Glad to be back?

In today’s blog:
Review of last week’s racing
Today’s Racing Selections
2010-11 Chasers & Hurdlers Alert List

Review of last week’s racing
The “Wayward Lad” spent a great week in Cornwall last week. If you can keep away from the smell of chip-fat and do-nuts (are these a Cornish delicacy?) then you’re on the way to having a good time. The locals can be a bit grumpy yet, considering they’d be penniless without the tourist’s spending money, you’d think they’d be grateful. My maxim is that if you don’t like serving people then don’t work behind a bar, in a shop, or run a café.

I missed “Glorious Goodwood” but if you’re a regular reader of the blog then you’d have been on CANFORD CLIFFS who won again. He may have only been at odds of 4/6, but the result was never in doubt; he’s clearly the best miler of his generation and the best we’ve seen in some time – which is what I said on this blog after he was 3rd in the Guineas!

I’m not sure what to make of HARBINGER; he certainly ran-them-ragged in the KG and he does love bouncing off the turf. For me, long winning distances are not a true representation of superiority and should not be taken literally. His RPR of 135 looks hard to find fault with tho’.

A few other horses mentioned on the blog in the past came good; GLENRIDDING won @ 7//2, and an old fav of mine KALELLSHAN won twice! At 8/1 and 11/4 – more of him later.

Today’s Racing Selections
I’m not going to take great interest in today’s racing on my first day back. However, there are some things of interest.
At Carlisle, James Given has not had a winner from 29 runners in 5-years. I’m happy to oppose his only runner there today; AJAAFA in the 6:55 as he is clearly doing something wrong when sending horses there.
I am also interested in the only runner of Jeremy Noseda today – BITTER FORTUNE in the 7:10 at Windsor tonight. This horse drops back to an extended mile having failed to stay 10f on both his most recent runs.

2010-11 Chasers & Hurdlers Alert List
KALELLSHAN, 7yo chaser trained by C Byrnes
I first noticed this horse when he won at Sedgefield last September beating a useful novice chase field. In 3rd was Schelm (now rated OR139) who was beaten on merit at level weights. He then went for a Grade 3 novice chase at Roscommon where, leading by 6-lengths at the last, he made an awful mistake (jockey error?) and lost the race. That was great form but, as a result of that bad error, he was put away for the winter with an OR126 chase rating. He returned to the track in July with a new trainer, C Byrnes, trainer of Weapons Amnesty. His first run was just a pipe-opener, but he followed that up with an all-the-way win at the Galway Festival over hurdles. Quite why he was allowed to go off at 8/1 when he’d won last summer at Perth off a 3lb higher rating over 21f is anyone’s guess. He then followed-up with another hurdle win over 18f just 4-days later, again at Galway. KALELLSHAN has had only 3 chase runs and would have won all 3 but for a last fence error with the race at his mercy. He’s shown in the past week he is back to his best and his chase handicap mark of OR126 looks very lenient – I reckon he should be on OR140 at least, and could be a OR150+ chaser. He bowls along in front, and is generally a very good jumper able to put his opponents under pressure a long way out. He looks a cert to win a good handicap chase this autumn either in the UK or in Ireland. He’s won on a variety of going, tho’ would prefer “good” or quicker, and he stays 21f.

Already on the list:
QHILIMAR, 6yo chaser trained by A E JONES
CESIUM, 5yo 2nd season chaser trained by Tom GEORGE
ABSOLUTE SHAMBLES, 6yo 2nd season chaser trained by Chris GORDON
EBADIYAN, 5yo hurdler trained by Patrick O’BRADY
PALYPSO DE CREEK, 7yo chaser trained by Charlie LONGSDON

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Thanks from Wayward Lad