Two For The Welsh National!

Only The Bold one of our runners today!
I hope everyone had a good Boxing Day, ate too much and enjoyed watching the racing. Today we move onto Welsh National Day and we have two runners in the feature race at 2.50pm, Only The Bold and Iceo Madrik.  Jack Tudor is on board Only the Bold in the colours of the Value Racing Club while David Noonan rides Iceo Madrik for Professor Caroline Tisdall.  Both are relatively big prices at 25/1 and 66/1 respectively but if you are in it you have a chance.  Our horses are correctly in the handicap while several of the runners are running from out of the weights.  The weather is wet and both our horses won’t mind any rain that falls.

Only The Bold had a terrific first season for us last year winning his first two chases and I know David has been keen on him for this race for quite a while.  The plan was always to have a hurdle run before the weights for this came out which he did at Newbury.  It was a hot race that day and he got out speeded over the smaller obstacles on ground quicker than ideal.  We then ran him again at Uttoxeter where he was beaten from and early stage and pulled up with a circuit to go.  He was found to have a fibrillating heart that day which was the reason behind the poor run.  Since that, he has been regularly monitored and seen by the heart specialist and has been found to be perfectly normal.  These freak things can happen, just like to humans.  While he hasn’t had the most ideal preparation, he is in great form at home and will enjoy returning to fences.  With a bit of luck in running I don’t see why he won’t bounce back to form.

Iceo Madrik was bought as a staying chaser from France and all it has looked like he has ever wanted is a marathon test and heavy conditions which he could get today if the weather forecast is correct.  I thought his return to action over hurdles at Newbury last time was a step back in the right direction after wind surgery.  The ground was too lively for him over hurdles but jockey Jack Tudor said he galloped all the way to the line and was doing his best work at the end.  He does have his own style of jumping but if David Noonan can get him into a good rhythm I think he will be staying on at the end and could outrun his odds.

Alongside Chepstow today there is also some good action at Kempton and Wetherby.  There is one flat meeting at Wolverhampton and in Ireland they race at Limerick and Leapordstown.

Yesterday, several of our runners ran well but we could not quite get a winner.  Paricolor ran best to be second at Fontwell.  The ground was very testing there but he saw out the 3m2f trip very well and galloped all the way to the line and was not beaten far.  Behind the Curtain ran well on his first proper start in a very long time.  He was quite exuberant in the race both in jumping and the way he travelled.  He got very tired after jumping two out and Gearoid Harney wisely pulled him up.  There was plenty of promise from this run and he looks capable of winning races, probably on a more conventional track.  Via Dante looked like the winner in his race as they turned for home but he also got tired late on and finished fourth.  This was his first run back from an extended break and it was good he completed for the first time over the larger obstacles.  He can win over fences in the near future.  Duc De Beauchene ran okay at Wincanton without ever getting involved in the business end of the race while Kingofthewest ran another solid race to be fourth.  Stray Bullet got bumped exiting the stalls at Wolverhampton and was on the back foot thereafter. He never really got involved in the race which was a shame and he is definitely capable of better.

Well done to Shark Hanlon and all involved with Hewick winning the King George at Kempton.  It was a dramatic race with Shishkin looking like the winner but stumbling after the second last fence and getting rid of Nico De Boinville.  The race then looked at the mercy of Bravemansgame and Allaho but Hewick came from the clouds to overtake them both close to the line.  The story associated with this horse is magical, a wrags to riches tale and shows dreams can come true with a horse bought at the cheaper end on the market.  

Yesterday in the football, Nottingham Forest were surprise 3-1 winners away to Newcastle while Liverpool beat Burnley 2-0.  There was not much to cheer at Old Trafford to start with and it was certainly a match with two different halves but Manchester United did manage to turn the first half around and win their match 3-2 to Aston Villa.  There are three Premiership matches this evening with Wolves away to Brentford and Chelsea at home to Crystal Palace at 7.30pm.  The 8.15pm kick off match is Everton and Manchester City and this promises to be a good one.

A guy broke into my house last night and was looking for money.

So I got up and looked with him!

Have a great Wednesday!