Tag: Tony McCoy

Catterick Thursday Preview

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Act Alone (7-2) covered our stakes on Wednesday and the show moves on to Catterick on Thursday. It isn’t that often that Mr McCoy pays a visit to Catterick Bridge so it would be a surprise if he came away without a winner.

The pick of his rides looks to be Getabuzz in the 1.05. Tim Easterby’s gelding looked sure to win at Wetherby last time after Catcher Star blundered at the last but he failed to grab his opportunity and was pegged back at the finish. Easterby clearly feels that the son of Beat Hollow was not putting it all in that day and blinkers are on for the first time tomorrow.

Gold Show got no further than the third flight when fancied at Wetherby last month and looks the main threat off bottom weight. The grey mare had previously stayed on well when beaten only a length in third at this course and she receives a handy 10lbs from McCoy’s mount. Sealous Scout looked very one-paced when second to Oscars Den at Carlisle but this race won’t take too much winning so is another with prospects.

The feature race is the North Yorkshire Grand National and Merlin’s Wish is a big tip for this race having been diverted from the Warwick Chase this weekend. The fact that the grey was ante-post favourite for Warwick suggests that the nine-year-old son of Terimon has a big chance in this. The handicapper took a dim view of his 25 length victory at Market Rasen and has bumped him up 13lbs so this is by no means a formality.

Diamond Harry is not the force he was a few years ago when winning the Hennessy Gold Cup but he showed up well for a long way at Cheltenham last time. Malcolm Jefferson’s Sun Cloud won last time out at Hexham and could still be improving whilst Sue Smith has her horses in good form and is represented by Green Wizard.

Looking further ahead, there is still no information about running plans for either of the two big handicaps this weekend. The Warwick Chase and the Lanzarote Hurdle were priced up by the bookies on Monday but you would have to be psychic to know what is running let alone winning! Hopefully the picture will become clearer shortly so that I can seek out the best value bets.

Getabuzz (1.05)

Merlin’s Wish (2.35) at 9-4 BetVictor, Paddy Power

Leopardstown Friday Preview

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The King George confirmed Silviniaco Conti as a serious Gold Cup contender with his stamina proving decisive in the closing stages. Credit to Cue Card for running so well until tiring between the last two fences but I have to say that he does not look like a Gold Cup horse. If he was going to win over three and a quarter miles at Cheltenham he would surely have managed three miles around Kempton.

The Christmas Hurdle turned into the predicted duel between The New One and My Tent Or Yours and I was very surprised by Tom Scudamore’s tactics on the runner-up. Twice previously he has accepted the blame for hitting the front too soon and yet here he was setting the pace? Presumably he felt that he could not beat My Tent Or Yours in a six furlong sprint. It was inconclusive as far as the Champion Hurdle goes.

The highlight of Kempton’s card on Friday is the Desert Orchid Chase in which Sprinter Sacre reappears against Tingle Creek winner Sire De Grugy. Almost unbelievably, the race is not televised. Something must be wrong when Channel 4 cannot even screen the best chaser in training? He should extend his winning sequence to eleven but won’t be a betting proposition/

The same cannot be said of Cause Of Causes in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown. Tony McCoy teams up with the former winner of Ascot’s Ladbroke Hurdle in preference to three other JP McManus-owned runners.

The Gordon Elliott-trained five-year-old was smart over hurdles but has been slow to warm to steeplechasing. He has been beaten in modest company but appeared to be finally getting the hang of it last time out and looks well weighted on 10st 11lb.

He battled on well under Ruby Walsh to finish second to Sraid Padraig at Fairyhouse in November. He will need to improve again to win this but he is a seriously good horse when he hits form and is worth a bet at around 12-1.

Willie Mullins suffered a couple of setbacks on Thursday when the odds-on Analifet and Champagne Fever were both well beaten. He will be hoping for better luck with Moyle Park in the Grade 1 Future Champions Novice Hurdle at 1.50. The Tullow Tank and The Game Changer are both useful but it will be a major blow for Mullins if the highly-rated Moyle Park cannot win this.

The best bet on Kempton’s card is Nicky Henderson’s Grandouet who ran a fine race when second to Hinterland at Sandown. Barry Geraghty held him up behind the leaders and was just done for a little toe when Hinterland quickened approaching the last. Grandouet responded well to pressure and was closing him down at the line. A similar performance would be good enough to beat Dodging Bullets.

Grandouet at 10-11 Bet365, Coral

Moyle Park at 7-4 Bet365, Coral

Cause Of Causes at 12-1 Ladbrokes

Carlisle Thursday Preview

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Although the National Hunt season is only just getting into its stride, there are few trainers in better form than Charlie Longsdon. The victory of Long Lunch at Plumpton on Monday was his thirteenth winner in twelve days including five winners on a single day. Those sort of stats are usually reserved for the likes of Nicholls and Henderson so it illustrates just how quickly Longsdon is moving up the ranks.

Tomorrow he introduces one of his most promising young chasers for the season in Pendra, now in the colours of leading owner JP McManus. The Irish-bred gelding was always going to make a chaser so his three wins over hurdles were something of a bonus last season. The chestnut won at Huntingdon and twice at Plumpton before being upped in grade at Sandown for the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle.

Going to the last it looked as if he may get the better of Melodic Rendezvous but he eventually had to settle for second place under Noel Fehily. The winner is very highly regarded and the run of Pendra drew the attentions of Ireland’s leading National Hunt owner JP McManus. His first run in the famous green and gold silks came in the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham festival where he was sent off a well-backed 6-1 favourite under Tony McCoy.

Not surprisingly, he found the hustle and bustle of that huge field too much to handle and was eventually allowed to come home in his own time after suffering interference. Longsdon is wasting no time in putting him over a fence and he lines up at Carlisle tomorrow with the champion jockey aboard.

He faces a decent rival in Nicky Richards’ Eduard who was not disgraced at Aintree last season after some consistent efforts. He is quite closely matched on his second to Melodic Rendezvous at Cheltenham in December and is certain to have been well schooled. He also knows his way around here having won a novice hurdle in February at the northern track and is a respected rival.

It could be a good day for McCoy who rides four fancied runners for Jonjo O’Neill but I’m siding with Pendra to land the nap.

Pendra 2.20 Carlisle