davy russell, disappointed yet pleased, less is more, j.p. & the joy of racehorse ownership is ....

​Davy Russell’s good thing for Cheltenham is Ballyburn. He can see no other result in the 3-mile novice than a Ballyburn demolition of the opposition. Now, as great a jockey as he undoubtedly was, this is the same man who said many times prior to Cheltenham last year that he had no worries about the way El Fabiolo jumped. Also, due to government restrictions on liberty, in the computer-generated Grand National, Russell gave Tiger Roll an atrocious spin round, hitting the front when in winning years he kept his powder dry until between the last two fences. If I were Davy, I would have sued for defamation of character and ability. Somebody should have sued on behalf of Tiger Roll’s reputation!
Until the ground began to dry up, I quietly fancied Dancing City. Now, I am not so sure.

I am both disappointed and yet pleased that L’Homme Presse misses the Gold Cup due to a setback on no great importance. To me, he always had a better chance of winning the Aintree National than the Gold Cup and in missing Cheltenham, he has enhanced his chance of winning at Aintree. 
There are only ten left in the Gold Cup, with three British trained. Although I cannot see how Galopin Des Champs can be beaten, after a wind-op and with firmer ground conditions, I am expecting a big run from Ahoy Senor. In fact, if good ground should prevail, I would not be surprised to see The Real Wacker finish in the frame. Royal Pagaille I give very little chance to.

Although as a rule I dislike restrictions on maximum field sizes, I hope, as least for an experimental period, the Cheltenham executive take the advice of J.P. McManus and reduce field sizes for next year’s Festival in order to improve competitiveness throughout the season by forcing trainers to run horses more often to ensure they get a run at the Festival. The only race where I would like to see the maximum number remain as it is, would be the Princess Royal National Hunt Handicap, the 3-mile 6-furlonger, as it will only be in its new guise for the second-time next year and should be given longer to bed-in.

On the subject of J.P., the more I know of him, the more I come to like and respect him. He is an eminently sensible and level-headed man who throughout his life has accumulated knowledge far beyond his education. He is the feature in today’s Racing Post and I advise anyone reading this nonsense to buy a copy of the paper as the article on J.P., written by the excellent Lee Mottershead, is worth the exorbitant cover price on its own. J.P.’s mother once advised him that money was made flat so that it could be built upon and he reckons that if he had started with £1-million in his bank account he would not have learnt anything. He is a man we all could learn from. Apart from Majborough, I hope he has a successful Cheltenham.

The joy of ownership can be plainly divined by the people who own Kopek Des Bordes and Idaho Sun. The former is owned by the Macarthy family and when the horse runs the whole family is there to cheer him on. Idaho Sun is owned by a man who when he sold his roofing business, his first thought was to buy a racehorse. Already twice a winner, the horse is one of Britain’s leading hopes for the Bumper and a coach has been hired to convey 16-members of his family to the races. What other sport has the potential to bring families together like that?
Two more sleeps and the dream-popping begins!