two for 28/12/2012

2:25 Leopardstown – Topaz Novice Chase

BACK IN FOCUS has been superb on both starts so far this season, jumping really well and galloping all the way to the line. He handles soft ground as well as any horse and I can see him galloping the opposition into the ground and maintaining his unbeaten record over fences. Last time out he faced a useful opponent in Lyreen Legend, but when stamina came into play, he was able to pull clear, having looked set for a serious fight at one stage. The extra distance of this race should play to his strengths and he is my banker of the Christmas period.


3:00 Leopardstown – Lexus Chase

There is a cracking renewal to this race and many will fancy their chances. Flemenstar has looked awesome so far over two and a half miles and the big question is will he be so effective over three miles, if he is, then he deserves to be favourite, but there is a doubt and at odds of 7/4, he looks too short. Sir Des Champs and Hidden Cyclone should both run well and it could be close between the pair. They met once last season with Sir Des Champs coming out on top, but Hidden Cyclone was not 100% that day, so could gain revenge. Connections think the world of him and the ground will be perfect, so I certainly expect him to run well. At the prices though, I will go for TIDAL BAY. Paul Nicholls has a very good record when sending horses over for the top Irish races and I can sense that he is very confident that Tidal Bay will run a massive race. He loves heavy ground and his run in the Hennessy when conceding weight to Bobs Worth was a classy effort, so he enters the race in top form. It is also interesting to hear Paul Nicholls say that he has discovered the way to train him and that is shown by his last two runs, which were both top class. At odds of 5/1 I think he represents value as I am not sure how many of his opponents would have run so well in the Hennessy off a mark of 166

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