Gordon Elliott’s prospect made it four wins from four starts under rules with victory on Thursday
Bookmakers were certainly impressed by what they saw on Thursday as Samcro enhanced his already burgening reputation with a bloddless win on his first start over obstacles. Already clear favourite for the Neptune at Cheltenham in March thanks to his popularity with punters in the ante-post markets, he was cut even further off the back of Thursday’s performance with one bookmaker offering just 5/1.
Jack Kennedy had the pleasure of coasting around the Kildare track as his mount put in a near faultless display before pulling clear for a 15 length victory hard on the snaff.
Five from five - the highly exciting Samcro wins as he likes on his hurdles debut at @punchestownrace: pic.twitter.com/IeWFbqL2BC
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 19, 2017
Since the end of the race, 71% of all bets on the Cheltenham ante-post markets have been on the three-time bumper winner, split across three different races. As well as being clear market leader for the Neptune (best price 7/1), bookmakers also have him as short as 12/1 in the Supreme betting (best price 20/1) and the same price for the Albert Bartlett (best price 20/1).
His trainer Gordon Elliott said after the race when asked about what would be his ideal trip: “I think he’s got the pace for two miles and the stamina to step up. I’d imagine somewhere between 2 and 2 ½ miles, I couldn’t see him going much further than that this year. We’ll give him three or four weeks before we go again.”
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek: "Samcro is already one of the most talked about horses ahead for the upcoming National Hunt season, and he backed up his burgeoning reputation on the track with a stylish win at Punchestown. Whilst he is now favourite for the Neptune, he has also been cut for the Supreme novices which is run over the same winning trip as his seasonal debut."
