DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
SATURDAY DECEMBER 28
12.50 LEOPARDSTOWN
Wide open fare, but both STAY GOLD (best price 11-2) and JOLIE JEWEL (best price 28-1) indicated on their latest starts that they might be ready to strike soon, and they are worth playing against the field accordingly.
The former ran a pleasing race on handicap debut at Punchestown last time out and looks the type to continue to improve. Still green and disorganised at the Kildare venue, he did, however, caught the eye with the way he finished off his race from an unpromising position at halfway and although he shapes as though he will probably be seen to best advantage over three miles in time, today’s stiffer track should provide the sort of examination he requires for the now.
The latter, like many, could never get into apposition where she could offer any resistance to all-the-wat winner Slane Hill at Navan last time, but she did make up a tremendous amount of ground from the back of the field that made her hard not to ignore in the final analysis.
In isolation, her final lap sectional of 2.48.8 worked out much better than the winner (2.50.4) and on par with the likes of Wingman (2.48.4), who took the opening maiden hurdle and Clarens (2.48.6), game winner of the two-mile handicap.
Based on these findings, the daughter of Spider Flight clearly ran better than the bare result suggests and there is no way she deserves to be chalked up as one of the rags if running to a similar standard.
STAY GOLD – 1-point win@11-2
JOLIE JEWEL – ½ point each-way@28-1
1.25 LEICESTER
SUPERBOLT (NAP) (best price 9-4)had his consistency duly rewarded at Ludlow last time out and with the step up in trip seemingly the catalyst to his breakthrough success, Nigel Twiston-Davies inmate should now be in no mood to take his foot off the pedal.
Runner-up on his three previous starts, including to the much-improved Moodofthemoment at Hereford, the four-year-old returned to the same area to contest a similar bunch of opponents, class-wise, but this time, the extra half a mile he encountered really played into his strengths.
Very strong at the business end when stamina became the key component, the son of Zoffany left a couple of useful sorts trailing in his wake and with Jamie Brace offsetting the penalty he picked up for winning that prize, he still appears well treated over a track that also should suit his profile.
SUPERBOLT – 2-points win@9-4
2.20 NEWBURY
HENRY’S FRIEND (best price 4-1) ran a super race to be fifth in the Coral Cup here last time out and with confidence high for both his trainer and jockey alike, Ben Pauling’s gelding can add his own personal sparkle to their run of positive results for the same team.
Prepared especially for the big handicap at the Berkshire circuit, the Shirocco gelding was travelling as well as anything until a bad mistakes at the 14th and four from home rather knocked his nose out of joint and from that point, he put himself in a position from which he could never recover.
He did, however, keep on well enough to suggest it might have well been a different story but for those two notable errors and providing he can jump better on his return to the same C&D, the Grade 2-winning seven-year-old can add to his three previous chase victories.
HENRY’S FRIEND – 1-point win@4-1
2.50 LIMERICK
JERIKO DE BAUNE (best price 9-1) shaped like a return to three miles would see him to better advantage at Navan last time out and in a race that looks decidedly weaker than the one he contested 41 days ago; Philip Fenton’s inmate can keep the good run of the stable over the Christmas period ticking along (winner and a third from two runners).
Languishing in the cheap seats with a circuit to go at the Meath venue, the five-year-old made up a huge amount of ground in the final mile to get without seven lengths of the eventual winner, so it came as no surprise to find out his circuit sectionals were one of the best in the entire, 23-strong field.
A winner at Fairyhouse last season over today’s trip, it would be somewhat of a surprise if he wasn’t more competitive in today’s contest, several classes lower than the one he faced last month.
JERIKO DE BAUNE – 1-point each-way@9-1