It wasn't pretty, but Good To Be Alive got the job done at Plumpton.
I am convinced that if we had any other jockey from the UK or Ireland on Good To Be Alive, we'd be talking about how the horse lost.
Sean Bowen muscled his mount home when it didn't look likely. I don't know what odds he traded in play, but it must've been many times bigger than his starting price of 15/8.
The horse stayed on powerfully under a power-packed drive by Bowen, and if they don't decide to put him up to three miles, they must be having a giggle.
Boyles Hill 11/1 (1pt) – Chepstow 2.02
It's a very typical Tuesday, with not a lot of great racing on, and a lack of opportunities to have a bet. I thought Spadestep was going to be the second favourite at Newcastle, but seeing him as the odds-on favourite has meant it's just one fancy for Tuesday.
I gave a chance to Boyles Hill at Exeter on his third chasing start. He didn't look comfortable over the fences, but I thought he shaped a lot better than the 26L defeat.
Conor Ring had a lot of time to bridge the gap before jumping the final fences in the homestraight at Exeter, but decided not to. He wouldn't have won, so it's not the end of the world, but I felt like the horse was going better on the flat than where he was positioned.
I think they have made the correct decision to revert to hurdles, as he was progressive up until a flop at Punchestown in April. Prior to that run in Ireland, he had won three of his last four, and the form of those wins has been franked.
Lanesborough, who was 1lb lower than Boyles Hill, has since been an impressive winner at Doncaster and ran well in the Lanzarote off a much higher handicap mark.
The race that Boyles Hill beat Lanesborough in was this exact race twelve months ago. He is running off a 1lb higher mark than when he won by one length, so it's an interesting angle that he reverts back to hurdles and to this race. Isabel Williams is back in the saddle, who has struck up a decent partnership with the horse, winning two times on him. She isn't able to claim the 3lbs she did when winning this last year, making it a little more difficult. If the horse can bounce back to form, he is a big player.
GambleAware