"Punters graveyard" is a much lorded term in racing mostly made up of lot's of neatly lined up facts to fit the cause ie: "No horse has EVER won this race off more than 11-9, going left handed, on a Tuesday, with a fictional cartoon character riding him side saddle" ...then low and behold a 11-12 Spiderman pops up, arse firmly to the left of the saddle, cruising to the line on a sunny Tuesday afternoon...then we ALL look for the next reason a horse simply cannot win......
Case and point is the Aintree Grand National Festival, which is STILL mentally close, timewise, to the ACTUAL festival at Prestbury Park, anyone worth their racing/form salt knows that it's the graveyard of many a reputation, some blame it on the proximity to the Cheltnham affair, others the ground, others the undulations of the course, i'm a STRONG believer in the former.
Many so called "good things" have come here on the crest of a championship race winning wave from the festival, only to be bitch slapped by fresher, inferior opposition, mote noteably in recent times Denman, Kauto and my personal favourite when Istabraq (I told ALL WITH EARS he'd get turned over) got well and truly done over by that M Pipe machine, Pridwell.
So, in the Betfair Bowl, I simply COULD NOT BACK Silviniarco Conti with your money at 10/11. With a field of more than 8 looking assured it's each way heaven, and with all but two of the runners slogging their guts out at Cheltnham a couple of weeks back, it makes my selection all the easier. Quito De La Roque is the animal in question, not seen since coasting home in the Matty Ryan at Thurles on Heavy ground in Mid January, he has been put away for this by his canny trainer Colm Murphy whilst others have been involved in brutal festival contests. I see the race like this, The Giant Bolster is an admirable, but ultimately slow plodder, First Lietenant is stepping up in trip AGAIN, he has NEVER won beyond 2m5f and got a good going over by Cue Card in the Ryanair latest, Cape Tribulation simply is punching above it's weight, Menorah doesn't know if it's a hurdler of a chaser (pulled up latest), Wayward Prince and Whodoyouthink are making up the numbers, that leaves us with just my lad and Silviniarco Conti.
Conti has improved, no denying that, but to put it in the most simplistic terms NH racing is about one thing and one thing only, JUMPING!!!! and He fluffed his lines at his biggest test, before that he beat plodder Bolster 7 lengths at Newbury and previously a non race fit Long Run at Haydock to earn his, quite frankly inflated figure of 175, i'm sick to the back teeth of people telling me "if he would of stood up, he would of won the Gold Cup", but if, indeed my lovely Auntie Betty had a shiny set of bollocks, she would indeed, be my uncle......
The facts are this, Conti could race away with this, but my lad is a solid 160 performer, loves testing ground, and has half a dozen 3m+ victories on his record, and has never, EVER fallen, all this coupled with the fact he is the ONLY runner in the field (except the rags) lining up fresh and race fit, all this being said, the following does begin to look a tiny bit, well, CUCKOO!!!!!
10/11 Silviniarco Conti
10/1 Quito De La Roque
I seriously think you simply CANNOT knock my lad out of the frame with a mallet, EVEN IF Conti turns up and does his best Arkle impression, we still have 2 places to play for, which makes my lad a 1/2 shot to be 2nd or 3rd i'd MUCH rather that than sweat on the fact that everytime Conti takes off at a fencem there is a chance he may not have Ruby on his back on t'other side!!!
As for the Aintree Hurdle, I will say this, if you would have told me a couple of months back I could have Back Oscar Whisky to win his third in a row at a tasty 7/1 (even each way at that price) I would of asked for the name of your narcotics dealer, but that is now reality, ignore his pulled up at the festival, and furthermore ignore Barry desserting him, and he becomes the most AMAZING value seen in a race since Frankel went off at 7/4 on debut (yes, I was on) and have a lil' ew double with the Roque.
Well Paris Mrathon Sunday, so best eat some more chicken, can't be falling over like Silviniarco Conti now, can we......
Be Lucky!!!
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