Honesty Policy ran well in defeat against the favourite, who definitely outstayed him to get the victory.
If the favourite jumped well, like he did at Cheltenham, it was always going to be an uphill task to beat him as he had the best form in the race. With a furlong left to run, and a messy jump at the last by the eventual winner, Honesty Policy looked to be in with a chance. He battled tenaciously in the final half furlong, but didn't have the gas tank to come back at the winner.
The other runner on the day was playing up at the start and was eventually withdrawn by the stewards.
Tribalist 5/4 (3pt) – Saint-Cloud 3.25
Once again, the racing over in Ireland looks ridiculously hard to get involved in, so I've decided to dodge it apart from having one each way at that meeting. My main selection of Thursday is over in France at Saint-Cloud, with Tribalist going for the three wins in a row in the Prix du Muguet (Group 2).
The ground is apparently good to soft, but I think it will be riding quicker than that as they are also experiencing some nice weather, like we are in the UK. On paper, Tribalist's form has been on softer going, but that's not necessarily the case as his times would suggest he has been running on better ground than the going description, so the slightly quicker conditions does not bother me in the slightest, as I think he is the best horse in the race and has the best form.
Mickael Barzalona is a positive return as he was not on board him last time out, and he knows this horse very well and will likely try and make all, which has been the case on him for the majority of his career. Front-running tactics can often be very good in France, as more often than not, they don't set the strongest of gallops, so being prominent allows you to extend and hit top gear, leaving the horses in behind flat-footed.
The form of Tribalist is the best in this race, even at the age of six. Last year, he beat Charyn in a Group 1 over the mile at Longchamp, and that is head and shoulders clear of what any other horse has achieved in this race. Charyn was the Champion miler of last year, so a performance anywhere close to that will see him tough to beat.
He was beaten last time out on his seasonal reappearance by No Lunch, who reopposes him today. The winner that day is a much better horse on the all-weather than the turf, so I wouldn't be concerned, and it was evidently a pipe opener for today's race, as he was 3/1 and not particularly strong in the market.
Gabriel's Getaway 9/1 EW (6pl) – Punchestown 3.05
The UK raiders have done well so far this week at Punchestown, recording three winners so far (I think), and it's been that way in recent years as the raiders have managed to win a fair few races, with Anthony Honeyball being one of the standout trainers with three wins in the last five years at this meeting.
Anthony sends over Gabriel's Getaway for this race, and I think he arrives with a solid enough chance. At the prices, given Honeyball's record at this meeting, he is worth a few quid. I like the fact that my selection turns up fresh, whereas the majority of the horses in this race have raced multiple times throughout the season and will likely be fatigued. Gabriel's Getaway has only raced once this season, coming at the start of March, where he ran well considering he desperately needed the run.
The form of that seasonal opener race has worked out quite nicely; the winner has since finished second in a Grade 1 at Aintree, and Gabriel's Getaway recorded an RPR of 128, which is a good number from 399 days off the track. The Irish handicapper has gone easy on him and has given him a rating of 124 which is 2lbs lower than his UK rating, and given he managed to win a Class 2 on good ground at Doncaster off a mark of 122, beating Calico and other solid handicappers, he has been given every chance of going close.
GambleAware