7

20:15 Aintree 07 Apr 2017

Weatherbys Private Bank Standard Open NH Flat Race

Grade 2 | Class 1 | 4YO to 6YO

Winner £25,322 - 19 ran

2m 209y

Good

Draw Advantage: None

Expert Analysis

Reporter:

Last year’s race

Bacardys
  • Winner: Bacardys
  • Jockey: Mr P W Mullins
  • Trainer: W P Mullins
  • Owner: Shanakiel Racing Syndicate
  • Age: 5 Weight: 11st 4lb
  • Starting Price: 15/2
  • Season Form Figures: 13
  • Previous Best:  3rd - Champion Bumper (Grade 1) Cheltenham Festival (March 2016)

A good renewal two seasons ago with the 1-2 of Barters Hill and Bellshill both going on to win Grade 1 races plus the third was a certain Buveur D’Air. A couple of years earlier we had The New One beat My Tent Or Yours so it can be a stronger race than the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.

That Grade 1 bumper at Cheltenham has to be the starting point though having featured seven winners of this Grade 2 event in the last 17 years. All bar one were unplaced at Cheltenham whereas the three runners-up at Cheltenham that tried to go one better were all turned over.

The Champion Bumper was massively represented class-wise for the first time last season when the 1-2-3 crossed swords again, this time with Bacardys reversing form with Ballyandy and Battleford. Incidentally, this season’s Neptune winner, Willoughby Court, was back in fifth.

The New One and Ballybolley were both successful here for Nigel Twiston-Davies in the last five years and he also won this race with the subsequent Hennessy winner, King’s Road, in 1998 so look out for his representatives. Jonjo O'Neill has won this with Classic Native and has two seconds too, including Iris's Gift so is another trainer to look out for. Alan Swinbank is another name to conjure with having supplied a winner and a runner-up in two of the last nine seasons.

Irish trainers have a moderate record in this compared to the Champion Bumper with just four winners in 27 runnings, though they would not be as well represented as they are at Cheltenham by a long chalk.

Other patterns worth noting are that 19 of the 29 winners, including 15 of the last 22, had their most recent outing in March and 24 had run no more than three times beforehand.

At a glance summary

Positives
Unplaced in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival
Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, Jonjo O’Neill and Alan Swinbank
Negatives
Ran four or more times beforehand
Not run in the last six weeks

Expert Analysis

Reporter:

Future Form

Type Stats Type Stats
Summary 112 runs, 27 wins (15 horses), 30 placed, 55 unplaced Next time out 19 runs, 4 wins, 8 placed, 7 unplaced
Class analysis 9 runs up in class, 2 wins, 1 placed, 6 unplaced Ratings check Highest winning OR: 152; Highest placed OR: 152