jinnyj
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2004
- Messages
- 5,649
Please call him by his anointed name - the Bruffalo or should it be Broughalo?Brough Scott, is for my money, the most overrated c*** in racing.
Please call him by his anointed name - the Bruffalo or should it be Broughalo?Brough Scott, is for my money, the most overrated c*** in racing.
Who produces it, luckyme? And are they making any particular claims for their approach?
Surprise, surprise, all three Honeyball's have entries in the Newbury Spring Sales bumper (now known as the Goffs Hundred Grand) in March. As does Roximan. It could be that Crest of Arms (the unplaced one here) will be the most fancied Honeyball runner come the day.Meant to say that I was pretty taken with the types in the Wincanton bumper last Thursday (20th Nov) - Honeyball had three in it of which I was told the winner would win. But his others were nice too (second and unplaced though v green)
1. Bailey's Comet
2. Champ Cabal
3. Roximan (this was Nicholls which was the standout pick in the paddock and will make up into a very nice novice hurdler - plus they really like him a lot)
All horses ran pretty green but I did like them and I think worth keeping an eye on. Bryony Frost's mount too ran well to finish 4th when threatening.
| For Slim and Ian make sure you read the lot there will be a test later Pedigree Suitability Overview: The breeding of each runner provides clues to its aptitude for a soft-ground, ~2-mile National Hunt Flat race. Key factors include sires known for producing bumper (NH Flat) performers and dams that showed ability (or produced winners) in bumpers or on soft ground. The table below summarizes each horse’s pedigree and relevant influences: Horse (Age, Sex) Sire (Notes) Dam – dam’s sire (Notes) Agent Argylle (5g) Mahler – NH sire; progeny stay well and handle soft irishracing.com . Hattie Hopkinson – Jeremy (placed in points; half-sister to Monbeg Dude, 2012 Welsh National winner richardphillipsracing.com – indicating stamina on heavy ground). A Likeable Rogue (4g) Kingston Hill – St Leger winner; sire line (Mastercraftsman) often handles cut. Amaya – Kingmambo (flat-bred; no notable NHF form). Note: Already proven: 4th in a soft-ground Listed bumper irishracing.com . Au Plaisir (4g) Almanzor – Top-class 10f horse who relished soft; an emerging dual-purpose sire. Triptyka – Mastercraftsman (flat pedigree). Note: Ran 3rd in a Navan bumper on yielding ground irishracing.com , suggesting suitability. Ewden Valley (4g) Crystal Ocean – Sea The Stars son, first NH crop; should impart stamina. Wygram – Mastercraftsman. (Newcomer) Notably, *“son of Crystal Ocean… one to watch” irishracing.com . Fullythermal (4g) Jack Hobbs – 12f Classic winner by Halling; NH stallion whose stock stay well (won Irish Derby on soft). Epee Celeste – Spadoun (7-time jumps winner: 2 hurdles, 4 chases media.goffs.com ). Dam was a tough stayer who won over hurdles/fences on soft-heavy, a strong indicator of stamina. Get On Son (4g) Getaway – Proven NH sire (Monsun line) known for bumper and hurdle winners. Savina – Milan (stout NH pedigree). This full NH pedigree (Getaway × Milan) suggests aptitude on soft and over distance. Good Boy Griff (4g) Maxios – German sire (by Monsun) whose progeny often handle soft. Western Breeze – Westerner (won 1 hurdle at 2m, placed 3 times tattersallsonline.com ). From family of Mall Dini (Pertemps Final winner) tattersallsonline.com – a stamina-rich lineage. Hurlyburly (4g) Shirocco – Top NH sire (by Monsun); offspring (e.g. Annie Power) thrive on soft. Sharifa – King’s Theatre (won an NH Flat race and a 2m1f hurdle attheraces.com ). A classic NH cross (Monsun-line × King’s Theatre) – dam herself won a bumper, a positive sign for similar conditions. Ink Black Heart (4g) Falco – French 2000 Guineas winner; has sired quality jumpers (e.g. Grade-1 chaser Hitman). La Hoofon – Mastercraftsman. More of a flat-oriented pedigree, but did show promise with a close 4th on debut (Wincanton bumper, good-to-soft) irishracing.com . Katagat (5g) Diamond Boy – French NH sire (sired Grand National winner); progeny relish stamina tests. Kayf Charmer – Kayf Tara (ran in bumpers; later won multiple hurdles on heavy and soft irishracing.com ). Dam’s own ability to handle 2m on testing ground is a big plus. Lou Des Bordes (4g) Free Port Lux – French-bred (by Oasis Dream); an unproven young NH sire. Tornade Des Bordes – Nononito. French jumping pedigree (Nononito mares produced soft-ground hurdlers). Likely to need time; breeding suggests stamina on heavy French ground. Marble Sky (4g) Mahler – Same sire as Agent Argylle, a solid source of soft-ground stayers irishracing.com . Royal Marble – Anshan. From an older NH family (Anshan mares produced stayers); no notable form but combines with Mahler for a true stamina pedigree. Rock On Ronnie (4g) Capri – St Leger winner by Galileo; first NH crop now 4yo, expected to impart stamina and soft-ground aptitude. Correctandpresent – Presenting. Dam unproven (Presenting mares often produce good jumpers). Overall, a stout pedigree suited for 2m+, and Capri loved soft (Irish Derby on heavy). Rubinio (4g) Tai Chi – German sire (by High Chaparral); limited NH track record but stamina influence. Rubiana – Sholokhov. Dam’s sire Sholokhov and family suggest jumping class (Sholokhov sired Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle winners). Should handle soft, though untested. Static Charm (4g) Iffraaj – Flat miler sire, not typical for bumpers (better known for speed). Tauteke – Sea The Stars (high-class racemare; Oaks Trial runner-up to Anapurna thoroughbreddailynews.com , handled very soft ground). Dam’s class and stamina (12f) may counteract the speed influence of Iffraaj, pointing to latent ability over this trip. Pedigree stand-outs: Hurlyburly and Katagat emerge as top pedigree picks – each is by a proven NH sire (Shirocco and Diamond Boy) out of dams who excelled around 2 miles on soft (both dams won on testing ground, with Hurlyburly’s dam a bumper winner attheraces.com and Katagat’s dam a heavy-ground hurdle winner irishracing.com ). Agent Argylle also rates highly: by Mahler out of a mare from a stamina-laden family (half to a Welsh National winner richardphillipsracing.com ), he should relish soft going – evidenced by his point-to-point win – though he’s carrying a 7 lb penalty for a previous NHF win. Fullythermal has an out-and-out jumping pedigree (Jack Hobbs × Epee Celeste) geared to staying trips; conditions should suit, but he may lack a turn of foot if the race turns tactical. In contrast, A Likeable Rogue and Ink Black Heart have more flat-oriented pedigrees, yet both have already shown form in bumpers – especially A Likeable Rogue who was a strong fourth in a soft-ground Cheltenham bumper irishracing.com (suggesting his class can override any pedigree reservations). Meanwhile, newcomers like Rock On Ronnie and Ewden Valley have solid staying bloodlines and are in top yards – their breeding hints at potential, but they lack race evidence. Overall, those with established NH sires and dams proven on soft ground (Hurlyburly, Katagat, Agent Argylle) appear naturally suited to this contest’s demands on paper. Trainer Suitability Overview: Trainer patterns can heavily influence a horse’s readiness for a Class 5 bumper. Here we assess which trainers in this race excel with young horses in NH Flat races, especially under similar conditions (Wetherby, 2m, soft): Olly Murphy – Trainer of Rock On Ronnie. Murphy has quickly developed a top-class bumper program, often sending out well-prepared debutants. Notably, he won this same Wetherby bumper last year (2024) sportinglife.com with a 5yo, and his bumper strike-rate is among the best in Britain (around 25%). Rock On Ronnie, a well-bred 4yo, is reportedly a “likely-looking newcomer” sportinglife.com , reflecting the yard’s strength with first-timers. Murphy’s prior success here and overall bumper prowess make his representative very well suited. Dan Skelton – Trainer of Ink Black Heart. Skelton is a leading trainer who does well in all NH spheres, bumpers included. Horses often improve markedly for his handling – in fact Ink Black Heart has moved to Skelton after a promising debut, and “improvement is on the cards” under his care sportinglife.com . Skelton’s yard has the resources to get a horse fit and the tactical acumen for soft-ground races. While he hasn’t targeted Wetherby bumpers frequently, his general record with 4–5yo NHF horses is strong, so his runner commands respect. Donald McCain – Trainer of Fullythermal. McCain is known for targeting northern bumpers; his horses are usually fit and educated. He consistently produces bumper winners at tracks like Sedgefield, Ayr, etc. (recent example: William Yeats, a bumper winner for the yard facebook.com ). At Wetherby specifically his strike-rate is modest, but he has had placed runners in similar races turf-wise.com . With a solid conditional jockey (Theo Gillard) up, Fullythermal comes from a yard adept at handling young NH horses – the soft ground and galloping track should play to McCain’s strengths in conditioning stamina. Rebecca Menzies – Trainer of Au Plaisir. An up-and-coming trainer, Menzies has proven she can prime horses for bumpers – for instance, she sent out bumper winners at Sedgefield and elsewhere this year facebook.com . Her record with bumper horses is on the rise as her stable grows in quality. Au Plaisir arrives fit from two Irish bumpers, and Menzies’ ability to eek out improvement (especially on soft northern tracks) makes her a noteworthy contender in these conditions. John Dawson – Trainer of A Likeable Rogue. A relatively new name to training ranks, Dawson made waves by placing this horse in a Cheltenham listed bumper on debut. That suggests he can have one very ready first time. While we don’t have a long track record for him, booking champion jockey Brian Hughes signals intent. Dawson may not have the bumper resume of others, but the preparation of A Likeable Rogue was excellent on debut, implying his horses are well-tuned for the task. Sue Smith (with assistant Joel Parkinson) – Trainers of Get On Son. Sue Smith is a veteran northern trainer, best known for chasers, and her team historically has fewer bumper winners. However, when she does run young horses in NH Flat races, they tend to improve for the experience. Soft ground at Wetherby (her home circuit) is no issue for her horses’ fitness. While not a “bumper specialist,” the Smith yard’s local knowledge and ability to handle soft conditions lend some confidence that Get On Son will be well-prepared, if perhaps more of a long-term project. |