Not the best renewal of this race I have ever seen and our winner arrived with several question marks hanging over him, not least his dislike for going left-handed.
Mullins employed a first time hood here and that certainly helped but this is a horse I had pegged to be better of further, and last year considered him a Stayers Hurdle banker. I mean, he won the three mile Novice Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in 2023 by 10 lengths!
He looks great one day, ordinary the next but he has now won three of his completed starts over fences and is still open to improvement being just six years of age.
I believe that over the last few years I have demonstrated often enough how important the markets are when working with the racing on a daily basis and without a doubt that has now transferred itself across to the Festivals of racing and for this race, on the day of the race itself, I produced a final market update that advised:
- GAELIC WARRIOR – 4/1 > 7/2 > 10/3 > 3/1 > 15/8 > 2/1 – WON 2/1
- IL ETAIT TEMPS – 4/1 > 9/2 > 4/1 > 11/2 > 5/1 – 3RD 7/2
- FOUND A FIFTY – 5/1 > 9/2 > 5/1 > 13/2 > 9/1 – 2ND 13/2
Without a doubt the best backed horse was GAELIC WARRIOR and he duly obliged, winning by more than eight lengths, FOUND A FIFTY finished second, with IL ETAIT TEMPS an unlucky third having clouted several on the way round, a proper blooper at the fourth last nearly bringing him down. He was staying on well once the jumping was done but whilst the fences get in the way at this level, he’ll be struggling to beat the better ones.
Had members of itscheltenham.com seen fit to work with the three “movers” and used them for combo exotics, they would have produce a tricast paying £47.50 for £1
The profiling advice the evening before racing here was a 20/80 (e.w.) punt IL ETAIT TEMPS @ 11/2 and those employing that advice made a small profit.
