Cheltenham and the Grand National 2008: Part Two
March 20th, 2008This is the second part of our look at runners in the 2008 Grand National and how they performed at the Cheltenham Festival:
Over The Creek
I’ve seen Over The Creek touted in a few places (including on this site) as a horse to consider for the National this year but I really could not go along with this way of thinking.
For me, twice in his last three runs his stamina has given out at extreme distances and I can’t see why this should be any different in the Grand National. He was swinging away on the bridle jumping the second last in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham but found much less than looked likely, in the end finishing seven lengths behind Alan King’s Old Benny.
Previously, he looked to lack the stamina of the winner and runner up in the Welsh National and given the likely faster pace he will encounter in the National itself, I can’t see him being anywhere near the leading contenders at the Elbow.
Knowhere
Connections must be quite disappointed by the jumping display put up by Knowhere in the Gold Cup. They should be applauded for taking on the big boys when it might have been easier to go for the Ryanair but he made a series of mistakes and it’s very hard to get enthusiastic about his chances at Aintree on the back of such a poor round of jumping, especially when being asked to carry such a massive weight.
Joe’s Edge
Joe’s Edge was beaten a long way in tenth place in the Kim Muir but I’m not sure this tells the whole story. Nina Carberry was pretty tender on the Ferdy Murphy trained eleven year old and it may be that this was a confidence booster after unseating Keith Mercer at Doncaster the time before.
Joe’s Edge has a pretty dismal record in the National with a distant seventh place in 2006 (admittedly on ground probably too soft for him) and pulled up when co-favourite last year. It could well be that Murphy is lining this horse up for another gamble and given the stable’s record in recent years in big races, if he makes the cut, he is definitely worthy of consideration.
QuatreBras Says:
March 28th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Over The Creek did not fail for lack of stamina in the Welsh National. I have just watched a re-run of the race and he did not finish like a tired horse. He was simply well beaten by two superior rivals on the day, namely Miko de Beauchene and Halcon Generlardais - no disgrace in that. At Cheltenham, he was simply outpaced by a quicker horse at the finish.
In my opinion, Over The Creek is guaranteed to stay the National trip, and if the ground rides on the soft side, at current odds of 40/1 he is one of the each way bets of the race. My only reservation is that I don’t think his season has been geared around the National, hence the run at Cheltenham.