Weekend Racing Review - Galloping Gaelic and the Dancing Jukebox

In a week where the temperatures plummeted, the jumps season (finally?) heated up, with plenty of top talent, old favourites and quality races on display. This week's blog will focus on the chase action from Punchestown, Haydock and Ascot, using time comparisons between each race.

Punchestown - Sunday 23rd November - Chases

Punchestown on Sunday seems like the most appropriate place to start, where we were treated to a thrilling renewal of the John Durkan. Yet again the line-up was almost ridiculously strong on paper, with previous winners of all the top chases in the field. However, as indicated by the betting beforehand, the race was not quite as competitive as official ratings, or CVs of the runners, would suggest. As the market predicted, many of the runners treated the race as a 'warm-up' for future targets over this inadequate trip and we ended up with effectively a 2-horse race. It did not disappoint however, with Gaelic Warrior dramatically holding off Fact To File.

Time comparisons with the Grade 2 novice chase show Gaelic Warrior set-off at a strong gallop over the first 4 fences, indeed quicker than would be optimal. Jockey Paul Townend was able to steady the pace, up to 5 out. From this point, what is notable is how Gaelic Warrior slowed, reaching 2 out only around 3 lengths ahead of Westport Cove (when adjusted for the different distances and weight carried). This does throw a bit of cold water on the theory that Gaelic Warrior set a mad gallop throughout. Granted, he was quick early on, however once Townend had more control of the horse, he was able to judge the pace very well, allowing him a breather and to see off the finishing effort of Fact To File. They went a faster than ideal pace in the earlier novice chase, with a slow finishing effort. This makes the overall time of the John Durkan look strong, if not overly-spectacular, given Westport Cove only has an official rating of 144.

Haydock - Saturday 22nd November - Chases

The Betfair Chase at Haydock came down to a rematch between Grey Dawning and Royale Pagaille, with the former prevailing thanks to more favourable conditions. They went a strong pace throughout, potentially slightly too quick however, highlighted by a finishing effort of 98.5% for the winner. The overall time looks solid enough, however I would argue a bit below standard for the Grade, with Haiti Couleurs not running his race and Handstands looking unsuited by the trip, particularly at this pace. As a contrast, the Graduation Chase won by The Jukebox Man was ran at a crawl. The winner was able to dictate, jumped well and quickened nicely, however I think it is important not to read too much into this performance with regards to his overall ability as a 3 mile chaser. Much more will be needed from him as the season progresses.

Ascot - Saturday 22nd November - Chases

The time comparisons at Ascot on Saturday need to be taken with a pinch of salt, as rainfall had an impact on conditions, with Jango Baie getting the best of it and Calico the worst. Despite this, it looks a very good performance from Jango Baie, at the very least. They went a strong pace throughout the race, which was too much for the opposition and only able to be sustained by Gidleigh Park. The winner was the only one that was able to quicken, suggesting his strengths lie as a stayer, who should have no problem running over 3 miles.

This weekend has set up the King George on Boxing Day very nicely, with 3 winners from the weekend - Gaelic Warrior, Jango Baie and The Jukebox Man now dominating the market, in that order. It is difficult to argue too strongly that their current market positions are wrong, however the one I would be most interested in is Jango Baie. He ran on the same card as Gaelic Warrior at Aintree, with time comparisons from that day favouring the Nicky Henderson trained horse. It is also worth remembering that the John Durkan has traditionally been treated as a bit of a 'warm-up' by Willie Mullins. You can, of course, interpret this as meaning that we'll see an even stronger Gaelic Warrior at Christmas.