Alex Hammond: Dream return | Ascot reflections, Cheltenham and Doncaster tips
Sky Sports News' Alex Hammond reflects on Champions Day and looks ahead to the weekend's action including We Have A Dream's return at Cheltenham.
Cracksman once again lit up QIPCO British Champions Day – what did you make of his performance – and career in general?
I was lucky enough to be at Champions Day on Saturday and when Frankie drove Cracksman clear in the straight the crowd roared and applauded him home as they had with Frankel on his swansong in 2012. Frankel’s son has done his old man proud and bar a blip at Royal Ascot I don’t feel Cracksman has done much wrong. Whether it was the ladies that distracted him back in June as reported, or if he is just getting wise in his old age we’ll never know, but he’s a genuine superstar and it was a privilege to be there to see him race on Saturday. Both father and son have been in the care of training legends and John Gosden has done an immense job with his stars this season. The fact he was brave enough to reach for blinkers for Cracksman shows guts as there is still a stigma around horses that wear headgear in European racing. There shouldn’t be, further afield in the likes of America and Australia it is almost the norm, and we may not have seen such a spine-tingling performance if Frankie hadn’t had the assistance of a pair of blinds. Well, the horse can put his feet up now and let the ladies distract him 'til the cows come home and good luck to him, he deserves it.
Roaring Lion got the job done in the QEII – what chances of him signing off with even more glory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic?
John Gosden must have sat back in his armchair on Saturday evening feeling pretty satisfied with how his October has gone. Enable winning the Arc against the odds, Cracksman signing off with one of his most impressive career performances and Roaring Lion winning the QEII for his owners on the card they handsomely sponsor; job done. But it isn’t job done as he now has to freshen Roaring Lion up one last time and hope for the best as he bids to win one of the most difficult races for European-trained horses at the Breeders’ Cup. The Classic is run on dirt, an alien surface for European horses and it’s a step into the unknown for this son of Kitten’s Joy. That’s an American sire I hear you cry! Well he’s a US-bred colt, but the family form is all on turf, so no clues there. It’s a big ask, but there’s nothing to lose and plenty to gain, so good luck to them.
What else caught your eye at Ascot?
Well having supported both Sharja Bridge and Escobar all season I was pleased to see them finish 1-2 in the closing handicap on the card. I was even more delighted to have backed the latter each-way, which put the icing on a very enjoyable cake on Champions Day. Of the duo though I think Sharja Bridge is one to follow next season. Escobar will run well in those big heritage handicaps again, but I think the Roger Varian-trained winner will make up into a group performer over a mile in 2019. He may well stretch out to a mile and a quarter too and as that was only his ninth start I expect to see further improvement from the four year-old.
Aidan O’Brien has a numerical stranglehold on Saturday’s Vertem Futurity Trophy – but will he win it again – and if so what with?
Well if it’s a game of percentages he will take some stopping. His Magna Grecia is Sky Bet’s 7/4 favourite thanks to his strong performance when finishing second in a Newmarket Group 3 over Saturday’s mile trip last time out. When you consider he only made his racecourse debut a couple of weeks before that run and looked understandably inexperienced on his latest start, he should be a big improver. At the prices though I’m inclined to go with ‘man of the moment’ John Gosden’s runner Turgenev. Whilst this is a big leap in class having won a novice stakes at Newmarket last time out, he was very impressive there giving weight to his rivals and his trainer isn’t prone to tilting at windmills. He’s 4/1 with the Yorkshire firm and that looks quite attractive about this potentially exciting colt. He stays the mile well and possibly will already stay further than that and I hope he proves value for money.
Always exciting to see the doors swing open for a new season at Cheltenham – what takes your eye there this weekend?
Cheltenham is back, you have no idea how happy that makes me feel. The Showcase meeting marks for many jump racing fans the start of the season proper and we should see some smart horses at Prestbury Park this weekend. One of those will hopefully be We Have A Dream who is Sky Bet’s 11/8 favourite to win the Masterson Holdings Hurdle on Saturday. He runs in the now famous green colours of Simon Munir and Issac Souede and is unbeaten in five starts since joining champion trainer Nicky Henderson from France. I hope he continues his progress and this looks a decent place to start.
I’ll most likely have a pound each way on The Organist in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle. I’m a fan of following stables in red-hot form and at the moment there are none hotter than Oliver Sherwood’s (80% strike-rate for the last fortnight at the time of writing). The mare is a 12/1 shot with Sky Bet which seems like a dangled carrot to me, for a yard enjoying such a good run. She finished fifth in the Coral Cup off a 1lb lower mark at the festival and this slightly longer trip suits her well. With stable runners not appearing to need their debut runs this season, there are plenty of positives about her chance.
On Friday there is a decent looking Novices’ Chase over two miles with Lostintranslation and Storm Home a couple of potentially smart horses from the Colin Tizzard stable entered. Saturday’s Novices’ Chase (2m 4f) has some of the same horses entered and both look like races to watch with the future in mind.
The three mile Novices’ Chase on Friday also looks informative with Nicky Henderson’s Beat That amongst the entries, as is Neil King’s superstar Lil Rockerfeller. The latter won on his chase debut at Uttoxeter over 2 ½ miles a few weeks ago and the step up in trip may just give him a bit more time at his fences.
Overall it’s a cracking couple of days jumping which should let us know where we are at with stable form at this stage. It looks like the weather is going to oblige too, so wrap up warm if you are going to jump racing’s HQ this weekend.