AUGUST 2009 HORSES

CLIMAXTACKLEDOTCOM     (D. Shaw)

4 year old bay gelding     (Bahri - La Danseuse)     96

People who have tracked the bare form of Climaxtackledotcom (you know in your heart it will be a fishing retailer, but you have to look just in case a truly spectacular alternative is there) may be a touch surprised to see him crop up here. He showed definite talent on the flat, being pipped over seven furlongs before a drubbing when upped to a mile. Those who go and watch the ferrets in action have noted that his career in that sphere was hampered by the sort of response to starting stall usually only seen when a Taleban spots someone drinking rough cider from a jar wrapped in a page of the Koran. Obviously, the jumping game is used to welcoming oddballs, misfits and the homeless from the flat ranks, but when they start sending over their psychos, is that going a bit too far? That inclination to violence sort of forced Climaxtackledotcom to go jumping, even with the big doubt over his stamina, further hampered as he has predictably pulled hard in both races. His run behind Persian Warrior on debut is a plus, and although he regressed in the follow up at Southwell, the mini-fence hurdles do appear to give hard pullers a bigger problem than standard ones. When connections have got his brain working as per the standards in the normal world, a small win - at a juicy price, hopefully - is not out of the question.

Handicap hurdles up to Class 5, on good or good to firm

GAELIC FLIGHT     (J. Scott)

11 year old bay/brown gelding     (Norwich - Ash Dane)     01/14343P/63F1/5133/5P/541417-124

Up to this point in time, Gaelic Flight's record on a sharp track is six wins from seventeen tries. This is good, but the lack of invincibility is offset by the fact that he keeps popping in at a rewarding price, so even if his 20/1 success in May is excluded, the profit margin on that type of track is still over 100%. As his non-sharp total is one out of ten, and the success came at odds of 1/3 in his first hurdle run, there should be no temptation to look beyond the the sharp venues. Trying to narrow it down is harder. Level or undulating is not a factor, and he has only tried right-handed twice - once flopping, once running well in defeat. Gaps between races vary from five and a half months to eleven days (although there is a case for saying that Gaelic Flight is a nearer his best when fresh, yet tends to be a longer price), and the only time he has tackled a very small field on a sharp course, he fell foul of Cool Roxy at Fakenham, as have many, many others. And even though all wins have come on good or good to firm, any easier conditions have been almost totally avoided. Even an early concern that he feared finishing ahead of Gary Moore runners seems to have abated. But there is a gloomy warning - on sharp tracks trainer Jeremy Scott is 2 wins from 34 runners, a loss of 9 points on a level stake. Then again, Gaelic Flight was perhaps acquired to put that right. So accept some losses along the way for a net profit.

Chases or hurdles on a sharp track

KILROGAN     (A. B. Haynes)

10 year old bay gelding     (Shernazar - Beauty's Pride)     0/8/0/126122316/1BP4P919-4266

The sparse activity that looks to have taken place early in Kilrogan's career is a bit misleading, as he was running in Irish Points, throwing in a bumper and a couple of hunter chases along the way. So he was busier than it looks, which is unfortunate as far as his connections were concerned as now he is older and his foibles more easily spotted, it is clear that Kilrogan thrives on inactivity. There is nothing wrong with this, as the concept of the work ethic was devised by sneaky religions, in order that tithes based on a percentage of earnings could be calculated on a higher base line. This happened at about the time that the Enlightenment was causing philosophical types to query the need for an omnipotent deity to be making pronouncements about showing faith visibly by limiting diet and forcing the use of facial hair. In fairness, the philosophers were often known to have invested in whelk farms and to be trying to sink rival investors in the controversial 'false beards for women' industry, who in turn were supported by animal rights groups desperate to end the tradition of glueing a cat to one's chin. None of this can be blamed on Kilrogan, except maybe the cat glueing. What can be blamed on him is the 21st September 2008, where he suffered his only defeat (in four attempts) when returning from 3 months or more off track. This actually has turned out to be a decent enough race, and it was a shame that he was run out of third place, at least for each-way followers. To balance the view, the last one of these wins was on firm ground when only four run, but Kilrogan is definitely in a yard where the trend to date can be sustained. In the UK, he has never run on going softer than good, so any appearance with cut can be deemed experimental, and thus observed with curiosity rather than investment.

Races after 3 months or more off course, on good, good to firm or firm

An enraged Kilrogan goes for the jugular on the girl who led up one of his rivals, as jockey Peter Toole decides ignorance is bliss and looks away.

OTANTIQUE     (Miss E. C. Lavelle)

7 year old bay gelding     (Lute Antique - Gracieuse Antique)     35/661/311/-P33P

The risk with selecting Otantique at this stage is that he has had an absence from racing of eighteen months, and has maybe not quite proved himself since his return. The third at Ludlow under topweight was not a disaster, and a follow-up run at Stratford was really not bad at all (also third, just over seven lengths behind stable mate Seymar Lad) as the evidence is that Stratford is not Otantique's track at all. The fact that he pulled up back there, after a bad early blunder got him detached, could reinforce that view, or the worse case scenario is that he aggravated whatever caused him to go AWOL to start with. The eye-catching part of his form is when you stick him on a right handed track - his record being 5111P3. The P was the lead in to the absence and the 5 was in a fair novice hurdle at Sandown, where the yard's horses would not be expected to go eyeball to eyeball with Aztec Warrior and a couple of others rated in the region of 130. So, as long as his mojo returns, and it may already have done, Otantique can get winning again.

Handicap chases or hurdles on a right handed track

PONTOP     (G. A. Charlton)

6 year old bay gelding     (Shernazar - Keppols Princess)     4/16056515-5324

Presumably to remain true to his name, Pontop's recent runs have been high in the hills of Hexham, but they have been in vain, because the course is not really designed to play to his strengths. In fact, had he not hung badly there two runs ago, a trend defying success might have happened. Assuming that it would have been trend defying. The problem with Pontop is that whilst both wins have come on a galloping track, he has only tried that sort of venue four times, one when a bit out of his depth and on the wrong ground at Cheltenham. Where encouragement can be taken is in the regularity of disappointment when he is on sharp (never placed in five) and that whilst his form on an easy track is 4234, the latest of these seemed winnable opportunities that he could not seize. The other cause for optimism is that he could be ready to go chasing, which is an area where he could end up, if not 'pontop, a fair way into the ascent to the peak.

Handicap hurdles/chases on a galloping track on good to soft/good/good to firm

In the absence of a photo, accept the following performance graph relating to Pontop

WELL GREEN     (J. W. Mullins)

5 year old bay gelding     (Quws - Coca's Well)     26/6783P41F-3

Stats are a funny thing. When checking Well Green's form, I was surprised when it billed Quws as having an average winning distance for his flat horses as 6 furlongs (the Racing Post website still irrationally defaults in flat stats when a horse is looked up), as they are not associated with pussy-footing around over jumps. It turned out that he had only sired two flat winners, one a two year old and the other in a seven furlong seller. So the powerful sloggers are par for the course, and Well Green looked like one of those from debut, even though his second on heavy was only in a four runner bumper. It took him a while to get going after that, in part due to his yard having a quiet spell, but once he hit some form, Well Green showed he will be a sound stayer of three miles, and that he is pretty flexible about the ground or course - up, down, any way round. His win came by a nose at Newton Abbot, unphased by a mistake at the last, and when his summer break is over, Well Green can hopefully progress on what he has shown so far.

Handicap hurdles or chases over 3 miles or more

Well Green at Kempton, where he fell, but at least bounced back and ran, er, well, in his follow up appearance. Note that there are no obvious green credentials about him, apart from an organic noseband, made from GM-free sheep.