‘WHAT’S THE LONGEST race during the flat season?’ the old quiz question goes.
The answer is the Grand National, such is the overlapping or possibly never-ending nature of the horseracing’s jumps and flat seasons.
The spring double is the Lincoln and the Grand National. There is a week until Aintree and the Lincoln handicap starts the British flat turf season at Doncaster on Saturday, but the race in Liverpool will dominate the public imagination.
Tiger Roll is looking to become the first horse since Red Rum to win the Aintree showpiece back to back. (He warmed up at the Curragh this week)
History is against Gordon Elliot’s little lionheart though, as is the burden of weight he will carry. His price is now rather prohibitive too, the shortest priced winner of the race was way back in 1919, when Pothelyn obliged at 11/4. If you do want to back Tiger Roll and have not gotten a bigger price already, wait until the day and the bookies will take him on and chunkier prices will be available.
The Willie Mullins trained Hedgehunter is the last horse to get closest to repeating Red Rum when he finished second the year after winning. Rider Ruby Walsh has lamented winning by so far in 2005 meaning he had to carry such a big weight penalty in 2006. Tiger Roll will have to carry at least five pounds more in his saddle than last year and he only won in a photo finish.
At the current prices last year’s second-placed horse Pleasant Company who lost out in that photo finish will meet Tiger Roll on better terms by three pounds. He’s five times the price, although he has had a low-key prep. The horse is 11-years-old, just like the winners in 2012, 2013 and 2014. At the current prices 20/1 about Pleasant Company is thoroughly amenable.
The first leg of spring double goes to post at Doncaster on Saturday at 3.35. The pattern for Lincoln winners has become pretty clear, if a little cliched over the last few years. Find the group horse in the handicap; Auxerre fits that bill. He’s four-years-old, he’s won his last three races easily. The handicapper looked to take very few chances with his initial mark of 93 and he blitzed home.
Auxerre is now off a mark of 100 for only his fifth lifetime start, is bred to be pattern class. He looked physically impressive last year suggesting he will get more powerful. James Doyle rides, Auxerre can land the Lincoln and drive on to bigger and better things.
Navan hosts the second flat turf meeting in Ireland of the season. The feature race is a listed sprint, the Cork Stakes, obviously. The depth of field is impressive given the stage of the season, but Son of Rest jumps off the page. He was a very impressive winner of the Ayr Gold Cup and the joint highest rated in the race alongside Sergei Prokofiev. Son of Rest gives weight to Aidan O’Brien’s horse, but the form of Fozzy Stack’s yard should compensate that. Like Auxerre in the Lincoln, this should be a big season for Son of Rest, with group one assignments to come. The Cork stakes looks the ideal starting point for him.
In Dubai this weekend the carnival concludes with one of the World’s richest races the Dubai World Cup. Thunder Snow will be hoping to keep the prize in Sheihk’s Mohammed’s hands with victory there but a bet on the card is the Japanese mare Almond Eye in the Dubai turf at 3.20. She is unbeaten in her last six starts and looks a worthy favourite, to fatten up the price put her in a double with Blue Point who will not be beaten in the Al Quoz Sprint earlier on the card at half past one.
Murray Kinsella and Bernard Jackman look ahead to a huge weekend for the provinces in Europe and Ryan Bailey catches up with Ian Keatley on the latest episode of The42 Rugby Weekly:
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