Mr. Mercurial

D

donaldsonharry

At the Start
Joined
Feb 10, 2015
Messages
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Hi Lads,

I just got a tip from a lad in work for Mr. Mercurial for the Foxhunter. I see there has been money for him and he has Cheltenham experience but does anyone know why we haven't seem him since last May?

Thanks,
Harry
 
Wouldn't take it as a negative, horse didn't run at all in 2014. I went to the Hunter Chase evening here at the end of last April and he won well enough on the g/s which I suspect will be the going next Friday, so you know he has handled the course previously.
 
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Won a PTP by 2.5L at Horseheath a week ago beating Glint of Steel who had won his previous 9 races with ease - all in that sphere.
 
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Probably the best of the UK runners overall - taking into account ability, ground, trip, jockey etc. though it's a poor year for our lot sadly.

With one of the best trainers around - you wouldn't know Sheila was a racehorse trainer looking at her, old lady in her 80's who normally has a scarf on but she's won the race in the past with Cappa Bleu.

I don't think Glint Of Steel was wound up that day but still a big effort to beat him at a track Sheila likes to take her Cheltenham runners to.

Martin
 
Excellent feedback lads. Thanks very much. It looks like a division that is there for the taking. On the Fringe ran a shocker the other day and there is every chance that his exertions at the 3 festivals last year have left their mark.
 
On The Fringe was beaten a long way on his first outing last season too and it's quite probable that Enda's got a spring campaign in mind again so no way would Jamie have been under instruction to give him a hard race - and he ran well enough up to a point. The ground would have been soft enough for him as well.

It was arguably a stronger race on paper going into the race last year and he took them apart. At the current 11/4 he offers just about the best value of the whole festival IMO.
 
The ground was very soft when he won the Foxhunter last year as it had rained all day so I'm not sure the ground could really be blamed for his poor run lto. However, I take the point that he was well beaten on his comeback last year too. However, he was only beaten by 1 horse that day and was well clear of the rest of the field. He only beat 1 finisher home lto. The winning margin of his festival victory looked flattering to my eye last year. There is no way he is that far superior to Paint the Clouds - it was just one of those freakish results. He cannot be improving at 11 years of age yet is less than half the price he's been for the last 2 festivals. I think he represents very bad value
 
The ground in last year's Foxhunters and for Irish Gold Cup day are incomparable. The latter was a war of attrition.

I agree he's unlikely to be improving but the trainer has a history of keeping horses at their peak during their twilight years and even close to his peak is good enough to win this.
 
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It's easy to make a case against pretty much all of them Wilsonl - OTF ran badly LTO, far worse than they expected IMHO while the likes of Marito (trip), Aupcharlie (same) & Mendip Express (jockey) mean it could go to something unexposed like It Came To Pass.

FWIW I'll probably have the usual play on a few at huge prices - Major Malarkey if the ground dries out a bit for example though needs to put that shocking run at Doncaster behind him.

Martin
 
Notwithstanding a couple of flukey results in 2014 with two horses who never won another race it would be a fecking cold day in hell before I backed a horse trained by JHC.

Extremely nice guy it would appear but a truly shocking trainer. 0-23 in 2014/15 and 1-38 this year over hurdles and 1-29 over fences. Albeit am I right in saying that the 1 over fences came courtesy of It Came To Pass, who'd also won a point ?
 
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Indeed wilsonl.
He has a stable of good ground horses and had three seconds from four runners Irish Gold cup weekend running into Blazer ( 14 lb well in ) a blazing Hunter Chaser and a decent chaser at Naas.
Plus he has more Gold Cups in his dresser than the Mullins family combined ( all generations ).
 
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