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2014 RSA Chase

Preview by @CVByrne

Morning Assembly – I’m amazed this horse is still available at 16/1 for the RSA as he looks every inch an RSA horse. His sire Shantou has sired many strong stayers like De Valira, Super Duty, Our Father, Sword of Destiny and likely Albert Bartlett horse Briar Hill. The horse handles any ground and it’s more the stamina sapping nature of testing ground which suites him rather than a need to dig his toe in.

He’ll get a stamina test in the RSA and looks one who will relish the climb up the hill. He was 2nd in the Topaz Nov Chase at Leopardstown to a seasoned horse in Carlingford Lough. But as Weapons Amnesty showed a few years back coming 2nd in the race is no barrier to victory in the RSA. He’s an improving horse and only had 9 starts under rules and is the perfect age for this race at 7yo with the last 7 winners of the race being that age. All 7 of those were also Irish Bred chasers, a group which dominate this race.

​There is no real standout opposition that I can see. I can easily see Morning Assembly reversing form with Carlingford Lough on better ground and I’m not 100% sure that horse will line up in the RSA. Smad Place’s market position is beyond baffling, he’s managed to fall and then win at 4/11 yet is 2nd fav!!? Champagne Fever is very unlikely to run. Don Cossack was defeated by Morning Assembly when they met and his trainer has questioned if 3 miles is the right trip for him. I’d expect Wonderful Charm to go for the Jewson as Nicholls said he’ll go straight to Cheltenham now. Le Bec is admirable and a good stayer and not without his chances.

The only rival I do fear is Ballycasey, on breeding he is a 3 miler who will enjoy good ground and I was impressed with how he won over a shorter trip on his debut. But he was a non runner at Christmas in the Topaz and missed Cheltenham last year. So I’d wait until he’s declared to run in another race before I’d take the 10/1 on offer for him. I can see him taking in a race this month before going for the Dr PJ at Leopardstown next month on the way to Cheltenham. In which case he’d command lots of respect.But as it stands now, there is no more solid bet for this, and no horse fits the mould better than Morning Assembly.
 
Corrin Wood

The RSA Chase is the most likely Cheltenham Festival target for Saturday's impressive Warwick scorer Corrin Wood.

Donald McCain's seven-year-old secured his third win from as many starts over fences as he made every yard of the running in the hands of Jason Maguire, claiming the notable scalp of Black Thunder in the process.

While the National Hunt Chase is another option at Prestbury Park in March, that four-mile contest is only open to amateur riders and McCain is keen for his stable jockey to keep the successful partnership intact.

McCain said: "I was delighted with him. It was a good performance and the time was good, so I don't think there was any fluke about it.

"I would say at this stage we'd be looking towards the RSA Chase, but he'll have an entry in the four-miler as well. I think he'd cope with better ground all right, as long as it's safe, obviously.

"He's an improving young horse and he is obviously well suited to Jason."

 
Mount Colah just put up a good performance there at Thurles and franked the form of Ballycasey who beat him easily over a distance (2miles) that would have been too short for Ballycasey. It also advertises the form of Mozoltaf who easily beat both Mallowney and Mount Colah over 2 miles. He's a very dark horse for the festival at the minute. If Ballycasey's fragile legs give out again then you could see Champagne Fever stepped up to 3 miles and Mozoltaf perhpas in the Jewson or even the Arkle.
 
Stop Skippy. We dont need another race in mix for for Champagne Fever:p

Donn McClean tipped him to end up in RSA straight after last years Cheltenham Festival. Pays to follow the Donn.
 
Haha my apologies. Lets just let the next few weeks sort themselves out!!!
 
Henry de Bromhead expects Saturday's Woodlands Park 100 Club Novice Chase at Naas to provide clues as to Sizing Gold's eventual targets this season.

The Grade Two contest will involve a step up to three miles for Alan Potts' lightly raced seven-year-old, who made a successful start in a minor event at Navan over a shorter trip last month.

Sizing Gold was not given too stressful a time over hurdles, although he was a respectable second to Pont Alexandre at Leopardstown a year ago.

"He ran well in Navan and we're looking forward to stepping him up to three miles and seeing how he goes," said the trainer.

"You can think a horse will stay three miles, but you never really know until you try it out, so this race will tell us a bit more about what direction we're going with him. It looks a hot race, but hopefully he'll run well."
 
Leading Irish novice Morning Assembly is among 53 entries for the £150,000 Grade One RSA Chase (2.05pm) over an extended three miles, the highlight for novice chasers on the second day of The Festival, Ladies Day, Wednesday, March 12.

The seven-year-old burst onto the scene at last year's Punchestown Festival with a gutsy victory in the Grade One Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle over three miles.

Pat Fahy's stable star has quickly established himself as a chaser, scoring comfortably over two and a half miles at Punchestown in October before getting the better of subsequent Grade One winner Don Cossack (Gordon Elliott)in the Grade Two Florida Pearl Novice Chase at the same course on November 17.

He stepped up to Grade One company for the Topaz Novice Chase over three miles at Leopardstown after Christmas, but was narrowly denied a hat-trick by Galway Plate hero Carlingford Lough (John Kiely).

Morning Assembly is also entered in the £85,000 Listed 144th Year Of The National Hunt Chase (4.40pm) over four miles for amateur riders on the opening day of The Festival, Champion Day, Tuesday, March 11.

Also among other entries for the RSA Chase are Ballycasey, one of seven engaged by Willie Mullins, Smad Place (Alan King), who has finished third in the last two Ladbrokes World Hurdles, and Warwick scorer Corrin Wood (Donald McCain).
 
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7 Entries
Willie Mullins IRE – Ballycasey, Balnaslow, Champagne Fever, Djakadam, Suntiep, The Paparrazi Kid, Touch The Eden

5 Entries
Paul Nicholls – Benvolio, Black Thunder, Just A Par, Sam Winner, Wonderful Charm

3 Entries
Gordon Elliott IRE – Cause Of Causes, Don Cossack, Shrapnel
Alan King – Batonnier, Smad Place, Uxizandre
Jonjo O’Neill – Holywell, Shutthefrontdoor, Taquin du Seuil

2 Entries
Dessie Hughes IRE – Bright New Dawn, Si C’Etait Vrai
Emma Lavelle – Gullinburtsi, Le Bec
Tony Martin IRE – Living Next Door, Wrong Turn
Donald McCain – Corrin Wood, Diocles
Noel Meade IRE – Mullaghanoe Rose, Road To Riches
David Pipe – Edmund Kean, Gevrey Chambertin

1 Entry
David Bridgwater – No Buts
Henry de Bromhead IRE – Sizing Gold
Jim Culloty IRE – Spring Heeled
Rebecca Curtis – O’Faolains Boy
Pat Fahy IRE – Morning Assembly
Harry Fry – Mendip Express
Eddie Harty IRE - Dressedtothenines
Nigel Hawke - Samingarry
Martin Keighley – Annacotty
John Kiely IRE – Carlingford Lough
Charlie Longsdon – Up To Something
Gary Moore – Via Sundown
Dr Richard Newland – Ardkilly Witness
Lucinda Russell – Green Flag
Oliver Sherwood – Many Clouds
Nigel Twiston-Davies – Double Ross
Tim Vaughan -Milborough
Lucy Wadham – Le Reve
Ted Walsh IRE - Foxrock
Nick Williams – The Italian Yob
Venetia Williams - Gardefort
 
New to the forum:) vibes about ballycasey are non existent and its a complete guessing game as where mullins will place his horses, hes spoilt for choice.. i have had a little bet on champagne fever for this race felix looking like the arkle horse and rici wants this in the gold cup next season could be a stab in the dark at 20's! lol
 
blackngold said:
New to the forum:) vibes about ballycasey are non existent and its a complete guessing game as where mullins will place his horses, hes spoilt for choice.. i have had a little bet on champagne fever for this race felix looking like the arkle horse and rici wants this in the gold cup next season could be a stab in the dark at 20's! lol
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Welcome blackngold.

I had Ballycasey last year when he didnt make it :(

Champagne Fever has an entry in everything but the 4 miler and wouldnt be the biggest shock to me if he ended up in the RSA. He will be end up a 3 miler next season imo. I wonder do Ricci horses get a bit more hype than others. Champagne Fever and Mickey Dhaganuet are his only festival winners if my memory is serving me right.
 
thanks mate

think you are right to be honest.. he seems to have loads of novices this year. I am a big champagne fever fan mind and he loves Cheltenham.. would be a surprise i agree but at the odds its worth a risk.Remember last year when he went supreme after it looked as though it'd be the neptune! i took 18s for the supreme last year so was happy with that! some good racing this weekend should tell us a bit more in general :)
 
Welcome on board. Mozolotov smashed up today for Arkle so think he and Felix the two for that.
 
thanks mayo

he has gone under the radar for me... entered up sunday in the irish arkle. Think ROR is the value in the arkle as that's his certain target
 
I thought annacotty put in a very impressive run under top weight yesterday. Might not win but over priced IMO.
 
Corrin Wood tipped by my mate The Speiler

I think the key form lines concern Black Thunder (25/1). He was a useful hurdler, (running well when falling 2 out in the Coral Cup off 145). He won his first 3 over fences beating good sorts Fox Appeal, Many Clouds (25/1) and Shotgun Paddy.

That form has real depth as Many Clouds thumped Indian Castle by 16l and Indian Castle then won a handicap off 135 at Cheltenham. Shotgun Paddy has subsequently won the Classic Chase easily off 145 and Fox Appeal has earned 3 consecutive RPRs of 150 or more since. Even allowing for the horses he’s beaten to have improved, that looks really good novice form.

However, Black Thunder could never really land a blow when 2½l 2nd to all the way winner Corrin Wood (14/1) at Haydock, (extended 3m, heavy,) in what was possibly the best staying novice chase run so far. Corrin Wood has won all 3 of his chases and seems pretty flexible groundwise. He can jump a little to the right but he’s so quick, whether off a long or short stride, I doubt that’ll be a real problem. He’s the classic sort of bold jumping, front runner that’ll get the inexperienced chasers in trouble in the first couple of miles of the RSA.

Some will look at Corrin Wood’s form and think, because he hasn’t contested a graded race, it can’t be that strong. Whilst some of the contenders haven’t been given official handicap marks yet, Corrin Wood is the top rated of these 10 contenders who have (156) and is also the top rated on RPRs (159). Whilst official ratings of novices aren’t that reliable at this stage of the season, the context is that if Corrin Wood runs to that mark of 156 in the RSA, it’s theoretically been good enough to win 6 of the last 10 renewals.

A concern is that he might run in the 4 miler instead as he stays well, but Donald McCain said that he was keen that Jason Maguire stays on him and is therefore favouring the RSA. Given his attacking front running style, he doesn’t exactly look an amateur’s ride, so that makes sense.

He doesn’t have experience in a big field chase, which would normally be a worry. However, given he’s a confirmed front runner, that shouldn’t be an issue as he won’t have many horses around him anyway. Whilst we don’t know what may line up that wants to take him on for the lead, its worth noting none of the other main protagonists are front runners, so he might get his own way out front.

At this stage it doesn’t look a sexy renewal – I’m struggling to remember a season when the form of the graded staying novice chases looked so weak. It might look better in hindsight, but Corrin Wood ended the unbeaten run of a Grade 2 winner last time and his form looks really strong. He’s had only the ‘minimum’ 3 chases and whilst another run would probably help, he has such a straightforward racing style, 3 is probably enough. He’s not a flashy quickener, but looks just the type of fast jumping, relentless galloper that wins the RSA when there isn’t a future Gold Cup horse in the field.

1pt Corrin Wood to win the RSA Chase @ 14/1
 
Corrin Wood on Donns list too



Horses To Follow » Corrin Wood

Corrin Wood

Corrin Wood put up a really nice performance to beat Black Thunder in a Class 2 three-mile novices’ chase at Warwick on Saturday.

Sent to the front from flagfall by Jason Maguire, Donald McCain’s horse jumped superbly throughout. He was a little out to his right at two of the five fences down the side of track final time and, as such, he could be even better on a right-handed track, but he never stopped going forward. Black Thunder did try to close up on him over those five fences, but a couple of fiddly little mistakes made it difficult for him. He did close up running around the home turn, but, in truth, he was always fighting a losing battle. Corrin Wood jumped the two fences in the home straight well, and cleared away powerfully to win well.

A good but not top class novice hurdler last season, Corrin Wood looks like a different proposition over fences now. Rated no higher than 130 over the smaller obstacles, he was already rated 144 over fences after just two runs before last Saturday. He made all the running and jumped well in both of those runs, at Market Rasen and Catterick, the former over just short of three miles, the latter over three and a quarter miles. He stays well, he jumps well and he is a real galloper and, in beating the 153-rated Black Thunder here, he took another significant step forward. Also, the time was good and the front pair were miles clear of their two rivals.

Corrin Wood is only seven, this was just his third chase and just his 10th run under Rules, so there still could be plenty more to come. He has won on heavy ground, but the ground at Warwick on Saturday was probably between good to soft and soft, it was much better than the official description of heavy, which augurs well for a spring campaign.

This race was won last year by Rocky Creek, who went on to win the Reynoldstown Chase at Ascot a month later and who finished second in this season’s Hennessy Gold Cup, and it has been won in the past by Halcon Genelardais and L’Ami. It can be a good pointer to the future, and Corrin Wood could progress again now. The Reynoldstown Chase, at right-handed Ascot, would be an interesting next target.

11th January 2014
 
Ruby Walsh very sweet on Morning Assembly on the RUK preview, would be surprised if ruby were on board him for this mind what with all of Mullins potential fire-power. He goes to Cheltenham without a prep run though, don't think an RSA winner has done gone on to win without a prep in the same year?... i am still keen on Annacotty for this race, ran a big race LTO under a big weight which is encouraging for a novice and his price is very big still...can see this race cutting up quite abit to be honest.
 
blackngold said:
Ruby Walsh very sweet on Morning Assembly on the RUK preview, would be surprised if ruby were on board him for this mind what with all of Mullins potential fire-power. He goes to Cheltenham without a prep run though, don't think an RSA winner has done gone on to win without a prep in the same year?... i am still keen on Annacotty for this race, ran a big race LTO under a big weight which is encouraging for a novice and his price is very big still...can see this race cutting up quite abit to be honest.
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It is 50 years since the RSA chase was won by a horse who didn't have a prep race during the year. It is a strange stat in a way because when you look at the Gold Cup the stats favour horses who have had a decent break. I suppose it is a balancing act between getting the right amount of experience into a novice and not bottoming them out but experience has been more important.

I think Ballycasey was one of the horses that went round Leopardstown after racing yesterday and would be Ruby's most likely mount.

Shouldn't be any problem getting a good jock for Morning Assembly. Henderson has no entries so Geraghty will be looking for a spare. Davy Russell has a good record in RSA too and not sure what he has ? Davy Condon did some of early schooling on Morning Assembly and might be another who could get the ride.
 
Morning Assembly and Smad Place pricewise. Also gives Don Cossack a big mention.

10/10 had not run on flat
10/10 first 3 LTO
10/10 break between 24 and 53 days
10/10 placed in graded Chase
10/10 at least 3 runs over fences
8/10 aged 7
6/10 previous run at festival - 2 won Albert Bartlett 1 was runner up
 
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