@stanjames Simonsig is the new 7/1 favourite for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with  StanJames.com after cruising to victory in the Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso.

StanJames.com spokesman Rory Jiwani says, “Barry Geraghty had an armchair ride on Simonsig but the six-year-old made a couple of errors late on which took the shine off an otherwise impressive performance. He won’t be able to make those sort of mistakes in the Supreme, and we’re prepared to go top price about him in what looks like a wide-open heat. He’s 7/1 from 8/1 in our book.

“Galileo’s Choice was similarly dominant in winning at Fairyhouse and we cut Dermot Weld’s prospect from 12/1 from 10/1. He proved popular at that price so we had to trim him further to 9/1.

“Baby Shine was unlucky to finish behind It’s A Gimme in a good contest at Southwell after jockey Dominic Elsworth tried for a gap which wasn’t there. She would have won convincingly and we’ve cut her from 50/1 to 25/1 for the Supreme. The winner is unchanged at 20/1 for the Neptune Investment Hurdle.”

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle antepost betting (EW 1/4 1,2,3):

Simonsig 7/1

Steps To Freedom 8/1

Midnight Game 8/1

Galileo’s Choice 9/1

Cinders And Ashes 10/1

Darlan 12/1

Vulcanite 12/1

Tetlami 14/1

Trifolium 14/1

16/1 bar

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Simonsig has been cut from 8s to 6/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle with Betvictor and from 12s to 8s for the Neptune after his fluent success in the BetVictor Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso earlier this afternoon.

Spokesperson Charlie McCann; “The way Simonsig travelled would suggest he has a very high cruising speed and we would be surprised if he took Fingal Bay on in the Neptune although he made slight mistakes at three of his hurdles. Quicker ground over the minimum trip could find him out but he will enjoy the end-to-end gallop and is a major player for whatever race he takes in at the Festival.”

Earlier Galileo’s Choice was cut from 8s from 10s for the Supreme after winning at Fairyhouse.

 

 

Nicky Henderson’s last visit to this Borders track, for the same fixture two years ago, ended with defeat for his 1-14 favourite Zaynar and a well-refreshed punter singing at the Lambourn trainer that he had been sent homeward to think again. But Henderson regrouped and came back stronger, winning with all three runners here on Wednesday including Simonsig, who will run next at the Cheltenham Festival.

Which race the imposing grey will be aimed at remains a tricky subject, however. He cruised home in the Morebattle here over the intermediate distance of 2¼ miles in a manner that offered no decisive answer to the question of whether he would prefer a shorter trip in the Supreme Novice Hurdle, for which he is 13-2 favourite, or an extra three furlongs in the Neptune, for which he is 12-1.

“I think you’d have to be impressed,” was the trainer’s immediate reaction, “but I don’t know what we’ve quite learned.” The only race he emphatically ruled out was the Albert Bartlett, which would have been an appropriate target, as Simonsig is owned by the Bartlett heir, Ronnie.

After conferring with Barry Geraghty, the jockey who rode all three winners, Henderson reported: “Barry’s leaning towards a bit further”. The rider apparently feels Simonsig would be more likely to hold his position as the field race down the Cheltenham hill if he were travelling at a slightly slower pace.

Against that Henderson feels the Neptune looks a stronger race than the Supreme, not least because it would mean a rematch with Fingal Bay, who beat Simonsig at Sandown in December. Though he could not offer specifics, the trainer thinks his runner had an off day.

“There might have been reasons for it because it looked, at the second-last, for all the world as if he was going to run all over the other horse and then he sort of didn’t get home. Now, was that lack of stamina? I don’t actually think it was.

“I’m sorry to sit on the fence but I’ve got to say it’s where I am at the moment.” Henderson said that his choice of target would make no difference to the horse’s training regime over the next month “but on the other hand one’s got to be fair to everybody else and try and let them know what we’re going to do”.

The Festival is probably not on the agenda for Henderson’s other two winners here, Bellvano, who is thought to be unsuited by the Cheltenham hill, and Lyvius, who may lack the necessary experience for the Triumph Hurdle. Aintree’s Grand National meeting was said by the trainer to be a more likely target for both.

While delighted to have had “a little change of luck” at this track, Henderson had bad news to relate of Broadbackbob, a 20-1 shot for the Neptune. The horse, he said, had been injured on his last start and was now set to miss the Festival.

Bad news is in ready supply at this time of year, as any injury means another contender is out of Cheltenham, and there were a couple of high-profile examples on Wednesday. Graham Lee is expected to be on the sidelines for some six months, having dislocated a hip in a fall at Southwell.

Last Instalment will also not race again this season, having become a leading fancy for the Festival’s RSA Chase by winning an Irish Grade One only days ago. He was described as “a little sore” by his trainer, Philip Fenton.

Thursday’s Game Spirit Chase lost some of its lustre when Cue Card was declared a non-runner after knocking a fetlock joint. “He’ll be fine in a few days,” said Colin Tizzard, his trainer, “but we’ll have to go straight to Cheltenham now.”

Dabirsim, one of the best two-year-olds in Europe last year, will not make his British debut in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. His trainer, Christophe Ferland, said it had been decided to keep him in his native France for the equivalent Classic after a prep-race in April.

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