Friday 19th October

rossom

Super card at Cheltenham tomorrow

Really fancy Sivola De Sivola 7/1 in the 3.20 Cheltenham and he's my NAP. Write up to come in due course.

mr.jingle

Just going to back all of John Ferguson's horse's tomorrow, really think this lad will have a good season after having a very nice start to his training career last year. He's 6 running tomorrow 1 at Cheltenham and 5 at Fakenham but he 2 in the same race so a reverse f/c will do in that one!

The NH season is starting to click into gear now

rossom

mr.jingle wrote: »

Just going to back all of John Ferguson's horse's tomorrow, really think this lad will have a good season after having a very nice start to his training career last year. He's 6 running tomorrow 1 at Cheltenham and 5 at Fakenham but he 2 in the same race so a reverse f/c will do in that one!

The NH season is starting to click into gear now

Followed John Ferguson pretty religiously last year and I think he is primed to have another great season. One thing I would say about most of his horses last year was that they struggled in the jumping department but I'd say with a year under his belt he'll have his horses much better in that department.

Denis O'Regan riding for Ferguson at Fakenham before heading off to Cheltenham says it all for me tomorrow. If he (Ferguson) doesn't have at least one winner from Fakenham I'll be very surprised.

rossom

3.20 Cheltenham

Sivola De Sivola 7/1 NAP

Very sweet on the chances of Tom George's improving and relatively unexposed 6 year old who I think has an excellent chance of landing this competitive looking Class 2 handicap hurdle over 3m. I'll start off by saying that I will stake my reputation on Sivola De Sivola being much better than his current mark of 132 and he is a horse who I think looks primed to have a very big season. I actually backed him in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival as I rate him as a horse of that sort of talent but he came home dehydrated and distressed that day so you've got to ignore that effort(he was one of the favourites for the Pertemps Listed Handicap at the Festival but didn't get in). This grey started his career back in December 2010 with a decent staying on midfield effort on debut at Bangor over 2m1f before putting that racecourse experience to very good use when running a fantastic (but comfortably beaten) 2nd behind the excellent Spirit Son on his 2nd racecourse start over an extended 2m at Huntingdon, beating the now 135 rated hurdler Palace Jester into 3rd place. He stepped into Grade 2 company on just his 3rd less thatn two weeks later where he could only finish midfield but he returned after a 3 month break to score his first success in April of last year at Perth.

Sivola De Sivola was then given a 6 month break and he seemed to improve again for the summer as he scored on his reappearance in admirable battling style to score by a comfortable 2L over 20.5f at Carlisle in a Novices event last October as he carried a 7lb penalty to success. The form of that race looks decent with the 2nd Bound For Glory scoring on only his subsequent start very impressively and it was a fine performance by Tom George's grey. 3 weeks later he was stepped into Grade 2 company at Cheltenham over 2m5f when running a very respectable and eye catching 12L beaten 5th in a race won by the excellent Fingal Bay. When it came to the business end, Sivola De Sivola was outpaced as he lost a few places before rallying well up the hill to pass 3 or 4 rivals. Like in most of his previous starts, he shaped as if he was crying out for a step up in trip but regardless of that he lost little in defeat in a hot race. Sivola De Sivola got his step up in trip to an extended 3 miles on his next start when running out a very impressive winner at Newbury off a mark of 122. Sitting just off the pace, Sivola De Sivola was niggled along a small bit with about 3/4 of a mile still left in the contest before taking up the running with 3 flights to go. He stayed quickened up really nicely from the front when asked to kick on from Paddy Brennan to score by an eased down 5L at the finish, although he would have won by at least double that margin if pushed out all the way to the line. The form of that race looks very strong with the 2nd Kasbadali subsequently off a 3lb higher mark as well as taking an AW bumper whilst the 3rd Prince Tom has developed into a very nice chasing prospect having scored 3 times in his four starts in that sphere.

Sivola De Sivola was raised 10lb for that race to his current mark of 132 for his 2nd last race where he was an extremely eye catching race in a Class 2 handicap at today's course over a clearly inadequate 2m1f. Clearly a prep run for Cheltenham, Sivola De Sivola was given a very easy time of things by jockey Liam Heard and he made seemingly effortless progress under very tender handling to coast by several rivals to finish a never nearer 5L beaten 4th by his stablemate Module at the end of January this year. That looks a very good race with the winner Module looking an extremely exciting prospect as he scored on what was his British debut. Furthermore, the 2nd Art Professor ran a cracking staying on 4th in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys race over 2m5f at the Cheltenham Festival and the 3rd Hinterland has since come out and scored very impressively this month off the same mark at Chepstow after falling in a Juvenile Grade 1 at Aintree in the interim period. Sivola De Sivola's last start came at Cheltenham where he came home distressed and dehydrated so as I said you clearly have to ignore that effort.

This 6 year old comes here on the back of another summer on his back which I feel should definitely have helped him improve physically (although I think he wouldn't need to have improved to score off 132) as he returns to the track from a 217 day absence. I've no concern with him coming back from a break as he scored after nearly a 6 month absence this time last year so I confident that he'll be ready on his first start of the new national hunt season. Tom George has come out and said that Sivola De Sivola's first major target of the year is the Grade 3 Fixed Brush hurdle race at Haydock next month and that statement could either be a huge positive or a huge negative. Last year's renewal of the race would have seen this grey scrape in as bottom weight but considering he missed out on the Pertemps at the bottom of the weights I definitely think they will be looking to get him a penalty to guarantee his place in the race. I could be wrong, and we will surely see come 3.30! Other than that, he will love every yard of tomorrow's 3 mile trip and should relish coming up the hill. Unexposed at a staying trip he clearly needs, I think Sivola De Sivola is more than well handicapped off his current mark of 132 and I am very confident he will finish the season a considerably higher rated animal. Paddy Brennan takes the ride and gets on very well with this gelding and with trainer Tom George looking in fine form having landed a Listed hurdle race at Auteil and an impressive winner on the back of an absence yesterday I am very confident of a big showing and feel its going to take an extremely well handicapped horse to beat him (lets hope Wiffy Chaffy isn't just that!)

UrbanSea

Excellent write up as usual rossom.


Think I'll have two bets today. Keys of Cyprus in the last at Wolv. On a very very good mark and I think is due to go in one of the next couple of runs, hopefully today 7/1 with 365 at the minute, hopefully I can get a wee bit bigger later.

One I may back is Gush in the first at Dundalk. Really nice US pedigree and is related to two nice sorts in Norman Invader, a war chant half brother who won a group 3 for Aidan O'Brien in 2007 and Erytheis, who was twice a winner over six furlongs for sir Michael Stoute. She had two very good runs last year in turf maidens at the Curragh, beaten a shade over two lengths by After and then Crusade : one blip coming on the all weather. She was thought good enough to try Listed class but fell well short. Made an encouraging debut as a three year old at Dundalk a few weeks back when a near five length fifth to Via Ballacroy, but was having her first run for a year. Ignore last run it was far too soft (siblings won on firm, one won on good to soft but it was quite heavy the last day). She dropped 12 pounds since returning from her break and off a mark of 70 she could make an impact dropped back to five with a handy 3 year old weight allowance.

barney4001

Heaney should be a really good bet today, it bolted home on last outing so going should be no problem

the groutch

fancy Gordon Elliot's horse Vapiano in the last, handicap debut off a fair mark based on his most recent run, and looks to need the better ground he gets today.

ft9

My picks for Cheltenham today.

14.10 The Jugopolist 10/1
14.45 King Of The Night 5/1
15.20 Heaney 7/2
15.55 Sire Collonges 4/1
16.30 Population 4/1
17.05 Time For Spring 6/1
17.40 Brick Red 9/1

Colonel Sanders

Good card today.

Hobbs seems to like Village Vic & he's been well backed this morning getting 5lbs from The New One

John Nallen brings two horses over tomorrow. I think Minella For Value could run well in the 1st. Roadtoabbeyfeale has boosted the form of his 1st run although I was a bit disappointed with him at Gowran as I thought the better ground might suit.

aidan24326

Good write-up Rossom and I'd agree with you that the horse could well be better than his current mark. The 217 day absence is always a slight concern though, that he might just need the run.

rossom

aidan24326 wrote: »

Good write-up Rossom and I'd agree with you that the horse could well be better than his current mark. The 217 day absence is always a slight concern though, that he might just need the run.

Cheers Aidan. Could be the case but he scored after a similar enough break last year so I'm not gravely concerned.

rossom

No harm with the e/w money. I don't really know what to make of his run though in terms of was he fully wound up or not. Under pressure from a long way out and stayed on nicely into 4th. He had a rough race as well. It will be very interesting to see how he gets on next time.

Nulty

Great to see Davy Russell getting the better of Ruby in the second

Slattsy

Looked like an absolute pig tbh.
Step up should have suited, maybe ground was too quick?

Dreambrook Lady for me in the last, although I'd have preferred if the ground was softer. Small stake only.

rossom

One for me in the last at Cheltenham but no time for write up. High Storm 33/1