I was informed yesterday, by the author, that Michael Tanner has commissioned the printing of 50 new editions of his book ‘My Friend, Spanish Steps’. If you wish to avail yourself of a signed and dated copy, price £14. 95, e-mail Michael at
Anyone who believes big, strong, wide-hoofed horses should be at home in heavy ground needs to think again. Very often a small mare with dainty hooves will skip through heavy ground to far better effect than a gelding of larger stature. I say this in order for the supporters of Final Demand, those with a financial stake in him winning the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Gold Cup, to not give up hope of cashing in those betting slips. He is a young horse, perhaps not yet as strong as he appears. To him, yesterday’s ground conditions would have been like you or me trying to navigate across river mud wearing ill-fitting Wellington boots. And having to jump steeplechase fences. I am minded to forgive his run yesterday, though I am also minded to have him down as a horse who might not have the speed for 2-Miles whilst lacking the stamina for 3-Miles. As for the winner yesterday, I think Kaid D’Authie won because Final Demand did not show up on the day.
The novice hurdle was obviously won by a horse of immense potential and it was good to see the Double Green win another Grade 1 race. Talk The Talk will also appreciate better ground, as will most of those that finished in arrears of him. If a genie suddenly appeared out of the ether with the unexpected news that I had a heavenly lottery, with the prize being the opportunity to assume ownership of any horse that ran at Leopardstown yesterday, I would choose King Rasko Grey, a lovely type of horse just waiting to see a fence next season. I also would not dismiss Ballyfad. He was nutted on the line yesterday and you never know but Cheltenham on better ground might see yesterday’s result reversed.
As for Blake, my fancy (each-way) for the race? He finished fifth after being ‘in the van’, though a passenger and not the driver, for most of the race, only fading when the fancied horses either stayed on better between the last two hurdles or had a smidgen of speed he did not possess in that ground. There is a good race to be won with Blake, so keep the faith, if you had the faith to begin with, which I doubt.
If I were Frank Berry, I would be putting the idea to his boss that he splash the cash again and buy Thistle Ask for any price his current owner demands. Why? Because the only way I can envisage Majborough winning the 2-Mile Champion Chase is if he is allowed to boss the race, and if Thistle Ask takes his chance that will be impossible to achieve. So, I would buy Thistle Ask and immediately take him out of the 2-Mile Champion Chase. If I were without fear and backed ante-post, which I have never done in all my long years, I would take whatever price Marine Nationale is this morning. Majborough jumped yesterday like a seasoned campaigner, but as with Il Etait Temps, I would not trust his jumping around Cheltenham.
Brighterdaysahead has taken on Golden Ace twice around Cheltenham in March and has not come close to beating her. So why is the darling of Gordon Elliott’s heart favourite for the Champion Hurdle and yet Golden Ace is 7 or 8/1? Obviously, if Constitution Hill were to turn-up in March and successfully negotiates every hurdle, he wins by half the straight. If he does not run, why wouldn’t Willie Mullins give it a go with Lossiemouth, especially if the ground was more forgiving than ground conditions yesterday. If there is to be yet another surprise in the Champion Hurdle, Poniros might be the one. He won his division of the race yesterday and for his first race since last June, it was encouraging. Anzadam was disappointing, though he settled nicely for the magic hands of Harry Cobden but the horse is only going to get sickened of the sport if he is not allowed to bowl along from the front, and he bowed out of things with little fight yesterday. Making the running with Majborough sorted out his main problem, the same might be achieved for Anzadam.