CELTUS – +2202 pounds when poor second to Lidar in a novice chase at Newbury when odds on. He is better than that.
CHABLAIS – + 5792 pounds when easy winner of a novice chase at Kempton despite jumping markedly left on occasions. He is a very good horse and I very much look forward to monitoring his progress.
EL MONDO – 0 pounds unraced this season.
FOURTH ESTATE – 0 pounds unraced this season.
GRANDOUET – 25,024 pounds this very good horse should be 2 out of 2 this season and should have garnered 53,834 pounds. He was coming to beat Celestial Gold in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton when taking off too early and hitting the top of the second last hurdle. Plenty more to come from him.
KID CASSIDY – 0 pounds fell at the third last when going to bolt up at Lingfield on his chasing debut. He is far too hard a puller for me to ever be happy punting him.
LONG RUN – 42,932 pounds won when he finished second to Kauto Star at Haydock. His young amateur Waley-Cohen wasn’t at his best when asking his mount to take on a 110% fit and happy Kauto down the back straight for the second time. Long Run was brushed aside by his main rival in the home straight but did stay on well from the last. I am of the opinion that he will turn the placings around when the two meet in the King George V Handicap Chase on Boxing Day.
MOLOTOF – 14,626 pounds won when a novice hurdle at Wincanton and when winning a Listed Hurdle at Aintree on 18th November. That was a good performance and he is going to go far at the winter game.
OSCAR WHISKY – 0 pounds should have either won or been second when making his seasonal debut at Ascot on 19th November where a last flight fall when pressing Overturn denied him any prize money. Had he won he would have won 51,001 and if second 19,438 pounds. Just follow him throughout the season.
SPIRIT SON – 0 pounds unraced this far this season.
10 Paul Nicholls horses – 66,554 pounds in prize money since 1st November with 5 of the 10 horses getting in the money.
AITEENTHIRTYTHREE – 0 pounds 11th in the Hennessy when sent off the 9/2 favourite. I think he is not well handicapped this season off a mark of 152 and Paul may be restricted to targeting him at Conditions races.
HINTERLAND – 12,244 pounds picked up when winning a Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham at the Paddy Power Meeting on 12 November. I really like this big strong horse and I expect him to add much to his winnings to date.
KAUTO STONE – 28,017 pounds won at Down Royal on 5th November. A good round of jumping revealed his potential to all who watched this UK debut. Lots more to come from him this year unless Paul elects to campaign him lightly and wait for next year before testing him in the deeper waters of the NH game.
MICHEL LE BON – 0 pounds finished down the field in the Hennessy in his first run for 2 years. However his jumping was largely impeccable and if he remains sound there is plenty of prize money to be won by him.
MON PARAIN – 0 pounds finished out of the money when sent off second favourite for the Paddy Power at Cheltenham in mid November. His overall effort was disappointing and mirrored his modest 3rd of 3 in a racecourse gallop with Big Bucks and Kauto Star. I wouldn’t interested in backing him until he has his game back on track.
PACHA DU POLDER – 3899 pounds picked up when winning a 2 runner novice chase at Sandown early in November. That head victory over Eradicate is solid form and I know he will add to the Nicholls fund on a regular basis.
POLISKY – 2301 pounds third to Fingal Bay at Cheltenham in mid November. That was a solid form effort and he can build on it.
SILVINIACO CONTI – 20,093 picked up when impressively winning a Grade 2 Novice Chase at Wincanton on 5th November. He now goes for the Feltham Novices Chase and for me he is a mouth watering prospect for the remainder of the season.
TONIC MELLYSSE – 0 pounds horses have got to jump if they are to win anything. Capsized at the 6th fence at Warwick on chasing debut in mid November. He is a bit too free in his races and if Nicholls and his team can get him to drop the bit a bit more he can make up for this 0 prize money effort.
TIGRE D’ARON – 0 pounds was very disappointing on his first run for Paul Nicholls in a Boys race at Cheltenham at the Paddy Power Meeting. He is surely better than that showing. I shall expect Paul Nicholls to get him to come right and I will write him off just yet.
Interestingly each stable had 5 out of the selected 10 pick up money. Henderson’s pot would have been a lot bigger had Oscar Whiskey and Grandouet not fallen. Readers may think I was wrong not to include Kauto Star in the Nicholls 10. I, like everybody else, was pleased to see him win at Haydock. However I have been subsequently told that Nicholls had him as fit as he ever has been for that run. Had he not won or run creditably he would have been facing retirement. It is for that reason that I think Long Run will beat him in the King George.
There will be another monthly round up at the end of December.
[caption id="attachment_1018" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Click here to see Blue Sky Racings profile and stats.[/caption]
Click here to see Blue Sky Racings profile and stats.[/caption]