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Hi Reader
I'm back from the Christmas Break and Happy New Year!
The Christmas Racing was excellent with star performances from Banbridge, Sir Gino, Constitutional Hill & Galopin Des Champs.
Today, I've nine new eye catchers to finish off December 2024.
Most of these will be winning early in 2025 so do take note.
Check out eye catchers for this week below:
Carrigmoorna Spruce
Carrigmoornaspruce - 1st in 3.40 Leopardstown 29/12/24
Declan Queally is a very good trainer and has a top class bumper mare on his hands. Carrigmoorna Spruce powered home to beat the boys at Leopardstown earning a high racing post rating of 119. This bumper has been won by top class horses in the past such as The Nice Guy, Facile Mode & Jalon D’oudairies. Carrigmoorna Spruce likes to settle out the back and come home strongly having done the same to win a mares bumper at Naas in November. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is sold and ends up running at the Aintree Festival in the Grade 2 Mares bumper.
July Flower
July Flower - 1st in 1.20 Leopardstown 29/12/24
July Flower had one for Henry De Bromhead in the Aintree Mares Bumper in 2023 before going to France. She has returned to Henry and looks a serious mares hurdle contender. July Flower finished second and third at Grade 1 level in France and stayed 2m4f strongly. The race did set up perfectly for her with Lot of Joy and Jetara going too hard up front. July Flower jumped great and galloped through the line strongly on her first run back with Henry De Bromhead. If Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth go down the champion hurdle route then I would have July Flower a major mares hurdle contender on soft ground in March.
Inthewaterside
Inthewaterside - 1st in 1.27 Newbury 28/12/24
Inthewaterside is a huge horse who was always going to be a better chaser than hurdler. He was fit from his third place run over hurdles around here in late November. Paul Nicholls will have loved how he jumped on his first run over fences as Newbury fences take jumping. Inthewaterside did show a tendency to jump to his right so it could be right hand courses suit best over the longer term. He is young and might straighten up with more experience. The main thing is this horse is made for fences and remains well handicapped on a mark of 138.
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence - 1st in 1.27 Limerick 27/12/24
A sort of wow performance by Bioluminescence to win a Grade 2 on her first racecourse run over fences. She did win an Irish point to point and brought that jumping experience to the race track. Derek O’Connor loves her and little wonder when a mare can win a Grade 2 on her first run over fences! She has loads of options and as a big mare needs soft or heavy ground. This Walk in the Park mare will stay three miles no bother and looks very exciting going forward for owner JP McManus.
Money Dancer
Money Dancer - 3rd in 12.05 Leopardstown 27/12/24
Money Dancer was a big eye catcher in the 3yo maiden hurdle. She made a mistake over the first hurdle and raced a bit in the hands of Donagh Meyler. Donagh managed to settle this Belardo filly around mid field and she jumped well down the back at Leopardstown. She had to come around three horses approaching the final bend. This allowed the first two home, get first run before Money Dancer finished off her race strongly, beaten two lengths. She won a maiden on the flat on heavy over 7 furlongs and looks nailed on to win a 4yo hurdle soon.
Hyland
Hyland - 2nd in 1.20 Kempton 26/12/24
Hyland put in a great round of jumping behind The Jukebox Man in the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices chase at Kempton. The winner was very good and only Hyland made a race of it up the finishing straight. Hyland has been well campaigned by Nicky Henderson to ensure he has five chase runs which qualifies him to run in handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival. He won twice around Cheltenham over three miles plus in October and November. The handicapper has played ball leaving Hyland on his old mark of 147. He looks a major player if turning up in the Ultima Handicap Chase on day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival on nice ground.
Kopek Des Bordes
Kopek Des Bordes - 1st in 12.00 Leopardstown 26/12/24
Patrick Mullins did well to not fall off Kopek Des Bordes in this maiden hurdle. The horse was far from fluent in his hurdling and jumped to his left several times. He ran freely too and must have a huge engine to have lasted home to win. Kopek Des Bordes won a bumper by 13 lengths in late March and was winning on his second career run. Willie Mullins mentioned that with improved hurdling and experience he is set to try and win a Grade 1 hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, 2025.
Kabral Du Mathan
Kabral Du Mathan - 2nd in 3.35 Ascot 21/12/24
A cracking run by Paul Nicholls trained Kabral Du Mathan in a premier handicap hurdle. Fiercely Proud just got the better of him due to more experience and a 3 pound pull at the weights. This was only the fourth run for the four year old Kabral Du Mathan and first loss. He missed out on winning by a short head with a yawning gap of 17 lengths to the third placed Be Aware. Paul Nicholls will be looking forward to sending this big horse over fences next season however he can land a nice handicap over hurdles in 2025.
Victtorino
Victtorino - 1st in 3.00 Ascot 21/12/24
Venetia Williams trained some big winners in December. Victtorino was outpaced before finishing off his race strongly in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury. That Newbury race was over 3m2f and he found the drop to three miles no problem at Ascot. The Changing Man made sure this race was run at a proper gallop and Victtorino did well to come from off the pace to win snugly on the line by half a length. The handicapper has raised him only 3lbs for this win and he looks sure to improve again over marathon trips like the Midlands National.
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