Grumeti:
Alan King has been public in saying that he thinks this horse is the best juvenile he has ever trained. Now that's a bold statement! The King of Barbury Castle has had many top class juveniles over the years, including two Triumph Hurdle winners, Penzance, subsequent Champion Hurdle Winner Katchit as well as Walkon and the sadly ill-fated Mille Chief. The geldings first season was a very good one. He came a bit out of the unknown to score at Taunton on his debut at 11/2, before being an unlucky faller when having the race at his mercy at Newbury next time out. I think he hadn't quite got over the fall on his next start at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day where he won, albeit in the stewards room. Although he had a mild injury scare, the break between then and The Festival obviously did him the world of good. His run in Triumph was a cracker. He made a bad mistake down the back and although he finished 3rd, if he had met the last on a stride instead of fiddling over it, he may have won. Revenge over his Triumph conqueror Countrywide Flame was sweet at Aintree though. In my eyes, I thought he was just about the best juvenile last year and he should have matured nicely over the summer, he could be a much improved horse this year. King stated that Grumeti had improved quite a lot for his runs on the flat in the summer, before he had gone for his summer break! In relation to the Champion Hurdle, Grumeti looks to be another competitive addition to what is looking a very competitive race on the whole - he can be found at 25/1 Ante-post. The 4 year old hurdling season is notoriously tough, but he takes his racing well and could be underrated, I wouldn't be writing him off.
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| Lovcen (Right) - Will Be An Interesting Recruit To The Novice Chase Ranks |
This horse came a bit under the radar last year. Having made a promising debut behind Allthekingshorses and Rocky Creek on Haldon Gold Cup day at Exeter, he progressed to win his next start but then fell at the 2nd at Doncaster when re opposing Rocky Creek. Consequently, we didn't know much about him heading into the spring. A smooth success at Wincanton over Volador suggested he was starting to get his act together and this proved to be correct when he ran well in the Albert Bartlett at The Festival. He wasn't quite good enough to go with the horses at the front end, but stayed on admirably past beaten horses to run into 4th. His next start at Aintree was a superb effort. He matched potentially last years best staying novice hurdler Fingal Bay stride for stride all the way up the run-in, eventually having his measure by simply 'out-staying' him. His reappearance at Aintree was promising on heavy ground off top weight, which was far from ideal! Having turned the final bend travelling nicely, he found nothing off the bridle which suggested all the petrol had been used up to get himself into the race. However, his first run last year was of a similar ilk and it's feasible he needs that first run of the season to sharpen him up. The plan is to run in another hurdle race at the Open Meeting, where one of his owners sponsors the race, before heading novice chasing. I think the key to this horse is good ground, his best runs came in the spring on a sounder surface, so I would expect that to be the case again this year. His main attribute is his stamina and he could use this best to win either the RSA or the 4 Miler which are real war of attrition contests. I don't know whether he is quite top class, he probably wasn't over hurdles, but fences could be the making of him and I expect him to feature prominently in the staying novice chasers division this season. I think he could also be underrated.
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| Walkon Could Go Close In The Paddy Power |
This grey was once considered to be out of the very top draw. He finished 2nd to Zaynar in the 2009 Triumph Hurdle before following up at Aintree in devastating style, a bit like Spirit Son's victory in 2011. However much like Spirit Son, injury struck. It was a long lay-off and whether he has quite recaptured his form from his juvenile days is debatable. His novice chase campaign last year started with a bang with an impressive win at Exeter, but he didn't follow it up all year. Alan King thought it probably flattered him all season. The geldings season finished disappointingly when he finished pulled up in the Scottish National in what was a a real stab in the dark to see if he would appreciate the stamina test. The plan was initially to target a graduation a chase for his reappearance but that appears to have been scrapped and replaced with a tilt at the Paddy Power. 2 1/2 miles is probably as short as he would like it, but he would be a live contender and there has been money for him ante-post - he can be found at 11/1 in places. The Alan King stable are in brilliant form at the moment so it's feasible to say that Walkon will put in a bold effort, bearing in mind how well he went fresh last year. He is rated 143 and second season chasers have a good record in the race too, 143 looks a fair, winnable mark. After that I don't know what the target will be, I suspect his season will be dependant on what happens to his rating after his effort in the Paddy Power. I think he has a handicap win in him somewhere.
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| Kumbeshwar Looks To Have A Tough Season Ahead |
I love this horse, he reminds me of Lough Derg a bit. Like Lough Derg, he isn't the biggest in stature, but he makes up for it with his attitude. He is all heart, ever-consistent and totally admirable. He has been placed at two Cheltenham Festivals and again, like Lough Derg he runs frequently. His novice chase campaign last year was a successful one, the highlight being his 3rd place finish in the Grand Annual. The seasonal reappearance at Chepstow behind Oiseau De Nuit was solid as ever, running about up to form. He is rated 143 and Alan King thinks he is fully exposed, he will be tough to place this year, but King has stated his will go to all the big meetings and you can guarantee he will run his race. He is a swinger certainty.
Handazan: Juvenile To Follow - Handazan
The link above details information about Handazan in a previous blog. He is a new arrival from the John Oxx yard who has winning form on soft ground. The ground at Aintree was really testing the other day and he ground it out well, the 2nd For Two is rated very highly by Paul Nicholls and I think it was a high quality contest. The fact he handles soft ground was a bonus that day and his jumping improved from his debut at Chepstow where is was a bit scratchy. It wasn't foot perfect, but it was a vast improvement and he appears to be improving all the time, he can be found at 20/1 ante-post for the Triumph Hurdle. I think he is still an unknown quantity, he could be anything. I know Alan King really likes him and he is showing signs of improvement, if he keeps heading the right way he could make up into a really smart hurdler this year. He is yet to be gelded though.
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| Olofi (Left) - You Would Hope He's Competitive In Handicap Hurdles Again This Year |
Olofi started last year really well when chasing home Brampour in the Greatwood hurdle at the Open Meeting off a mark of 130. He rose to 136 after that run and was fancied to go close once again in valuable handicap hurdles later in the year, but that never quite materialised. He was probably a bit unlucky when falling at Newbury on his next start, he was travelling well when he crashed out two from home. A much better effort when 5th in the Betfair Hurdle on his return to Newbury was just what the doctor ordered, but he then disappointed on his next outing at the Festival in the County Hurdle. It's possible his long season may have taken its toll by the time Cheltenham came around in March. The handicapper has maintained his rating at 136 and I'm starting to wonder if he is well handicapped. However, he is a 6 going on 7 year old so there may still be improvement to come. Also, with age he may require a step-up in trip. This grey is definitely one for the notebook, he should be competitive again this year.
Arabian Heights:
Purchased out of Sir Mark Prescott's yard and was rated as high as 85 on the flat. Has had one run for current connections when finishing down the field on the flat at Newmarket in May this year. He is only a 3 year old so hopefully there will be more to come in the future, it will be interesting to see where he stands in the juvenile pecking order at Barbury Castle this season.
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