August ‘23 Yankee

[HesTheOne]

Corbetts Cross (BANC) Ballyburn (Ballymore)

Two novices id be seriously excited about, don’t know how we don’t have Ballyburn in a yankee yet he’s confirmed to be part top tier at Mullins. Huge prospect.

Corbetts Cross as well, JP and Emmet team with big ambitions with him for Gold Cup tilt down the line. He’ll be a big player novice chasing this year.

Both could have other targets but I’d be confident in the above.

 

[Eggs]

….plenty of support for Corbett’s Cross (BANC) in the last week HesTheOne bits of 12-1 available, 10-1 with cash-out if we want him onboard. 7-1 Ballyburn heads the Ballymore market.

I’m sure FJs will make their views known.

 

[Saxon Warrior]

Corbetts Cross (BANC) Ballyburn (Ballymore)

Two novices id be seriously excited about, don’t know how we don’t have Ballyburn in a yankee yet he’s confirmed to be part top tier at Mullins. Huge prospect.

Corbetts Cross as well, JP and Emmet team with big ambitions with him for Gold Cup tilt down the line. He’ll be a big player novice chasing this year.

Both could have other targets but I’d be confident in the above.

Add in Good Land (Turners) if we are looking for one with an expected target, that's a Grade 1 winner already.

...his trainer reiterated yesterday that the Ballymore run was a write-off, as his horse wasnt his usual self cantering to the start or during the race.

So 4th to three Grade 1 NovH winners, not bad for a write-off run.

 

[Fouroverthrutwo]

Add in Good Land (Turners) if we are looking for one with an expected target, that's a Grade 1 winner already.

...his trainer reiterated yesterday that the Ballymore run was a write-off, as his horse wasnt his usual self cantering to the start or during the race.

So 4th to three Grade 1 NovH winners, not bad for a write-off run.

Barry Connell has said Good Land will have a season novice chasing and then he will be campaigned as a Gold Cup horse. With this in mind, there must be a little uncertainty as to which novice chase race he will take in at The Festival?

 

[JackieMoon33]

Corbetts Cross (BANC) Ballyburn (Ballymore)

Two novices id be seriously excited about, don’t know how we don’t have Ballyburn in a yankee yet he’s confirmed to be part top tier at Mullins. Huge prospect.

Corbetts Cross as well, JP and Emmet team with big ambitions with him for Gold Cup tilt down the line. He’ll be a big player novice chasing this year.

Both could have other targets but I’d be confident in the above.

I like Ballyburn and agree he'll be one of Mullins top novice hurdlers next season. But a price of 7/1, given potential risks, is not great in my opinion. I still can't totally get on board that the Ballymore will be the right race for him either.

I was on the fence with him after debut but win and was only thinking of him as an AB horse at that point. The horses in behind that day did go on to run well in a Punchestown festival bumper so there is a bit of substance, albeit they are probably not top class. I was then very impressed with his win a Punchestown as he displayed a turn of foot I was not quite expecting based on his page. That field was again short of top class probably but he demolished them all the same. He is however really bred to get staying trips and we also recently uncovered that Flemensfirth has not sired a festival novice hurdle winner either. I'd be thinking that he's the type of horse that could run at intermediate or staying trips, which would normally rule him out for me as Ballymore candidate.

 

[ComplyOrDie]

we also recently uncovered that Flemensfirth has not sired a festival novice hurdle winner either. I'd be thinking that he's the type of horse that could run at intermediate or staying trips, which would normally rule him out for me as Ballymore candidate.

Correct, however Tidal Bay got to within a neck of winning the Ballymore, and Ballyburn has recorded significantly higher bumper RPR's than he did.

I think, with regards to Ballyburn, it's going to be down to how he jumps a hurdle. Tornado Flyer recorded some decent RPR's in bumpers (higher than Ballyburn) for a Flemensfirth, but was a woeful hurdler. IF Ballyburn can jump well I think he'll end up being Willies number one for the race.

All in all though, as with the majority of Flemensfirths, you'd have to say that chasing over staying trips will be his forte eventually, and it is quite possible, the old cliche of 'whatever he does over hurdles is a bonus' will be used at some point during the season by connections.

 

[Exar Essay]

Barry Connell has said Good Land will have a season novice chasing and then he will be campaigned as a Gold Cup horse. With this in mind, there must be a little uncertainty as to which novice chase race he will take in at The Festival?

Barry confirmed yesterday that Good Land will stay over 2 and a half with MN going the shorter route. He mapped out his season which includes taking in the Drinmore. Will find the link now.

Edit: https://www.irishracing.com/news/Connell-favouring-fences-for-Nationale/241379

 

[Eggs]

Barry confirmed yesterday that Good Land will stay over 2 and a half with MN going the shorter route. He mapped out his season which includes taking in the Drinmore. Will find the link now.

Edit: https://www.irishracing.com/news/Con...tionale/241379

….that’s a good sign for last month’s wager, but there’s nothing to stop us including him again if posters feel strongly enough. I’m sure Lobos is happy with that news.

 

[Deleted member 4957]

Barry Connell has said Good Land will have a season novice chasing and then he will be campaigned as a Gold Cup horse. With this in mind, there must be a little uncertainty as to which novice chase race he will take in at The Festival?

I think that's the case for every potential Gold Cup horse in their novice chase season.
The Arkle can be ruled out but the remaining three are all possibles for future stayers, that said he didn't strike me as a slogger stayer like a Stattler or Galliard du Mesnil so I think we can rule out the NH Chase, and the 20f trip appears to be trending as a modern stepping stone to Gold Cups.
Exar Essay has also quoted Barry (which I hadn't previously seen so thanks for this) and above all that Saxon Warrior says he's going Turners so that's good enough for me, climb in...

 

[ComplyOrDie]

Barry confirmed yesterday that Good Land will stay over 2 and a half with MN going the shorter route. He mapped out his season which includes taking in the Drinmore. Will find the link now.

Edit: https://www.irishracing.com/news/Con...tionale/241379

I don't dislike Good Land, and it's a big positive we know his target, but for me he is in the bracket of being a 'good horse' but not 'top class'.

Supposedly he had excuses for the Ballymore run, but I struggle to buy them. He travelled like one of the better horses in the race and I think he just got out done by better animals to be honest which then leads me on to the Grade 1 he won at Leopardstown, which ultimately, the form of which is more miss than hit.

He beat some OK horses, but that's it. Absolute Notions went to Aintree a fresh animal and was pulled up, Sandor Clegane ran a solid enough race in the Bartlett, but you have to buy into that Bartlett form as well, which is open to opinion, Cool Survivor was some 33 lengths behind Iroko in the Martin Pipe, Deep Cave went to Fairyhouse a fresh animal and was stuffed 25 lengths by Nick Rockett. The form just doesn't look as good as we expected it to be, being a DRF Novice G1.

FWIW, despite this, I have backed Good Land E/W for the race.


On a seperate note, I couldn't get (despite trying) Sharjah priced up by any other bookmakers before he ran yesterday at Galway, but it wouldn't surprise me if he ended up in the Turners and I'd have him plenty ahead of Good Land at this stage, around the same sort of price, despite his age. I don't think he'll win it, but could have some E/W value. I think it's all very dependent on Impaire Et Passe, Facile Vega & Mister Policeman, right now.

 

[Deleted member 4957]

FWIW, despite this, I have backed Good Land E/W for the race.

.

Why each way ?
Presumably you're just covering yourself in case your (current) assessment is wrong and if that is the case i would have thought it was only the 'win' that interested you.

I think your other comments are fair, but to counter them he was backed into 9/2 in what looked a hot Ballymore then and even more so now so plenty of people thought he'd be closer, and he wasn't seen after that race so the 'something amiss' suggestion may well have some weight....

 

[Benjy23]

I was thinking about Sharjah yesterday. Be 11 by the festival. Bit odd they've not sent him chasing earlier isn't it. Given he was short of top class over hurdles.

I know Faugheen went close in this at 12 but he was a better hurdler and earned the right to remain hurdling...

 

[Fouroverthrutwo]

Barry confirmed yesterday that Good Land will stay over 2 and a half with MN going the shorter route. He mapped out his season which includes taking in the Drinmore. Will find the link now.

Edit: https://www.irishracing.com/news/Connell-favouring-fences-for-Nationale/241379

Thanks Exar, I hadn't seen this :encouragement:.

 

[ComplyOrDie]

Why each way ?
Presumably you're just covering yourself in case your (current) assessment is wrong and if that is the case i would have thought it was only the 'win' that interested you.

I think your other comments are fair, but to counter them he was backed into 9/2 in what looked a hot Ballymore then and even more so now so plenty of people thought he'd be closer, and he wasn't seen after that race so the 'something amiss' suggestion may well have some weight....

20/1, 3 places. The last two runnings of the Turners have been 7 runners and 4 runners, paying 2 places on the day. Good Land is likely a shortener and one I can see grabbing a place, he'll return profit from a place only. He could also win an average Turners, should the expected main protagonists either stay over hurdles or for whatever other reason, don't make the race.

He was an E/W angle into the Ballymore, based on his G1 win at Leopardstown, where, at that point, the form hadn't had a chance to be proven or not. Obviously I'm making the assessment based on what we know now.

 

[archie]

I was thinking about Sharjah yesterday. Be 11 by the festival. Bit odd they've not sent him chasing earlier isn't it. Given he was short of top class over hurdles.

Sharjah has won 5 G1 hurdles and come second in 2 Champion Hurdles, achieving a better rating than anything likely to contest the Turners. Willie is said to be looking at the Drinmore which will tell us whether the 20/1 is or is not a decent price.

 

[Benjy23]

Sharjah has won 5 G1 hurdles and come second in 2 Champion Hurdles, achieving a better rating than anything likely to contest the Turners. Willie is said to be looking at the Drinmore which will tell us whether the 20/1 is or is not a decent price.

That's kind of the point isn't it. I probably harshly worded it in fairness but I meant in comparison to Faugheen. Sharjah, despite being 2nd, was never particularly likely or fancied to win a Champion Hurdle. So it's a genuine question of why they didn't try chasing earlier?

Appreciate he's achieved a lot hurdling and won a bit of money but it's not like RR is short of that is it.

 

[archie]

I think it's more the point that they wouldn't have sent him chasing if he hadn't shown the aptitude at home. He's now shown it on course so he's ahead of the likes of Good Land in at least that respect.

 

[ComplyOrDie]

That's kind of the point isn't it. I probably harshly worded it in fairness but I meant in comparison to Faugheen. Sharjah, despite being 2nd, was never particularly likely or fancied to win a Champion Hurdle. So it's a genuine question of why they didn't try chasing earlier?

Appreciate he's achieved a lot hurdling and won a bit of money but it's not like RR is short of that is it.

Faugheen was also tried and tested over a variety of trips. Sharjah has tried once over 2m4f, at Aintree last season, and finished 3 lengths behind Constitution Hill, in 2nd.

Two or 3 years ago I mentioned Sharjah over a fence on here, and I can't remember if it was some members or a comment from Willie about not seeing Sharjah as a chaser, but here we are now 1 from 1 over fences, albeit a soft enough start. I think he'll end up the Faugheen route and end up in the Turners at the festival if good enough.

I'm on the verge of taking the 20/1 as he could easily place in it and potentially win it if the opposition becomes thin on the ground.

Willie has such a strong hand over 2m and the intermediate trip, it's hard to know what his plans are, maybe he doesn't even know at this stage.

 

[Lobos]

Willie doesn't appear to have an obvious Turners horse if IEP stays Hurdling and FV goes Arkle so Sharjah certainly fits the bill.

 

[Guinness Village]

Willie doesn't appear to have an obvious Turners horse if IEP stays Hurdling and FV goes Arkle so Sharjah certainly fits the bill.

Lobs, I think much will depend on the closutton roll call. There will surely be one or two sick notes, and a consequent potential shuffling of the pack.
there seems to be radio silence at the moment. But he must have most back in by now.