little more than thrash his rivals by 36 lengths, with his jumping really catching the eye. He has a raft of Cheltenham options at present, but given the stamina displayed here the Ryanair Chase may be the most viable option, a race for which he is a 12/1 shot.
Sunday meanwhile saw the next racecourse appearance of a horse who is rapidly becoming one of the most highly touted in training. Gordon Elliott’s Samcro headed into the “Monksfield” Novices’ Hurdle unbeaten in four outings and took the step up into Grade 3 company in his formidable stride. Barely off the bridle in recording a 12 length success, he is now 5/2 favourite for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Buveur And Crack Back At The Track
Looking ahead to the coming week, we have more high quality contests to look forward to. First up Colin Tizzard’s Gold Cup hope Thistlecrack makes his racecourse return in Friday’s Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury, whilst on Saturday Buveur D’air takes the first step towards defending his Champion Hurdle crown when tackling the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.
