by There is usually more benefit to noticing an interesting performance when you believe the majority are more likely to have missed it.
Andy’s Eyecatcher service looks at horses that may go under the radar for many, some obvious and some interesting horse shows he might be eager to oppose on another day. Below are his notes regarding a selection of horses that caught his eye on the second day of the recent Grand National meeting at Aintree
Gerry Colombe
Mare Skelton’s injection of pace from the first fence at the other side was a big help to the winner.
He helped turn this race into more of a permanent race that worked in favor of Gerry Colombe and against the claims of its closest market rival. The form in this race is not strong and, at the same time, the winner traveled and jumped much more smoothly than in Cheltenham.
It was good to see Davy Russell finish with a grade one winner, while it’s also important not to get carried away with the quality of a race where the hard-working Complete Unknown managed to hang on to second place. Despite the post-race comments about this winner as a Gold Cup horse, the truth is that while he may be a Gold Cup contender, he also has a long way to go based on the quality of this effort.
Fennor Cross
After enjoying a near perfect trip Fennor Cross he finally ran out a comfortable winner, and I doubt whether the four pounds he raised does full justice to his superiority.
He could be hot again next spring and so it will be fascinating to see how he campaigns next season ahead of March and April.
Sonigino
Sonigino was in last position traveling well on the inside rail with one loop to go. He hasn’t enjoyed the best of travels and probably did very well to finish so close to the finish.
He certainly gained a huge amount of ground on those to end up in and around him. He has continued to come close to the winning line and it looks like he will be worth scoring at this distance next season.
No ordinary Joe
No ordinary Joe it has endured a tough journey and can be marked on its final position. He was running out of space and/or hampered into the home corner on both laps of the track and not always jumping smoothly.
He had to be changed to make his move and his latest hurling error was the icing on the cake. It might be worth mentioning that his connections have sustained him thus far.
Good risk everyone
Good risk everyone it is a horse that requires very soft if not extremely demanding terrain. I erred in arguing that, not because it didn’t end up in the four, but because that would never have happened on the prevailing ground.
I learned my lesson and next time I won’t jump so fast!
He remains a very exciting horse to ride for a mud bath. The fly in that ointment will come in the likely event that they swap codes with him before taking advantage of his brand of forgiving snags.
The article Is Gerri Colombe a future Gold Cup contender? – Andy Gibson’s Eyecatchers feature first appeared on Planetsport.com.
