Monday 3rd November 2014

Menorah won the big race of the weekend the Charlie Hall Chase in grand style, trainer Philip Hobbs has his horses in very good form and started the season with a bang. The favourite Silviniaco Conti looked the winner four out when going a few lengths clear but stopped very quickly and looked to blow up close home.

I wouldn’t give up on the horse and think he will be a player in the King George, Silviniaco Conti just wasn’t fit enough on Saturday.

Sign Of A Victory was arguably the most impressive winner that ran over the weekend when turning the Listed hurdle into a demolition job. Always had on the steel Barry Geraghty had an armchair ride and won cheekily from Dawalan, the winning distance could have been 10 lengths with a shake of the reigns. I’m not sure where the Nicky Henderson trained horse goes next but he looks top class and could be a live outsider for the two mile championship races this season.

The UK / Irish team failed to get a winner at the Breeders Cup meeting, Dank looked to be going well in the fillies & mares but lacked a finishing kick when required in the home straight, she’s now been retired. Toast Of New York ran a massive race when 2nd in in the Classic, Bayern the winner had to survive a stewards inquiry but Jamie Osborne and his team can be very proud of Toast Of New York.

Hopefully the race that stops the nation The Melbourne Cup can provide the home based horses with more luck in the early hours of the morning. It looks a spectacular meeting and one I would love to attend at some point.

Red Cadeaux will always be a favourite of mine after backing him antepost at 100-1 for the Melbourne Cup a few years ago, it was so nearly a monster result but somehow the photo finish guys found a pixel separating him and Dunaden. In any other country would have been a dead heat but that’s how it goes.

I’ll be cheering on Red Cadeaux again in the early hours and hope one of the UK based horses can grab the prize after some close calls in the past few years.