Hi all,
Inside today’s main piece you’ll find a horse that can make up into a high-class novice hurdler this season.
ITV is treating racing fans to a thrilling weekend of action. On Friday, they’ll broadcast four races from Cheltenham’s opening Showcase Meeting, along with three more from Doncaster.
Saturday brings a marathon lineup with ten live races. Five from Cheltenham, three from Doncaster, and two from Newbury. Plenty of excitement ahead!
On Sunday, ITV will show four live races from Aintree, including the Old Roan Handicap Chase (1:50), plus two from Wincanton. Let’s hope for cloudy weather to avoid the low sun issues that affected last year’s Old Roan Chase.
Though not on ITV, Saint-Cloud in France offers three Group 1 races on Sunday, including the Prix Royal-Oak and two for 2-year-olds: the Criterium de Saint-Cloud and Criterium International.
I don’t usually create lists of horses to follow, but there’s one novice hurdler who looks like a potential star.
Minella Premier – Nicky Henderson
Nicky Henderson seems to have a promising group of novice and juvenile hurdlers this season. Minella Premier, who was bought for £400,000 at the Goffs Spring Sale after an impressive win in an Irish point-to-point is one of them.
I wasn’t too impressed with last season’s top bumper horses, so this novice hurdle division looks wide open. Minella Premier, by Shantou, comes from a family with a mix of speed and stamina, so he could handle distances up to 2m 4f and a bit further.
Henderson had this to say about him in the Racing Post:
“We paid £400,000 for him and I hope he's a high-class horse. He was certainly impressive in his point-to-point in Ireland in May, which he won by 12 lengths, and he's going very well. I think he'll almost certainly go over hurdles. He's a very exciting prospect indeed”.
It’s early to predict Cheltenham Festival targets, but Minella Premier should be competitive in top novice hurdles this season. He’s one to watch.
Thursday Racing
There are six meetings across Britain and Ireland on Thursday. Plenty of action for punters, but I’m holding off until Cheltenham’s Showcase Meeting, which starts tomorrow.
For those interested in my previews and selections for this weekend, plus Breeders’ Cup and Melbourne Cup picks, you can grab them here.
In tomorrow’s column, I’ll dive into some of the ITV races set for Friday afternoon.
Good luck with your Thursday bets!
John