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Cheltenham losers to back at Aintree

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  • Cheltenham losers to back at Aintree

    Supreme: Josses Hill
    Arkle: Trifolium ?
    Champion Hurdle: TNO
    JLT: Oscar Whisky or maybe Alan Kings horse
    Triumph: Calipto though Frys horse a danger


    Hard to oppose a Dynaste or More of that ? Would expect RSA winner to double up too.

  • #2
    One from Donn

    Ma Filleule

    Ma Filleule put up a career-best to finish second in the Baylis & Harding Chase at Cheltenham on Tuesday, and she is a highly-progressive mare now who should be worth following.

    Settled just behind the front rank in the early stages of the race by Nico de Boinville, she jumped and travelled well throughout. She was one of just two or three horses who were still on the bridle as they set off down the hill to the third last fence.

    Moved towards the outside on the run to that obstacle, she moved up alongside long-time leaders Standing Ovation and Tour Des Champs on the approach to the fence, but she made a slight mistake at that obstacle, and her rider became unbalanced and lost his left iron. He did get it back before they reached the home turn, but by that stage Holywell had moved up on her inside, between her and Standing Ovation, and assumed command.

    She and Holywell had it between them from that point and, when Ma Filleule jumped on at the second last, she looked the most likely winner. However, Holywell loves this hill, as he demonstrated in the Pertemps Final last year, and he powered up it, coming from a length behind on landing over the final fence to win by almost two lengths.

    Ma Filleule lost no caste in defeat, however, pulling, as she did, seven lengths clear of the third horse The Package. She was a 33/1 shot for this, and she was passed over by Barry Geraghty in favour of Hadrian’s Approach, so she obviously surprised connections with her performance as well as punters. She is only six years old, and this was just her eighth chase, just her third in Britain for Nicky Henderson. She still has lots of scope to progress further.

    The handicapper has raised her 7lb for this, but that is reasonable. She holds an entry in the Topham Chase, and that would be an interesting race for her. She jumps well, it is easy to see her taking to the big Aintree fences, and Nicky Henderson won the race last year with a horse with a similar profile in Triolo D’Alene – a six-year-old French import who had run in just six chases for the trainer. Even if she does not run in the Topham, she will be of interest wherever she goes next.

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    • #3
      Another

      Deputy Dan

      Deputy Dan ran a big race to finish second in the Albert Bartlett Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday.

      Settled just behind the leaders early on, he was always doing a little more than ideal, he was always racing a little more keenly than Leighton Aspell would have wanted. Even so, it looked like the race lay between him and long-time leader Kings Palace on the run down the hill to the second last and, after he had taken the David Pipe horse’s measure before the home turn, he looked by far the most likely winner, trading, as he did, at 1.08 in-running. However, he did appear to tire on the run to the final flight, and he got in tight to the obstacle and landed flat-footed. By that stage, Paul Carberry had conjured a run from Very Wood, and Noel Meade’s horse stayed on really strongly up the hill to win well, but it was to Deputy Dan’s credit that he was still able to stay on well enough to hold Apache Jack at bay and claim the runner-up spot.

      This was Deputy Dan’s first attempt at three miles and, given his exuberant style of racing, it may be that it just stretched his stamina beyond its limit. It may be that he will learn to relax a little more through his races as he gets older and gains in experience – this was just his fifth race over hurdles and just the eighth race of his career – and it may be that he will get three miles well in time, but trainer Oliver Sherwood toyed with the idea of running him in the Neptune Hurdle over two and a half miles instead of in the Albert Bartlett.

      He could do well dropped back down to two and a half miles now or, if he does race over three miles between now and the end of the season, he will presumably be dropped in and ridden less aggressively than he was here. He did handle the good ground well – his four wins have been gained on soft or heavy ground – so that opens up more options.

      He will be of interest if he runs again over hurdles this season and, longer term, he could be an exciting staying novice chaser for next season if he goes down the chasing route. He should have no problem getting three miles over fences, especially as a six-going-seven-year-old.

      14th March 2014

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