Cyrname, Galvin and Twilight: Three Horse Bets in Three Countries
Author:
Roy Brindley
Cyrname is an obvious five-star selection on Saturday. The day sees many of the jump racing’s brightest stars return to action following their summer breaks. Our banker bet goes at Wetherby in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase. It is a race he won last year.
Normally backing a horse that has been pulled up on his most recent start is a fast-track to the poor house. However, in Cyrname’s case, that start was over eight months ago and, on that occasion, he was found to have a breathing problem.
Cyrname will attempt to win his second bet365 Charlie Hall Chase for trainer Paul Nicholls on Saturday at Weatherby. ©GettyImages
That issue has since been remedied with surgery. Should the Paul Nicholls trained horse retain any of his old zest, he can jump Saturday’s rivals into the ground. Cyrname’s credentials include victory in the Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase. This form is way superior to anything his six rivals can offer.
Staking a Case for Fit Galvin in Down Royal’s Champion Chase
Unquestionably the race of the day is the Ladbrokes Champion Chase. Staged at Northern Ireland’s Down Royal Racecourse, €73,750 is on offer for the winner of the Grade 1 three-mile contest.
The big prize has attracted the cream of the steeple chasing crop. Heading the betting is Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Minella Indo. Leading rider Rachael Blackmore takes the ride on the short-priced favorite who faces four rivals.
Whilst the field size is small, the quality is high. Galvin took the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival and returned from his summer break to score at Punchestown a fortnight ago. The horse is now on a winning sequence of six.
Paul Nicholls always sends a serious contender to Down Royal for this race and he has won it four times in the past. This year he relies on Frodon a remarkable nine-year-old that has scored in 15 of his 32 chase starts.
The bold front-runner has an excellent relationship with his rider Bryony Frost. Together the pair landed the 2019 Ryanair Chase and last season’s King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Nevertheless, based on the prices, we are siding with the exciting Galvin. He will need to jump a little better than he did on his Punchestown reappearance but he should have a fitness advantage because of that outing.
Twilight in the Early Hours
If our first two horses are successful, those that have placed doubles and trebles on our selections will have to wait until Tuesday morning to see if a ‘nice win’ will translate into a ‘big payday’.
Twilight Payment was never headed in the 2020 Lexus Melbourne Cup. ©GettyImages
For our final selection, we are heading to Australia for the race that stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup. 24 horses will go to post for the famous marathon contest where Incentivise is set to start the shortest-priced favorite since the legendary Phar Lap in the 1930s.
Incentivise has taken nine straight victories. Most recently he won the Caulfield Cup demolishing a big field from the widest possible starting gate, 18. He’s the most likely winner by far, but odds of 6/4 do not excite in such a tough contest.
And so, we are sticking with 2020 Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment. Trained in Ireland by Joseph O’Brien, connections have had to jump through several hoops – not least heightened veterinary requirements and medical imaging – to get their horse to Flemington.
The eight-year-old made all in this contest last year. He’s unlikely to use the same tactic under a bigger weight but he left Ireland on the back of two very good runs at the Curragh and should run another big race.
This Week’s Top Tips:
- Cyrname (3.05 pm Wetherby) 11/10 Ladbrokes
- Galvin (2.50 pm Down Royal) 7/2 William Hill
- Twilight Payment (4.00 am Flemington) 12/1 Unibet
