Around 10 or so years ago, before the big investment started in juveniles, Alan King used to have a good record in the race. He has a horse called The Olympian who has been sold to J.P. McManus and this could be the horse to bring him back into the mix again. He’s by a new sire with no jumps progeny to reference but he looks like he could be a nice type if they go jumping.
Now that I’ve read that
The Olympian is due to go hurdling I compile a full profile:
1.) He’s raced three times on the flat as a 2yo from August to October 2018. He’s as yet unraced as a 3yo.
2.) His best performances were over 1m 2f which I feel is the minimum for a flat horse going jumping.
3.) He has a rating of 88 but the horse he lost by 3/4 length to (Pablo Escobar 103) went on to run second in the Lingfield Derby Trial and was 5th in the King Edward VII. The Olympian is very unexposed and could easily achieve a higher rating than 88 in my eyes.
4.) Despite his investment in France and no doubt O’Brien horses, JP McManus has decided to add this horse to his ranks.
5.) Although he no longer dines at the top table, Alan King knows how to win a Triumph (2005 and 2007). Is his recent lean spell due to suddenly becoming a poor trainer or does he not have the same ammunition anymore due to the younger brigade on the scene?
6.) He has focussed on the flat more recently and has had 26 winners in 2019 which is a fair record for a dual purpose trainer. The fact he now has more flat horses means he’s more likely to unearth potential juvenile hurdlers.
At
50/1 with cash out I think this will be a nice little position to take, even if just for speculation.
