Cyrname’s chance to show class at Kempton
Going: Soft
GLOBAL HARMONY SLAINTE MHOR IMPERIAL ICON MERCIAN PRINCE SPIRITOFTHEGAMES
KILBROOK TROOPER TURNBULL
......................... ......................................................................... Bridget Andrews
(14) B Ellison 8 11-11 (D) ............... S Quinlan
(24) Tristan Davidson 10 11-9 (C2) ...... T Dowson
(28) A King 7 11-6 ............................................ T Bellamy
(36) K Bailey 9 11-5 (D3) .......................... D Bass
(21)PHobbs811-5 .................... TJO’Brien
(21) Dr R Newland 9 11-2 (C2) .............. C Hammond (3)
(42) N Richards 10 11-2 (C2) .......................... R Day
(35) C Longsdon 8 10-13 ................ R Mania BETTING: 4 Canelo, 5 Springtown Lake, 6 Snow Leopardess, The Dutchman, 13-2 Spiritofthegames, 8 Wandrin Star, Windsor Avenue, Beau Bay, 12 Guitar Pete.
SUPREMELY LUCKY (28) D Skelton 8 11-12 ...... Bridget Andrews
MINT CONDITION (21) Jennie Candlish 6 11-9 (BF).. LiPinchin (5)
LOOK MY WAY (21) J J Quinn 6 11-8 .......................... Craig Nichol ARTHUR MAC (19) P Kirby 7 11-8 ................................. T Dowson ELYSEES (28) M Hammond 5 11-7 ................................ C Brace (3) LAVERTEEN (24) A Day 9 11-6 .................................. D Burton (5)
KAYF ADVENTURE (21) M Hammond 9 11-4 (D) ...... B Garritty (3) KILBROOK (73) Jonjo O’Neill 5 11-4 (BF) ...................... A P Heskin SAM’S GUNNER (56) M W Easterby 7 11-3 .................... S Quinlan SMALL PRESENT (28) Mrs S Smith 5 11-1 .......... Sam Coltherd (3) SKIPTHESCALES (26) S Corbett 8 11-0 (C2) ............. N Moscrop (3) PRESENTEDWITHWINGS (31) T Symonds 6 10-11 ......... B Poste THELONGWAYAROUND (415) Mrs S Smith 7 10-8 ......... R Mania BETTING: 9-2 Kilbrook, 5 Presentedwithwings, 11-2 Mint Condition, 6 Small Present, 8 Supremely Lucky, 10 Thelongwayaround, Look My Way, 12 Skipthescales, Elysees, 14 Others.
85-40fav Contested lead, tracked leader after 5th, led after 4 out, challenged 3 out, headed last, stayed on behind easy winner, 2nd of 11, 7l behind Valleres at Wetherby 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) gs in Oct.
11-2 Raced keenly, tracked leader, led before 2 out until between last 2, soon outpaced, 4th of 13, 14l behind Fancy Foundations at Hereford 2m 4f nh nov hdl (4) sft in Nov. 7-2fav Mid-division on inside, closer approaching 6th, chased leaders 4 out, switched right after 2 out, edged left and plugged on in 4th run-in, 4th of 11, 4 1/2l behind Kateson at Aintree 2m 4f hcp hdl (2) sft. 10-1 Close up, close up, dropped to rear 5 out, ridden 3 out, stayed on flat, 4th of 6, 5l behind Getaround at Newcastle 2m 6f nh nov hdl (2) gd in Nov.
13-2 Close-up, slow 10th, pushed in 3rd after 4 out, 4th and struggling after 3 out, well beaten, 4th of 5, 35l behind Pink Legend at Bangor-on-Dee 2m 4f beg chs (4) sft in Nov. 12-1 Held up towards rear, headway chasing leaders before 3 out, weakened between las t, 5th of 11, 15l behind Kateson at Aintree 2m 4f hcp hdl (2) sft. 7-1 Led until after 3rd, led next, headed 10th, led 11th, headed 4 out, soon led again, headed before 3 out, no impression on winner from 2 out, 2nd of 6, 16l behind Sojourn at Market Rasen 3m nov hcp chs 0-120 (4) hvy in Nov ‘19.
11-1 Chased leader, lost ground and ridden 7th, adrift in rear before 3 out, tailed off 2 out, 7th of 9, 12l behind Big Bad Bear at Doncaster 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-135 (3) gs in Nov. 10-3 Pressed leader, led after 1st, headed narrowly 4th, led 6th, headed narrowly 7th, ridden 9th, close up when awkward 3 out, faded before last, 4th of 6, 13l behind Legalized at Ayr 3m hcp hdl 0-120 (4) hvy in Nov. 9-2 Held up in rear, never dangerous, 8th of 10, 20l behind Get Out The Gate at Musselburgh 3m hcp hdl 0-130 (3) sft. 33-1 Behind, jumped slowly 1st and next, never a factor, tailed off when mistake 3 out, pulled up before next, in a race won by Clan Legend at Aintree 2m 4f hcp chs 0-135 (3) sft, 13 ran.
40-1 Prominent, ridden after 4 out, weakened quickly before 3 out, 11th of 18, 31l behind Arrivederci at Wetherby 2m 4f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) sft in Oct.
80-1 Chased leader until 2nd, chased leaders, weakened 4 out, tailed of and pulled up before 2 out, in a race won by The Cob at Haydock 2m 3f hcp hdl 0-130 (3) hvy, 9 ran.
CYRNAME can deny stable companion Clan Des Obeaux a hat-trick in a fascinating renewal of the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Paul Nicholls has dominated the Boxing Day showpiece over the last couple of decades, with four horses providing him with 11 victories.
This year the Ditcheat handler fires a four-pronged assault, with last year’s one-two, Clan Des Obeaux and Cyrname, joined by Frodon and Real Steel, although by the trainer’s admission the latter pair look to be running for place money at best.
Clan Des Obeaux’s Kempton form is certainly a level above anything he has achieved elsewhere and Cyrname was firmly put in his place when 21 lengths behind 12 months ago.
That is clearly a significant gap to bridge, but there is little doubt Cyrname was still feeling the effects of a gruelling Ascot tussle with Altior a month earlier, whereas this year he has had an extra three weeks to recover from a facile comeback win in the Charlie Hall.
Indeed, it is almost a role reversal this time around, as Clan Des Obeaux was the one who ended up in a real scrap in testing conditions on his November reappearance when chasing home Haydock specialist Bristol De Mai in the Betfair Chase.
Cyrname put any questions about whether he stays three miles to bed at Wetherby in October, while it was also noticeable how much more tractable he appears to be, meaning it is unlikely to be a major issue if he is taken on for the lead.
The Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle appears a far more straightforward puzzle to solve, with defending champion Epatante impossible to oppose.
Nicky Henderson’s six-year-old propelled herself towards the top of the two-mile hurdling division when winning this Grade One contest last year before shooting clear in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.