Tingle Creek weekend at Sandown

Seems to contradict what Ruby was saying earlier on both RUK and Sporting life (latter article now removed).
Between them they couldn't lie straight in bed!
 
Geraghty jumps aboard Simonsig in Tingle Creek

BARRY GERAGHTY has been released from his new retainer with owner JP McManus in order to continue a long and highly fruitful partnership with Simonsig in Saturday's Betfair Tingle Cerek Chase at Sandown.

It had been thought that Geraghty would be required for the McManus-owned Mr Mole, in which case the ride on Simonsig was expected to go to Jerry McGrath, who rode out his claim only last month but is a regular partner of the grey at home.

However, while Mr Mole is one of eight horses declared in a race which lost its red-hot favourite Un De Sceaux when Willie Mullins revealed on Wednesday evening that the seven-year-old was "a little flat in himself", he will be ridden instead by last season's champion conditional Sean Bowen.

Continues partnership

Geraghty has ridden Simonsig in all his nine races for Nicky Henderson, the partnership's seven wins together including Cheltenham Festival strikes in the 2012 Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle and the 2013 Racing Post Arkle.


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I have been up in the jungle and perhaps it's fried my brain but some of the comments on here?????

Someone hinted Sprinter was missing the race because UDS was entered....That's a crock to start with. ROTFLMAO at that.

It's a damn pity UDS isn't running what a race it would have been between he and Simonsig who IMO would would have had no problem keeping up with him
I don't think they fancied taking Simonsig on to be honest and I reckon he'd have worried UDS right out of it

That 7/1 that was availabale about Simonsig looks a right bet now..I hope someone took it.

How on earth can they make PN's favourite for this after beating a professional loser in Third intention

If Simonsig fails to come on from his good 2nd 2 Bobs Worth V Valtat could end up in the winners enclosure but I sincerely doubt it.

There's no SS tomorrow but there is SSS in Simonsig Special Tiara and Somersby

I'm with Simonsig and mixed forecasts with the other S's
 
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There has to be a worry about the bounce factor with Simonsig and IIRC he threw in the odd dodgy jump during his novice days so another concern would be how he'll get on when he meets the railway fences at would could be a proper pace. Hopefully he'll turn out to be the superstar we've all been waiting to see but he's a ridiculously short price considering it's his first chase out of novice company and also for over 2 and a half years :blink:

Sire De Grugy seems to have forgotten how to jump and looks a shadow of his former self.

and I agree with Tanlic and Paul Kealy as to what piece of form entitles Vibrato Valtat to be less than half the price of Special Tiara ? De Bromhead's horse was 3rd in the Champion Chase with SDG 7 lengths behind (form which easily trumps VV's Arkle 4th) and slammed the Nicholls horse over C&D in the Celebration chase.

The Irish horse is no good thing considering he has to put a poor run in the Fortria behind him but he ran poorly in that on his first outing last year before beating Balder Succes next time out and for all the potential of Simonsig this is a weak renewal of a race with this's stature so 5/1 looks good value to me, great value if you're into each way betting and the dead 8 stand their ground as I'd be amazed if he's out of the first three.
 
Tanlic said:
That 7/1 that was availabale about Simonsig looks a right bet now..I hope someone took it.
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I got a bit of 9/1 ew with PP Wednesday. Even with UDS in it I thought that was way too big. Have him at 5s in a single.



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wilsonl said:
There has to be a worry about the bounce factor with Simonsig and IIRC he threw in the odd dodgy jump during his novice days so another concern would be how he'll get on when he meets the railway fences at would could be a proper pace. Hopefully he'll turn out to be the superstar we've all been waiting to see but he's a ridiculously short price considering it's his first chase out of novice company and also for over 2 and a half years :blink:

Sire De Grugy seems to have forgotten how to jump and looks a shadow of his former self.

and I agree with Tanlic and Paul Kealy as to what piece of form entitles Vibrato Valtat to be less than half the price of Special Tiara ? De Bromhead's horse was 3rd in the Champion Chase with SDG 7 lengths behind (form which easily trumps VV's Arkle 4th) and slammed the Nicholls horse over C&D in the Celebration chase.

The Irish horse is no good thing considering he has to put a poor run in the Fortria behind him but he ran poorly in that on his first outing last year before beating Balder Succes next time out and for all the potential of Simonsig this is a weak renewal of a race with this's stature so 5/1 looks good value to me, great value if you're into each way betting and the dead 8 stand their ground as I'd be amazed if he's out of the first three.
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I think with modern training facilities & methods the bounce factor has virtually all but gone to be honest so I don't see that as a risk. Can't remember the last time one was considered to 'bounce' off hand anyway.

They always said in Henderson's that the only horse who could beat Sprinter at his brilliant best was Simonsig. Henderson has brought Sprinter back to somewhere near his best this year as well as rejuvenating Bobs Worth so there's every reason to believe he can do the same here. I think the image of him finding little after blowing up after the second last at Aintree is clouding a lot of judgment here. The horse was perfectly entitled to get tired after almost 1000 days off the track.

The Horse I'm worried about is Somersby. Beaten a length in last years champion chase by the best 2 miler in training last year and proved his well being by chasing SS home at Cheltenham last month. Loves it around Sandown too. Massively overpriced at 12/1.


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You may be right Kauto and I hope you are but 11/4 is an awfully short price to take purely relying on the "facts" that the yard thought he may once have been able to beat an in-form Sprinter Sacre (I don't buy that for a second personally either) and a second to a declining 3m chaser over hurdles.

The 9/1 you availed is worth it to find out but quite simply c. 3/1 is not.

and admirable as Somersby is he hasn't won a G1 in nearly 4 years and it's asking a lot to do so now at rising 12.
 
Ya to be honest I can see your point but he was so good over fences,Time Form, with a touch of caution, still rate him the highest chaser in the field 2 years since his last run (see below), bookmakers aren't going to take a chance so that's why he's that price, that & the fact UDS doesn't go. He routed his Arkle field with a Lung infection so if he retained any bit of his ability he has a big chance. Aintree would more than suggest there's still a fairly decent engine under the bonnet.

Looking at a line of form through Bobs Worth you can either take the glass is half empty or glass is half full approach as regards the Hennessy. Bob finished 6th, 25L behind Smad Place, but 3 behind the likes of Saphir de Rheu. He was well minded by De Boinville whose instructions would have been get him around once the ground went against him. Looks like he's happier going over hurdles these days.




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They always said in Henderson's that the only horse who could beat Sprinter at his brilliant best was Simonsig.

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Hope you are right, Ben Pauling alluded to this at the Paddy Power Preview night and I helped myself to the 16/1 for the QM.
 
Kauto Abu said:
I think with modern training facilities & methods the bounce factor has virtually all but gone to be honest so I don't see that as a risk. Can't remember the last time one was considered to 'bounce' off hand anyway.

They always said in Henderson's that the only horse who could beat Sprinter at his brilliant best was Simonsig. Henderson has brought Sprinter back to somewhere near his best this year as well as rejuvenating Bobs Worth so there's every reason to believe he can do the same here. I think the image of him finding little after blowing up after the second last at Aintree is clouding a lot of judgment here. The horse was perfectly entitled to get tired after almost 1000 days off the track.

The Horse I'm worried about is Somersby. Beaten a length in last years champion chase by the best 2 miler in training last year and proved his well being by chasing SS home at Cheltenham last month. Loves it around Sandown too. Massively overpriced at 12/1.


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Hope you are right, Ben Pauling alluded to this at the Paddy Power Preview night and I helped myself to the 16/1 for the QM.
 
As far as Simonsig is concerned, I'm more worried about his finishing effort. Whilst fitness can partially excuse it, I thought he found absolutely zilch at Aintree.
 
Grasshopper said:
As far as Simonsig is concerned, I'm more worried about his finishing effort. Whilst fitness can partially excuse it, I thought he found absolutely zilch at Aintree.
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I think (hope) it was more than just fitness. A combination of racing so freely - he raced looking for his head for at least 12 furlongs, soft ground and the fact that Geraghty said he knew approaching 2 out he had little left after he blew up, all led to him finding zilch. Geraghty was very easy on him too which was understandable.

He seemed bullish this morning after schooling.

“He jumped 10 fences this morning and jumped well. He seems in good shape. I'd say he's improved a good bit from Aintree. He's schooled nicely so fingers crossed. He's naturally a keen sort so he's not going to lob around behind them tomorrow. He'll be taking a grip and attacking his fences. It's a good competitive race and we should be going fast, especially with Special Tiara running."



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Maybe so.

Personally, I think he is plenty short-enough anyway. He hasn't jumped a fence in public in nearly three years, and whilst he was an Arkle winner, that hardly seems relevant after such a long lay-off. Vibrato Valtat is a really solid fave, in my view, and I wouldn't be surprise to see Simonsig well out of the places.
 
Grasshopper said:
As far as Simonsig is concerned, I'm more worried about his finishing effort. Whilst fitness can partially excuse it, I thought he found absolutely zilch at Aintree.
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Finding zilch is hardly synonymous with a leg injury though, Grass.
Fwiw, I think he ran a race full of promise, is a class above these, and (providing there's proper pace) will win this comfortably.
 
He is the class act........based on what he was able to achieve three years ago - and even that form (his Arkle) was never franked in any meaningful way.

Every other horse in the race (apart from his stable-mate) is rated higher than Simonsig, and whilst not all of them can be banked-upon to run their race, Simonsig will not only have to recapture his best previous form, he probably needs to exceed it to get his head in front. People are reading a lot into the hurdles run, imo - too much, in my view. OK, so he travelled well, but so would my granny over two-and-a-half against Bobs Worth.

There's just too many question marks for me. If something drops out, I will be place-laying him on the day, because I'd fancy two of the six to finish in front of him.
 
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i don't think a hurdle race after 2-3 years off the track has any relevance to Saturday's race, if you put the best chasers back over hurdles very few would cope at the top level. Simonsig form over fences was beyond of any of his adversaries, including UDS if he had been present, the question is what price are you willing to take for him to show even a part of that form. I was willing at 7/1 and either he wins really well or will finish nowhere so a win only bet.
 
Grasshopper said:
As far as Simonsig is concerned, I'm more worried about his finishing effort. Whilst fitness can partially excuse it, I thought he found absolutely zilch at Aintree.
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NJH didn't wan''t him 100% first time up for a long time as he would be more likely to do himself harm eg suffer next time up for what people mistakenly call the bounce factor

You would need to understand exactly what the bounce factor is to discuss this matter with me but unfortunately it's above your greenback pay grade:lol:




Re the bounce factor...it exists but is very badly named.
 
Simonsig doesn't have a single piece of form in the book that puts his form marginally ahead of the rest, let alone way beyond.

Winning the Arkle by a handful of lengths from a horse whose only subsequent victory came in a tin-pot Kilarney chase is way below the form SDG, Special Tiara and Somersby have produced while the Grey's been eating hay.

I was one of his biggest fans as a novice and I'd love to see him fulfill his potential but IMHO people are seeing him through rose tinted glasses as being something he's yet to prove he actually is. Yard talk is cheap until he produces it in an open company G1.
 
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Tanlic said:
NJH didn't wan''t him 100% first time up for a long time as he would be more likely to do himself harm eg suffer next time up for what people mistakenly call the bounce factor

You would need to understand exactly what the bounce factor is to discuss this matter with me but unfortunately it's above your greenback pay grade:lol:




Re the bounce factor...it exists but is very badly named.
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I didn't mention the Bounce Factor.

In fact, the only 'Bounce' I know about, is the dog-food they serve to you as 'Special Nasi Goreng' each evening. :lol:
 
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