Jodie and I were very pleased with the coverage we were able to provide from the weekend’s meetings and her contribution allowed me to write about horses of long-term interest rather than focusing solely on finding selections for the day.
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Perhaps the most notable performance in recent days came on Sunday in Navan, when Final Demand put in a hugely impressive display of jumping on his pursuit debut. He lobbed along as if on springs, effortlessly taking each of the fourteen fences and finding another gear approaching the last.
The runners-up Wingmen had finished second to the winner, beaten by 12 lengths in a Grade 1 novice hurdle at Leopardstown in February and they virtually replicated that form here, with a winning margin of 13 lengths.
Final Demand is now a top price of 7/4 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, which is unattractive from a punter’s perspective, but understandable. There is obviously still a long way to go, but if I were a bookmaker I would be reluctant to call him out on this evidence.
At Cheltenham I wrote about the dilemma James Owen faced on Sunday with Ambiente Friendly at the first hurdle.
Second in the 2024 Derby and third in the Irish Derby had ridden sharply in each of his thirteen starts and despite being castrated in June he had still not settled in the next two races.
Sometimes a horse races sharply when it has trouble breathing, so that was discussed in August, but the connections apparently didn’t think it was worth getting him on Sunday, so he was allowed to bowl at the front.
As I said before, the prospect of him making the trip here, on a sticky surface, was slim, but he actually held up quite well after being passed and finishing fourth.
James Owen seems to be able to train everything and I expect him to find the answer with this horse. A flatter track and better ground will help, which Aintree is considering.
The other horse I was keen to discuss on Sunday was Decorated Hero, who ran in the Greatwood Hurdle.
I didn’t expect him to win but he had come to my attention last season and I was intrigued to see trainer Sandy Thomson send him on the long journey from Berwickshire to Cheltenham.
The Greatwood struck me as a tall order for a relatively inexperienced horse, but the trainer has handled some good horses shrewdly in the past… Seeyouatmidnight comes to mind… and he apparently felt that Decorated Hero would not be disgraced.
The six-year-old showed good form, trailing in the early stages and then making steady progress from the home bend to finish an unprecedented seventh of 18, beating 17 lengths at the line.
I was concerned beforehand that the two miles and likely strong pace might discover him… his dam is a half-sister to a winner over 3m 2f… and I expect he will prove best on good ground, a step back to 2m 4f.
I was able to spend some time discussing this useful prospect in the Weekend Bulletin and will continue to bring such horses to our customers’ attention in future issues, with further coverage in our Racehorse Database.
Goodbye for now
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