2022 Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle

[BigChaang]

Disappointing news for any Blazing Khal backers - did we have many on here?

Ginto the new favourite for the race.... who knew? Spectre jono

B.Khal was my biggest bet for the spud race . . . in the bin now .

[Studfarm254]

Lads don’t listen to gavin lynch please. There’s no way Gerri colombe runs in this race!

I think people are looking into Elliot’s last 2 winners of the race tomorrow Dortmund park and Torygraph and assuming because they went to the AB then gerri will go there also. Maybe if it worked there’d be a chance but they both got smashed in it. Look at his other 2 previous winners of the race westend star who went onto run in the MP (2m4f) and the storyteller who missed Cheltenham that year and ran in the plate (2m5f) the following year. The race tomorrow is only 2 furlongs more than the ballymore and it’s a sharp track so not going to be much more of a test than the ballymore if at all. So we can now dismiss the fact Elliot sends his AB horses here, cheers!

Next you look at Elliot’s novice hurdlers. For the supreme he has mighty potter and three stripe life. Given their entry at DRF there is still no signs of him stepping them up in trip. For the AB he already has hollow games and Minella crooner who we know this is their target. Then you have ginto who’s already won over 3 miles in PTP and is stepping up in trip at DRF, Elliot said in stable tour about the AB being his target and they keep saying stayer every time they talk about the horse, so I’d be pretty confident it’ll be going AB. Is Elliot going to run 4 horses in the AB and potentially none in the ballymore, sure he isn’t.

So next you look at the owner who also has JWM. For a start we know how much Henry loves his 3 milers and it’s a similar story with him as ginto. They keep banging on about him as a stayer, he’s won a 3 mile PTP and is stepping up in trip at the DRF with the AB clearly the target imo.

Gerri is going to be running in the ballymore. Do the right thing lads and listen to studfarm254!

[Bayoffreedom]

Lads don’t listen to gavin lynch please. There’s no way Gerri colombe runs in this race!


So next you look at the owner who also has JWM. For a start we know how much Henry loves his 3 milers and it’s a similar story with him as ginto. They keep banging on about him as a stayer, he’s won a 3 mile PTP and is stepping up in trip at the DRF with the AB clearly the target imo.

I am not convinced by this argument. On breeding JWM is not guaranteed to be best suited by 3 miles at this stage of his career. The fact he's won a PTP is of no relevance; Jonbon and Shishkin did as well (among many other 2 milers) - it proves nothing about a horses ability to stay 3 miles in a Championship race. However, of more immediate relevance, given that little rain is forecast between now and the DRF, it would not be surprising if he gave that meeting a swerve and turned up, instead, at Naas the following weekend over 2m 3.5f. For me, JWM is the Ballymore horse and GC the AB if you are talking about where owners will go. Of course, I could be completely wrong but, let's put it this way, there is no way I would be taking the 2/1 Ante Post for JWM at the DRF unless it is NRNB and, even then, it's a terrible price!
On a separate, but related note, the ground will be plenty quick enough for GC at Thurles so while he should still win, it may not be the 'cakewalk' his odds would suggest.

[Faugheen_Machine]

Lads don’t listen to gavin lynch please. There’s no way Gerri colombe runs in this race!

The way I see it is that JWM will run in the AB, with Grand Jury going for the Ballymore. Gerri Colombe will then slot in as a second arrow in one of the two races. A win today won't necessarily mean that they target the AB with him, imo.

[Spectre]

The way I see it is that JWM will run in the AB, with Grand Jury going for the Ballymore. Gerri Colombe will then slot in as a second arrow in one of the two races. A win today won't necessarily mean that they target the AB with him, imo.

Yes I'd subscribe to this. If JWM ends up in the Ballymore it's a complete u-turn on a horse they have described as needing at trip because all he does is gallop, and that they expect him to follow Minella Indo's hoofprints to the Albert Bartlett. Both HdB and Declan Phelan have repeated it several times, both the description of the horse and the target.

The races he's running in are because of the ground and the lack of options. I doubt now they'll look to give him a tough race over three miles before the Festival.

Grand Jury surely goes to the Ballymore. Where else? Better ground will see him improve significantly. Gerri Colombe could go either way, and I suspect they'll decide based on today's run. If he grinds it out he'll go up in trip, and if he shows pace he'll go to the Ballymore.

[Run4Home]

The way I see it is that JWM will run in the AB, with Grand Jury going for the Ballymore. Gerri Colombe will then slot in as a second arrow in one of the two races. A win today won't necessarily mean that they target the AB with him, imo.

Yeh I think this is about right, JWM will most likely go AB & Grand Jury likely Ballymore.
Both with Henry so most likely to split between races (trainer but also because the races look the natural fit) and slotting GC who's with Gordon in whichever race suits best based on today's run.

Henry & Declan P have stressed in every interview they see JWM as a 3m horse and following Minella Indo - so until anything more comes out I think its best to follow that train of thought and he doesn't look to have the toe for a Ballymore for me to win it so the AB race looks the best fit.

Given how fragile Gerri is , first port of call will be getting him there you can bet.
Wouldn't pay any attention to the distance of today's race its an easy track so not really a stamina test at all so I think assuming today's race points GC to the AB is people jumping to conclusions.

[FinalFurlong91]

I'm not even gonna pretend to know what runs in this or the ballymore

The only horse I can see is a definite is hollow games

im just waiting for nrnb now

[Hurricane fly]

I'd imagine this will be the only novice race GC will be aimed at after that

[Atlantic Viking]

I'd be disappointed if JWM wasn't better than that over the trip.

[RoadToCheltenham]

Gerri Colombe stays longer than the mother in law.

[Quevega]

Handicapper.

[knockando]

That was a gritty performance, would think that means Gerri going here - annoyingly for this chump who didn’t cash Ballymore bets. Will be interesting to see what connections say

[Eggs]

….GC a best price 10-1 for this after that win.

[ComplyOrDie]

Yeah, I'll not be I'm a rush to back Gerri Colombe for anything off the back of that just yet.

Glad I cashed the Ballymore bet too.

[Studfarm254]

That was a gritty performance, would think that means Gerri going here - annoyingly for this chump who didn’t cash Ballymore bets. Will be interesting to see what connections say

Lost ground at nearly every hurdle. Maybe won’t even go to Cheltenham now, surely not good enough