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Neptune Novices Hurdle 2017

King gave updates on a few of his other Cheltenham Festival hopefuls, including Challow Hurdle winner Messire Des Obeaux, who is set to have one more run before a tilt at the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle.

"He's a grand horse and has been very progressive this season," said King.

"He'll either go to Cheltenham on Trials Day or we'll go to Huntingdon for the Sidney Banks.

"He'll have an entry in the Supreme as well as the Neptune, but he won't be entered in the three-miler (Albert Bartlett). I think the Neptune is probably his race."
 
mayo said:
He'll either go to Cheltenham on Trials Day or we'll go to Huntingdon for the Sidney Banks
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Trial day really is shaping up to be an absolute cracker if the majority of the intended entries turn up :D
 
jono said:
Trial day really is shaping up to be an absolute cracker if the majority of the intended entries turn up :D
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Yeah you're not wrong there.
Was a time Trials Day was about 2 or 3 races, now it's a great card...
 
Does anyone know if Invitation Only had an intended prep run before the festival? I know he drifted a fair bit a few days ago but that seems to have settled a bit now much like UNWIMH.

Despite his poor run against Death Duty his form is stacking up quite well. Multiple form lines boosted (Island Remede, Gunnery Sergeant etc) including Barra winning impressively a few days ago.

I'm not saying it will be Invitation Only but I do feel we may get one of these style novices - highly touted at the start of the season but putting in a poor run throughout the season. Either in the Supreme or Neptune I feel like we may look back at the winner and go yeah should have forgiven that poor run and whoever they'll be will show their true colours. Just a hunch...
 
Istabraq said:
Yeah you're not wrong there.
Was a time Trials Day was about 2 or 3 races, now it's a great card...
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Hopefully it will be. My first visit to HQ, should be a gooden
 
Hope you're right Jono as I have the exact same feeling. Also, his 'bad' run may turn out to be not that bad after all. HdB rates Monalee very highly, whilst Death Duty is probably the top Novice in Ireland and assuming he goes and wins the AB, finishing a few lengths behind him on ground IO appeared not to like, could still look a very good run in time. As you say, his form has a very solid feel to it.

I'm balls deep on IO and still feeling pretty positive. Would be nice to get another run into him, but will the ground allow it? I still have confidence they could go straight there and get the horse to produce his best.

Having said all of that, Finians Oscar could be very tough to beat. His form took another boost yesterday with the horse he beat in his point making it two from two over Hurdles. I'm hopeful these two will fight out the finish and I won't care which one wins!
 
It's been coming and was suggested last week but confirmation from O'Leary this morning that Blow by Blow won't be hurdling this year. Also quotes on Barra going Neptune (and also putting any doubt that Death Duty is AB bound) Other mentions on Tombstone and Prince of Scars too

Blow By Blow, winner of the Punchestown Grade One Bumper last year, will not hurdle this season, instead sticking to combat on the level.

On his final start for Willie Mullins, Gigginstown's steed beat Moon Racer, which is now favourite for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle. However, minor injuries have compelled connections to skip jumping and preserve the horse's novice status for next term.
This may influence plans for the very promising Barra, a bloodless winner last Sunday at Fairyhouse. She could switch from the Trull House Stud Mares' Novices' Hurdle to the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle - a race for which Blow By Blow was 16/1 - at Cheltenham.

Gigginstown's racing manager Eddie O'Leary said: "Blow By Blow will come back for a bumper this season and will not go hurdling. He's not long back with Gordon Elliott and the little problem he had is resolved. He had a tiny chip in his knee."

Regarding Barra, he added: "You'd like to go to the mares' novice race but it may be on the sharp side so the Neptune comes into consideration. That trip is definitely preferable.
"The next day will tell us where we are. I like her. She has not had her trip yet but if it came up soft at Cheltenham we'd lean towards the mares' race."

Tombstone is like Lazarus; he has had the exact same injury in three legs.
"Small stuff, nothing - but frustrating. I'd like to run him. He is a high-class horse. He was supposed to be going chasing this season and would have been a big name for us.

It's simple with Prince Of Scars. He won't be running in any more beginners' chases. He's not tricky, he simply hasn't had his ground over fences. He wants it heavy and three miles. He can remain as a novice and go for the good handicaps, starting with the Thyestes
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Can't Catch Me said:
Hope you're right Jono as I have the exact same feeling. Also, his 'bad' run may turn out to be not that bad after all. HdB rates Monalee very highly, whilst Death Duty is probably the top Novice in Ireland and assuming he goes and wins the AB, finishing a few lengths behind him on ground IO appeared not to like, could still look a very good run in time. As you say, his form has a very solid feel to it.

I'm balls deep on IO and still feeling pretty positive. Would be nice to get another run into him, but will the ground allow it? I still have confidence they could go straight there and get the horse to produce his best.

Having said all of that, Finians Oscar could be very tough to beat. His form took another boost yesterday with the horse he beat in his point making it two from two over Hurdles. I'm hopeful these two will fight out the finish and I won't care which one wins!
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X3... I think the fact that hes still prominent in the betting gives reason to be positive. He's best priced 12/1 along with Messire and DD. Which considering DD is unlikely to run it puts him joint 2nd fav.

I remember listening to the final furlong podcast interview with Graham Wylie before Christmas. Emmet Kennedy was clearly hoping (as i was ) for Graham to give IO a big up but he was slightly reserved about it. Maybe that's just his nature (although he was a little more upbeat about some of his others)

Anyway... One thing thats always stuck in my mind from that is that at the time he wasnt sure whether the Neptune or the AB was his target. I'd need to watch his last run back again, but Ruby's ride that day was surprising.. i think it was expected that he'd just go from the front and lead, but he didnt and was held up. Could this have been a test as to whether he was likely to settle and thus suit the extra distance? And actually what we witnessed was IO giving the indication the Neptune is his target and we can write that run off as a test. Just a thought and maybe others will find good reasoning that im just clutching at straws rather than it being logical reasoning
 
Would Gordon Elliott's The Storyteller not be suited to this race so he doesn't have to go up against stablemate Death Duty?

Just a thought.
 
Quite possibly but the owners also have runfordave who's been campaigned mainly at 2m4f this season though he finished 3rd in the Moscow flyer over 2m lto. I'd have thought Neptune for runfordave and AB for the storyteller but could quite as easily be supreme and Neptune.
 
Aldie1988 said:
Would Gordon Elliott's The Storyteller not be suited to this race so he doesn't have to go up against stablemate Death Duty?

Just a thought.
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I don't think Elliott would split them up, if they both had their best chance in the AB, I think they'd both run in it. THe Storyteller looks to have improved for the step up, so I think he will run in this, and DD owners won't care?
 
Seriously impressed with Neon Wolf today at Haydock
Think this could be his race
 
Noel Fehily reckons he might miss the festival
 
Me too Liam - seriously impressed with that. If the signs are for this race i'll be very keen. He's impressed me more than Finians Oscar and the other Neptune contenders so far with that performance
 
Yeah its a big possibility
 
I was so impressed I managed to get on at 14's for this race.
 
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