Living for the weekend-Hobbs certainly is!

We're all familiar with the term 'Living for the weekend'; after slogging away all week at work those 2 days break from the routine that always go way too quickly for our liking. Well another man who is certainly living for the weekend is trainer Philip Hobbs after Menorah helped him take the feature race on the Saturday jumps cards in England, backing up the win of Wishful Thinking last weekend. Menorah won the Charlie Hall Chase up at Wetherby in authoritative fashion, beating the staying on Taquin Du Seuil by 4 lengths, the flatter track probably playing more into the winner's hands than the runner up. Any Ante-Post backers of Taquin for the Cheltenham Gold Cup should not be too dispirited by this defeat, the horse made it look like he would stay the Gold Cup trip and the undulating nature of the Cheltenham track, one he is proven over, may bring out the best in him come March. However today Menorah was more suited by conditions and he could now head to the King George at Kempton over Christmas as that is run over a similar flat track to the one he was so impressive over this weekend and he would certainly deserve a place towards the head of the market for the Boxing Day Chase. Silviniaco Conti was deeply unimpressive,  the way he was ridden initially made it seen like Nicholls thought he was plenty fit enough but the way he folded tamely was quite concerning. It could be that Conti was another of the Nicholls horses who quite obviously need their first run, however Conti had actually been taken for a racecourse gallop at Chepstow the week before (according to Vanessa Ryle of ATR) so this really should not have been the case. It'll be interesting to see if he turns up at Haydock for the Betfair Chase on the back of this, I'd not be keen on taking a short price on him for that race. Even though I voiced concerns over the price of Conti in my ante post piece he still was the best horse on figures in the Charlie Hall field and should have run much better than he did, 100% fit or not. My ante-post fancy Medermit so narrowly failed to get me a return on my advised e/w bet with 3 places still on offer earlier in the week as he was denied 3rd place by just half a length...gutting!

Menorah takes the feature at Wetherby, Medermit staying on but not enough to land my ante-post bet sadly

Elswehere on the card we had the re-appearance of At Fishers Cross in the 3 runner 3m 1f Grade 2 hurdle and he disappointed massively, trailing in last of the field and beaten over 8 lengths by the winner Cole Harden. After the race jockey AP McCoy said he thought AFC needs a fence now to show his best form and connections will be mulling over wether to take that route or not. I would be inclined to go for it, after all they do have the current World Hurdle Champion amongst their ranks! McCoy had a much better time of it on the hugely impressive Aurore D'Estruval, John Quinn's mare, as she won the listed Mares hurdle at an absolute canter. She looks certain to hold high rank in the Mares races this season, however you feel the only way that she can taste glory at Cheltenham in that race is if Annie Power goes for loftier targets. Hardly likely given the way Mullins used to farm the race with Quevega year in year out.

Whilst the feature race of the day may have been up at Wetherby we had an absolute feast of action elsewhere around the country with a cracking card down at Ascot. Ulck Du Lin was one Paul Nicholls inmate who certainly wasn't in need of the run as he took advantage of a tumbling handicap mark to hose up in the Bryne Group Handicap Chase. Claret Cloak was a very gallant 2nd but understandably struggled to give the winner a whopping 20lbs when the young jockey Sean Bowen's 7 lbs claim was accounted for. That 7 lbs is an absolute steal and with Sean's obvious talent I don't think he will be long in reducing that weight concession, definitely one to look out for in the saddle and it will be interesting to see if Nicholls tries to save his claim for these valuable handicap races.

Sean Bowen; a jockey to look out for

Dan Skelton carried on his great start to the season in taking the United House Gold Cup Handicap with What a Warrior, again ridden by brother Harry who still hasn't started getting the outside rides he no doubt deserves yet...maybe he needs a new agent!

Finally we must travel over the Irish Sea and onto Down Royal as they staged an absolute corker of a card, with the JNWine Champion Chase the highlight of the action. This has produced a few Gold Cup winners in it's time, notably the great Katuo Star, and could this year's winner Road to Riches be set to follow in Kauto's hoof prints? He's a 20/1 shot for Cheltenham Gold Cup glory on the back if this impressive all the way victory and I really don't think there is anything overly special amongst the current bunch of staying chasers; definitely a market where an improving horse could come through and make a huge impression in this year's renewal. He's apparently off to the Lexus next which could give us a better guide, but I really think a Championship race headed by Holywell (much to prove stepping up from Handicaps), Cue Card (does he stay?), Bobs Worth (Disappointing last year) and Silviniaco Conti (Does he get the trip around Cheltenham) is well worth targeting with a rapidly improving chaser like Road to Riches. Just don't tell the horse of his trainer's record at Prestbury Park!

Road to Riches followed up his Galway Plate success

Gigginstown had a cracking double on the Down Royal card as Don Cossack took the other big race on the card in the famous maroon silks. Bryan Cooper was back in big race winning form on top of Don Cossack and the Don finally looks like he could be starting to fulfil his huge and undoubted potential. Victory in the Irish Whiskey Chase opens up targets such as the King George and the Lexus, and if the Don can go on to be the horse so many people believe he could be then you would be a brace man to lay a price on victory in either of those two races.

I could go on for ages covering all the action this weekend, after all I haven't even touched on Sunday ! Here we saw Moscow Mannon impressively defeat Felix Yonger, the runner up having to give 9 lbs to his victor so certainly not disgracing himself. De Bromhead was hugely positive post race when talking of Moscow Mannon however, claiming that no horse in his yard can keep with him at home, so this career over Fences could well prove to be a fruitful one.   A horse I'm keen on, albeit with a lower profile, Un Ace got the first victory of his chasing career at Huntingdon, and Holywell, apparently a Gold Cup contender, made his re-appearance at Carlisle going down to Many Clouds and Eduard. McCoy said he wasn't disappointed with the performance but I will be a shocked and poorer man if Holywell is good enough to win a Gold Cup! It really has been a jam packed weekend and the National Hunt season hasn't even properly started for some yet! With less than 2 weeks to go until the Showcase meeting at Cheltenham Park though we are definitely going up a gear or two and we just look forward to the next weekend with glee at the moment....just like Philip Hobbs!

Thanks again for reading.

AB