Wednesday 11th March

1:30 Ballymore Novice Hurdle

THE BIG BREAKAWAY 10/1 generally – 0.75 POINTS E/W (3 places, 1/5 odds)

I am under no illusions of how good Envoi Allen is and the odds and performances he has put in this season, tell you he will be hard to beat and I suppose I think he will win. I think given he is a novice, with improving types around him, you don’t know exactly where you stand with him. The reason I say this is because this race is full of improving types who have not reached their full potential, so could be there to be shot at. Given we have a double running with Tiger Roll and I am happy to include one horse against him.

The horse who I think good go right to the top is THE BIG BREAKAWAY. I would go as far to say that I think he is a gold cup winner of the future and has chaser written all over him. Whether this is a race too soon, we will find out, but he has done nothing wrong and if he continues to improve, he can serve it up to Envoi Allen.

He is a horse who will eventually want 3 miles, so any soft in the description will be too his advantage. The rain that fell overnight on Monday, pretty much confirms it will be at least good to soft (dry period ahead of us).

This is a horse who was purchased for £360k after winning a point to point at Quakerstown back in April 2019. He didn’t just win that race, he won it by 10 lengths and that is the reason he cost so much money.

He made his debut at Chepstow in November when beating Blackjack Kentucky on the bridle, by lengths. He jumped extremely well and travelled like a horse beyond his years. Blackjack Kentucky has since gone on to win and is now rated 132 by the handicapper. The way THE BIG BREAKAWAY won, tells me it was a performance of at least a 150 horse that day (without the further improvement to come). He then went to Newbury and done exactly the same, if not better, to win by 7 lengths. A performance beyond his years, yet again.

Both races were lower level races, so he has to step up in class here but he has all the tools to go to the top of the game. He is as exciting as they come and although he comes here, inexperienced, the potential is endless.

I think he can improve to go close here but even if it is a race too early, keep an eye on this horse in years to come, particularly over fences. WIN.

3:30 Queen Mother Chase

DEFI DU SEUIL 5/4 generally – 2.5 POINTS WIN

My NAP of the meeting. It is shame Altior is not running as it would have been some race, with Altior v Defi Du Seuil v Chacun Pour Soi and more so, we would have had a bigger price.

It is now a 2 horse race between DEFI DU SEUIL and Chacun Pour Soi and I am very confident DEFI DU SEUIL wins.

He is going to love the ground and absolutely loves Cheltenham, winning 6 from 8 starts at the course. I think that is a huge advantage over Chacun Pour Soi who has not run at the course.

DEFI DU SEUIL was a winner at last years festival when winning the JLT and stepped it up a notch again this season, winning all 3 starts, including the Tingle Creek Chase and Clarence House Chase. He jumping has been electric this season and last time out he showed a turn of foot, to put a race to bed in strides. He was beaten by Chacun Pour Soi at Punchestown last season but that was on the back of a hard season, where the Willie Mullins horse would have had his horse primed.

It is still some race but I believe DEFI DU SEUIL could turn out to be special and he is only 7 years old. WIN.