It was an enthralling and important weekend of racing that now sits firmly in the form book, with a number of runners (the winners and the stragglers) having their sights steadfastly set on the impending Cheltenham Festival as well as the marathon slog that is known to all as the Aintree Grand National.

There were plenty of potential eye-catchers for me on both Saturday and Sunday and here are the 3 main horses that went in my notebook -

BAILE ANRAI (I Williams) – Saturday – 1.50 Ascot – Faller in the Grade 2 Reynoldstown Chase – 3 miles

The fall at the 3rd last apart I thought this was a particularly eye-catching performance from the 8yo. He was far from out of contention when just reaching for the 3rd from home and in the main he had jumped solidly, even making up considerable ground at some of his fences. He is a large, well-built gelding and he looks made for the chasing game so it is slightly surprising to see 2 falls on his chasing CV already. Interestingly both these falls have come in Grade 2 company so it could be he simply finds jumping at this level consistently for a full race just at the top end of his powers. Saying that he didn’t look out of place in this field and I’m sure he is more than capable of picking up lesser races lower down the chasing tree. He made his seasonal debut in the Persian War Hurdle at Chepstow were he was arguably one of the only runners in the field to mildly threaten impressive winner Fingal Bay. He was only 6 lengths in arrears that day and it was a yawning 37 lengths back to the rest of the pack; again suggesting that although maybe not a Grade 1/2 animal he is better than your run of the mill contender. It’s interesting to note that on his debut point-to-point start he finished 6th (beaten 11 lengths) to Quito De La Roque. I don’t expect this lad to be a major player at the top levels but I do think there are races in him; one to keep an eye going forward.

DUNRAVEN STORM (P Hobbs) – Saturday – 3.35 Ascot – 4th in the Class 2 Handicap Hurdle – 2m3f

The 7yo was having his 2nd start back after a small injury sustained in last seasons Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and similar to his comeback run at Taunton he stayed on well at the end without really looking like troubling the horses in front of him. I had him marked down as a novice chaser for the season but one assumes that they are holding back until next season before unleashing him over the larger obstacles (makes sense considering he missed first half of season). This 2m3f trip may well have just been on the sharp side for him, he is by Presenting and has plenty of stamina in his pedigree, so the fact he was able to keep in contention (to a certain degree) tells me he has lost none of his ability. He won over trips of around 2 miles as a novice but that was against inferior opposition and I’m convinced his future is over trips of 2m5f and further; if he sticks to these longer trips then he is very much a horse of interest. He could well have a handicap hurdle in him off his mark of 140 but I see his long term future as that of a staying chaser.

ALFIE SHERRIN (J J O’Neil) – Saturday – 3.55 Haydock – 5th in the Class 2 Pertemps Handicap Hurdle – 3m

Was the 9yo ever really put into the race? Not really. Is he on a handy hurdle/chase mark? Yes. Are connections possibly planning a spring target for him? I think so. What that target is though is anybody’s guess! The ground was unlikely to have suited him at Haydock on Saturday (heavy) and he wasn’t given a hard race but he did catch the eye when staying on into 5th place. He is still very lightly raced (6 hurdle starts & 6 chase starts) and both his Hurdle mark (136) and Chase mark (130) look well within his compass. It has been reported in the past that he is difficult to train so its not hard to imagine that he will only be pushed when the time is right. That time is likely to be when the ground is riding good to soft or better and it may be prudent to keep an eye on where he is placed from now onwards…..

What are your thoughts on the weekends racing?

Who were the serious Cheltenham and Aintree contenders on show over the weekend?

Drop me a comment below and let me know who you will be keeping an eye on for future engagements; whether that be for one of the spring festivals or just in general.

Ben (NTF)

It’s done alright since I highlighted it to you all hasn’t it?

3 runners -  2 winners and 1 placed

NODFORM RICHARD 3rd at 9/2 – RAILWAY DILLON 1st at 9/2 – SAGA DE TERCEY 1st at 15/8

The qualifiers don’t come along that often but it certainly pays to take heed when there is one taking to the track.

To get a refresher on the angle simply head back to the original post.

The 1st time blinkers angle is an area that I’ve researched thoroughly in recent weeks and there are plenty of areas of interest for us to take notice of.

Today I want to highlight to you all another strong trend that caught my eye, this time a trainer we should be looking to avoid when he reaches for the 1st time blinkers – Nigel Twiston-Davies.

Take a look at his figures for first time blinkers runners since 2006 -

Nigel Twiston-Davies runners wearing 1st time blinkers (2006 – present)

72 runners | 4 winners | 6% S/R | -£27.50 BFLSP (Win & Place – 20/78 | 28% S/R)

Slim pickings on the win front and not that much better on the win & place either. The facts are that the Gloucestershire based trainer struggles to land the prize when sending a horse to the track with first time blinkers on.

If we look a bit closer we can see that it is his handicap runners that we should particularly be looking to avoid -

55 runners | 2 winners | 4% S/R | -£34.11 BFLSP (Win & Place – 12/55 | 23% S/R)

Essentially I would want plenty other factors to be in my favour before putting my money down on a Twiston-Davies first time blinker wearer.

There are numerous other ’1st time blinkers’ angle that we should be aware of (positive & negative) and I’ll be looking to highlight these over the coming weeks and months on the Blog.

*All figures sourced from the excellent ProForm database

NTF 1 to follow from the week

FIND A KEY (N Richards) – Tuesday – 1.50 Ayr – 2nd in the Class 4 Novices’ Hurdle

It’s been great to have the National Hunt game cranking back into top gear this week after it’s enforced ‘freeze’ break. There has been plenty of racing up here in Scotland and one horse in particular went in my notebook. That horse was the Nicky Richards trained Gelding FIND A KEY. To me he looks like your typical chasing type, biding his time over the smaller obstacles whilst he grows into his considerable frame. He bumped into a potentially very smart French recruit at Ayr on Tuesday and if we consider the fact that FIND A KEY will probably prove better over further in time then this was a solid run from the Definite Article gelding. He already makes the shape of a chaser at his obstacles and although he could easily take a hurdle race or two before he switches codes he looks for all the word a chaser in the making to me. This horse looks one for novice chases next season and he goes in the notebook with an eye firmly on the future.

Happy Punting – Ben (NTF)

In today’s post owner Phil Boyle brings us up to date on the latest trials and tribulations from camp Oscara….

Hello all

Last time, I brought my ownership story up to date (almost).  After a couple of months of wishing for decent weather so that Oscara Dara was not held up in getting ready to make his seasonal debut, we were finally ready to go.

Of course having been kind during the training period, the weather decided not to be so kind when it came to actually having a run.  Two weeks of entries frustration ensued as we were entered in races on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and two more on Sunday.  Of those the only race that actually took place was the very first one and we did not declare at the overnight stage as we preferred some of the later options!  What a mess!

This kind of weather makes for a load of work for the me as the racing manager of our partnership as I need to contact owners for badge requirements, contact racecourses to arrange badges that we never actually need, speak to the trainer regularly to revise running plans and issue communications to all the owners to advise them of new entries and changes in plan!

These communications are all positively pleasant however when you contrast them with having to contact all the owners as I did earlier this week to tell them that it is no longer the weather that is holding us up but the horse.  Oscara Dara has not been moving as well as usual in his work and Nicky Henderson and the vets felt that it was something they should treat rather than hoping Oscara Dara would recover on his own.  Hopefully only a bit of soreness or a slight muscle strain, but giving him medication means that he cannot run for a couple of weeks even if it does the job and clears up the problem.

As you might imagine we are all absolutely desperate to get racing having sat patiently for 12 months, but it seems we need to sit tight for at least another couple of weeks!

I hope all these stories of woe have not put off anyone who might have considered ownership.  Even with all of the problems, I would not swap it.  It is great to feel a little bit on the inside of a sport that you really enjoy and the highs make it all worthwhile.  I sat in front of the TV yelling on Saddlers Storm in the Foxhunters race at Leopardstown this afternoon.  Trained in Ireland by Tony Martin, I have no involvement in the horse at all, but he is Oscara Dara’s half-brother and so I was chuffed to bits when he finished second!

In future articles, I will look at the differences in style between a big trainer and a small one (having experienced both) and I also want to tell you a story that illustrates just why Anthony McCoy is a multiple champion jockey.

Incidentally, if these articles have whetted anyone’s appetite for ownership, why not leave a comment below.  No promises, but if there were a whole bunch of people that wanted to get involved on some level, then I would be prepared to at least look into setting something up.

All the best

Phil

Thanks as always to Phil and lets hope a fit OSCARA DARA and some non-frozen racetracks meet very soon….

Ben (NTF)

To be honest I would be surprised if I witnessed any outstanding Cheltenham contenders on the day but that’s not to say there weren’t eye-catchers aplenty amongst the competitive fields.

Here are the three main horses that went in my notebook after the days racing -

SAMSTOWN (L Russell) – Saturday – 1.30 Musselburgh – 3rd in the 2m4f Class 4 Novices’ Hurdle

The 5yo was making his hurdling debut here and despite being on his toes in the paddock and taking a while to warm up in the early stages of the race he did finish with somewhat of a rattle once he and jockey Peter Buchanan straightened up for home. The Kingsalsa gelding wasn’t the most fluent over his obstacles but this was his first taste of jumping in public and we can take it he will have learned plenty from the experience. It’s also in my mind that the track was maybe a touch on the sharp side for him as was the 2m4f trip and it could be that he will be better suited to a more galloping track and/or a slightly further trip. It’s important to not be fooled by his close proximity to the winner as that one was heavily eased once the race was put to bed. It is, however, more prudent to look at the fact he got within a length of the decent Donald McCain runner-up EBANOUR, a horse that has some decent experience under his belt. All in all this was a decent debut performance and this interestingly bred 5yo should have races in him somewhere over the smaller obstacles. probably on a more suitable track.

MOONLIGHT DRIVE (J Quinn) – Saturday – 2.35 Musselburgh – 3rd in the 3m Class 3 Stayers Handicap Hurdle

The favourite put in an untidy round of jumping and looked to be struggling to make any sort of impact as the travelled down the back-straight for the last time. Credit must go to jockey Dougie Costello for keeping the 6yo interested enough to be able to produce him at the last flight still in with a chance and they even managed to get their heads in front for a brief moment on the run-in. It was a short lived moment, however, as the 2 horses alongside had more fight left in the tank and MOONLIGHT DRIVE quickly settled for third spot. I’m convinced the Oscar gelding lost his race in the first 2 miles of this contest and he simply had little left to battle to the line with. Again I have a feeling the track played against him and he will be seen to better effect on a track with a more galloping configuration. He definitely has races in him off his current hurdles mark but I would be equally as interested in him if he went back over fences (2nd on his chasing debut at Market Rasen in November). His point to point form looks solid and is very much a horse of interest for the immediate future, whether that is back over fences or staying over timber.

UBI ACE (T Walford) – Saturday – 3.45 Musselburgh – 2nd in the 2m Scottish County Hurdle

This was an outstanding performance from the 6yo for a number of reasons. Jockey Robert Walford had his mount in the firing line for most of the contest and the top weight held off numerous challengers in the home-straight before succumbing to the lesser weighted winner Stormy Weather in the final 100yds (Ubi Ace was giving 21lb to the winner). In the main the runner-up put in a solid round of jumping and was able to make ground at a number of his flights; a trait that should see him well when he makes the transition to the larger obstacles. He may just be coming to his limit in the hurdling sphere although his battling spirit means he will always be giving his all and I would not be surprised to see him grab, if not another hurdling victory, at least a place or 2 in some valuable handicaps. The real reason I have him as an eye-catcher, however, is to put him in the note-book as a chaser to follow for next season. He looks to have plenty of size and scope for the chasing game and trainer Tim Walford has never hidden the fact he is excited about this one jumping a fence. More hurdling glory is far from beyond him but chasing is the real area of excitement for this lad.

What are your thoughts on the weekends racing?

Were there any serious Cheltenham contenders on show at Musselburgh at the weekend?

Drop me a comment below and let me know who you will be keeping an eye on for future engagements.

Ben (NTF)

Thankfully there was some decent action at Punchestown this Sunday and here are the two main horses that went in my notebook after the days racing -

SIMENON (W Mullins) – Sunday– 1.50 Punchestown – 2nd in the 2m Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle

The Willie Mullins trained 5yo possibly bumped into a pretty smart horse here in winner TRIFOLIUM but there was plenty to like about the performance of the runner-up as well. In the main he jumped his hurdles in a fast and fluent manner but there was something about his performance that suggested to me he may just be the type that would prefer to be amongst others in a fast paced-large field (larger than 6 runners anyway) hurdle contest. I’m not overly convinced that a step up in trip is a must for the Marju gelding although he probably would handle the extra distance without too much bother. He holds entries in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown next weekend as well as entries in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Neptune Investments Novices’ Hurdle at the festival. Assuming he by-passes Leopardstown next weekend you would expect him to go straight to the festival in March and at least he would be likely to get a large field and strong pace in either of his potential engagements. He isn’t the sort I would necessarily be diving into back in either contest at the moment but he may be a lively outsider come race day. Wherever he ends up at festival time I do think he is a horse with a decent future over timber, for the rest of this season and beyond.

UP THE BEAT (W Mullins) – Sunday – 3.25 Punchestown – 2nd in the 3m4f National trial Handicap Chase

Another Mullins inmate that caught my eye and this 7yo looks a fine stamp of a chaser with this going down as a very eye-catching run on what was only his 3rd career chase start. The Beat All gelding proved himself to be an extremely economical jumper here but at the same time was easily able to make ground at his fences if asked by jockey Ruby Walsh. He made a couple of small errors in this contest but they looked to be caused by others jumping poorly in-front or beside him and it was pleasing to see him put himself right on these occasions, never once looking likely to tip up or indeed lose momentum. There is plenty of stamina in his pedigree and with this experience under his belt he looks the sort to go on and make an impact over staying trips. His jumping is a huge asset as is his easy travelling style and I would be surprised if he isn’t involved in the finish of at least one of the many National chases around the country at some stage of his career.

What horses went in your notebook after this weekends action?

I know there wasn’t many opportunities for us National Hunt junkies over the weekend but drop me a comment below and let me know who you will be keeping an eye on for future engagements.

If you missed any of my recent ’3 to follow from the weekend…’ articles you can find them on the following links -

23/01/12 – www.narrowing-the-field.co.uk/ntf-3-to-follow-from-the-weekend

30/01/12 – www.narrowing-the-field.co.uk/ntf-3-to-follow-from-the-weekend

NTF FREE Service

As I mentioned previously I have been compiling some ante-post Cheltenham reports for my subscribers recently and one of these will also be released to those of you that are on the Free NTF list. I will either be analysing the Arkle or the RSA Chase for subscribers this week and once I have made the guide available in the members area I will then send it out to the free list the following day.

To join the FREE NTF service simply fill in you details in the form at the top right of the blog.

Ben (NTF)

Name – Tom Segal

Occupation – Tipster

Years involved in racing – Roughly about 20 years not very good with dates

First horseracing memory – Whitbread Gold Cup at Sandown sometime in 70′s

Background…

What first stirred your interest in horseracing?

Living next to Sandown

How did you become involved in the tipping side of horseracing?

Doing the odd Spotlight shift when I started at the Racing Post some 15 years ago

Career to date…

Proudest moment of career to date?

None, just doing my job

Which race that you personally made a Pricewise selection in stands out in your memory and why?

Sea The Stars in 2000 Guineas, spotting a great horse before many others

Which race do you wish you could relive and analyse/make a selection in again (good or bad)?

All the ones I don’t find the winner of, no preference

In the punting seat…

Most enjoyable aspect of being ‘Pricewise’?

The puzzle

How much ‘homework’ do you undertake before each selection?

Nowhere near as much as many think. 20 minutes maybe, big believer in keeping things simple

Which area of your selection process do you consider to be the most important?

Price and jockey

How thoroughly do you analyse your own selections after the race has been run?

Don’t. Never fester on the negative.

Apart from price what do you feel is the most important factor when analysing an ante-post market?

Trainer I suppose but price is by far the most important.

Best and worst tracks from a tipping perspective?

Worst Cheltenham and Goodwood, best don’t mind anywhere else

How do you deal with losing runs?

Like everyone else not very well, but I’ve done my job for a long time now and highs and lows don’t effect me so much anymore.

Wish list…

Which race do you wish you had been given the opportunity to make a Pricewise selection in?

I do all the big races so none I can think of. Very little interest in low quality stuff.

Which other sporting event do you wish you had been able to make a Pricewise selection for?

NFL

Which other sporting event would you like to have the opportunity to be involved in?

Superbowl

Racing and the general public…

In your opinion what could be done to attract new fans to the sport?

Nothing that no one hasn’t said before. Make it cheaper and shorten the time between races 20 mins is plenty. 10 race cards too.

Do you think Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, etc…) has had a positive impact on racing and how else do you think it could be used to further promote the sport?

No idea don’t use it, never will either.

Improving the sport…

What one thing would you like to see implemented to improve horse racing -

a) on-course? Shorten the time between races

b) off-course? Just improve the quality by getting rid of all the rubbish meetings

The Cheltenham Festival…

Is there too much emphasis placed on the Cheltenham Festival and do you think it is starting to devalue the rest of the National Hunt calendar?

No and no.

Would a 5^th day at the festival strengthen the meeting or weaken it?

Weaken it massively. Too many crap races now, we don’t need any more.

Horses to follow…

Which horse are you most looking forward to following at this season’s Cheltenham Festival?

Minsk

Which Novice has impressed you most this season (hurdler or chaser) with a view to next season?

Grand Crus by a country mile

Which 2yo from 2011 should we look out for in 2012?

Akeed Mofeed (John Oxx)

Dark horse to follow for the 2012 flat season?

Pour Moi’s half-sister Kissed

Quickfire…

Cheltenham Gold Cup or Epsom Derby?

Not fussed give me the Stewards Cup any day of the week

Frankel or Black Caviar?

Frankel but I’ve never seen Black Caviar

A P McCoy or Ryan Moore?

Ruby Walsh

20 runner long distance chase or 35 runner 5f sprint (for punting purposes)?

Sprint every time

Just for fun…

If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

Time travel. No losers then.

Many thanks to Tom Segal for agreeing to take part in the NTF Q&A session.

In case you didn’t already know Tom Segal’s Pricewise column can be found in the Racing Post.

Ben (NTF)