Alex Hammond looks ahead to Saturday's Virgin Bet Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle this weekend in her latest blog.
Hi Alex, what a terrible week for the sport it has been with the passing of Michael O’Sullivan.
The news of the tragic early death of Michael O’Sullivan was something none of us wanted to receive. For any life to be lost whilst participating in the sport we all love is desperate and is a reminder of the risks taken daily by everyone that is involved with racehorses on a practical level.
Michael was just twenty four years old. A life not yet formed but a young rider with bags of talent and on an exciting path. To lose a life not yet lived is desperately cruel and unfair and my thoughts and love go to his family and friends.
Pic D’Orhy was brilliant at Ascot again on Saturday – what did you make of the performance and the reaction towards Paul Nicholls afterwards?
Pic D’Orhy has won close to £1million pounds in prize money, which is no mean feat for a national hunt performer yet doesn’t seem to get the adoration he deserves. However, his owners Sam and Johnny de la Hey won’t give a hoot about that and neither will his trainer Paul Nicholls.
Pic D’Orhy is a gorgeous-looking animal, and he looked magnificent in the paddock beforehand. He galloped and jumped his rivals into submission, and it was a joy to watch him glide round under Harry Cobden.
I was working for Sky Sports Racing at Ascot so I’m not sure what the reaction to Paul Nicholls was afterwards but I’m aware that he’s probably had to block out significant outside noise from those saying he’s not operating at his usual high level.
When you’re a multiple champion and you’ve trained the likes of Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded and Big Buck’s among others it’s impossible to keep hitting those heights year on year. We won’t be feeling sorry for him just yet though; it’s all part of the job and in life as well as racing there are highs and lows, and you must be able to handle both.
Just refer to the start of this column to see what really matters and I’m sure Paul and his team will unearth another good one soon.
Golden Ace won the Kingwell – can she hit the frame in a Champion Hurdle off the back of that performance?
Of course. She has Cheltenham form, which counts for a lot and now we are further down the road that form looks very solid. She beat Brighterdaysahead (getting weight from that horse) in last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and the runner-up has looked particularly good subsequently.
Golden Ace hadn’t looked like she’d progressed as much this season, but her yard had been out of form, and now they are back firing on all cylinders, so is she. Jeremy Scott was 0/21 in November when she made her seasonal reappearance and was operating at just a 12% strike rate in January when he had her second run. At the time of writing, they are now competing with a 29% strike rate.
She’ll have every chance of mopping up some place money in the Champion Hurdle given the horse she beat last year, Brighterdaysahead, is 2/1 second favourite with Sky Bet and the horse she beat at Wincanton, Burdett Road, is 25/1.
At 20/1 she offers some each-way value all being well. She’s also in the Mares’ Hurdle but that race is over an extra half mile and Scott has some reservations about that being her optimum. Brighterdaysahead is 4/7 fav for the Mares’ (with no decision where she goes yet) and Golden Ace an 8/1 shot.
The Eider Chase is the big race on Sky Sports Racing this weekend – what’s your early fancy?
It’s not going to be easy for Anglers Crag as history shows that back to back winners of the Eider are elusive, with only Wyndburgh in 1957/58 and Highland Wedding in 1966/67/69 (it was abandoned in 1968) achieving consecutive victories. So, whilst he’s only 4lbs higher in the weights and trainer Brian Ellison will have trained him with this in mind, it may pay to look elsewhere.
History Of Fashion is a 14/1 shot with Sky Bet for Irish trainer Pat Fahey. He’s by no means under any radars but he’ll enjoy the ground if it remains on the decent side.
O’Connell is Sky Bet’s 5/1 favourite after notching up a hat-trick of wins for Joel Parkinson and Sue Smith and it looks unlikely that he’s reached his ceiling yet.
Collectors Item is another of the protagonists for Jonjo and AJ O’Neill after he won the Somerset National on his last start, but it feels like an uphill struggle to carry 12 stone to victory in a race like this.
I think at this stage I’d like EGBERT on my team. He’s a 10/1 shot to win for trainer Alan King and is unexposed.
His only start at four miles-plus came in the Scottish National last spring when he was sent off a 50/1 shot. He was pulled-up at Ayr but won the Tommy Whittle at Haydock in December despite connections feeling the heavy ground may go against him that day.
He just keeps galloping and doesn’t look the easiest of rides, but the ability is there and at the age of eight he could be just hitting his stride as a staying chaser.
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