the christmas race program.

​It goes as read that television over the festive period is a diet of repeats, rubbish and little worth setting the video recorder for, if anyone still uses such ancient technology. But does the festive racing programme have to mirror the lack of insight and ambition of television programmers?
Compare the Irish racing over the last few days to what was put before the racing audience in Britain. 4 days of top-class racing from Leopardstown, plus a similarly long meeting at Limerick, if somewhat of a lesser class but which boasted the most anticipated race of the holiday, Faugheen versus Samcro. Yes, we had a 2-day fixture at Kempton, plus the Welsh National from Chepstow. But we very much second-bested.
The much-vaunted King George was not even the most notable Gold Cup trial, with the Savilles Chase providing 5 possible winners of the blue riband come march, whilst of the 5 that competed at Kempton only Clan Des Obeaux looks even remotely likely to win at Cheltenham. Whatever excuse they come with for Lostintranslation, and I admit that beforehand I thought him the most likely of the starters to win the Gold Cup, his jumping at speed may prove his Achilles heel. In fact, if I were to offer any punting advice drawn from what I witnessed, it would be to back Aso at long odds to run into a place as he looked nothing but a stayer to my eyes.
What I would say, and I have thought this for a long while, is to ignore Kempton form when the ground is soft to heavy as such ground at Kempton is vastly different to similarly described ground at Cheltenham and elsewhere. A horse that appears not to stay 3-miles at Kempton could easily win at that distance somewhere else.
If we saw this season’s Gold Cup winner it ran at Leopardstown in the Saville’s. I doubt if it was either Delta Work or Monalee as one is not a steady-enough jumper and the other has yet to show any aptitude for races beyond 3-miles. They patently ran Road To Respect in the wrong race at the Festival last year and are unlikely to make the same mistake again. Kemboy can only improve for a run and Presenting Percy is, I believe, a proper Cheltenham horse and is the one of the five I would be hopeful of winning in March.
That brings us to Faugheen. To assess his potential as a chasing prospect, if you are championing him running outside of novice races at the Festival, you must ask yourself this question: how highly do you rate Samcro? If you took Faugheen out of the Limerick race, Samcro beat rather easily three young horses who if fate is kind to them will win plenty of races between them in the future. If Samcro has the potential to win one of the novice championship races at the Festival, Faugheen must be the best novice chaser around and as such, given his age, it would not be the height of folly for his connections to seriously consider the Champion 2-mile Chase, the Ryanair and even entering him in the Gold Cup itself, though as he never looked a stout staying hurdler that might prove an overly-ambitious target.
At Chepstow, I suspect we saw the winner, if Tiger Roll sidesteps the race, of this year’s Grand National as the first three all look proper 4-mile horses and if burdened with a little less weight at Aintree I can visualise Elegant Escape running a big race.
My comments about the poor quality – compared to Ireland – race programme of late revolves around the Challow Hurdle at Newbury as the top race of the day. It was a Saturday, there was brilliant racing at Leopardstown, and the best we could do over here was a 5-runner hurdle for inexperienced horses. The same can be said for The Tolworth at Sandown this weekend. I understand the importance of races of this kind but at best they should be the supporting race, not the main race of the day. Newbury have allowed the Mandarin to slip so far down the quality scale that it is now no more than ordinary. If there are not enough top-class handicappers around to warrant upping the ratings for the Mandarin, how about showing some initiative and making it a novice handicap or a conditions chase for horses that have not won a chase over 3-miles. Daft, you think, well if Altior had been abscess-free Nicky Henderson would have had another option to aim for. The Mandarin honours one of the most popular horses of my lifetime, even if I was only a nipper when he was in his pomp, and Newbury should really give some thought as to whether they are giving him due respect in allowing the race that honours his name to become what is, ordinary.