Well, four days of top-class racing has ended, and if you're on the same boat as me, you'll be happy to see the back of it.
Rizz kept us somewhat afloat with Stumptown and a couple of eachway selections filling the places on other articles. Still, as a whole, I'm delighted the festival is over because I was utterly slaughtered from start to finish. From reading the comments on the thread and elsewhere, I know I wasn't the only one, but it's disappointing to put the hours in each night and come away with your tail between your legs.
Willie Mullins won the Triumph Hurdle yesterday, and he did so with his 100/1 shot Poniros. That particular result sums up the whole festival for me. As a follower of the sport and someone who enjoys analysing form, what chance does the average Joe have when things like that pop up? I understand these results happen here and there, but the shocking results were happening daily throughout the four days, from Constitution Hill to Jonbon to Galopin Des Champs all losing. The three just mentioned weren't the only ones, and, notably, were all superboosted by Bet365 and backed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
It was good to see a lot of people getting involved in the comments, regardless of whether you were giving selections or simply giving your thoughts on the festival, it's still nice to see people getting involved.
Cairnzy's Tips
Joyeux Machin 7/2 – Uttoxeter 2.25
My sole selection on Saturday comes in the shape of the Skelton-trained Joyeux Machin. My selection swerved Cheltenham this year, with connections opting to send him here instead. This race is competitive but not to the same degree to that of which he would have run against at Cheltenham.
Originally trained by Paul Nolan, Joyeux Machin switched hands to the Skelton yard during the Christmas period of last year. He didn't exactly show a lot under Paul Nolan, but after a few runs on British soil he has certainly turned a corner in terms of his form. He caught the eye last time out at Ascot when a strong finishing second behind Harry Fry's Altobelli. Altobelli is very much a progressive type and was raised from a mark of 137 to 147 on the back of a three and three quarter length victory to my selection. The handicapper has only raised Joyeux Machin 2lb for that effort, which looks generous given he hit the winner with 10lb, and my selection was staying on extremely well towards the line.
Joyeux Machin seems versatile ground-wise, with his most recent coming on good ground while his previous came on soft, which saw him finish in third place and not far off the eventual winner. My selection takes a considerable step up in trip for this contest, which looks the correct move given how strongly he finished off his race last time out. If he handles the new trip, then he should be bang there at the finish.
Rizzle's Tips
Invincible Nao 12/1 EW – Uttoxeter 3.00
Rizz will be back tomorrow with Sunday's racing but has asked me to mention a horse he put up a while ago as an Antepost bet for this year's Midlands National.
The horse he advised was Invincible Nao, whom he originally put up at 16/1. The horse has been backed into 12/1 at the time of writing, but the price remains an attractive one, and with Bet365 offering 5 places, it could be a nice eachway bet in what looks a very competitive looking contest.
GambleAware