It’s Thyestes Chase day at Gowran Park, reminding us all what fun it is to have a big race on a weekday. Apparently, it’s the race that stops a county.
The day brings a slight pang of regret for me. As doubtless none of you will remember, I managed to pick the winner of the 2018 Thyestes when he was on offer at 6-1 and it was a source of comfort, on less successful days, to think: ‘Hey, but I found the right one in the Thyestes.’ Now that that’s fully a year ago, it might be time to give up on that particular security blanket.
Good old Monbeg Notorious is back in the race again and he has the considerable advantage of Davy Russell aboard but he’s a stone higher than a year ago and hasn’t run since April. Gordon Elliott can get them fit at home, of course, but this one looks to me like a horse who benefits for a run.
So, at 10-1, I’ll side with one of his several stablemates in the line-up. Dounikos (3.00) showed a heap of promise as a novice last season and this could be the day to see him build on it. Notably, he was just three parts of a length behind Invitation Only in the Flogas in February and finishing the stronger of the pair. Invitation Only is 4lb worse off but is half the price of his rival.
Dounikos has finished weakly in his two runs so far this season but both were on good going and he’ll appreciate this softer surface. He went well for a long way at Leopardstown over Christmas, under an aggressive ride from his claiming jockey, and it amounted to a much better run than his reappearance.
Sean Flanagan climbs aboard on Thursday, a man who hasn’t had many chances on Elliott horses but scored a notable win on the trainer’s Felix Desjy recently. It’s at least interesting that Dounikos has been the subject of support, having been 20-1 on Wednesday.
It’s a hot race but I’m not convinced Invitation Only has the necessary stamina, while Mall Dini probably has bigger fish to fry in March. Up For Review hasn’t raced since May and has a questionable record in big fields. Some Neck didn’t jump all that cleanly on his way to landing a novice chase in November and may be a challenging ride for Richie Deegan. Borice is interesting at 14-1, since he needs to go up the weights if he’s to get into the Grand National; he was basically hunted round on his Irish debut, having lost an irretrievable amount of ground by taking off too soon at the first.
Anyway, good luck to you all if you’re having a cut at the Thyestes or indeed at the similarly tricky Galmoy Hurdle earlier on the Gowran card. The headline horse here is, of course, Presenting Percy, who remains favourite for the Gold Cup despite not having been seen since the last Festival. He won the Galmoy handily a year ago and you’d want to see something similar if you’re on him for Cheltenham already. He’s 7-4 for the race at 1.50pm, which doesn’t tempt me.
It’s just as well the Thyestes is on because we’ve lost our two jumps cards in Britain, at Wetherby and Fakenham, both frozen. At Southwell, I like 9-2 Handsome Bob (1.15) in the opener, Keith Dalgleish’s charge having produced a career best on his first start here last month. Later, 11-4 is fine about Temur Khan (2.55), who also benefited for the switch to Fibresand when landing a maiden here three weeks ago. The four-year-old looks nicely treated on that evidence as he makes his second start in a handicap.
Colwood (7.25) is the sensible pick at Chelmsford tonight, this ex-French 4-1 shot having got off the mark on his second start for Robert Eddery before Christmas. The slightly mad pick, in the opening hands and heels race, is Mystical Moon (4.25) at 50-1. She hasn’t achieved much but she led to the furlong pole in a Wolves novice last time and hasn’t had many chances in handicaps. She comes from an in-form yard, will be ridden by a jockey with a fair strike-rate and could outrun her odds.
Wetherby
12.35 Qawamees 1.05 Briac (nap) 1.35 Follow The Swallow 2.10 Aquarian 2.45 Oliver’s Island
3.20 Manwell 3.55 Captain Moirette
Fakenham
12.55 Red Royalist 1.25 Vaxalco 2.00 Lygon Rock
2.35 Dream Baie 3.10 Gettysburg Address
3.45 Cottonvale (nb)
Southwell
1.15 Handsome Bob 1.45 Hanati 2.20 Foolaad
2.55 Temur Khan 3.30 Whenapoet 4.05 Gabrials Centurion
Chelmsford
4.25 Mystical Moon 4.55 Pacificadora 5.25 Glenn Coco 5.55 How Far 6.25 Distant Applause 6.55 Dahawi
7.25 Colwood 7.55 Elenora Delight