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| Punter's Diary by Malcolm Heyhoe |
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| Updated: 1st April 2007 - GG.com |
April's National Treasure
Every punter knows that the Grand National takes place at Aintree
in April but in these days of spin and hype, the build-up to the biggest
betting race of the year begins as early as February after the weights
are published. The Grand National has changed, in more ways than one,
but happily for all the mystique still remains at Aintree in April.
In 2007 the race has been moved from its traditional spot of the first Saturday
in the month to a later starting date of April 14. This switch of the calendar
means that the Irish Grand National takes place at Fairyhouse
on Easter Monday, April 9, just two days before the National meeting proper opens
its gates to racegoers.
Favourites have struggled to land the spoils at the stiff and tricky right-handed
track with no successful Irish-trained market leader bagging the prize for almost
thirty years. Fortunately for punters, those horses towards the head of the market
tend to oblige and if we combine that fact with a very light weight, previous
form over this unique course and a decent record at 3m 2f and beyond then we
have the profile of a likely Irish National winner. Snowy Morning fits
this bill for Willie Mullins.
On April 12, Aintree’s opening day, Turpin Green will
bid to build upon his fine third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup when he tackles the Betfair
Bowl Chase. Horses that ran at the Cheltenham Festival boast a good
record in the Bowl and to his credit the enigmatic Turpin Green has also won
a race over hurdles on the Mildmay course in previous National meetings.
In the John Smith’s 4-Y-O Anniversary Hurdle, a handful
of key players from Cheltenham’s Triumph Hurdle seem likely to dominate
including Katchit, the runaway Triumph winner, who will be very
hard to beat while Andreas and Hasty Prince,
who finished first and second in the Grand Annual Chase at the Festival, look
sure to cross swords again in the valuable John Smith’s Red Rum
Handicap Chase over two miles.
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On the second day - April 13 - the big race is the John Smith’s
Melling Chase, and since its inaugural running in 1989,
plenty of top-class two-milers have stepped successfully in trip
and that’s exactly what Dempsey, a runner-up
in this year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, will be bidding
to do at Aintree. Hot competition awaits him, however, in the guise
of Taranis and Our Vic, the first
and second in this year’s Ryanair Chase while Newmill, a
well-beaten fourth in the Queen Mother Chase, heads the substantial
Irish challenge and he may be more at home on this Flat course.
The formidable Aintree fences come into play for the John
Smith’s
and Spar Topham Chase on the second day, and good-jumping
and experienced campaigners often do well and this year they include top weight Nozic, seasoned
handicapper Tysou and recent winner Undeniable while
in the John Smith’s Mildmay Chase, it
can pay to side with a horse that has missed running in the big novice events
at the Cheltenham Festival.
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April 14 features the Grand
National, the year’s
major betting race and once again all eyes will be upon the Irish who will
be bidding to win the vast prize for the third year running. Their 2007 challenge
fills the first four places in the betting lists courtesy of Dun
Doire, Point Barrow, Numbersixvalverde and Hedgehunter, the
latter pair past winners of the 2006 and 2007 Nationals respectively.
Extra weight and interrupted preparations suggest that the Irish won’t
have it all their own way this time around and maybe the 2007 Grand National
will be won by a home-based challenger. There are plenty of plausible candidates
including Monkerhostin, the Gold Cup fourth and Simon,
the progressive Racing Post Chase winner, while tough stayers such as Ossmoses, Longshanks and Eurotrek continue
to attract support in the ante-post market.
April is also the month when the turf Flat season hits full stride
with the Craven meeting that now takes place at Newmarket on April
18 and 19. All eyes will be upon the fillies Sander Camillo and Rainbow Promises in
the Shadwell Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes on the 18th,
a race that has supplied little in the way of serious pointers towards the 1,000
Guineas at the same course early next month.
On April 19 further Classic clues might well be on offer in the Craven
Stakes for colts while on the same day watch out for the seasonal reappearance
of Henry Cecil’s talented Multidimensional in the Earl
of Sefton Stakes. He should go close.
The search for Classic pointers moves to Newbury on April 21 when the Lane’s
End Greenham Stakes heads the bill. Punters should look closely at this
race’s result because in recent renewals Turtle Island, Victory Note and
Celtic Swing have all gone on to land Classics after scoring here. Elsewhere
watch out for St Leger hero Sixties Icon returning to action
in the John Porter Stakes on the same card.
At Ayr on the 21st the Scottish Grand National is one of
the big staying races of the entire jumps season and any horse that has run
in the previous week’s Grand National must be avoided at all costs
as such runners have a wretched record in the Scottish equivalent. Northern
horses have a good profile at Ayr and tough types such as Aces Four,
Cloudy Lane, Character Building and Rambling Minster might
well be in with a decent chance if the ground rides good or softer.
The curtain falls on April’s busy month with the traditional mixed jumps
and Flat card at Sandown on April 29. The Betfred Gold Cup dominates
this excellent fixture and horses such as Alderburn, Distant
Thunder and Juveigneur are sure to have a big say in
the race’s outcome while Well Chief and Ashley
Brook could lock horns once more in the two-mile Betfred Celebration
Chase.
Malcolm Heyhoe is GG.com's resident tipster contributing a daily "Best Bets" column and a weekly feature called "The Weekend File". He is also a tipster for the Racing Post Weekender, contributor to The Guardian and has written on racing for Sporting Life, Racing Post, Irish Examiner and The Independent newspaper.
Malcolm Heyhoe writes weekly horse racing articles for GG.COM-Horse racing betting, information, news, results and free daily tips
Archive March 2007
