Grasshopper
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
- Messages
- 16,014
This was my thinking:
I reckon, despite his 40/1 sp, Arctic Warrior would have finished roughly alongside Far Out last time in a good G2 bar that stumble and tumble at the last. Far Out's new Irish OR is 137. Add the usual average 6lbs that the UK handicapper tends to do to Irish ratings and you get 143. I had allowed a pound leeway.
And that's before factoring n the kind of improvement you can get from novices - look at what Soaring Glory did last year.
I imagine - and maybe it's just my imagination running riot - JP and Mullins will be pleasantly surprised to get in off 135 and if they hadn't been seriously aiming the horse at the race they might be now :lol:
I thought Arctic Warrior had run his race at the Lep, DO, and I'm not convinced he would have finished upsides Far Out and Grangee, tbh. He's also had himself on the floor twice in five hurdles outings - would JP go for a plot job with such an animal?
To be honest, there's a danger of looking past JP's obvious one in Broomfield Burg. He probably ran into a real handy one in the shape of Silent Revolution first time up (left a bit to do), and the third got to within 9L of Jonbon thereafter. He then failed to concede 25lbs in his first handicap outing (btn a length or so after travelling best), before hacking-up in another novice at Kempton over Christmas.
Lack of big-field experience is a slight concern, and there's a slight doubt about what he will find off the bridle, but otherwise he has a fair bit going for him, imo. A mark of 134 doesn't look at all punitive, and he is guaranteed to get into the race at #20 on the card. And JP does win this race with fancied horses.
It's not particularly adventurous, but I think I've just convinced myself to back him (Hills on their own at 10/1).
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