Cheltenham ..Heralds a New NH Season >>

                                                         
Yes folks its that time of year , the NH Season begins proper with Cheltenham kicking it all off with a good looking 2 day fixture and for me this is when it all really starts..summer jumps ends and the winter game begins...of course we still have the stellar Ascot card to look forward to and to enjoy but that is the climax of the season as the Flat winds right down ( not including the Winter AW fixtures )..so lets take a peek at Cheltenham on fri has to off.

CHELTENHAM FRIDAY >>>>>>>>

RACE 1 : RUM AND BUTTER - 2nd @ 3.11 ( Hit 1.65 )
The season kicks off with what looks like a tight Novice Hurdle over 2m5f ( odd trip for many not being one for pace or stamina directly ) and with non of the field really ruled out and just a few pound between them this is a very tricky start for punters.
Clondaw Draft has some very attractive form figures but has been running thru he summer and in considerably weaker contests than this, this step in grade could and should find him out but...he does have a fitness advantage over many and that is all he really has going for him.

Pure Science has been highly tried to date without showing a tremendous amount and is readily over looked for this.

In previous seasons this has been won by some very smart types and none more so than lst years winner The New One however there isnt anything here of that caliber but we do have a couple of proper graded runners with the best of them probably RUM AND BUTTER for JJ and AP although it does have a bit ti find with SAINT ROQUE on May's running with Saint Roque the victor by 15L but Rum and Butter could easily improve past SR as i feel he has already shown to be as good as he is and without improvement.
Rum and Butter has run much better since and none better than giving 12lbs to the progressive Kangaroo Court and only getting beat a short way and Saint Roque is probably warming up for a future over fences.
Finally we have Man of Leisure and this is certainly no back number nor a slouch and will make sure they all go a fair clip and will enjoy once again being over hurdles after a torrid beginning to his chase career.

WIN - RUM AND BUTTER - 2ND @ 3.11
EW - SAINT ROQUE - 1ST @ 4.38
LONG - MAN OF LEISURE -

RESULT :

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		4 Saint Roque (FR)	P F Nicholls	7	11-6 t	D A Jacob	11/4
Mostly tracked leader, led before last, driven out opened 5/2 touched 9/4 £1200-£400 £825-£300 £1000-£400
2nd	½	3 Rum And Butter (IRE)	Jonjo O'Neill	5	11-6 p	A P McCoy	2/1f
Held up in 5th, not fluent 4th, closed 7th, went close 2nd last, soon switched left, ridden and carried head high, wandered under pressure, stayed on opened 5/2 £825-£300
3rd	9	1 Clondaw Draft (IRE)	D McCain Jnr	5	11-6	J M Maguire	7/1
Led, not fluent 4th, dived at 3 out, ridden, edged left and headed before last, no extra flat opened 6/1

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RACE 2 : TAQUIN DE SEUIL - NON RUNNER - 
Next up is a small 3 runner field but this couldnt be any tighter with all three primed for a win and all 3 should have a very good season and should find a few wins each.
Rebel Fitz comes here in sparkling form and is in red hot form and fit and will certainly be upto the challenge but will have to overcome Third Intention who has solid back form including placed runs behind the likes of Beneficent , Captain Conan and the mighty Dynaste so if fit to run has every chance and finally we have the exciting Taquin de Seuil  who won both the Winter Hurdle and the Challow but also had his best run when running the fantastic My Tent or Yours to within 2L and its my opinion that if this takes to the bigger obstacles and jumps well enough then this could be and should be the winner.  

WIN - TAQUIN DE SEUIL - - NON RUNNER - 
EW -
LONG -

RESULT :

Full Result

Pos	Dist	Horse	Trainer	Age	Weight	Jockey	SP
1st		3 Third Intention (IRE)	C L Tizzard	6	11-3 t	J Tizzard	11/8
Made all, pressed 2 out, ridden out hands and heels only flat, stayed on well, readily £600-£400(x2) £550-£400
2nd	1¼	1 Rebel Fitz (FR)	M Winters	8	11-11	B J Geraghty	4/7f
Tracked winner, jumped big 1st and 2nd, mistake 3 out, soon pushed along, every chance 2 out, driven and no impression flat opened 8/13 £200-£300 £3629-£6000 £800-£1300 £400-£650(x3) £320-£520

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RACE 3 : CAPTAIN SUNSHINE - WOEFUL ;-((..Oh Dear...
And now we have a barnstormer..a 20 runner 3m Hurdle and this could be a corker of a race as it looks very competitive however i am only looking at one horse and its one that owes me a payday after failing for me last season and if not today this will be winning for me and that horse is CAPTAIN SUNSHINE perpetually frustrating and ridden to far back and always left to much to do, if ridden more forcefully today then it has every chance, i know the ECL stable is on fire and the horses are all fit after a good summer so fingers crossed!!.

WIN - CAPTAIN SUNSHINE - Ran like a dog...the bloody bugger!!
EW - ON THE BRIDGE - Ran ok weakened final 3f >
LONG - TWEEDLEDRUM - Ran Shit >

RESULT :
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So just the three for today as i focus on tmrw and the big double header...Saturday will be a scorcher...Bring it on ;)

Something for a Wet Monday >>>>

Morning Race Fans ,

                             As we mostly all awake to a monsoon type downpour we start to feel the depression of winter come in , Dark , cold , wet and miserable mornings are accompanied by cool days and evenings that are drawing in faster and colder and to a certain degree we all suffer some form of SAD ( seasonal affected disorder ) either consciously or subconsciously and we look to find some brightness from each passing day , well for me its trying to find the extra winning opportunities that will allow me to go and do some therapeutic shopping and today im going to be focusing on Salisbury.
This is pretty much the final week " proper "  of the Flat Season as we know it , the signal for me is the season ending Champions weekend at HQ and the Season NH meeting at Cheltenham , Champions day will be quite interesting this year as the weather has turned and the ground has become soft and could become softer and im expecting a good number of withdrawals before Sat and this could mean we dont get to see a few of the stars we was hoping for.

Pre Season in the  ^^ Tabbed  " 2 yr olds to follow " i highlighted a few bloodlines to focus on with profits and winners expected thru the season and i dont think i have disappointed as we nailed a good number of winners inc Listed and Group Class level.
 From the list and Sires i selected we have got 4 of the top 4 new season sires world wide...

2013 First-Crop Year-to-Date Earnings General Sire List Last Updated: Sunday, October 13, 2013

Earnings: $651,346   AE/R: $10,338 1   Mastercraftsman (IRE) (2006) by Danehill Dancer (IRE)   FYR: 2011 (1 Crop),   Stands: IRE ( 17,500 )   Sire's AWD for 1st Crop YTD: 6.73,  AWD of Progeny, Lifetime: 6.73 NmdFls InCrop 112 Rnrs: 63 [56.25%] Wnrs: 23 [20.54%] Wins 30 BTW:  3 [2.68%] BTH:  7 [6.25%] GSW:  2 [1.79%] GSH:  4 [3.57%] G1SW:  0 Earnings: $293,152   AE/R: $3,758 T2   Bushranger (IRE) (2006) by Danetime (IRE)   FYR: 2011 (1 Crop),   Stands: IRE ( 7,500 )   Sire's AWD for 1st Crop YTD: 5.66,  AWD of Progeny, Lifetime: 5.66 NmdFls InCrop 117 Rnrs: 78 [66.67%] Wnrs: 16 [13.68%] Wins 19 BTW:  0 BTH:  3 [2.56%] GSW:  0 GSH:  0 G1SW:  0 Earnings: $556,206   AE/R: $12,935 T2   Dandy Man (IRE) (2003) by Mozart (IRE)   FYR: 2011 (1 Crop),   Stands: IRE ( 3,500 )   Sire's AWD for 1st Crop YTD: 5.48,  AWD of Progeny, Lifetime: 5.48 NmdFls InCrop 58 Rnrs: 43 [74.14%] Wnrs: 16 [27.59%] Wins 20 BTW:  1 [1.72%] BTH:  3 [5.17%] GSW:  0 GSH:  2 [3.45%] G1SW:  0 Earnings: $678,702   AE/R: $13,574 4   Intense Focus (2006) by Giant's Causeway   FYR: 2011 (1 Crop),   Stands: IR ( 5,500 )   Sire's AWD for 1st Crop YTD: 6.19,  AWD of Progeny, Lifetime: 6.19 NmdFls InCrop 75 Rnrs: 50 [66.67%] Wnrs: 14 [18.67%] Wins 21 BTW:  1 [1.33%] BTH:  3 [4.00%] GSW:  1 [1.33%] GSH:  3 [4.00%] G1SW:  1 [1.33%]

.. This has to be considered a massive success and i hope some of you followed.

and here is the full uk list with the most prominent winners listed....

	STALLION	WINNERS–RUNNERS	WINS	RUNS	2ND	3RD	4TH	WIN PRIZE	TOTAL PRIZE
	Mastercraftsman	18-48 38%	22	158	24	21	18	£153,001	£279,142
	Top ten progeny by Best RPR for the selected year HORSE DAM'S SIRE RPR Kingston Hill Rainbow Quest 109 Amazing Maria Tale Of The Cat 106 The Grey Gatsby Entrepreneur 106 Expert Linamix 100 Nezar Oasis Dream 97 Pupil Petong 92 Master Carpenter In The Wings 91 Bluebell Green Desert 88 Craftsman Forest Wildcat 88 Master The World Zaha 86
	Dandy Man	15-41 37%	18	154	20	21	18	£229,762	£346,720
	Top ten progeny by Best RPR for the selected year HORSE DAM'S SIRE RPR Parbold Elnadim 109 Extortionist Oasis Dream 102 Peniaphobia Great Commotion 100 Fine ´n Dandy Efisio 93 Abbakova Desert King 92 The Hooded Claw Gulch 91 Beau Nash Royal Academy 87 Canyari Lear Fan 86 Lady Ultra Peintre Celebre 75 Chatez Tiger Hill 74
	Bushranger	14-68 21%	17	229	22	26	24	£75,177	£169,476
	Top ten progeny by Best RPR for the selected year HORSE DAM'S SIRE RPR Ben Hall King´s Best 98 Langavat Lake Coniston 95 Riverboat Springs Selkirk 95 Pleasant Bay Magical Wonder 94 Bushcraft Royal Applause 91 Majestic Alexander Dancing Brave 89 Fair Ranger Kingmambo 85 Makhfar Dixie Union 83 Black Caesar Sharp Victor 82 Pillow Silver Hawk 82
	Intense Focus	12-46 26%	19	175	24	18	23	£318,332	£405,428
	Top ten progeny by Best RPR for the selected year HORSE DAM'S SIRE RPR Astaire Dansili 116 Home School Galileo 104 Heart Focus Daggers Drawn 99 Intensified Speightstown 87 Focus On Venice Galileo 84 Focusofourthoughts Desert Style 82 Focussed Entrepreneur 82 Intense Debate Spectrum 82 Intensical Galileo 80 Fiscal Focus Royal Academy 79

...With the top honours shared among three Astaire being top rated on 116 and both Kingston Hill and Parbold on 109.
All Bar Red Rocks are actually in the top 20 new season sires and i think this is great and i am very happy with this..hope you guys are.

Hopefully come next March i can have as much success again!!...

Right onto Salisbury we go and lets see what we have....

SALISBURY >>>>>

RACE 1 : TULLIA - 1st @ 3.45
TULLIA will be hard to beat in this on the back of two solid placed efforts over 7f and at 3.0 is a fair price for a punt.
Horse in Focus :
1.MR WICKFIELD - NON RUNNER -
2. BAKER MAN -
3. JANET'S LEGACY** ( Bahamian Bounty ) -
Both of these are poorly drawn however and will have to be well ridden and the jockey's will have to be tactically aware to get a good position in this so lumping on maybe cause nerve issues but both Hughes and Callan are decent enough and should get a good spin from them and the dutch is probably the best bet.
That spanner in the works however are the 4 newcomers all of whom come from stables that although not prolific with 2 yr olds can easily ready a fto winner and shouldnt be hastily overlooked.
So with all this i think the 2nd Fav MARMARUS @ 3.5 - 4.0 is a good choice for a LAYbet , this had a ok fto run but this was on Good/Firm ground and its a total unknown how he will act on this much softer going and with so much potential and proven form against it at the quoted prices its a good laybet and will probably be my bet of choice.
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RACE 2 : TEA IN TRANSVAAL - 1st @ 2.06
I cant really see past TEA IN TRANSVAAL in this , it has the form to win and comes from a stable in perpetual form ( Hannon ) and with Hughes riding this will be given every chance.
7f appears to be the ideal trip as he has just run out of gas in the dying strides on its latest runs over 1m but has traveled well in all his races upto 6f and quickened then flat lined so a win looks on the cards.

No Horses in Focus this race.
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RACE 3 : DUTCH ROMANCE - 1st @ 2.46
Another maiden and again i think it will pay to focus on the top two in the market as both have a smidge of experience and come from winning stables with leading riders and now look primed for a winning run.
DUTCH ROMANCE and JOOHAINA are two to look at and the prices do currently allow for a fixed return dutch.
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And thats about it for today as i find myself with a raft of other things to get on with..this will be it now till Friday when i come back to highlight Champions Day and Cheltenham........and btw...regarding the NH scene keep an eye on Balder Success , did fuck all last season , sent chasing this year in the hope of some revitalization after spending the summer with Adrian Maguire and on its first run over the weekend it hosed up and broke the track record and could be ready to finally show us what he really is capable of. 

Let's Dazzle!

Our Irish Eyes column marks your card for this afternoon's action from the Curragh.

Dazzling: Nap material

This full sister to Irish 2000 Guineas and dual Group One winner Roderic O'Connor made a hugely impressive debut at this track in September. She subsequently disappointed in a Listed event back at The Curragh just two weeks later, having been backed as if defeat was simply out of the question., who was anything but on her last start, is fully expect her to live up to her name at The Curragh today and reaffirm her classic credentials.

She was sent off 8/11 and whilst she never really travelled that day, she met with interference at a crucial stage in the race, before staying on when the race was all over.

Every horse should be forgiven one bellow par run, particularly a juvenile filly and one positive that emerges from that defeat is the fact that punters get an opportunity to back her again today in this Listed event, where she is currently second favourite and likely to be available at odds of around 2/1 throughout the morning.

The confidence emanating from Ballydoyle regarding this particularly filly over the past ten days has been notable, to say the least. Consequently, she is put forward with some confidence as the nap selection today, despite the early money last night speaking in favour of Johnny Murtagh's Chicago Girl who is as short as 11/10 favourite.

She ran well to chase up My Titania here in the C.L. Weld Park Stakes two weeks ago and whilst she has top form, she nevertheless remains a maiden after four starts and her tail-swishing has been well documented.

Cristoforo Colombo has a date in the Horses-In-Training Sale at Tattersalls in fifteen days time and a win today will ensure he is much easier to sell. He is likely to be the subject of sustained support following plenty of good work of late.

However, it is very difficult to recommend steaming in on a horse that Ballydoyle wish to get rid of - and a horse that would prefer to hear his hooves rattle as opposed to the forecast conditions today.

Preference therefore is for an each-way wager at current odds of 8/1 on the ultra consistent , who makes his 21st start today in the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes.

Unlike the favourite, there are no doubts about Leitir Mor on the ground - or any ground for that matter! Whilst the six furlongs may be a little shorter than ideal, he is more than capable of traveling at top speed, as is evident by the fractions he regularly sets for better know stablemate Dawn Approach.

That is something he may be called upon to do again next weekend in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, therefore we can take it that Jim Bolger has him at cherry ripe to run a cracker here.

- 2.25 The Curragh - Staffordstown Stud Stakes

- 2.55 The Curragh - Waterford Testimonial Stakes

 ( SIC* Sporting Life )