Johnny Ward's Irish angle: Bobby looks big at 16-1
By Johnny Ward
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
By Johnny Ward
I am really looking forward to the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot this summer if three-time Dubai Gold winner Vazirabad takes on Order Of St George.
The French horse seems a cracking ante-post price at 10-1 in places behind the Coolmore favourite, Ballydoyle stablemate Capri, Big Orange and Stradivarius but then again bookmakers are obviously sceptical that Alain De Royer-Dupre will risk him in the heat of the summer.
Order Of St George, in contrast, will surely go there and he kicks off the season against just two rivals at Navan on Sunday.
Neither Limerick nor Navan tends to attract patrons for Flat meetings but both are well worth perusing for punting benefit this weekend.
Saturday tips:
Johnny Ward
Finished: 8thSP: 5/1
This daughter of Jeremy was hurdling a couple of months ago (seemingly does not stay) so should be fit enough to perform under Tom Madden.
She has strong claims if that is the case. Rated 64, the key to her seems to be soft ground, and she was placed at Cork in October 2016 off 73.
She was beaten a neck at Limerick three years ago and won at the Curragh earlier in her career and could offer plenty of value now for her small yard.
Johnny Ward
Finished: 3rdSP: 11/10
James Barrett trained Barker to win what was the Pierse Hurdle a decade ago but he has faded out of the Jumps scene and tends to focus on Flat runners now.
He does well with modest resources and For Pleasure should be able to follow up his Navan win here off 9lb higher.
There was significant late money for him a fortnight ago and it was all very straight-forward, as he raced handy, took it up nearly half a mile out and was soon well in command.
The form seems quite solid and the son of Excelebration clearly revels in bad ground. This looks a poor race and he should be very hard to beat.
Johnny Ward
Finished: 6thSP: 12/1
King George and Eclipse winner Nathaniel produces horses to win on all sorts of terrain, which is somewhat encouraging as Capital Fund has never run on anything other than good ground.
He could certainly be quite well-handicapped in a modest enough race such as this off 63.
His last two maiden runs were at the Curragh and Leopardstown; strikingly, he was sent off just 9-1 latterly when fourth to Abyssinian and World War, horses that would laugh at these rivals.
A half-brother to four winners, his trainer Sheila Lavery, is also in good form (two winners from her last five runners) and this horse should only improve with experience. Song Of The Sky looks the main danger.
Johnny Ward's Sunday tips:
Different League rates a notable recruit to the Aidan O'Brien stable, especially as her last run was when second to Clemmie in the Cheveley Park Stakes in late September.
Matthieu Palussiere, her trainer then, spent the guts of a decade training in Ireland earlier this century before moving home to France.
He will feel the loss of this filly, although the switch to Ballydoyle is of great intrigue. It is little-known that Palussiere used to train in Owning, which was Aidan O’Brien’s original yard and now his son Joseph’s.
With O’Brien’s two colts in the race by Scat Daddy and War Front, she could well be his best chance on what will be testing ground despite the warm weather this weekend.
In-running punters have made fools of themselves with Nora Batt at Navan, seemingly taking little into account about how stiff the finish is.
Her defeat by a nose at the course in late October off a rating of 50 could well suffice this time off her 2lb lower rating.
She tends to go off in front and her rider, Ben Coen, has made an excellent impression. He will be an asset in apprentice riders' company here and it might be worth chancing that John Nicholson, whose horses are well, will have her fresh enough to take this.
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