Jump Racing 28th December 2012

[RIO2014]

Topaz Novice Chase (Grade 1) 2.25 LEOP BACK IN FOCUS. 3 miles in soft heavy ground, going left handed, is just about ideal. No doubt a chaser to follow over 3m plus however, he is a fair bit better given the underfoot conditions, there is nothing in this race for me to worry about. I will go out with a bang here as one of my last bets on horse racing. I fully expect him to be close to evens come race time. 6/4 williamhill, boyles,365. 100 points win. gl all

[cpo]

Re: Jump Racing 28th December 2012 3.00 Leopardstown Pandorama 0.5pt EW @ 25/1 StanJames Probably playing for a place here as I expect either Flemenstar or Sir Des Champs to win this but Pandorama is an interesting entrant in this race. He won the race back in 2010 very easily and followed that with a 7^th in the Gold Cup. He injured himself in that race and hasn’t been seen since. It’s obviously a near impossible task for this horse after a 651-day absence but I feel there is reason to think he could run a big race. He has had 12 career starts, winning 9 times and finishing unplaced twice. Both of those efforts have come when travelling over to England and encountering quicker ground. I am happy to excuse both of those runs, as he is clearly happier in testing ground in his home country. He is 3 from 3 at Leopardstown and has successfully returned from a long absence twice in his career already. This is a stronger running of the race than when he won it 2 years ago but I find it interesting that connections are letting him take his chance here. They must have him in decent nick at home and I think at the odds he is worth a small interest. 2.25 Leopardstown Aupcharlie 1pt EW @ 9/1 William Hill Willie Mullins holds a strong hand here with Back In Focus and Aupcharlie and it may be worth taking a chance on his 2^nd string at the current prices. He was a decent bumper horse, finishing 3^rd in the Cheltenham bumper and didn’t really go on over hurdles getting beat twice at odds on. He only had 3 runs over hurdles before connections decided to send him over fences. It’s no surprise to me that he won his start over hurdles stepped up to 20f and then routed a decent enough field on his first start over fences over the same distance. That was his first start for 301 days and he won very comfortably looking better the further he went. He looked a natural over fences and I would expect him to come on plenty for that run. For me the key with this horse is stamina and I think he will relish the step up to 3m here. From his breeding you would expect this horse to improve for the step up in trip. The ground won’t be too testing tomorrow which is a positive as he goes just as well on good ground. It’s a big ask on his 2^nd start over fences, against proven horses proven at graded level already but I think he could potentially be very good. Back in Focus is rightfully the favourite but at 6/4 I would rather take a chance with his stable mate.