Dynamo Dresden

November 22^nd

I’ve just returned home after attending Haydock which was a sea of yellow as usual since Betfair started handing out free scarves entering the course, and they went down well for the first bitter day of the season. I’ll report back on the racing in tomorrow’s Week 2 of the Cheltenham Ante-Post Service.

Of the three head-to-head match ups in the big races on Saturday (on paper at least), I only managed to call Irving to beat Top Notch right with Silviniaco Conti not on his A-game and Brother Tedd outspeeded by a former Champion Hurdler in a steadily-run race but I hope that I convinced some of you to back Dresden at a nice price (returned at 7/1) giving the going places Henry Oliver another good winner and I was surprised that Monksland (5/2) didn’t start favourite to win the beginners’ chase at Gowran Park.

In the next 48 hours I will be uploading Venetia Williams, Neil Muholland, Henry de Bromhead and Kim Bailey to the Trainer Trends section and I have already started work on Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson, Willie Mullins, Jonjo O’Neill, Noel Meade, Malcolm Jefferson, Rebecca Curtis, Charlie Longsdon, Evan Williams, Tom George, Colin Tizzard and Lucinda Russell so they will uploaded in batches over the next 7-10 days which will then take us up to 30 trainers in total for this jumps season.

Some good stuff today at Navan with Douvan the star attraction making his chasing debut, the Troytown Chase, the Monksfield Novice Hurdle, Foxrock over hurdles and Augusta Kate in the bumper. Also try and watch Bontito Du Berlais in the 12.55 at Auteuil in what promises to be a terrific match against the unbeaten-in-six Blue Dragon in the Grade 1 juvenile hurdle. I imagine that Henderson is rather glad he didn’t send Top Notch there now! And at Exeter I am looking forward to seeing Fletcher’s Flyer make his chase debut for the red-hot Harry Fry stable.