Thursday Revisited.

This is the day I have been most looking forward to, I strongly fancy a couple in the handicaps, as well as Seeyouatmidnight in the big one. My original thoughts on the first four races stand. Here are my updated thoughts on the last two races.

Brown Advisory Plate

Attaglance is my original selection for this race, and his claims were outlined in my original preview for Thursday. One other horse i'd also like to give a mention to in this race is Rawnaq, who is trained by Matthew Smith, who runs a small operation in County Meath.
This horse is 2//3 over fences, and has also won over timber and on the flat. He is the apple of his trainers eye, and although he may have been 25/1 when easily beating Gilgamboa last time out the stable were not surprised by the result. He has won both his chases at Navan, where the stiff uphill finish is an ideal prep for Cheltenham. He is travelling over with a lot of confidence behind him and could well outrun his odds of 25/1.

Pick: Attaglance (advised when 16/1) and Rawnaq e/w (25/1)


Kim Muir Chase

So last but not least on the Friday is the Kim Muir, which sees 24 handicappers go into battle over a gruelling 3m2f. It goes without saying that stamina is essential in this race, and the stats show that carrying above 11 stone is not too much of an issue. Past winners include Sunnyhillboy, who went on to be beaten a nose in a Grand National, and last years runner up wasCause of Causes, who won the 4 miler at this years festival, So as you can see, stamina is key.
One horse that I feel has a likely profile for this race is Heaney, trained by the wily Tom Taafe. He gets in off a mark of 131, which looks to be fair enough given what he has achieved so far. However, this half brother to Ellison stable star Definitly Red is unexposed over 3m + trips and really caught my eye when staying on strongly in the Irish Grand National last year after being given way too much to do, finishing a never nearer sixth beaten ten lengths. That run suggests stamina is this horses strong suit, and I believe that this race has been the target this year. With Derek Queally, a top Irish amateur, doing the steering hopefully Heaney can be poetry in motion and reward backers at a tasty price.

Pick: Heaney (e/w) 18/1