Weekend Racing Review - The Constitution Conundrum

There was a strong sense of deja vu following the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle on Saturday, with Golden Ace, as was the case with her Champion Hurdle victory, capitalising on falls from the favourite and second favourite. Constitution Hill, of course, made his much anticipated return, however succumbed to his third fall in four races. There has been plenty of speculation about where his career goes next, however no one, myself included, would be surprised if this is the end of his hurdling career. At his best, he was a once-in-a generation (if not lifetime...) talent, something that has become easy to forget given his many issues. I'll break-down the Fighting Fifth below, using sectional times, along with some of the weekend action from Newbury and Fairyhouse.

Newcastle - Sunday 29th November - Hurdles

The first thing to note about the Fighting Fifth was that, following Constitution Hill's departure, The New Lion was allowed a fairly easy lead. He set a relatively modest pace up until the final bend (between 4 out and 3 out), from here it became a bit of a dash to the line, which seems to play into Golden Ace's strengths. It was far from clear how the race would unfold when The New Lion fell 2 out, he was being pressed for pace but he showed his battling qualities when winning at the Cheltenham Festival. There has been plenty of discussion regarding his best trip, but given the current muddled nature of the division, I believe he will rightly be kept at 2 miles. I don't think he is a world beater, however and 4/1 about him for the Champion Hurdle looks too short.

Anzadam looked to be coming with a race winning run, however he was unable to pass the winner. He made his move when the pace of the race was at its quickest, so his overall performance can be marked up slightly. That being said, his performance was a bit below top class, particularly given the proximity of Nemean Lion. It was another solid performance from Golden Ace, but she must be the luckiest horse in training. Her overall performance looks about in-line with her official rating of 152. Overall, the form of the race does not look particularly strong based on time comparisons.

Of the rest of the card, Zanndabad looks the one to take going forward. Highly rated on the flat, things seem to have clicked now over hurdles. They went slowly early on in that race, but his circuit time was very good - around 10 lengths quicker than the Fighting Fifth.

Newbury - Saturday 29th November - Chases

Saturday also saw the highlight of Newbury's racing calendar - the Coral Gold Cup (Hennessy for those old enough...), where Panic Attack completed a rare double, following up from her Paddy Power Gold Cup (Mackeson for those even older...) success two weeks ago. The race began at a very strong pace along the back straight, before slowing considerably for a circuit, which is a rarity for such a competitive and deep contest. This steady pace likely played into the strengths of the winner, who had slight stamina concerns beforehand. The overall form looks decent, once accounting for the stop-start nature of the race, but likely not significantly better than the winners of the day's other two chases - Booster Bob and Ryan's Rocket. Pic Roc, and to a slightly lesser extent Gorgeous Tom, look the horses to take out of the race. Both were disadvantaged by the standing start, and made up most ground when the pace of the race was at its hottest. The former was remarkably well backed beforehand and looks the type to be capable of landing a big pot.

Fairyhouse - Sunday 30th November - Hurdles

There was a fairly strong card at Fairyhouse on Sunday, with the Grade 1 Hatton's Grace the feature. It was won by Teahupoo for a third time, in a race where they went a steady gallop, particularly early on. The winner saw off Ballyburn, who finished the strongest and would be my choice to reverse the form, if / when they meet again. The overall time looks acceptable enough for the grade, however I don't think it was sufficient to warrant them both shortening in price for the Stayers Hurdle. Both their performances were likely pushing a mark of 160, but certainly no better than what they have previously shown. The Royal Bond won by Koktail Brut was ran at a good, even gallop throughout, however I can't get too excited over the overall form of the race. The horse of most interest would be Mange Tout, who quickly put the race to bed after the last. They went reasonably steadily but she showed impressive closing sectionals and is worthy of a rating around 145, which is very good for a juvenile at this time of year.