For ease... does anyone want Mengli Khan to win impressively tomorrow?
It would certainly help clarify the Irish pecking order!
Like you say I think it's pretty clear now that ITCF's and Claimintakenforgan* are the best of the British and it's hard to see anything else coming to the fore over here bar someone out of the blue or someone really staking their claim in the Betfair Hurdle in 4 weeks time. I struggle to see the likes of Summerville Boy, Western Ryder, Kalshnikov and Slate House who have been involved in the other English Supreme trials. So their looks a pretty clear pecking order this side of the sea.
Like has been mentioned by many I think most of Mullins (like many years to be honest) novices could run over any trip so without a horse like Mengli Khan stamping their authority at the top of the Irish order it's always going to look muddy! I think there could still be a few more big shake ups with the Irish horses in this race in terms of switching targets and pecking order between now and the festival where as the English look very settled now.
In regards to Samcro - a defeat for Mengli Khan would probably increase the chance of that happening but I'd still say it's a long shot he goes Supreme. At the start of the year when Elliott had a stack of potentially high class novices I could see the angle for sending Samcro to the Supreme as most looked like they would need 2m4 plus and he was one of the few that could probably go any trip. It's arguable at this stage of the season though that the only horses in the batch that hold real claims in the 3 novice hurdles are:
Mengli Khan
Samcro
Cracking Smart
with the likes of Poli Roi, Dortmund Park, Minellafordollars, Roaring Bull, Monbeg Worldwide, Blow by Blow not quite up to class and the loss of Lucky Pass meaning he has little strength in depth?** Cracking Smart looks a banker to run in the AB. If MK was to get beat tomorrow without any excuses, I don't think a step up to 2m4 would give him any benefit or extra improvement if they were to send him to the Ballymore instead of Samcro. Now On The Blind Side probably has got the strongest form of the English but if you owned and trained Samcro, on the basis that both trainer and jockeys have said 2m4 looks his ideal trip at this time - I don't think there's too much difference between taking on On The Blind Side vs If The Cap Fits and Claimintakinforgan. Next Destination could still go anywhere but Elliott and Gigginstown will have a very good guage on that horse through Cracking Smart and I doubt CS can get close to Samcro.
I struggle to see why they would switch myself.
*quick sidenote - Henderson in this week's blog when asked who has the strongest Supreme claims:
Claimantakinforgan is our Supreme horse
Which is probably the final nail in the coffin for any Pym backers (I had written the horse off for the year) I imagine they'll bide their time now and try again next year?
**would be interesting if Mengli Khan was to get beat tomorrow whether you would class Mullins as having more strength in depth for his novice hurdlers over Elliott. At the start of the season I know many (not specifically here) had Elliott way ahead...just a thought...