Jake Price's Thursday Horse Racing Tips at Listowel & Perth

THE LAST CLOUD 1pt Win @ 9/4

We could end up having a significantly different market come post time as at the time of writing Tamarind Bay was a non-runner in the 3m Handicap Chase at Perth on the Wednesday due to the going, and you wouldn’t imagine the ground will change much overnight. Regardless of his participation however, I am excited by the prospects of THE LAST CLOUD now that he goes Chasing over a trip which should be ideal.

This Patrick Neville charge racked up a bit of sequence this time last year, recording a hat-trick at Perth on the 8th September when winning a 2m Handicap Hurdle off a mark of 117. His journey since that victory has very much seen his trajectory climb and climb however; as on his next start he went to Cheltenham and finished a very good fourth in the Grade 2 Oddschecker Novices’ Hurdle at the October meeting, when only beaten 1.5 lengths by Fortune De Mer (134).

After a bit of a break he was sent to the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day where he finished a distant third behind Idaho Sun and Mydaddypaddy, but afterwards connections took the drastic action of stepping him all the way up in trip to three-miles for the Grade 2 River Don Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster. If you watch that race back then you will see that he actually travelled strongly into a brief lead before the second last flight, but he clearly did not get home over that extended trip, eventually plugging on for a well beaten third place.

I can forgive his run in the Premier Novices’ Hurdle at Kelso the next day where he never travelled and was probably just a bit over the top, but what I do love in the context of Thursday’s Chase debut it that connections gave him a spin at Perth last month – where he was very fresh in the opening stages. After losing his position completely he stayed on very strongly through beaten horses to see out his race well over that 2m trip, but I think it is safe to say that 2m4f should be a distance which suits him ideally going forward.

With that freshness taken out of him and a run for fitness under his belt, I thought that a 3lbs drop in the weights from a mark of 129 to 126 was very generous. Patrick Neville said last September that his Perth victory would be “the last time you’ll see of him over a hurdle because he’s going to go Chasing” so clearly this sphere has always been on the radar of connections, and hopefully one year later he can make a successful start in a first-time tongue tie. 

OLE OLE 0.5pt EW @ 12/1

It would be remiss to ignore the obvious concern of Gavin Cromwell’s current stable form, as at the time of writing he has not had a winner over Jumps for 34 runners/32 days, but there has been three second places in that time period, including one who was only beaten a neck. A horse with loads of form in the book and scope to improve further this season is OLE OLE, and he is the one I want to be siding with in the Lartigue.

This French recruit had on the surface of it been a bit frustrating for connections last season, finishing second on three occasions; 1 length behind Quinta Do Lago (132) at Punchestown, 1 length behind Glen To Glen (128) at Cork, and a head behind Hardy Stuff (123) at Leopardstown. There was always an undertone to his campaign that the Fred Winter was his ultimate aim however, and he turned up to the Cheltenham Festival off a mark of 128 – but ultimately that plan was foiled when he fell at the third last.

He wasn’t exactly in a prime position to pounce that occasion out in the rear considering most of the protagonists raced prominently, but I am happy to put a line through it owing to the fact that he went to Bellewstown in April for a 4yo Maiden Hurdle an absolutely bolted up – winning by 11 lengths at an absolute canter. The third that day isn’t a bad horse either, as Manoir De Mirande has since won twice for the Gordon Elliott team to achieve a rating of 119.

The best part about that Maiden victory for OLE OLE though was the fact that he looked to have progressed from his early Juvenile days, and he seems the model of Horse who will continue to grow and improve into the new campaign. It is no surprise then to see connections get him out in time for the Lartigue, and off an unchanged Handicap mark of 123, he surely has plenty left up his sleeve.

MARSIAC 1pt @ 4/1

I am sure that connections will want to go Chasing with MARSIAC at some point, but Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls clearly feel he has some unfinished business left over Hurdles – and his mark of 127 does look ripe for exploiting should he be ready to go first time up. As he is only a five-year-old perhaps it is sensible to get some more experience into him before Jumping fences, and that additional Summer on his back to help fill his frame could mean we see an improved Horse this campaign.

His point-to-point second behind Taurus Bay has worked out extremely well, and last Autumn he got off to a good start to life under rules; finishing fourth on Hurdles debut at Uttoxter, before then winning back-to-back races at Aintree and Hereford when stepped up in trip to 2m4f. The win in Liverpool against Big Ticket (125) and Tiddesley Wood (128) has worked out particularly well, but to defy his penalty in Herefordshire with such ease marked him down as a good Horse in my eyes.

Connections quickly handed him his Handicap debut at Hereford in December where he bumped into the classy Came From Nowhere (133), but the market certainly fancied his chances when sending him off the 2/1 favourite. Notably however he was off the bridle before they turned for home over that 2m3½f trip, and in the end he had to settle for fourth place – but the second Good To Be Alive (133) has also won since to give some more substance to the form.

Connections persisted down the intermediate distance route at Kempton in March when he finally made his return after an 84-day absence, but once again they tried to make good use of him and he was very much tapped for toe at an early stage. I think it is very sensible then that connections have decided to step him up to three-miles for his return to the track, and off a mark of 127 I do think he has more to give should he be ready for this assignment.