Morning all,

This week’s article should have been looking back at the best performances of Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham but sadly events on Saturday cast a big shadow on the day. Before looking at a couple of the best performances of the weekend, One For The Tracker and of course a selection from Stats Corner for today’s racing I will firstly share some thoughts about the sad loss of a Grand National winner and true equine hero!

Many Clouds Tragedy Overshadows Trial’s Day

Horse racing fans entered Cheltenham racecourse on Saturday full of excitement and expectation as to what Festival’s Trials Day would bring but those same racegoers left the course mourning the loss of former Grand National winner Many Clouds.

We had witnessed one of the most thrilling of races of recent years with Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack and Many Clouds fighting out the bravest of finishes to the Cotswold Chase. Try as he might after the last Thistlecrack just couldn’t get past Many Clouds as the 10 year old responded to his jockey’s strong urgings and refused to be beaten.

After that finish he should have been entering the winner’s enclosure to the acclaim of racings most knowledgeable of crowds but instead he was on the ground having collapsed and died for his efforts. All the highs and lows of horse racing fans encapsulated in a few brief minutes! We witnessed why the game is so great with that finish but we also saw jump racing’s cruel side too. Trainer and owner will of course be devastated but we should also spare a thought for all those who cared for the horse during his racing career in particularly the groom looking after the horse.

Many Clouds True Warrior of the Turf

We all have our memories of the horse; I was able to see him at Wetherby at the back end of 2013 when he cruised to victory in three runner novice chase. That day you could see he epitomised what a chaser should look like, being a big strong imposing type even at the age of six. He was destined to win some big races and he did so the next season when taking the 2014 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury but better was to come from him later that season when he carried 11-9 to victory in that seasons Grand National. He only won a small Kelso race last season and was pulled up in his attempt to win the Grand National for a second year running. A wind operation over the summer seemed to have done the trick as he jumped and travelled well to win at Aintree on his seasonal reappearance in December. He saved his best performance for his last though. Ante post favourite for this year’s Grand National, he would surely have been aimed at this years Gold Cup after beating Thistlecrack and it would have been a brave pundit who said he couldn’t have added jump racings ‘blue riband’ race to his career record. Sadly we will never get a chance to find that out.

Many Clouds Career Record

He won on his racecourse debut when taking a Wetherby National Hunt Flat race and he won twice over hurdles but the son of Cloudings was always bred to make a much better chaser than a hurdler, he ended his hurdling career with a Racing Post Rating (RPR) of 139 but he would leave that well behind over fences and on Saturday he earned his highest ever RPR of 174. He excelled with some juice in the ground with 11 wins from 18 runs 61% +59.13 when soft appeared in the going description. Interestingly it could be said that he was still unexposed over distances 3m 2f+ with a career record of 3 wins from 5 runs 60% +39. You can see from those stats why he was so much of a ‘Punters Pal’.

The horse that his trainer Oliver Sherwood had said would race through brick walls for you did just that on Saturday afternoon! He will be missed!

Looking Back At the Weekend

Ziga Boy is becoming a bit of a Doncaster specialist and won the Sky Bet Chase for the second year running. On paper it looked a high class renewal of the race but the 8 year old turned the race into a bit of a procession. His jumping was superb as his jockey Tom Bellamy got him into a great jumping rhythm out in front, In all truth he never really looked like he would be beaten from half way. My ante post selection in the race Southfield Royale was never really travelling after hitting the first couple of fences. This was a disappointing effort and surely this wasn’t his true running. Granted this was his seasonal reappearance but he has gone well fresh in the past and the good going and track should have suited him too. Not one to give up on yet and there will be other days for the 7 year old I am sure of that.

Trials Day saw some other good performances. The novice Wholestone took the Neptune Novice Hurdle, The rain that fell overnight was very much in the six years old favour has his stamina was guaranteed as he had won here over 3m back in December and he now heads to the 3m Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at the Festival. He is an uncomplicated ride and has a willing attitude off the bridle. Doesn’t always convince with his jumping, didn’t in this race either, and it will be tested to the full on good ground and a faster run race come March.

Uknowhwatimeanharry continues to improve even at the age of 9. He made it 3 from 3 this season and 4 from 4 at Cheltenham when taking the Cleeve Hurdle, giving 8lb and 1/ ¾ length beating to the runner up Cole Harden. You can see why this likeable horse is as now low as 5/4 for the Stayers Hurdle at the Festival. The runner will have delighted trainer Warren Greatrex and arguably put his best performance since winning the Stayers Hurdle in 2015. Soft ground wouldn’t have really been in his favour here and he should be able to get closer to the winner in March, if he gets his favoured good ground which he is 3 from 6 on.

One For The Tracker

This week’s horse for your trackers put in an excellent placed effort in last weeks Goof Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park.

Bonny Kate – Trained by Noel Meade the mare was no match for the impressive winner Champagne West and although the ground was officially described as soft 3m 1f wasn’t enough of a stamina test for her. A winner last season over 3m 4f at Punchestown on soft to heavy ground. Always in a prominent position, she followed up her 3rd place finish in the Troytown Chase back in November with an equally as good effort in another valuable handicap chase, still well in contention three from home she just didn’t have the pace to stay with the winner from two out. The 7 year old who has a very likeable attitude is 5 wins from 8 runs on an undulating track, 6 wins from 14 runs on soft and heavy ground and all her wins have come when going right handed. If you look at her record when racing on soft or heavy ground, on an undulating and right handed track she is 5 wins from 7 runs 6 places. There is a nice staying handicap in the mare on testing ground!

Stats Corner

American Patrol made it 2 from 2 for the stats selection last week when landing a bit of a gamble at Wolverhampton last Monday. Can we make it 3 from 3 today? It’s not the best of days.

Monday Selection

Ayr

4:20 – Trainer Tom Lacey and jockey Richard Johnson have been combining up successfully recently – 8 winners from 27 runners 30% +31.38 A/E 1.54 13 places 48% that record is further improved when looking at those horses that Johnson is riding for the first time – 7 winners 39% +23.38 A/E 1.91 10 places 56%. They combine with Storm Nelson in the NHF race. This is the horses first career start under rules so it will be interesting to see how he goes in the pre-race betting.

Storm Nelson – 13/2

All that’s left now is to wish you a profitable weeks betting.

Cheers
VV

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