THE WEEKEND JUST GONE.

​Brother to my disquiet about the names of racehorses is my annoyance at the names of our major National Hunt races. The reason the Ladbrokes Trophy is still after three years often referred to as the Hennessey is because it is a race without an actual name. I dare say it might be registered as The Newbury Steeplechase or something similar but for the entirety of its lifespan the 3-miles 2-furlong handicap Chase has existed only to serve its sponsor. It is not the Ladbroke Newbury Steeplechase, in the same way it was never the Hennessey Newbury Steeplechase. When the present deal with Ladbrokes terminates, it is possible they will cease their involvement of the race citing the sheer number of times the race is referred to by the name of the previous sponsor. Allowing commercial companies carte-blanc to rebrand races in their own image may be a key selling tool in securing new sponsorship deals but in the long term it devalues the importance of the race.
It may just be a blip that occurs from time to time for all big races, but since Hennessey withdrew their sponsorship, the race now known as the Ladbroke Trophy has slipped from being a pointer towards the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with a number of horses going on from Newbury to win at the Festival, to becoming a heads-up towards the Grand National. My fear is that whatever this race is called, it is going in the same direction as the race formerly known as the Whitbread, and that direction is decidedly south. Incidentally, has anyone approached Whitbread, or the corporation that owns the Whitbread brand, if they might like to sponsor the race again? It is after all still referred to by all and sundry as either the ‘Whitbread’ or what used to be the ‘Whitbread’.
I voiced the opinion last year that the Ladbrokes Trophy would be a better fit for the million-quid bonus than the Betfair. Something needs to be done to encourage trainers to run their best stayers in handicaps again. I find the million-quid bonus a limp affair anyway, as this year only four horses had a chance winning it, with only one left as we speak and if Lostintranslation doesn’t win the King George even he will be out of the contest. To generate greater interest, I would prefer the bonus to be decided on a points basis, with the first four in the first two legs gathering points, with the million quid paid out to any of the top four if they won the Gold Cup.
At least this years renewal of the Ladbroke Trophy was a better affair than last year’s race, with the winner looking a nice prospect for the coming seasons and though he is already written off by the experts as a potential Gold Cup horse I would not be so hasty. He is yet to reach his prime, he jumps well, stays and goes on soft ground, and though you couldn’t say he won with his head in his chest or that another 7lb on his back would not have made any difference to the result, he is a horse on the up and it will interesting to see where they go next with him.
Having said that, the horse to take out of the race was Elegant Escape, though I doubt he is a Gold Cup winner in waiting. I seem to be seeing Grand National horses here, there and everywhere at the moment, and though it was uncomfortable to hear Harry Cobden say he made two howlers down the back straight, especially as I put him in one of my ten-to-follow lists as a potential Grand National winner, he remains a favourite of mine over any distance beyond that of Saturday’s race. I am envious, though, of anyone who included De Rasher Counter in their ten-to-follow.
On the topic of the ten-to-follow, my hopes are over already, as they must be for a high number of people, with the devastating news that Buveur D’Air might be off games for the rest of the season. It is not a tendon injury or anything that might be career-threatening, which is no doubt only a small mercy to his connections, but the problem with splinters around the hoof is that there is nowhere for any swelling to go and can cause immense discomfort to the horse. Also, if an infection takes seat within the hoof it can prove terribly difficult to flush out. We must keep our fingers crossed.
One final thought: last season I was keen for Apples Jade to run in the Champion Hurdle. Obviously that did not go so well and I hasten restraint on anyone advocating Honeysuckle be sent the Champion Hurdle route as on Sunday she was running away from confirmed stayers, and though I think going for the mares race at the Festival (the race I would get rid of in a heartbeat) is picking low-hanging fruit, I might at the moment prefer her connections to consider the Stayers Hurdle as an alternative option, even if, as of Saturday, the admirable Cornerstone Lad has become a viable contender for the Champion now we are likely to be deprived of Buveur D’Air.