The Pointing Thread

Ok guys, enough said! I figured the track might catch out Eleazar having watched him run in Stratford but you seem to have swayed me!
 
Vicasflia in the Maiden - it's a half to China Rock IIRC but I don't think the racecard will tell you that.

Richard Barber runs 8 of his.

Ballinla wasn't off a yard LTO so should go well in the Maiden IMO - Charlie Dando had the handbrake firmly on at Dunthrop.

Aces Or Better will have come on for his UK debut at Charing too - he was carrying plenty of condition in the paddock though Southwestern will be very hard to beat.

Toby Lerone won the Maiden we ran in at Barbury and the form has been franked by a few in behind, he'll probably improve with experience but the more testing the better for him IMO as he looks like he'll need the full trip.

Above all good luck and enjoy the day (and if poss could you let me know if Massimo runs?)

Thanks

Martin
 
Ah sorry Trefflich - no strong opinion here, only view was that Surenaga was drifting to a monster price despite the going concerns. Back on faster ground and over 3m 2f+ he'll be a different proposition.

Hope you had a good day out at Ston Easton Benny - Ballinla was 3rd @ 14/1 in the Open Maiden over 2 1/2m, I'd imagine he was staying on strongly from off the pace? He should be a force in better races than this given time and a step up in trip IMO.

Toby Lerone took the Restricted thought he was 4/5 favourite so no credit there whilst the other two weren't placed and not certain if they ran or not (Vicasflia and Aces Or Better).

Martin
 
I got totally soaked there today! Horse decided to go lame this morning so didn't run but we went anyway. Arranged to meet back at car after second for lunch. Got to spot I thought we'd left car - gone! So I walked round in driving icy rain looking for it - for half a bloody hour! I was so cold by the time I found them (all snuggled up warm & toasty - and laughing at me!) I got back in car and point blank refused to move for the rest of a very wet day.
Shame we didn't run as horse would have loved conditions. Southwestern obviously hated them and was caught by Mahonia owned by a certain P Nicholls.
From the relative warmth of the car (my jeans are still wet) I managed to back Lizzie Kelly's winner as I remember it being strongly fancied at Chipley last time only to get kicked at the start.
Horse to take out of day - Callmeginger - very nice horse of Barbers.
 
Likewise got absolutely drenched! Good racing though. Backed Ballinla each way - he ran on really well from what had looked an impossible position. Toby Lerone looks a fine prospect. Same applies to Vicasflia, who I thought looked a little short of fitness in the paddock, but a fine horse nevertheless. He crept into the race nicely but was soon eased before the last when his chance had gone. Thanks for the advice IS, and hope you had a good day JinnyJ.
 
Cheers Benny - handbrake on again then, he'll be a real tool when upped to 3m which will hopefully be later this year (Ballinla that is). He fell on his only start in Ireland but jumped well at Dunthrop and I'd backed him at 20's so disappointing to see him given the ride he was.

Toby Lerone will be a decent horse IMO when he matures some, will definitely be worth taking on in Bumpers and over shorter trips over hurdles but could be the next Harry The Viking who won a Maiden at Larkhill last year before going under rules.

Hope you've both dried out by now - I never know what to make of Lizzie Kelly she seems to have a habit of getting carted/making v v positive mid-race moves but she sat well on Blackstaff at Sandown over the first couple of fences yesterday.

Was great to see that She's A Cracker won again today, she should be 3/3 this year but for a mishap at Tweseldown but task was made easier when the favourite of John Ferguson's departed but impressive from what I'm told and if they go back under rules with her she's got at least 20-30lbs in hand on her hurdles mark as she's really really thrived for the Gorman's.

Looking forward to Charing tomorrow - should be a cracking card and I'd imagine that Chosen Few will be very tough to beat if they take in the opening short Maiden whilst if they go for the finale One Wish and Moyode Wood will provide very stiff competition with the last named the most likely winner.

There are a number of winners from the last Charing meeting likely to re-appear tomorrow including Ladies winner Mount Sandel who is again likely to be a short priced favourite for Frankie Hickman whilst the Restricted winner Adept Approach is entered in the Mens equivalent, he'll need to step up on what he's shown so far but he's still a young horse so there's plenty of time (though he might be better suited to racing in Intermediates for the time being) whilst Maiden winner No Pain No Gain will attempt to take his second race at the track in the Restricted.

Two pony races open the card at 11:15am and there's always a chance to see a future star in one of those :)

Martin
 
Hoping for 11/2 or 6/1 about Oca De Thaix in the Welsh Foxhunters at Ffos Las today, dual course iwnner last season and the one to beat IMO particularly with the class rules horse Sunday City looking like a non-stayer and Sericina getting beaten LTO (albeit by the very decent Warwick HC winner Monkerty Tunkerty.

Martin
 
Brief round-up from Charing - star of the show was undoubtedly Alan Hill's Harbour Court who ran out a decent winner of the Restricted on his seasonal return to remain unbeaten following a Maiden success at Kingston Blount last season, the Maiden winner from the previous meeting No Pain No Gain chased him home whilst Scholar George stepped up on his Restricted effort last time out to reverse form with all those who'd finished in front of him previously.

Horner Woods again received a strange ride having been detached early Hannah Grissell made rapid progress round the outside of runners to take it up with a lap to run and it was no surprise to see him drop out fairly rapidly in the Ladies Open.

Encantadora made a successful debut for Phil York when making all in the 3m Maiden and the jockey was recording a double having led all the way on the "character" Ringa Bay who stepped up on his Whitfield effort in December to lead from pillar to post in the Club Members race (16 ran).

Another to lead all the way was the Will Hickman ridden Mr Maybe in the 2m 5f Maiden, he came home an easy winner from Chosen Few.

In terms of Cheltenham - Chapoturgeon won a Mens Open down at Milborne St Andrew to secure his place in the Cheltenham line-up whilst the mare My Flora returned to Chaddesley Corbett to defeat last seasons leading young horse Findlay's Find and is another who now heads to Cheltenham.

For fans of the Nicholls and Barber horses the Liam Burke trained Ruapehu made it 2 wins from 2 starts at Rathcannon today with the son of Presenting following up a Dromahane Maiden win on New Years Eve.

Martin :)
 
Happy to side with Divine Intavention at Taunton today - Templer looks vulnerable to me and DI has been in good form this season winning at The Gateaux and in East Anglia whilst his runner-up spot at Tweseldown has been franked with the winner taking the Towcester HC and the unlucky fourth winning easily at Cottenham on Saturday. The 3.95 looks a decent bet to me with his usual pilot, the excellent Mark Wall riding.

Martin
 
Irish Stamp said:
Was great to see that She's A Cracker won again today, she should be 3/3 this year but for a mishap at Tweseldown but task was made easier when the favourite of John Ferguson's departed but impressive from what I'm told and if they go back under rules with her she's got at least 20-30lbs in hand on her hurdles mark as she's really really thrived for the Gorman's.
Click to expand...

Dunno if I mentioned it at the time, but George told me after her win on day one of the season that he'd love her to spend the forthcoming spring and summer contesting handicap hurdles on the quickest ground permissible - she'd be a good bet to run up a sequence starting off from her tiny mark for exactly the reason you've given.

Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)
 
I spoke to George about her and the others on Saturday night after Ruckeroo's comments on JFF that they'd placed her well and how nobody said the same about Cape Stormer - did point out to George they had the super clever Forgotten Symphony who placed himself well :lol:

George did seem to think I'd underestimated how much she'd have in hand on her hurdles/chase mark whichever way they went with her -I was however v v quick to point out that if they attempted a HC with her that would mess up her mark entirely and she could jump to a 120+ mark in one run for £800 which would be a waste IMO ;)

Martin
 
Lorikarad was impressive in scoring at Tweseldown in December from subsequent HC winner Divine Intavention (won yesterday) and another subsequent winner back in fourth but he steps up to 3 1/4m for the first time under rules today and at 11/10 looks too short for my liking, I prefer to side with two in this most notably Plenty Of Chat who took a 2 1/2m Towcester Maiden HC last season under this pilot and made noticeable late headway at Sedgefield the time after over just shy of 3m, the step up will suit IMO and the only doubt for me is whether he's fit for his first start of the season, at 28.0 on Betfair and 7.8 to place I don't mind taking a chance whilst I'm also happy to back Little Rocker who's a useful if enigmatic horse on his day and likewise makes his return here, he ran well on his two outings in staying HC's last season and for that reason is another capable of going well at a big price, currently 17.5 Betfair.
 
In the Ludlow HC the ex-Nicky Henderson trained Polyfast travelled very well for a long way at Charing in a useful race last month and would certainly have shaken up the very useful favourite had the race been over 2 1/2m, the jockey that day reported that the horses wind went late on and with the first time tongue tie applied today he rates a value bet against several decent ex-rules horses even allowing for an inexperienced jockey replacing the excellent Nick Pearce - he's currently around 7/1. Also worth noting that this is the first time in a long while that Alistair Ralph has chosen not to ride his own horse Fresh Air And Fun with top amateur Will Biddick taking over, some would say it's the first time FAAF has had a jockey up.

Martin
 
Does anybody know whether these general rules for Hunter Chases apply to the Foxhunters also? Judging by 41.6 they should apply to "any Hunter's Steeple Chase run in 2012".

41.5 With regard to Hunters' Steeple Chases (run during 2012)

41.5.1 no race may be run before January 1st of any year,
41.5.2 the qualification in any race is limited to the particular period specified in the Hunters' Certificate, and
41.5.3 no horse may be entered for or start in a race if

41.5.3.1 in the period starting on November 1st, 2011 and ending on December 31st, 2011, it has run in any race apart from a Hunters' Steeple Chase which was run in Ireland on or after October 1st, or
41.5.3.2 on or after June 7th, 2009, it has won a steeple chase which was not confined to Amateur Riders, which had a penalty value of £20,000 or more and which was run under the rules of a Recognised Racing Authority, or
41.5.3.3 on or after June 6th, 2010, it has won a steeple chase which was not confined to Amateur Riders, which had a penalty value of £18,000 or more and which has run under the rules of a Recognised Racing Authority, or
41.5.3.4 after September 30th, 2010 it has been placed first, second or third in a Grade 1 or Grade 2 steeple chase.

41.6 The dates specified in Paragraph 41.5.3 have effect in relation to any Hunter's Steeple Chase run in 2012.

It has been pointed out on Twitter that Backstage would be ineligible for the Foxhunters for winning at Ffos Las in August 2009 in a race worth £30k to the winner under rule 41.5.3.2.

http://rules.britishhorseracing.com/Orders-and-rules&staticID=126457&depth=3?zoom_highlight=hunter
 
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Interesting stuff Zen - I don't know for certain but it does indeed look like he's not qualified.

When I enquired about a horse that was contesting East Anglian points and penalty value races I was informed that a 20,000 Euro Chase at Auteuil breached the restriction and so I'd have to assume that a £39,000 Chase would also.

Martin
 
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