Mike Cattermole racing column: Undisputed Champ?
Our columnist reflects on the Sky Bet Supreme chances of Soaring Glory, a vote of confidence in Champ and whether it's the end for Tiger.
JONJO WELL AND TRULY BACK
Much has been written about the rapid progress to the top of Jonjo O’Neill junior and all power to him. However, the resurgence of his “old man” this season has also been one of the highlights.
Soaring Glory’s decisive win in last Sunday’s Betfair Hurdle was further proof that Jonjo senior is back to his best. Few are on his level at laying one out for a big day.
Newbury has been a happy hunting ground during this campaign for the Jackdaws Castle team with a Ladbrokes Trophy secured back in November by the Grand National-bound Cloth Cap.
He was ridden that day of course by Tom Scudamore but with Soaring Glory partnered by his son last Sunday, it would have been a proud moment for the O’Neill family.
With 60 winners on the board already, Jonjo is now sitting in fourth place in the trainers’ championship in terms of prize money won.
Meanwhile, we are now having what seems like an annual discussion about whether the Betfair Hurdle winner, so often a novice, can double up in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in just over three weeks’ time.
History says that it is unlikely. The only two horses to go onto more glory at Cheltenham after Newbury were Persian War in 1968 and Make A Stand in 1997, both of course stepping up to take the Champion Hurdle itself.
It is yet to happen in a Supreme, although there have been some close calls and some not so close. Nonetheless, it has certainly been the route of choice over the past decade or so.
In 2010, Get Me Out Of Here was narrowly beaten by Menorah in the Supreme
2011 Recession Proof was fifth to Al Ferof
2012 Zarkandar was fifth in the Champion to Rock On Ruby
2013 My Tent Or Yours was a close second to Champagne Fever
2014 Splash Of Ginge was well beaten behind Vautour
2015 Violet Dancer was well held in the County Hurdle
2017 Ballyandy was fourth to Labaik
2018 another near miss with Kalashnikov, just touched off by Summerville Boy
2019 Al Dancer was well held behind Klassical Dream
To compare the marks of those that went on to be second in the Supreme, Get Me Out Of Here won off 135, My Tent Or Yours off 149 and Kalashnikov off 141.
Given that Soaring Glory won the Betfair off 133, albeit in with a bit in hand, he may too fall just a little short.
CHAMP HAS INDEED A TOUCH OF BRILLIANCE ABOUT HIM
How fascinating to hear Henrietta Knight describing Champ as probably having “more talent than Best Mate”. Hen is not always right - who is? – but she is more right than wrong and not prone to making over the top statements.
And having shown he can live with and beat some pretty smart specialist two-mile chasers at Newbury, Sceau Royal apart, I bet Hen was nodding knowingly back at West Lockinge Farm.
Let’s face it, weren’t most of us also questioning the wisdom of another great in Nicky Henderson when he opted to give Champ a Gold Cup prep in the Game Spirit? We should all have known better.
Surely this was a run that did exactly what Champ’s connections wanted. His jumping was sharp and, indeed, much improved, he had no difficulty laying up, wasn’t “gassy” and must be expected to come on hugely, both mentally and physically, after just under a year off the track.
Sure, he needs to go and win or go close in the Gold Cup now to prove it was indeed the perfect prep but it is hard to imagine any of his Blue Riband rivals having the talent and speed to do what he did at Newbury.
Having said that, Al Boum Photo has successfully used an extended two and a half miles around the very tight turns of Tramore as his warm-up for the past three years so he is by no means one-dimensional, either.
Meanwhile, Al Boum’s Gold Cup form of last March is starting to get as many holes in it as my old (presumably moth-infested) cardigan. I don’t think his connections need fear anything he beat last year in the rematch but now there are two serious Gold Cup wannabes awaiting him in A Plus Tard and Champ.
TIGER ROLL
This is not meant to be in any way facetious but it is ironic that in one week we should be talking about two very different types of “Tiger Roll”.
It sounds as though Tiger Woods was fortunate to survive after his horrific crash in California when his car left the road at speed and rolled several times. Let’s hope the surgery carried out on the 15-time major champion’s shattered right leg was successful.
Whether Tiger plays golf again may be the least of his worries.
Many older readers and golf historians will be comparing the car accident sustained by another golfing legend in Ben Hogan when his Cadillac was hit head-on in the fog by a greyhound bus in Texas in 1949. There were no airbags in those days of course and Hogan suffered a broken pelvis, collarbone, left ankle and a rib. He too was “lucky”.
The difference was that he was just 36 at the time, in his prime as a golfer, and he recovered and went on to win six more majors. Tiger is 45, albeit an extremely fit one, but one whose body has been patched up by the surgeons many times over.
It looks a tough road back but there cannot be anybody who does not wish him well.
So what of our own Tiger Roll? The dual Grand National winner was tailed off in last over hurdles at Navan last Sunday, dropping out very tamely and quickly in the home straight. Yes, he had run well up to a point but overall it was hard to be enthusiastic about it.
I hope I am proved wrong but the futures of both Tigers, both sporting icons, look very dubious.
CVC’S BIG INVESTMENT IN SPORT
The multi-billion pound private equity firm, CVC, has gone sporting mad over the past year or two.
Having turned F1 around over a number of years and left with huge profits, CVC has turned its attentions recently to rugby union by investing in the Premiership and the Pro-14 competitions. Their buying into the Six Nations should be finally confirmed this week.
In soccer, they are also in the process of pulling off a deal with Serie-A, AKA the Italian Premier League, and earlier this month it was announced that it had invested $300m into a commercial arrangement with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
In a joint statement, they announced: “The partnership will focus on event hosting, fan experience, media, data/digital opportunities and sponsorship to grow commercial revenues for reinvestment, which will ensure the long-term success of the sport.”
That quote sums up CVC’s vision and could really apply to any of their sporting investments. It could equally apply to horse racing too.
My understanding is that CVC considered investing in horse racing in the UK only fairly recently but decided against it.
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