Blue shark primed to leave rivals all at sea
Saturday January 31 2009
THERE'S a real pre-Cheltenham feel to today's action in Britain. Small fields for the quality races are augmented by a spate of trappy handicaps the bookmakers so adore -- which is why they sponsor them. But we can't let them have it all their own way.
At first glance, the £4m totescoop6 Heroes Handicap Hurdle (3.10) at Sandown rests somewhere between the impossible and unfathomable. Not so on closer inspection.
Many will side with Ballydub. His efforts either side of winning at Newbury saw him run into Punchestowns and Big Buck's. The down side is that he continues to creep up the handicap. Philip Hobbs' charge fell when in contention at Cheltenham last time, yet races from a 5lb higher mark today. That lends encouragement to the cause of Blue Shark.
Nicky Henderson's horse was travelling just as well when he was hampered by Ballydub's fall at Cheltenham. And the weight swing in his favour is a bonus for a horse whose unexposed profile is so vital in these well-contested handicaps.
Hobbs also saddles Massini's Maguire in the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase (Sandown 2.35), in which four of the six runners like to race aggressively. This has the makings of a severe test of the kind relished by Araldur, but Pressgang can ambush them all.
Paul Webber's lightly-raced seven-year-old has it all to do on previous running with Herecomesthetruth. Against that, he is on the upgrade and will benefit from the run of the race.
Over at Doncaster, William Hill sponsors a card that will have punters reaching for the aspirin -- or something even stronger. And while it's tempting to opt out completely, I'm taking a punt on Montevideo (3.30).
It wasn't meant to be like this for Montevideo. Bred for flat-race glory by Sheikh Mohammed, the son of Sadler's Wells must now slog it out over four miles. But that's what becomes of horses with their own minds.
Montevideo is far from straightforward in that respect. But this extreme distance offers him the chance to rally from any mid-race sulk to land the spoils.
Osana to bare Champion
Hurdle credentials
Where Cheltenham is concerned, perhaps the trickiest call is forecasting who will start second favourite to Binocular in the Champion Hurdle. Two more aspirants, Osana and Celestial Halo, bare their credentials in the Contenders Hurdle (2.05) at Sandown.
Celestial Halo will be popular after chasing home Binocular at Ascot, but that run may flatter him. He almost stole the race through an excellent front-running ride from Ruby Walsh, who teams up again today.
Preference is for Osana, the Champion Hurdle runner-up whose overall record brooks no argument. He made Katchit fight tooth and nail before he succumbed at Cheltenham. Celestial Halo, by contrast, has much potential but has yet to match those deeds.
Watch out for AP teaming up with French invaders
You've got to hand it to the bookies: they never miss a trick. Their coup in making Andy Murray favourite for the Australian Open hoodwinked punters into believing the raw Scot could do it. And they have trousered more cash from their markets on when AP McCoy reaches 3,000 career winners.
Victor Chandler offered a miserly 11/4 against AP - Tony to you and me - McCoy reaching the landmark yesterday at Chepstow, where he required two winners from three rides. Guess what? Chepstow was washed out.
On a more serious note, Chandler's odds about McCoy winning the 2009 BBC Sports Personality of the Year amplify the scandal that sees the jockey annually overlooked for the award. The firm's quote of 50/1 is almost certainly on the short side.
Meanwhile, look out for McCoy linking up with a pair of Francois Doumen-trained horses owned by JP McManus. Doctor Pat and the unraced Moneywise, both due to run in Britain the coming weeks, are highly rated by their astute trainer.
- Julian Muscat
