Friday 6 January 2017 13:35, UK
Sky Sports News' Alex Hammond reflects on the best of the festive period and looks ahead to this weekend's feature action.
What did you make of Thistlecrack's dominant display in the King George and does he deserve his place as even-money favourite for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Thistlecrack has real wow-factor with a huge engine and with loads of scope and ability. I was impressed with the ease that he was able to stand off and put in huge leaps with minimal effort, yet also able to fiddle one when getting in close. He looks the full package and I really fancy him to win the Gold Cup despite his relative inexperience. It's easy for me to say though as I backed him back in March and wouldn't be rushing to have a bet at the current odds. Native River might not be as 'sexy' as Thistlecrack, but he is another Colin Tizzard inmate that looks capable of running a big race in the Gold Cup. If you aren't lucky enough to already be clutching an ante-post voucher for Thistlecrack at more attractive prices than he is now (even money favourite with Sky Bet), then you could do worse than back his stablemate each-way. He is currently 8/1 and is an improving young horse. As we saw in the Welsh National, he is a relentless galloper and jumps well. He has only just turned seven, two years younger than Thistlecrack, and is still on the up.
Thistlecrack aside, what was your highlight of the Christmas racing period in Britain and Ireland?
Well, regular readers of this blog will know that I'm in love with Vroum Vroum Mag, so I have to say her win in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. I mean, have you ever seen a horse quite as versatile as this magnificent eight-year-old mare? She has never finished out of the first three in 18 starts and has won 13 of those. She has won a bumper in France, six times over hurdles and is unbeaten in six starts over fences. She seems equally adept over two miles, three miles and anywhere in between; what a superstar. Whilst I believe she is in the right hands with Willie Mullins, I can't help but think that she deserves star status, which will most likely elude her whilst in a stable full of blue bloods. Having said that, she may well not have achieved as much as she has in someone else's hands as she maybe wouldn't have been campaigned quite so adventurously. What route would you have taken with her if she was the best horse in your fictional stable? Champion Hurdle, Stayers' Hurdle, Mares' Hurdle, Champion Chase, Ryanair or Gold Cup? She is often called a 'super-sub' and that is the role that she plays, but I would love to see her praised for being 'best in class' in one of the big ones at the Cheltenham Festival. I suspect if everything else in Closutton is fit and firing come March time she would end up in the Mares' Hurdle for which she is 9/4 second favourite behind the horse that beat her in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle, Apple's Jade. The least likely assignment would be a face off against Thistlecrack, Native River et al in the Gold Cup for which she is 40/1…….but oh I can dream!
What do you fancy for the Tolworth and do you think it's worth backing ante-post for Cheltenham?
It's that man Colin Tizzard again I'm afraid, but I was hugely impressed by Finian's Oscar on his hurdle debut at Hereford last month. The purchase price of anything is all relative and this £250,000 to owners Ann and Alan Potts won't be the vast sum that it appears to most of us, but nonetheless it's a significant amount for a relatively unproven racehorse and on this occasion it looks like money well spent (at this stage at least). He joined Tizzard in November as the impressive winner of an Irish Point to Point in October. The runner up that day was a horse called Mr Clarkson who won an Exeter Bumper on New Year's Day for David Pipe. As his name suggests he is from the family of Champion Chase winner Finian's Rainbow and he made very light work of winning that 2m 5 ½ f Novices' Hurdle. This is obviously a much more serious test and he has to prove he has the pace to handle the drop to 2 miles, but I hope he can step up to the plate. He is also entered in a novice hurdle at Wincanton on the same day, so if he goes here it will be because connections feel he is up to it. The presence of the Paul Nicholls trained Capitaine will hopefully ensure he is a reasonable price for Saturday's Grade 1. He's currently 16/1 for the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle with the sponsors at the Cheltenham Festival and I can assure you that won't be around if he wins at Sandown this weekend.
Veterans races seem to have caught the public's imagination since their inception and Sandown host the final of a series on Saturday with over £61,000 up for grabs for the winner. Who takes your eye in the ante-post market?
I've always been a fan of Rocky Creek, but he has taken more of my cash than he has given me back. However, the Paul Nicholls-trained 11-year-old remembered where the winning post was last time out at Sandown in the London Gold Cup for a first win since his victory in the BetBright Chase at Kempton in February 2015. Jack Sherwood was on board that day and is at the moment 'jocked up' on him for this race and he comes here with plenty of confidence having ridden his first ever double at Fakenham on New Year's Day. He takes off a valuable 3lb. Rocky Creek was one of Pacha Du Polder, Silviniaco Conti, Just A Par and Mon Parrain to enjoy a day's hunting and from experience this often can perk a jaded racehorse up. This will hopefully have kept him fresh and loving life before this valuable prize and I'll be going back in one more time on my old favourite.
Farewell 2016 - Hello 2017! What is your personal punting resolution for the New Year!
This is an interesting one and I've been wracking my brain to try and think of something smart and unusual to tell you! But the honest answer is to follow my own judgement and not be swayed by tips from others and NOT TO CHANGE MY MIND! Happy New Year everyone and may it be a prosperous one.
