Cheltenham Fall Out
It is rare I want or will get on any soapbox about solutions to issues in Racing. The recent dominance of Irish winners at the Cheltenham Festival is understandably a huge concern to the UK training ranks. Yesterday, Racing TV published an article which saw Dr Richard Newland suggest a banning on Irish horses running in the UK, with a possible exception for the Cheltenham Festival. This self-serving and sour grapes outlook is utterly embarrassing and not, in my view, remotely close to what many UK trainers would be thinking.
The UK is behind Ireland in the jumps game as things stand and there are a mix of reasons in my view as to why that is the case. The answer, is to do what most British trainers are doing. Looking at how they can improve rather than try and stop the Irish from racing here at any level. We saw novice winners for the likes of Ben Pauling, Dan Skelton and Jeremy Scott at the Festival. They not only felt they could compete, but also delivered with winners. I would suggest that, perhaps, rather than proposing British racing becomes more isolationist, the Dr takes a leaf out of their book and competes rather than complains.
NAP of the Day
Getting back to the day-to-day grind of trying to find a winner. Yesterday the selection from the Pipe yard cut out disappointingly and won’t be staying in my notebook. We go to Market Rasen for a runner and it comes from the in-form team of the Skelton duo. After a great week at Cheltenham, they have a great chance of scoring another winner in Theformismighty. Based on his Newbury effort, I think he may live up to his name! Third that day back in December, the fourth and fifth who were in behind him have both run well since with Pic Roc, winning at Ascot and finishing second in the EBF final whilst East India Express was second at Sandown next time out. His Warwick run last time out would be a concern but since then he has had a wind op and gets the tongue tie today. I think providing that will make all the difference and expect him to break his duck here at Market Rasen.
