WHAT’S IN A NAME? FOLLOW THE TREND: Daqman previews the Paul Nicholls stable plans for another big hitting weekend. But the trainer for today is Nick Gifford, napped to score with On Trend dropped right down in class at Fontwell.
WILY NICHOLLS KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY AT CHELTENHAM THIS WEEKEND
Just another Ditcheat family day out? Paul Nicholls, who landed a five-timer on Saturday, has lined up Stewart and Wylie horses for Cheltenham’s December Gold Cup Day just one week on.
Saturday’s feature this year is a ‘Stewart Family Thank You’ Gold Cup, in which Nicholls runs the Pendil Novice Chase winner, Grandioso, after one run back.
In the three-miler which follows, he will saddle the Stewart and Wylie Families’ Pacha Du Polder, winner of the Greatwood at Newbury in March, and whose form after an absence, still standing, is 212.
Ditcheat’s Relkeel Hurdle hope is Salubrious, owned by the Johnson and Stewart families. Nicholls won the December Gold Cup back to back with Poquelin. Owners? The Stewart Family.
Another horse given one run back to prep for the weekend Cheltenham meeting is Ceasar Milan (3.45 Friday). Owners? The Stewart and Wylie Familes.
Nicholls starts Friday with Wonderful Charm, has Unioniste in the Grade-3 chase and saddles Sire Collonges in the cross-country. What price another five!
TODAY’S RACING: MASSIVE DROP IN CLASS MAKES ON TREND THE NAP
I have a theory about names. Those owners who pick the ugly ones don’t expect – or haven’t the imagination – to anticipate headlines.
Thousands will seize on Aldopicgros (12.40 Fontwell) as Nicholls only runner of the day today. But, scope though he has at the juvenile-hurdle stage, they surely don’t expect to keep Press cuttings like: Aldopicgros the new champion.
Much easier to write a heading for Legacy Gold (12.20 Uttoxeter), hot-pot in the opener at the other meeting. But you won’t see it in this column.
I’m avoiding the maiden, novice, beginners and juvenile events when I can – there are seven of them on the jumps cards today – as too trappy, with as many shocks as short-priced winners.
That makes Uttoxeter’s class-4 hurdle (1.20) our first play of the day. But we haven’t left the novices and maidens behind: Come On Annie and Dela Sunrise have dropped back to novice events without success, while Mystifiable is still a maiden, and Ut Majeur Aulmes has failed to translate bumper form to hurdles (‘Ut Majeur Aulmes the new champion’.. can’t you just see the headlines?).
Another bumper winner, Vujiyama, didn’t quite last out in a big field on heavy ground at Chepstow, second time ridden by Tony McCoy, who was on board for the gelding’s first hurdle, which was here at Uttoxeter (third). Could be good enough in a poor class-4 on a better surface.
The longer trip over hurdles at 1.50 is a seemingly better race: only Bladoun has not won at the class-4 level but, for a maiden beaten 122 lengths in his last three starts to be second favourite as I write, doesn’t say much for this field.
And for Di Kaprio to have been runner-up over CD in class-4 when he last won in the course in a seller, speaks volumes about the dross below C-level (class 3).
The market says that Scales (a lonely dog on a drifting raft to 17.0 on BETDAQ) has gone backwards since beating Finding Your Feet at Ffos Las and, with that one now ridden by McCoy, we can expect the Jonjo runner to go forward.
Back at Fontwell, there’s a class-3 chase (2.10) and a class-4 hurdle (2.40). That’s the best they can do, and only 14 runners between the two suggests they need to do more.
Paul Webber has a 50% chases record on the course and he fits Firm Order (2.10) with visors for the first time but blinkers never did much good and it was cheekpieces which landed him his first success since March 2011.
Firm Order has been hit by the handicapper for that. Pete The Feat is still suffering, 10lb too high. So, too, old Eleazar, but claiming off him will help and he’s been consistent all year, a winner over CD.
Financial Climate should improve, though didn’t get far on his reappearance run, and surely Nick Gifford means business today, dropping On Trend from Mercedes level (three Graded races running) to Astra (class 3). He’s already won a class 2.
In another low-level contest (2.40), Stay In My Heart – 15.0 on BETDAQ this morning – is a huge price, claimed off, if he can show his Irish maiden form on his first start for Laura Mongan.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each win bet staked to win 20 points)
BET 4.6pts win VUJIYAMA (1.20 Uttoxeter)
BET 6.25pts win FINDING YOUR FEET (1.50 Uttoxeter)
BET 5pts win (nap) ON TREND (2.10 Fontwell)
BET 1.4pts win and place (outsider Of The Day) STAY IN MY HEART (2.40 Fontwell)
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