Cheltenham Betting / Geoffrey Riddle / 15 November 2009 / Leave a comment

Geoffrey Riddle is at British jump racing's HQ for the last day of the Open Meeting. Master Minded's seasonal reappearance is likely to be the highlight

4pm result:
1: Ghizao
2: Lidar
3: Alverstone
Paul Nicholls ends a topsy-turvy day with a winner, although Alan King's Lidar did trade at as short as [1.5] in-running.

That's it then team. The Cheltenham Open meeting 2009 is over. Before I go, I just want to showcase a marvellous example of responding to criticism. On Friday, Matt Williams in the Racing Post wrote that jockey Jan Faltejsek was a '10lb penalty' aboard Knockara Beau. Although Williams wrote a follow up apology the next day in his trading post column, he needn't have done because Faltejsek was beaten into second on Knockara Beau behind Weird Al. But Faltejsek went on to win at Wetherby yesterday, and when I looked at the paper's 'Signposts' page I see that Faltejsek is three wins and a second from his last five rides...Well done Jan. Chin up son.

3.58pm
I've decided to trial out some hotels down here over the next few meetings before deciding on where to lay down for the four days during the Festival next March. I stayed in two places this time, the Hatherley Manor and the Cheltenham Regency.
Both were slightly out of Cheltenham, which can be a bit of a pain, but when you are out and about at night after a hard day's racing, it can be a good thing to retreat from the madness and wake up in a quiet, peaceful spot.

Plus points were Hatherley Manor's breakfast, which was vast and varied. Good room sizes, too. At the Cheltenham Regency, the chocolate fondant rocked, and they had Wifi throughout the hotel. The computers in the lobby were filled with Irishmen studying form until 1am as well. This hotel understands racing. Negatives were Hatherley Manor's weird insistence on using sheets and blankets, rather than duvets. Does anyone still do that? I mean it leaves a huge Siberian-esque cold expanse under the covers throughout the night. When you roll over, you tend to wake up because of the sheer chill of it all. Get some duvets guys....

3.55pm
Tataniano will only have one more run before heading to the Festival, trainer Paul Nicholls said. Ditcheat's prime Arkle contender will possibly line up at the Chrismas meeting at Kempton, before heading straight for the Arkle.

"He is a better horse when fresh," Nicholls admitted. "We will probably look for something over Christmas before coming back here in March and then hopefully on to Aintree and Punchestown."

Owner Andy Stewart, who owns Tatenen, who won the Novices Chase here last year before falling in the Arkle, was wary of the competition.

"Sizing Europe won well today?," asked Stewart. "We have to contend with Sizing Europe and Crack Away Jack in this division. We thought that Tatenen was our Arkle horse last year, but we are still looking for him!", he joked. "We have had a second and third in the Arkle and it would be nice if we could crack it with this horse. We can always dream."

Sizing Europe is [8.0] for the Arkle on Betfair, while Crack Away Jack is [8.6] and Tataniano is [8.4]. Remember the record of this race in the Arkle though. I mentioned it at 12.35am today.

Tell Massini, who stayed on so well to win the 3.30pm will go the route that previous winner, Black Jack Ketchum, followed and will contest the 3m Novices Hurdle at the Festival rather than the 2m5f contest.

3.30pm result:
1: Tell Massini
2: Reve De Sivola
3: Berties Dream
Ouch. I must have changed tack too dramatically, because the favourite didn't have the required gear change when push came to shove. Well done to the layer who managed to trade at [1.8] in-running, because Reve never really looked like he would win, despite the late flurry of money that forced the price into 5-6 on course before the off.

Tell Massini was always going well, and when jockey Sam Thomas opened up the lead there was nothing that had the lung capacity to go with him. All in all, it was an easy win.

3.20pm
Ace poker players always know when to go up a gear, or change tack. This is that moment bettors. From playing fastest finger first with 33-1 shots, and picking up place money, it is time to plunge in on a favourite. Amore Mio's run further strengthens Reve De Sivola's position at the head of the market in the 3.30pm. Lines through Zaynar and Walkon suggest that Reve's run here behind Walkon in Janurary and his sixth in the Triumph are better than they were 25 minutes ago. On his reappearance he picked up a Grade 2 at Chepstow, just for good measure, and he's proven on soft. He's bomb-proof. I'm going in.

2.55pm result
1: Wolf Moon
2: Balthazar King
3: Adroit Approach
4: Amore Mio
I managed to get a hell of a lot of mileage out of Amore Mio there! Backing it at [27.0] certainly helped, and the four-year-old traded at as short as [1.33] in-running. Magic stuff!
Wolf Moon just wore down my horse though, and then, having lost the battle, Amore Mio faded for Balthazar King and Adroit Approach to swamp him at the line.

Let's get back to Well Chief. One of the first things that trainer David Pipe said in the winners' enclosure was: "Moscow Flyer won the Champion Chase at 11 didn't he?" The layers have reacted to that win and probably that comment. This morning you could have got a best-price 25-1 about Well Chief winning the Champion Chase. Now the best-price you can pick up with the traditional layers is 7-1 with Hills. On Betfair, David Pipe's favourite horse is [8.4] to back and [9.4] to lay, but for minimal liquidity. Master Minded trades at [2.9].

Pipe was ecstatic, a broad smile on his face. "It's a dream come true to have a horse like this and today he did it effortlessly," he said.

Pipe nominated the Tingle Creek at Sandown in the first week of December as the next assignment for his stable star, where he will clash with Master Minded. The pair will race at level weights there though, remember, whereas Well Chief received 10lbs today. Pipe didn't feel that would be a problem though. "We've had a clear run with him today, and there is always room for improvement. He's got a great attitude and to jump at that speed you have to be a very good jumper."

Owner David Johnson was keen to increase the English lexicon of racing metaphor: "It's a special moment because he's come back more times than Frank Sinatra. I'm not getting carried away because the 10lbs helped, but he's done it today and will improve."

Ken Pitterson, The Weekender's paddock judge, and one who has done this blog a fair few good turns over the Flat season, could not blame Master Minded's physical condition for his defeat in the Connaught. "Alright, it's fair to say that there was a lot to work on, but Master Minded looked fine before the race. I can understand him getting beaten by Well Chief at those weights, but not by Mahogany Blaze."

Trainer Paul Nicholls was defiant in defeat. "I said beforehand that if Well Chief was ever going to beat us, it was going to be today, given the conditions of this race.

"I am more disappointed by the fact that master Minded hung right, rather than we were beaten today.

"Another day bekons. Take nothing away from Well Chief, it was a great performance, but we'll be at levels from now on. We will go to the Tingle Creek now at Sandown, where he'll be going right-handed anyway."

2.50pm
See what I mean? You wouldn't like to be castrated and thrown in a field, either, would you! That Hurricane Fly is finished! He didn't want to know as Solwhit takes the spoils over in Ireland. At [1.48] to lay, we were on to a great trade there. Judging from the e-mails, there were fair few of you who agreed. I'll confess, however, that your approach was slightly more forensic than mine.

The races are coming thick and fast here. I like the look of Amore Mio at a massive price for a place in the 2.55pm. Emma Lavelle's charge finished just shy of Zaynar in January and likes soft ground.

2.38pm
Heads up team. It's Hurricane Fly time over at Punchestown.

2.35pm
Daniel from Winchester got closest to the number of lengths that Master Minded had previously beaten the field, before he was dramatically over-turned in the Connaught Chase earlier. Daniel went 200.

The answer was 197, with Newmill 70 lengths behind on the three occasions they met, and Mahogany Blaze completely making a mockery of the fact today that he had finished 117 lengths behind the champ the four times he had clashed with him. Well Chief overturned a seven-length defeat int he Champion Chase.

2.20pm result - Greatwood Hurdle
1: Khyber Kim
2: Harry Tricker
3: Medermit
Nigel Twiston-Davis scoops another race at the Open meeting. Kyber Kim looked right out of it as the field kicked for home with Harry Tricker and Medermint leading the way. Kyber Kim's price went flying out to 32.0 at that point, with £11 matched at that price. Harry Tricker went down to [1.33] and Medermit touched [1.5]. Jockey Paddy Brennan stuck to his guns though, and he conjured a winning and weaving run from his mount, who powered up the hill.

2.19pm
As Well Chief walked into the winners' enclosure there was a massive applause from the crowd, which had gathered to see the chestnut stroll into the paddock. At the time, Paul Nicholls was trotting out the excuse that Master Minded had hung right. It is a worrying sign for the fans of the six-year-old, because he hung right in January last year when he first completed a chase in Britain at Sandown. Look at the Racing Post's summary of the race by the way, which shows that William Hill had offered 25-1 about Master Minded winning that seasons' Champion Chase. Yikes.

2.13pm
Carrying on from that last post, there have been 32 six-year-olds that have contested the Greatwood in the last decade and only one winner of that age group, Lingo. And yet that hasn't stopped the likes of the great Seagull in his Pricewise column, squawking the chances of top-weight Raise Your Heart. Betting.Betfair's own great tipster, Graham Cunningham, has plumped for the well-handicapped Harry Tricker against the Pricewise horse. The earth is going to tremble at the head-on collision between these two tipsters.

2.10pm
Alright. There's is a dramatic statistic that says four-year-olds are up against it in the Greatwood Hurdle, up next. Until the great Detroit City galloped unrelentingly to victory here in 2006, there had been just two four-year-old winners of the Greatwood in 34 years. But I'm not interested in the win market. I'm looking at the place market. Since Detroit City won, Pigeon Island finished fifth a year later as a four-year-old, and Squadron finished fourth last year at the same age. It's not impossible if you are good enough and Simarian may well be good enough for a place. Consider the positives. The horse is fit, having finished third to Champion Hurdle prospect Starluck here last month. He has won on heavy before, and he has won twice from five starts at Prestbury Park. He finished seventh in the Triumph hurdle, so understands the hurly burly nature of a big-field race around here. What is there not to like about his price of [5.7] for four places? I'm pretty sure you'll be able to beat that price between now and the off as well.

1.45pm result - Connaught Chase
Time: 4.03.30
1: Well Chief
2: Mahogany Blaze
The favourite punters get stung big time as virtually the whole of Prestbury park screams for Well Chief to collar the favourite. Even in-running traders got stung there, with the champion chaser trading at as low as [1.33] as the race panned out. Ouch.

1.40pm
We are going to play a little Sunday afternoon game everyone. Newmill, Mahogany Blaze and Well Chief have all had the misfortune of coming up against the mighty Masterminded in their careers. As far as Newmill and Mahogany Blaze are concerned, the painful experience has occurred more than once. To the nearest length, what is the total lengths beaten that all three have accumulated behind the Nicholls chaser? Answers on an e-mail to: theriddleratbetfair@gmail.com

1.10pm result:
1: Tataniano
2: Pigeon Island
The first leg of the Paul Nicholls double kicks off in style with Tataniano becoming the fifth winner form Ditcheat in 11 years. Tataniano jumped beautifully all round and handled the heavy going with considerable ease. There may be a few out there who will still believe that Fosters Cross might have made a race of it had he not fallen, but the favourite won like the odds-on shot he was sent off by Betfair layers and bookmakers.

12.35pm
We've had some problems with the system. Apologies everyone. I've been looking at the 1.10pm while the gremlins sort themselves out. It's generally considered an Arkle trial, but when you look at it, it has a shocking record. Azertyuiop is the only winner of this race in the last decade to go on and win the Arkle. Fair Along and Seebald subsequently finished second at Festival having won here, with Seebald looking particularly unlucky, having run into Moscow Flyer on the big day. But in a bizarre coincidental twist, Thisthatandtother, Fundamentalist, Accordion Etoile and Tatenen all subsequently raced in the Arkle ahving won this race but they all fell in the big one.

Every tipster in the land is quick to point out two things. Firstly, this race has been won by six favourites in the last ten years. Secondly, that Paul Nicholls has saddled four winners in that time frame. But no-one highlights that the four favourites that were beaten in the last ten years were all trained by Nicholls as well.

The four losers trained by Paul Nicholls in the Novices chase.
2007: Predateur 9-4 2nd
2006: Natal 8-11 2nd
2004: My Will 13-8 3rd
2001: Armaturk 2-1 2nd

Are you a backer or a layer of the Nicholls hotpot, Tataniano then? All his wins have been on good, and the only time he has raced on heavy, he finished out of the places. He's a better price on Betfair than he is on course, where he trades at 4-5.

High noon
There some high-class racing off-piste today over in Ireland, which probably explains why our friends from the Emerald Isle are notable for their absence here today. They probably all chartered jets home from Bristol airport last night with their Tranquil Sea winnings.

We've got the big guns lining up today. Champion Hurdle favourite Hurricane Fly takes a tentative step out of novice company this afternoon in the Punchestown Hurdle (2.40pm). There were some interesting comments by his trainer Willie Mullins in the paper this morning, especially when you recall the comments of Clive Smith earlier. "He was castrated and was let out for the summer," Mullins spilled the beans on his stable star. "It was his first time out in a field with other horses."

What thing to do with a quality racehorse, eh? Cut his balls off, and then put him in a field with some other horses for the first time. I bet those other horses gave him a real hard time about it. Imagine being a eunuch and then having to have your first day at school? Hurricane Fly is sure to be traumatised by the whole experience. I know I would be. The gelding trades at [1.48] for the race. I might have a cheeky lay, just for psychological reasons. The heavy ground might not be in his favour, either.

11.45am
Master Minded is the big draw here this afternoon. One of the best chasers of the decade (One of, remember everyone...) lines up trying to give 10lbs to Well Chief. Clive Smith, owner of the hot favourite, was looking forward to seeing his Champion chaser once again. "He loves Cheltenham," said Smith. "He is great form, according to Paul Nicholls. He likes a lot of work. His trainer exercises him all the time."

As far as ante-post punters are concerned, Smith highlighted that his six-year-old is likely to have a very busy campaign. "We feel he wants races - he may have six this season if he stays in good form. He works every day, but during the summer he goes out in the field alongside Denman, Big Buck's and Kauto Star just at the back of Paul's house."

Nothing breeds success like success does it? You can't imagine winners like that sharing a field with a loser for the summer would you?

Smith's comments suggest that the champ needs a lot of work on him, which Nicholls echoed in his Racing Post column yesterday. "He's one of several of ours who have kept their condition for longer than I would have liked. If you put a gun to my head, I think Masterminded can still win."

Was that last sentence inserted by the sub-editors just to appease the non-trier military police?

11.30am
I feel like I've just emerged from a bad dream. After the past two days of heavy wind, driving rain and mud-spattered racing, I arrived at the racecourse this morning wrapped in sunshine. It's a beautiful day down here at Cheltenham, and a fair day's racing for all is expected. There should be no excuses here.

Talking of dreams, there is a dream theme running through this afternoon's racing here at Cheltenham. Five Dream in the 1.10pm, European Dream and Hearthstead Dream in the 2.20pm, Tisfreetdream in the 2.55pm, Berties Dream in the 3.30pm. They are all decent prices, too, so they'd make a decent Yankee. A nightmare for the bookies you'd imagine, too...

Hero of the moment, Simon Claisse, the clerk of the course, must have been up a hell of a lot earlier than I was this morning, because he managed to find some rain. He walked the course in the darkness at 6am, calculating with his GoingStick (It read 6.6, by the way). The going here is officially Soft, Heavy in places, which is unlikely to change, despite the chance of a few showers this afternoon. There is no wind for instance. Claisse said: "We had one millimetre of rain early this monring and the going remains Soft, Heavy in places. The rails on the inside of both the chase course and the hurdle courses have been moved in three yards to provide fresh ground for today's racing."

Tags: Cheltenham, Cheltenham Open Meeting