Notebook can prove a Marsh marvel with longer trip to suit
| Published date | 07 April 2021 |
| Publication title | Weekender |
Colin Tizzard's gelding had a hard race in finishing fourth and it's significant that of the 23 winners in 36 years to come out of the Gold Cup, 15 were outside of the top four, consequently avoiding the inevitable physical and mental exertions endured by the principals. Their precise finishing positions were 88522U664240P5U2847FU2U.
The best bet is Clan Des
Obeaux, who bypassed Cheltenham to wait for this. The former King George VI Chase winner has been placed in all three runs this season, including back at Kempton on Boxing Day. Former winners finished 3567311122411142 in that race since 1985, with Paul Nicholls supplying three of them.
The selection was not at his very best at Kempton and can be expected to reverse placings with runner-up Waiting Patiently, who has still to win over 3m. Nine of the last ten winners had done so.
Irish ace to bounce back The last two winners of the Aintree Hurdle came out of the Stayers' Hurdle, which was unusual. The Champion Hurdle is traditionally the key guide and normal business can resume with Abacadabras fancied to make amends for his early departure at Cheltenham. If nothing else, that fall meant he escaped a hard race.
The last ten winners all ran at Cheltenham, with seven running in the Champion. Annie Power and Buveur D'Air won both, while the other five all recorded a top-four finish. Abacadabras was a shorter price and had superior form credentials to Not So Sleepy and Silver Streak, who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Lacking winning form over 2m4f is not ideal but Aintree is a good place to be stepping up in distance. When the vast majority of winners emerged from the festival, Denise Foster's gelding has to rate higher than the likes of Buveur D'Air (only one winner has been aged in double figures since 1976), Song For Someone, Jason The Militant, McFabulous and Brewin'upastorm. All about Adagio It is a rare occurrence when the
Triumph Hurdle fails to throw up the winner of the
Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle, so Adagio picks himself as the only representative from the festival feature. The fact he ran so well to be second only further cements his credentials.
Since granted Grade 1 status in 2005, the highest-placed horse from the Triumph has form figures here of 11212127162131.
There was no fluke about his...
To continue reading
Request your trial