National Hunt Betting 2009/2010: Irish horses to follow

General / Wayne Bailey / 06 October 2009 / 1 Comments

Dunguib completed the Cheltenham/Punchestown bumper double but was later disqualified from the latter when he tested positive for a banned substance.

“Dunguib is currently priced around [5.0] for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the word on the grapevine is that he’s schooling extremely well at home.”

It's dark, it's raining and it's October. It must be time for the jumps season! Wayne Bailey gives us three Irish horses to follow as the NH steps up a gear - plus some thoughts on Sea The Stars...

Before I mention the National Hunt, a quick word on Sea The Stars...

The debate is still going on as to whether he is truly one of the greatest ever horses - even though he's now achieved something unique in winning the 2,000 Guineas, The Derby and the Arc. And let's throw in the Irish Champion Stakes for good measure.

We all know that STS only ever does enough to win and for me, it's proof that ratings are not the be-all and end-all in horse racing analysis, even though they let us compare hoses with the past. No-one expected him to beat his rivals by much - that's never been his way. He powered home when he needed to and once he kicked, it was never in doubt. On figures, it wasn't amazing but does this make him less of a great? I'm not so sure. Does a football team have to win by five goals every time they play to be considered great? Surely consistency at the top level, no matter how stylish or not, is enough.

I'll agree that his Arc race wasn't his greatest ever performance on figures, but when put into context (long season, distance, field size etc), it was awesome.

But then again, I'll freely admit that part of the problem lies with people like me (aged under 30) - who don't really remember the greats that STS is being compared to. We are bound to get over-excited as he's the best my generation has ever seen.

Full objectivity comes with age and experience so us younger race-readers will have to be forgiven sometimes if we get carried away. But what a horse - and it was great to see him return home to Ireland yesterday as a hero. Congratulations to all involved.

Post Script: I've just read Simon Rowlands' article (having just completed my own) and my comments are not aimed at Simon. I largely agree with what is said in that Article and that people shouldn't judge greatness in just one race.

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But back to the jumps, and I'm going to put forward my Irish Horses to follow for 2009/2010. My flat Irish horses to follow performed reasonably well, most notably Mastercraftsman winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James' Palace Stakes. Chuis Ghaire was second in the 1,000 Guineas at a big price; but the less said about the rest, the better!

I'm keen to get readers' thoughts - so if you have your own horses to follow, please post below. I'm not suggesting that readers follow the below blindly, they are merely horses I'm looking forward to watching and may back them in the future, depending on various circumstances:

Dunguib (six-year old gelding, trained by Philip Fenton. Race record: 2111DSQ)
The gloss has been taken off his Cheltenham/Punchestown bumper double as he later tested positive for a banned substance following the win in the latter race. Despite being stripped of the title, there's no denying that this horse has ability and he simply slaughtered his opponents at the home of Irish National Hunt racing. Dunguib is currently priced around [5.0] for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the word on the grapevine is that he's schooling extremely well at home.

Mikael D'Haguenet (five-year-old gelding, trained by Willie Mullins. Race record: 0262111111)
I wasn't hugely successful in the Cheltenham ante-post markets last season - but I'm proud to say that I tipped this horse in a number of Irish newspapers at [14.0] for the Novice Hurdle - which he eventually won at [3.69]. He then went on to win the Punchestown equivalent and looks like an outstanding prospect. I'm slightly tempted to take a double figure price for the Arkle - but I'm going to keep my powder dry for now as Mullins has quite a number of realistic options including the RSA Chase.

Go Native (six-year-old gelding, trained by Noel Meade. Race record: 92112121141)
He won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham priced [18.0] and he left some decent horses behind him including Cousin Vinny. He was disappointing at Punchestown but there's no shame in getting beaten by the likes of Hurricane Fly. He was out again on Sunday and did what was asked in the Friends Of Tipperary Hurdle when winning at [1.58]. Once again, his trainer has plenty of options and it should be interesting to see where he goes from here.

As usual, your thoughts and tips are welcome so feel free to comment below.

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Comments (1)

1. Stu | 07 October 2009

   I was massively impressed by Cooldine in the RSA and am super looking forward to seeing him this season