Weekend Racing Recap: Drama, Falls, Future Stars & Festival Clues.
What a weekend we’ve just witnessed, drama, quality, and no shortage of talking points. From the chaos of the Fighting Fifth, where shock falls threw the Champion Hurdle picture into chaos, to the emergence of exciting Grade 1-winning novices staking their claims for bigger targets down the line, the last few days have delivered storylines that will shape the rest of the season.
Here are my thoughts on the major performances, pivotal moments, and what they mean moving forward.
Fighting Fifth Fallout: Drama, Questions, and a Shaken Champion Hurdle Picture
The only place to begin is the Fighting Fifth Grade 1 at Newcastle. What looked a mouth-watering clash between top-class hurdlers turned to chaos almost immediately, as Constitution Hill came down at the second hurdle. We all know the level of brilliance he can reach, but with three falls in his last four starts, it’s no surprise many fans are now calling for retirement. Nicky Henderson has already dismissed that idea, but the concerns are growing, particularly with rumours that Sir Gino could be rerouted towards a Champion Hurdle campaign.
I genuinely hope Constitution Hill can mentally reset and rediscover safe, fluent jumping, but whether we’ll see him over hurdles again is another matter. A flat campaign could be a potential avenue, yet honesty demands the truth, he’s no longer a horse you could confidently back. A real shame for a superstar whose talent once looked untouchable.
His early departure left The New Lion setting the pace, something completely new for him and a big ask in his first run outside novice company. Even so, he showed his class at various stages. He had one moment where he nearly ran out, before ultimately tipping up at the second last. There’s been a lot of debate over what he had left, but for me Harry Skelton gave him a breather turning in, asked him to pick up again, and the horse responded. I’m convinced he was finding for pressure and would have been right in the thick of the finish.
The New Lion is a horse who needs cover and, ideally, something on his left side to counteract that tendency to drift, which is why he lined up to the right of Constitution Hill. He remains a hugely talented horse, and I’m not losing faith after one run at this level. Two miles is absolutely within his range, and I’m excited to see him put rumours to bed next time out.
With the two big guns out, Golden Ace, now almost becoming synonymous with picking up the pieces landed another major prize. She travelled and battled well enough, fending off Anzadam, who moved into the race nicely but either found little off the bridle or simply needed the run. Time will tell which. Would I want to back either of them moving forward? Probably not.
Golden Ace, to her credit, is now a dual Grade 1 winner, but you’d have to say luck has played a significant part in both victories.
All of this leaves the Champion Hurdle division more muddled than ever. Is Constitution Hill still a factor? The New Lion must deliver a clean, strong performance next time. Anzadam needs to take a step forward from his seasonal return. Golden Ace continues to run her race, but how high is her ceiling truly?
Then add Lossiemouth, potentially Sir Gino, and Willie Mullins’ unseen artillery, including William Munny as well and the picture becomes even more intriguing. The Christmas racing period will be crucial, the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and the top-level action at Leopardstown should give us the clashes we need to make sense of this division.
Exciting times ahead.
Jimmy Du Seuil Announces Himself: A Chaser to Follow
Away from the drama of the Fighting Fifth, we were treated to plenty of noteworthy performances, and none more so than the chase debut of Jimmy Du Seuil. Lining up in what looked a particularly stacked field featuring The Big Westerner, Jacobs Ladder and Joystick, he had a proper test for his first start over fences.
I flagged Jimmy Du Seuil as a chaser to follow this season, and he made the perfect start. He jumped sharply and fluently throughout, and Patrick Mullins never had to get overly serious with him as he quickened away and put the race to bed in impressive fashion.
This performance came over 2m5f, and I had long earmarked him as a potential Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase horse for the Cheltenham Festival. He already has Festival-winning form, having landed the Coral Cup last season, and that was on his first start of the season which is an incredible feat. He’s absolutely going to be a graded novice chaser this campaign, the question now is whether he can genuinely trouble Final Demand come March.
Currently 9/1 compared to Final Demand’s short 6/4, he’s probably an each-way proposition until we see more depth to his form. The prices won’t shift dramatically until another key piece of evidence emerges.
Either way, Jimmy Du Seuil looks a chaser with serious potential, and this debut only strengthens that view.
Early Triumph Hurdle Clues: Mange Tout vs Narciso Has
There’s still a long way to go before the Triumph Hurdle market begins to take proper shape, but we did get a meaningful early pointer this weekend with a strong battle between two juveniles who are clearly throwing their hats into the ring. Mange Tout came out on top for Gordon Elliott, and with the benefit of a previous run, as well as receiving 3lb from the Willie Mullins-trained Narciso Has, those factors likely proved decisive.
Mange Tout put the race to bed well, while Narciso Has stayed on a couple of lengths behind. Would I expect the form to be reversed next time? Yes, I probably would. The Mullins runner is entitled to come on plenty for the run, and the impression was that there’s plenty of improvement to come.
Have we seen the Triumph Hurdle winner here? I’m not convinced. There are plenty more yet to emerge, particularly from the Mullins battalions. The Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas, followed by the Grade 1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival, will be the races that truly start shaping the Triumph picture.
For now, this was an informative early clash, but the real evidence is still to come.
Romeo Coolio Creates a Cheltenham Conundrum
Romeo Coolio is certainly giving us a Cheltenham Festival headache. His performance in Sunday’s Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase was nothing short of superb, a flawless round of jumping and a display of raw athleticism that confirmed he’s every inch a top-level chaser in the making. He didn’t put a foot wrong, travelling and jumping with the kind of composure you rarely see in a novice.
This came over 2m4f, a trip Gordon Elliott has already suggested might be his ideal. But the puzzle is this, he looks to have the cruising speed to drop back to 2 miles for an Arkle, yet he also shapes like a horse who would stay 3 miles for a Brown Advisory..The question now is which route they take.
For me, taking the trainer’s comments into account, he’s more likely to drop back than step up at this stage. I’d be sending him over 2 miles next, ideally taking on Kopek Des Bordes at Christmas or the Dublin Racing Festival. That would give immediate clarity.
If Romeo Coolio either pushes Kopek Des Bordes close or beats him, then it’s all systems go for the Arkle. If he’s well beaten, the door swings open, either step up to 3 miles for the Brown Advisory, or bypass Cheltenham altogether and target the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree over the intermediate trip.
Whatever route they choose, Romeo Coolio is a hugely talented horse and clearly a natural over fences. Whether he can reverse the Supreme form with Kopek Des Bordes remains to be seen, but if he doesn’t, he’d make a very strong contender at Aintree should they skip the Festival.
Hatton’s Grace Thriller Sets the Stayers’ Hurdle Alight
The last race worth covering from the weekend was the brilliant Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, which delivered a dramatic finish as Teahupoo just edged out Ballyburn on the line by the narrowest of margins. It was a result that has injected real excitement into the Stayers’ Hurdle division.
They didn’t go an overly strong gallop, and the race ultimately turned into a sprint. Teahupoo had the advantage of first run, while Ballyburn found himself momentarily trapped in a pocket. Once Ballyburn got into the clear he stayed on powerfully, but just failed to bridge the gap in time. On this evidence, both horses will certainly appreciate a return to 3 miles, Ballyburn in particular looked like he wanted every yard of it.
The market reacted quickly, nudging Ballyburn into 5/2 favouritism for the Stayers’. That’s on the short side at this stage. Would I back him to reverse the form with Teahupoo? He’s got a major chance, no doubt, but Teahupoo is a proven stayer, has run exceptionally well in the race several times, and is already a dual winner of the contest. Assuming he’s put away now and kept fresh for March, he’s going to be a very tough nut to crack.
At current prices, I’d be inclined to side with Teahupoo holding the form. On the softer side of good ground in March, he will take plenty of beating.
Mystical Power ran an encouraging race and looked booked for third before being brought down by a faller in front of him. I wouldn’t be writing him off, plenty of Willie Mullins horses improve significantly for their seasonal return. It’s best to judge them after the big Christmas races and the Dublin Racing Festival.
Overall what a brilliant weekends racing this was with drama and big performances. The question is do we see an ante post opportunities from what weve seen. The answer is yes.
Ante post takeaways
I'm not to give up on him after just one run. Now he's been nudged out in price I'll get him in the book because I feel there was plenty left in the tank before he fell.
The New Lion - Champion Hurdle 4/1 with BetMGM
Some are with him, some are dead against him. I think there is a top class horse in there they just need to use the right tactics with him, bury him in 3rd or 4th, keep something on his left and deliver him late. More than happy to have him onside.
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