Nap of the Day - Friday March 13th

[arsenalfh]

Shantou Bob has shown a lot of promise this season for up and coming trainer Warren Greatrex but was a beaten odds on favourite last time. However the time before that he stayed on well up the hill at Sandown while hanging and was only beaten a nose by Vyta du Roc which caught my attention. He has a bit of guts about him which is what you want in an Albert Bartlett and Vyta du Roc franked the form when running a cracker in the Neptune before blundering at the last. He hasn’t travelled well through his last two races and it’s interesting what Warren Greatrex had to say after his last run: "There was a trace of blood in his nostril after the race, but after scoping him it's clear it hasn't come from his lungs and he has just burst a blood vessel in his nostril, which isn't anything serious. "I haven't had chance to have him checked out yet, but I have a feeling that he may have a small wind issue. "He only ran on Saturday, so we'll give him a few days to get over it and then get him looked at, but I just have it in the back of my mind there is a minor problem there. "He was struggling a long way from home on Saturday, which just isn't him. He's a horse who should travel well in his races. "His jumping wasn't as good as it can be either, which gives me the impression that maybe he was thinking about something else. "He did a similar thing at Sandown the time before - hitting a flat spot before running on. I put a tongue-tie on him that day, which was more precautionary than anything, but maybe his wind has got worse since. "It's a weird thing to say, but it's almost a good thing, as we know that wasn't his running on Saturday and hopefully it's something we can put right. "It's not as though he ran terribly, but I do think he's better than he showed on Saturday." So this gelding has had its problems yet still has produced some top class novice form. Not only did Vyta du Roc frank the form but Tara Point won a listed contest comfortably and Ordo Ab Chao went on to beat Value at Risk in a Grade 2 who is generally a 10/1 shot for this. The step up to 3m looks exactly what this he wants on breeding and looking at way he rallied back against Vyta du Roc up the Sandown hill. The vet alleviated concerns about the burst blood vessel and he had a wind op with Cole Harden who ran away with the World Hurdle today. He’s the gutsy type of horse who I would want to back in a race like this and after the improvement Warren got out of Cole Harden it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him show considerable improvement. The 40/1 available on Skybet is absolutely massive for a horse who has shown this level of form. Shantou Bob - 1pt each-way @ 40/1 Skybet

[arsenalfh]

Re: Nap of the Day - Friday March 13th

Shantou Bob has shown a lot of promise this season for up and coming trainer Warren Greatrex but was a beaten odds on favourite last time. However the time before that he stayed on well up the hill at Sandown while hanging and was only beaten a nose by Vyta du Roc which caught my attention. He has a bit of guts about him which is what you want in an Albert Bartlett and Vyta du Roc franked the form when running a cracker in the Neptune before blundering at the last. He hasn’t travelled well through his last two races and it’s interesting what Warren Greatrex had to say after his last run: "There was a trace of blood in his nostril after the race, but after scoping him it's clear it hasn't come from his lungs and he has just burst a blood vessel in his nostril, which isn't anything serious. "I haven't had chance to have him checked out yet, but I have a feeling that he may have a small wind issue. "He only ran on Saturday, so we'll give him a few days to get over it and then get him looked at, but I just have it in the back of my mind there is a minor problem there. "He was struggling a long way from home on Saturday, which just isn't him. He's a horse who should travel well in his races. "His jumping wasn't as good as it can be either, which gives me the impression that maybe he was thinking about something else. "He did a similar thing at Sandown the time before - hitting a flat spot before running on. I put a tongue-tie on him that day, which was more precautionary than anything, but maybe his wind has got worse since. "It's a weird thing to say, but it's almost a good thing, as we know that wasn't his running on Saturday and hopefully it's something we can put right. "It's not as though he ran terribly, but I do think he's better than he showed on Saturday." So this gelding has had its problems yet still has produced some top class novice form. Not only did Vyta du Roc frank the form but Tara Point won a listed contest comfortably and Ordo Ab Chao went on to beat Value at Risk in a Grade 2 who is generally a 10/1 shot for this. The step up to 3m looks exactly what this he wants on breeding and looking at way he rallied back against Vyta du Roc up the Sandown hill. The vet alleviated concerns about the burst blood vessel and he had a wind op with Cole Harden who ran away with the World Hurdle today. He’s the gutsy type of horse who I would want to back in a race like this and after the improvement Warren got out of Cole Harden it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him show considerable improvement. The 40/1 available on Skybet is absolutely massive for a horse who has shown this level of form. Shantou Bob - 1pt each-way @ 40/1 Skybet

2:40 Cheltenham