Fighting Fifth Hurdle Tips: Mullins Has The Power To Down Gino
Despite the no show of Constitution Hill, this weekend's big race at Newcastle the Fighting Fifth Hurdle looks a cracker with stars from powerhouse trainers Mullins and Henderson locking horns. Billy Grimshaw has you covered with a race preview and best bet...
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It would have been great to see the mighty Constitution Hill destroy the field up at Newcastle and announce himself as truly back and itching to reclaim his title of Champion Hurdler on Saturday, but with the horse's well publicised poor Newbury gallop and subsequent lameness (which thankfully seems to have been resolved and he is now on course for Kempton) we see a much more competitive affair. Nicky Henderson was all set to send Sir Gino over fences this season, and still might, until Constitution Hill was withdrawn from this race but the star juvenile on these shores from last season is certainly a mighty fine super sub.
He is a horse I have an awful lot of time for and expect him to develop into a proper Grade 1 chaser in the fullness of time, however he is still just four years old and we know how much horses in the season they are four turning five struggle sometimes when heading into deeper waters. Obviously the very best can take it in their stride, and maybe Sir Gino is destined to be one of the very best, but his jumping last season was not his greatest asset it was his massive engine, and so with a few weeks of schooling over fences I just worry that he will give his hurdles a bit too much respect and an already average jumper could be slowed down still further.
If Constitution Hill had turned up here I expect we'd see nothing like a nine runner field, however Sir Gino and his main market rival MYSTICAL POWER clearly do not strike the same level of fear (yet) into potential opposition as the connections of plenty of the also-ran type horses in the division are chancing their arm in the hope of Grade 1 glory. Brentford Hope for Harry Derham is the shortest price of those who may be played each-way by those sneaky punters hoping to get a bit of place money and a chance of victory, however I think it'll take both of the top two blowing out for him to win and as such an each-way bet makes no appeal.
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If I were to play each-way I'd rather back Lump Sum at double the price of the remaining seven for Sam Thomas, a trainer who is positively fizzing at the moment and a horse we know will act on what I expect to be decent ground - unlike Brentford Hope. Nevertheless, the rest of the field have a lot to find and the reason I am backing Mystical Power to claim the scalp of Sir Gino is that despite proving Willie Mullins wrong and proving himself as a genuine Grade 1 novice last season, I think he is still being underestimated somewhat in most circles due to the initial pessimism of his trainer about his prospects.
This son of Annie Power began life in a lowly race at Ballinrobe in the summer - not something Mullins does with what he thinks are his top of the class recruits - but got the job done stylishly and has been improving with every run since. The stone that some may throw at him is that his conqueror in the Supreme Slade Steel has been beaten when odds-on on chase debut, showing his limitations, however Slade Steel was a real grinder of a Supreme winner on borderline heavy ground so the fact he got done for speed on seasonal reappearance, on ground too quick and over a sub optimal trip hardly puts me off the profile of Mystical Power.
I'd prefer to use Firefox, the horse in third at Cheltenham and in second behind Mystical Power when he won his Grade 1s at Aintree and Punchestown, as a yard stick and he has looked one of the more impressive two mile novice chasers we've seen so far this season, with single figure quotes for the Arkle. With Mystical Power now in the Rich Ricci silks for the season, I'd imagine he will be full steam ahead for the Champion Hurdle and in a season where two of the top contenders in that market are mares who could well be rerouted, and the other is Constitution Hill with all his issues, I don't actually think he's a bad bet for the big one in March at double figures each-way. If you see any specials for him to win this and at Cheltenham at tasty odds I couldn't put you off, but as the outsider in here of the big two I reckon he rates the play to burst the Sir Gino bubble somewhat.