Tribalist was the main play on Thursday, and he delivered the goods at Saint-Cloud.
Thankfully, Mickael Barzalona stuck to the plan of getting the lead on this horse, and he set the right gallop and was ultimately too good for the rest of the field, winning the race for a third year in a row.
My other selection at Punchestown was horrendous. He was positioned towards the back and was struggling from an early stage.
Lazzat 5/4 (2pt) – Chantilly 4.13
I am going to have another play in France after yesterday's winning selection, and today's horse is Lazzat, who should be far too good for this Listed race.
This horse was all the rage last season when he was on a six winning streak, and given the level of his performances during that series of wins, he is the best horse in this race by a country mile and will take a serious amount of stopping in this Listed race, which is below the level of this four-year-old.
He has not managed to win another race since winning those first six races of his career, but he has been racing at the top level and over a mile, which probably stretches his stamina a bit too much. Despite not getting wins, he has run well in defeat, including finishing 2nd in Australia in a race worth 2.8 million to the winner.
He should have the speed for this six furlong as he was a winner over 6.5 at Deauville in a Group 1 last August, recording an RPR of 124. That day, he was prominent, and I think Cristian Demuro will try to make the running, as we all know he will stay slightly further and will have the stamina edge over his opponents.
The Yellow Clay 13/8 (1pt) – Punchestown 6.05
I really like Final Demand, but I think he has to be stepped up to 3m as he is a proper staying horse and this trip on quick(ish) ground, will likely catch him out, like the Ballymore at Cheltenham did. Instead, I am going to back The Yellow Clay to finish ahead of him again, for the second time in a row.
I don't think this race is the strongest of renewals, and I think it is between the two at the top of the market, and given The Yellow Clay looks more suitable to today's trip, he has to be the play, even though he is the favourite. I can't see any of the other horses causing an upset, which does sound daft as we've seen plenty of upsets so far this week at Punchestown, but there's levels to this game and the two at the top of the market have shown to be head and shoulders above the rest of the field.
The form behind The New Lion is by far the best form in the race and Final Demand was rushed off his feet, four lengths behind TYC, so I do struggle seeing a reverse in the form.
GambleAware