Supreme: Al Dancer
I thought it was a good performance yesterday but I wasn't blown away. It was hardly the most competitive Betfair hurdle I've seen, and much fewer numbers than normal. No doubt NTD buzzes off his brilliance for the next few weeks and starts comparing him to Frankel. I suspect he plugs on for an honourable third.
Ballymore: Champ
Plenty of holes in this form book - beaten by Vinndication receiving 6lb last year over 2m5f (we know he's not a quick horse), won an egg and spoon handicap by 4l and a falsely run Challow. Add in to the mix that he's a second season novice and the horses he was facing pre-Christmas have more scope for improvement over the year, and the Ballymore competition is starting to firm up, I just can't see him winning. Not sure what does mind.
Ryanair: Min
Min is a crack 2-miler that has unfortunately run into a once in a generation horse. His form over 2m4f is windy enough. Beaten by Politologue (also has average 2m4f form) at Aintree, and the race at Punchestown has shown to be worth nothing with none of the horses he beat having achieved anything so far this season. I've no doubt he gets the trip, but add in the Cheltenham hill, I simply don't think you can say it's his optimum trip. There are a few in the race I see as intermediate specialists which have much better chances.
Gold Cup: Presenting Percy
I don't think any horse has ever won the Gold Cup having not had a chase start during the season. He is certainly the hardest horse to assess that I've come across but I believe he would have to be another generation horse to pull this off. With this preparation and at the prices I just have to take him on.
He's been well campaigned by a shrewd master so translating the form book is incredibly difficult, but I think he's exposed and we've got enough evidence to say his best form (all performances above 156+) have come on soft or heavy. That's not to say he doesn't go on better ground, the aforementioned 156 was on good ground in the Pertemps, I just wonder if he's one that will handle anything, which has led to some apparently exceptional performances last year. On one hand it doesn't appear the strongest Gold Cup of all time so I find it difficult to knock him out the frame, but a Gold Cup tempo putting pressure on his jumping, not quite finding a fluent rhythm, better ground bringing it level for some of his main protagonists - I just can't quite see it.