Road To Cheltenham: Don't underestimate Knight Salute

No doubt about the headline act last weekend and My Drogo didn’t let his audience down with an absorbing performance containing jaunty exuberance, moments of peril and a cathartic triumph for the chief actor. Of course, following his well-publicised exit from that dramatic match against Gin On Lime last month, the primary mission was a clear round.

He’d largely jumped well on that occasion, succumbing only to the notoriously tricky second-last fence when failing to get his feet out for a safe landing and crumpling into the turf. The mare alongside made the greater error and yet, by falling fortuitously straight she contributed to Rachael Blackmore remarkably keeping her balance and her feet from touching the turf, which would have categorised the combination as a faller, too.

This time, there were more hairy moments and yet the cards ultimately fell differently. Having travelled enthusiastically from the outset behind the solo lead set by Torn And Frayed and ahead of the poor-jumping Jay Bee Why, My Drogo went to the front at the ninth fence and made the first of two sizeable errors at the next – standing off too far and crashing through it. He did pretty much the same with the race in the bag at the last.

In between those two blunders, he also put in some beautifully fluent jumps and after the last he simply cruised up the hill. The other positive was the manner in which he reacted to his blunder at the tenth – at the very next fence, he still attacked it uncowed. The fleeting impression of gawkiness at the fourth last was clearly jockey Harry Skelton trying to find a stride.

Of course, My Drogo was entitled to win good-looking – officially, he had 18lb in hand of his closest-rated rival. Yet this rangy athletic horse is still a relatively raw competitor, despite having raced and won four times over hurdles, including at Grade One level at Aintree in April. Form-wise, this was not by any means a great step forward on his incomplete effort of last month and there was something unconvincing about it. Even trainer Dan Skelton agreed it wasn’t an easy watch.

“The two that he got wrong, he didn’t really get wrong, he was just a long, long way off them,” he said afterwards on Racing TV.

“But what I did like about him is that he’s committed. He isn’t long and then at the last minute thinking: ‘I’d better not’. If he’s long, he stays long and he stays committed – which is good because I wouldn’t want him changing his mind.

“It isn’t silky smooth to watch, I’ll admit that, but ultimately he’s got all the ability and ultimately that’s very, very important. There are a few bits and pieces that we can iron out but he is a horse that lives life on the edge a little bit. He’s always been like that all his life.

“I only ever worked him upsides once at home and that was before Aintree last [season]. He’d never ever even worked upsides before because he’s hyper-competitive at home, very sensitive. You can see when Harry says ‘Go!’ it’s not a delayed reaction, it’s instant, the turbo kicks in. And that’s probably where those couple of long jumps came in. Harry said ‘Go!’ and Drogo is like ‘Well, let’s see how far off them we can get?’

“That’s all got to be ironed out a little bit to make it the best it can be, but ultimately it was a very good display, I thought... He’s fairly malleable. He’s a rideable horse. He’s not unrideable at all – you can lengthen, you can shorten – but he’s a horse with so much exuberance that when you say ‘Go!’ it’s not a bit of go, it’s all go. And trying to get him to taper those efforts – that’s the key now. And we’ll do it by racing him.”

Back to Cheltenham on New Year’s Day for the 2m4f Grade Two Dipper Novices’ Chase is Skelton’s immediate plan, with the possibility of the horse running again prior to contesting the Turners Novices’ Chase – you know the one that was the Marsh, the JLT before that. You know... the 2m4f one that starts off Thursday’s Festival card.

“If you go over two [miles], you’ve got to be aggressive and I think the more aggressive you get with him, the more daring he’ll get and if you go over three [miles], all you’re doing is restricting him. So, I think we’re at the right trip... And the first thing Harry said when he got off was: ‘Don’t be afraid to race him.’ Because he needs the experience.”

Skelton also has Third Time Lucki for the Arkle – the bang two-miler, who went off slightly too fast for his own good against Edwardstone at Sandown last time out and whose jumping started to burst at the seams as a result. He’s been pushed out to 25/1 for the Arkle – an overreaction to one defeat, as I mentioned on last week’s show, even if like me you suspect Cheltenham is not ideal for him. He remains a horse of great chasing ability, probably on a flat track – albeit his trainer disagrees on that point.

Skelton said: “I was disappointed [with Sandown] – I don’t like getting beat. But it was probably a third run soon enough, round a track that I thought he would love... but [he] got into no rhythm. Was he not as his best or did the track get in the way? Hard to say if it was the chicken or the egg, but it just didn’t really happen for him.

“I’m happy to put him away now until the Kingmaker [at Warwick in February] and come back for the Arkle. Funnily enough, I think Tuesday’s track [at the Festival, the Old Course] really, really suits him. But whether he’s good enough to beat what’s going to come over [from Ireland], we will find that out then. I’m not saying he’s going to be infinitely better and win an Arkle, but I do feel that that track really does suit him.”

Talking of Edwardstone, his form was complimented when For Pleasure zipped around Plumpton on Monday to dispense a 37-length defeat to recent Newbury winner, Nassalam. The winner was a smart but tearaway novice hurdler, who raced clear of the field in last year’s Supreme prior to being easily headed by the far-scopier winner Appreciate It at the second last and ultimately finishing third.

He railed like a bunny at Plumpton, seeming perhaps to have shed his hurdling habit of going out to his left at obstacles whereas Nassalam still found debilitating his habit of jumping intemperately in that direction, even at this sharp left-handed track. He ran poorly.

For Pleasure had previously been beaten 15 lengths by Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase winner Edwardstone at Warwick, when his jumping lacked the winner’s fluency. Tougher fences might always be a hindrance for him, so the likelihood of him landing the £50,000 bonus from Plumpton racecourse for following up this success at the Cheltenham Festival is slim in my book – even if trainer Alex Hales downgrades his ambitions from the Arkle to the Grand Annual.

Stalking Appreciate It as he passed For Pleasure in the 2021 Supreme was Blue Lord, who made his chasing debut at Fairyhouse last Saturday. Last March, until falling at the last, he was booked for a clear second behind his stable companion, who scooted away from him on the home turn. After that, he signed off with a muted third behind Echoes In Rain at Punchestown.

Blue Lord’s return to action also coincided with that of trainer Willie Mullins’ stable jockey, Paul Townend, who had fought his “long and painful” way back from a dislocated shoulder that he described as “his toughest injury yet”. As Racing TV presenter Gary O’Brien observed, making such a comeback on a novice chaser was a compliment to the standard of Blue Lord’s schooling.

“Chasing is very much Blue Lord’s game,” Townend agreed. “He was very straightforward and he loves a fence – he’s looking for the next fence to take it on. He’s matured a lot, both physically and mentally. He did very well during the summer.”

Blue Lord had 13 rivals of varied experience and ability to beat in his Fairyhouse beginners’ chase. Keen initially in a first-time tongue-tie, he jumped big at the first and led from that point onwards. A ground-making jump at the second last then irrecoverably turned the screw on stablemate and closest pursuer, El Barra – a fellow chase debutant – as Blue Lord moved readily clear approaching the last. Cayd Boy, second favourite and previously a close runner-up at Wexford, came through from further back than the principals for third.

It was a measured performance from the winner, with a slightly splayed front-leg style over a couple of fences and some occasionally static landings, but it hinted at better soon to come. Along with a glut of stablemates, he’s entered in a brace of Grade Ones novice events over Christmas – the 2m1f Racing Post at Leopardstown and the 2m3f Faugheen at Limerick.

The betting expects him to contest the former, albeit stablemate Ferny Hollow – who made a sparky chase debut at Punchestown earlier this month – tops the betting for that contest. Bob Olinger – twice tantalisingly entered in Britain this month and now twice withdrawn, on the latest occasion from Ascot this Friday – heads the market for the Limerick event. Additionally, he holds the three-mile Neville Hotels option at Leopardstown.

He also tops the Turners Novices’ Chase ante-post market at an excitable 2/1, with Ferny Hollow at 8/1, whereas the Arkle market contains the same horses at 14/1 and 4/1 respectively. Remember Ruby Walsh carved out an argument to suggest Bob’s jumping might improve for dropping to two miles on our penultimate show.

Appreciate It, still yet to make his chase debut, tops the Arkle ante-post market at 5/2. Cue references to Well Chief in 2004 and Western Warhorse in 2014 – who each won that Festival event on just their second start, the latter when subverting the space-time continuum.

Straight after Blue Lord’s success, stablemate Stattler made it two wins in as many rides back for Townend. Another novice-chasing debutant who’d clearly impressed on the schooling grounds, he warmed to his task and closed out the race convincingly. Having jumped smoothly onto the heels of the leaders three out, he responded quickly to Fighter Allen’s kick towards the last and was already in front when really attacking the final fence with composure. He’s entered in the Neville Hotels and the Faugheen over Christmas.

“He surprised me a little bit with the way he quickened up,” Townend acknowledged afterwards. “Stattler is similar to Blue Lord in that he loves jumping fences. He’s matured as well and they have both made the transition really well... You would imagine he will make into a staying chaser.”

Back in Britain, Threeunderthrufive won a three-mile Grade Two at Doncaster by more than seven lengths from long-time leader Fantastikas despite some chancily low jumps on the way around. His appearance there suggested Paul Nicholls had opted against the previously-mentioned Welsh National and connections seemed to confirm this afterwards when citing next either Ascot’s Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase or Lingfield’s new Winter Million event. The latter option comes with a weather warning: in the past decade, 60% of Lingfield’s scheduled jumps fixtures in January and February have been abandoned.

At Doncaster, Threeunderthrufive was careless – clumsy at the third, trailing a back leg through the water jump and jumping clunkily at the seventh from home. Yet soon after entering the straight, he ranged alongside Fantastikas, landed in front via the swifter jump at the fourth last and instantly had the race settled. Patiently ridden Emitom, once a smart hurdler and who jumped right throughout here, never did more than vaguely threaten Fantastikas for second, without success.

The winner’s Cheltenham form had not been well-advertised, with Oscar Elite – who might have given him a race had he stood up three out – beaten at Huntingdon earlier this month. Undersupervision – another to exit earlier from that contest – was underwhelming when only third to the quirky but talented and progressive Corach Rambler in Cheltenham’s novices’ limited handicap chase last Friday.

Trainer Lucinda Russell indicated the Scottish Grand National next April is a likely target for the winner – a race that this season unusually falls before Aintree, rendering Cheltenham targets such as the Festival Novices’ or National Hunt Chases (for which this then-134 rated horse was quoted) logistically impossible. Ayr is undoubtedly the better shout.

Interestingly, there is a whisper about that Corach Rambler’s illustrious stablemate Ahoy Senor will be entered in the Gold Cup in January – a race for which bookmakers are yet to offer a quote about him. First, there’s the small matter of the Grade One Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on Boxing Day, of course.

He’s also 6/1 ante-post third favourite for the Festival Novices’ Chase behind 11/2 shots Bravemansgame, whom he should encounter at Kempton, and the Grade One Punchestown novice-hurdle winner, as yet untried over fences in public, Galopin Des Champs.

Last Saturday, trainer Charles Byrnes reaped the benefit of a pause for reflection. If only various quarters of the rest of the sport had followed his lead. His revision was less emotively charged, admittedly – it merely required him to redirect his stable star, Blazing Khal, to Cheltenham rather than restrict his campaign to Ireland prior to the Festival.

That had been the plan after the horse won a Grade Two over 2m5f on the Old Course in November, beating Gelino Bello whom he again faced here. On that occasion, he shaped like an exciting embryonic chaser, already in need of three miles and with minimal understanding of racing or hurdling. Despite that, his impressive engine saw him succeed by a comfortable two-and-a-half lengths.

By bringing him back to Cheltenham, Byrnes not only bagged another Grade Two away from the white-hot competition of Ireland but packed in valuable course-and-distance experience for the three-mile Albert Bartlett in March, for which Blazing Khal is now best-priced as the 5/1 favourite.

Like the NH Chase, that contest rewards either outstanding raw brilliance – think Minella Indo or Bobs Worth – or hardened racing experience – think Unowhatimeanharry or Berties Dream. At this stage, having completed his eighth career start, Blazing Khal could yet plausibly fit into both categories.

“When I looked back, I wasn’t over-happy with his jumping the last day,” Byrnes explained. “I felt he’d benefit more by coming back here. And his jumping was much better today, apart from the second last, but overall his jumping was definitely much better... Three miles and a good even gallop is what he needs. It turned into a bit of a sprint the last day as well.

“He’s a big horse. He’s probably a chaser in the making. He’ll probably never be what you would call a total natural over hurdles, but he can only beat what’s around him anyway... with a penalty. Look, there’s a lot of very good horses in Ireland, so I wouldn’t be getting too carried away.”

On this occasion, as jockey Donal McInerny reported afterwards, Blazing Khal travelled and jumped better than he had a month earlier on the tighter, shorter course – at least at first. However, mistakes started creeping in as the pace lifted during the second half of the race and the scale of blunder he made at the penultimate flight, when a rival jumped right in front of him, would have halted a less talented horse. Instead, he locked straight back on the bridle.

McInerney made sure his mount was safe at the last, directing him to pay it some heed and get his feet in the correct place, then the partnership bounded away from Gelino Bello to win by more than four lengths.

There had been three different leaders in the straight – the mare Current Mood having narrowly overtaken long-time leader Barony Legends exiting the home turn, prior to being immediately claimed by promising Rules debutant Ballygriffin Cottage, who then in turn was claimed by the winner approaching the last. Harry Cobden had opted to ride the runner-up more patiently, anchoring him in last, but the result was still the same.

Byrnes may run Blazing Khal at the Dublin Racing Festival, provided the ground isn’t too quick. “It would depend on the ground. If the ground is good, he may not even run there,” he said. “I would have no problem coming straight back here in March. We’ll give him a couple of weeks’ break, now anyway... Today was perfect [ground] but you get safe ground at the Festival.”

On just his second start on a racecourse, Interne De Sivola won the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham last Saturday – benefitting from a controlling ride from jockey Chester Williams whilst his rivals just sat and stared. The winner was probably the best horse in the race anyway, but he was aided and abetted by a soft lead.

Almost all of his rivals were close enough to chase his tail rounding the home turn and, although Williams asked his horse to stride on early enough in the context of the New Course, he had saved so much energy everywhere else that it sealed the deal. He was able to point his mount towards the helpful stands’ rail and, despite running into the bottom of the final flight, Interne De Sivola then ran on readily up the hill to win by five-and-a-half lengths.

“It wasn’t particularly the plan – we’d probably have preferred to take a lead,” Williams admitted afterwards. “But he winged the second and ended up in front. He’s still quite green, actually, between the hurdles and then he gets four strides away [from the next one] and he says ‘Let’s have a go’. The hurdles are actually helping him. Normally, they get green at the hurdles.”

His father, trainer Nick Williams, acknowledged this approvingly. “He’s bred to jump, he likes to jump,” he said of this well-bred juvenile – adding that “the Festival is a possibility”. That suggests the Boodles Fred Winter – a race Williams Snr. won in 2017 with Flying Tiger, and in which his runners are always to be respected – could be in the mix rather than just the Triumph. But the yard is also capable of sidestepping Cheltenham with a youngster they deem to be an exciting long-term project, as they clearly feel in this case.

Yorksea, sent off favourite and who’d previously finished third to Knight Salute on his hurdling debut at Cheltenham’s Old Course last month, came out of the pack for a clear second. Holding his head a shade high, his stamina kicked in belatedly on a track that would have suited him better had there been any pace in the race.

The filly Galah, who was extensively raced on the Flat and has tended to pull hard for much of her natural life, was understandably settled cold in rear – the wrong place to be in the circumstances. Her keenness was dampened, if not eradicated, by a first-time hood and she came through for a creditable third.

Twilight Twist clipped heels or stumbled shortly after two out, just before the gallop finally began to wind up, and he did well to rally for fourth in gritty fashion. He had some Flat experience and is now steadily improving over obstacles, having been rated 123 going into this race.

Good-looking French recruit Message Personnel, having his first start for Dan Skelton and third in total, didn’t jump fluently prior to getting outpaced and shuffled back at the second last. He was then hampered when Elusive Artist lurched markedly left at the final flight. Conceding weight all round for his Dieppe success and finishing fifth, he has scope for improvement.

If his reputation was not enhanced by this performance, that of his stay-at-home stablemate In This World undoubtedly was. He shaped like a smart juvenile when winning at Warwick in early November, with subsequent Cheltenham winner Interne De Sivola nine lengths adrift in third. Clearly, the Williams-trained horse has improved markedly – as you would expect of a horse with that little experience, who’s going the right way – but that was In This World’s debut, too.

He'd previously raced just once in the west coast of France, winning over an extended 14 furlongs on the Flat and sporting a tongue-tie which was absent at Warwick. Two-and-a-half lengths behind him in second over in France was a certain Fil Dor, who has since joined Gordon Elliott and triumphed twice – most recently in last month’s Grade Three at Fairyhouse.

Dan Skelton, who trains In This World, has reportedly indicated recently that the juvenile might not race again until the Adonis in February. Contrastingly, Fil Dor is expected to be out and about this Christmas, with Elliott suggesting that either Leopardstown or Chepstow’s Grade One Finale Hurdle could be viable targets. The latter could even be favourite because “ground will be a thing” for this horse – his trainer is clearly not seeking to run him on too quick a surface.

“Davy [Russell, jockey] said Fil Dor was just so professional and was asleep the whole way,” Elliott noted after his Fairyhouse success. “He gave him one dig and he did what he had to do. A bit softer ground would suit him better.”

Stable companion Britzka was described by Elliott as “a good fun horse” following his Fairyhouse maiden success by six lengths over Scenic Look on debut over hurdles last Saturday. A maiden after 11 starts on the Flat for the Hartys, he stayed a mile-and-a-half and in the medium-term Elliott is keen on a dual-purpose campaign to exploit his “nice mark” of 66 on the Flat.

“I thought he’d need the run and he’s having a nice blow,” Elliott said. “He’ll stay further. He’ll have a couple more runs [over hurdles] and could be one for the Fred Winter. He’s relaxed, he jumps and he stays – he ticks a lot of boxes.”

Finally, back at Doncaster, Galah’s stablemate Knight Salute won the Summit Juvenile Hurdle carrying a penalty – another Grade Two success to add to last month’s Cheltenham defeat of Saint Riquier. Staged at crawling pace, the winner was quite keen along with a number of other rivals – notably hurdling debutant Kolisi – and despite wearing a hood.

However, he demonstrated the sort of bar-flicking hurdles technique that, if sharpened up to remove the sloppiness, could be quite an asset. He rapped the second, was closely awkward over the third and lurched right over the fourth, but he nonetheless readily held his position and slipstreamed front-running Porticello – relatively inexperienced but previously a winner at Wetherby – entering the straight.

The leader then kicked flat the third-last flight, but tried to sprint away and got the swifter jump at the last ahead of, on his near side, Knight Salute, who rather scrambled it, and the more experienced Impulsive Oneon his far side.

But Paddy Brennan always had it covered on the winner, preventing James Bowen from switching right approaching the last and then conjuring his mount’s most fluent leap. On taking the lead, the winner then drifted left and inconvenienced Porticello, who nonetheless rallied to regain a deserved second. All three principals stayed on strongly to the line.

The winner was trained by Andrew Balding on the Flat but, after a promising two-year-old season, he failed to beat a rival in three starts the following term, once with cheekpieces applied. Since acquiring the horse, Milton Harris has applied a hood and now won four races on the bounce. You can’t say he didn’t tell you about it, either.

“Gary Moore’s is favourite,” he said before Doncaster, referring to Porticello. “And he beat one of mine [Genuflex] at Wetherby by four lengths. I’d like to think this lad is four lengths better than him.” He also suggested he’s got two more as-yet-unseen juveniles “on a par with” Knight Salute.

“I’ve seen some people knocking the form of the juveniles this year, not just him, but what I would say is I’m sure people were knocking Katchit at this time of year when he was winning similar races and he didn’t turn out too bad,” he added, comparing his horse to the 2007 Triumph and 2008 Champion Hurdle winner.

“All he can do is keep winning and I’m convinced he’s improved at home since Cheltenham. We’ll know after this where we are going – it will either be the [Boodles] Fred Winter, the Triumph or the pub!”

The Triumph it is, then – for which he is now a best-priced 16/1. In all seriousness, I would hesitate to underestimate this horse even though his bare form is not yet good enough because he’s got a quality Flat pedigree, the skeleton of a smart hurdling technique and he only tends to do what’s necessary. I know Harris won’t hide his light under a bushel.

Advised 26/04/21: Energumene at 14/1 (general) for the Ryanair Chase

Advised 10/11/21: Nube Negra each-way at 25/1 with Bet365 [20/1 also acceptable] for the Champion Chase