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3.00 Cheltenham – Stanjames.Com International Hurdle (Grade 2)
The feature race of the day at Cheltenham on Saturday has attracted six runners and the market is headed by My Tent Or Yours who was a shade disappointing on his return to action at Haydock last month. The nine-year-old settled much better than he had done in the past but when the time came to quicken his response was pretty muted. I suspect that the heavy ground was the reason for that as he has always been considered a good ground horse by connections and I don’t think we should judge him too harshly on that run. Having said that I still think around 11/8 is plenty short enough for all he gets weight from all of his rivals as at the age of nine, I’m not entirely sure how much ability he retains.
He faces an old rival in the shape of The New One who comes here on the back of an aborted novice chase campaign in which the race he was declared to run was abandoned. Connections have therefore decided to go down this route instead and on his best hurdles form he would have every chance of recording a third victory in the race. My one concern is that this is a pretty strong race for him to come back in and there is a possibility he might just be a little short on his first run since April.
With that in mind I think it is worth taking a chance on MISTER MIYAGI who shaped as though in need of the run at Kempton in October before just failing to reign in Un Temps Pour Tout at Aintree last time. The way he travelled through the Kempton race suggested he would win well but he got tired late on and it cost him. He does have a bit to find with the likes of My Tent Or Yours and The New One but I don’t think we have seen the best of this horse yet and the Dan Skelton yard have really started to hit form in the past couple of weeks. If they were all the same price I suspect I might side with My Tent Or Yours but I think 4/1 about Mister Miyagi is fair enough and I suggest a small win bet.
Another one worthy of a mention is last year’s winner Old Guard who finished behind both My Tent Or Yours and Melodic Rendezvous at Haydock last time. Like Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old I think the ground was probably slower than ideal up there but he has yet to entirely convince at this level. The conditions of the race are also not in his favour as he has to concede 6lb to Mister Miyagi and 8lb to My Tent Or Yours which could make life tricky.
The field is completed by the two outsiders Court Minstrel and Melodic Rendezvous. The former finished ahead of Mister Miyagi at Kempton but was disappointing when upped in trip last time whilst Jeremy Scott’s veteran would need the ground to be significantly slower for him to be considered a contender.
Advice
MISTER MIYAGI – 1pt win @ 4/1 (Paddy Power, Ladbrokes)
The feature race of the day at Cheltenham on Saturday has attracted six runners and the market is headed by My Tent Or Yours who was a shade disappointing on his return to action at Haydock last month. The nine-year-old settled much better than he had done in the past but when the time came to quicken his response was pretty muted. I suspect that the heavy ground was the reason for that as he has always been considered a good ground horse by connections and I don’t think we should judge him too harshly on that run. Having said that I still think around 11/8 is plenty short enough for all he gets weight from all of his rivals as at the age of nine, I’m not entirely sure how much ability he retains.
He faces an old rival in the shape of The New One who comes here on the back of an aborted novice chase campaign in which the race he was declared to run was abandoned. Connections have therefore decided to go down this route instead and on his best hurdles form he would have every chance of recording a third victory in the race. My one concern is that this is a pretty strong race for him to come back in and there is a possibility he might just be a little short on his first run since April.
With that in mind I think it is worth taking a chance on MISTER MIYAGI who shaped as though in need of the run at Kempton in October before just failing to reign in Un Temps Pour Tout at Aintree last time. The way he travelled through the Kempton race suggested he would win well but he got tired late on and it cost him. He does have a bit to find with the likes of My Tent Or Yours and The New One but I don’t think we have seen the best of this horse yet and the Dan Skelton yard have really started to hit form in the past couple of weeks. If they were all the same price I suspect I might side with My Tent Or Yours but I think 4/1 about Mister Miyagi is fair enough and I suggest a small win bet.
Another one worthy of a mention is last year’s winner Old Guard who finished behind both My Tent Or Yours and Melodic Rendezvous at Haydock last time. Like Nicky Henderson’s nine-year-old I think the ground was probably slower than ideal up there but he has yet to entirely convince at this level. The conditions of the race are also not in his favour as he has to concede 6lb to Mister Miyagi and 8lb to My Tent Or Yours which could make life tricky.
The field is completed by the two outsiders Court Minstrel and Melodic Rendezvous. The former finished ahead of Mister Miyagi at Kempton but was disappointing when upped in trip last time whilst Jeremy Scott’s veteran would need the ground to be significantly slower for him to be considered a contender.
Advice
MISTER MIYAGI – 1pt win @ 4/1 (Paddy Power, Ladbrokes)
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