Thursday, November 10, 2011
Sports World |
- Carruthers camp optimistic about season ahead
- Nephrite bounds into 2000 Guineas reckoning
- Pipe the man in form
| Carruthers camp optimistic about season ahead Posted: 10 Nov 2011 08:24 AM PST Hopes were high at the start of last jumps season that the Mark Bradstock-trained Carruthers might be a genuine contenders for honours in the top three-mile chases, but things didn't go smoothly for the eight-year-old who drew a blank and failed to reach the frame on each of his four outings, writes Elliot Slater. It transpired that the gelded son of Ascot Gold Cup winner Kayf Tara was suffering from a bug for most of the term and that in turn impacted on the horse's state of mind leaving him somewhat down in the dumps, a situation that connections believe has been more than remedied during the summer. They are hopeful that his disappointments last term may prove a blessing in disguise with the stayer looking dangerously well handicapped on his best form. Those looking at the Grand National free betting need to remember this. Starting this campaign 9lb lower than the same time last year, Carruthers could well make his seasonal return in the ultra-competitive Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on November 26, where soft ground would be almost essential to ensure the participation of a horse who at his best has run well against some of the outstanding three-milers in the country. Sixth of 18 behind Diamond Harry in last year's renewal of the great Newbury race, Bradstock's charge didn't go on from that good effort and was well beaten on his final outing when running no sort of race behind Long Run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, eventually trailing home 9th (beaten 60 lengths) behind the brilliant winner. Even those looking at Aintree tips will be impressed. Owned by the tremendously popular veteran former ITV and Channel 4 racing presenter Lord Oaksey, (father-in-law of the trainer), Carruthers is generally available at 25/1 to land the coveted event. Should he fail to go to Newbury on account of the ground, Bradstock has pencilled in an alternative engagement in a three-mile-three-furlong contest at Cheltenham a week earlier.  |
| Nephrite bounds into 2000 Guineas reckoning Posted: 10 Nov 2011 08:09 AM PST Aidan O'Brien has his team in tremendous form as the 2011 Flat season draws to a close as evidenced by a particularly impressive performance from Nephrite who burst the bubble of the highly touted Born To Sea when landing the Group 3 JRA Killavullan Stakes at Curragh on Sunday in tremendous style, writes Elliot Slater. Most eyes were on John Oxx's Born To Sea, half-brother to the superb Sea The Stars and a very taking winner of a listed race at the Curragh on his debut seven weeks earlier, but there were a number of shrewdies who felt that Ballydoyle had something serious to take him on within Nephrite, who had also won on his racecourse bow when trouncing 23-rivals in what is working out to be a good Curragh maiden, and O'Brien's charge was duly well supported down to 13/8 to beat the odds-on 8/11 market leader. Even those looking at the Aintree races 2012 will have been impressed. Both horses travelled well through the first half-mile of the seven furlong Leopardstown contest tracking the pacesetting Vault, but Born To Sea was the first to come off the bridle when driven in pursuit of the leader over two furlongs from home while Joseph O'Brien on Nephrite still had a double handful. Although Johnny Murtagh on the Oxx-trained colt led briefly inside the final furlong, it was no surprise to see Nephrite come storming by in the last 150 yards to win with a little in hand by a length-and-a-half, the pair pulling nearly three lengths clear of the third to give the form a very solid look. Fans of Grand National betting online should bear this in mind. Bookmakers reacted by pushing Born To Sea out from 7/1 to 14/1 for next year's 2000 Guineas, whilst Nephrite was slashed from a pre-race mark of 25/1 down to a general offer of just 10/1 behind stable companion and Racing Post Trophy winner Camelot (6/1). Whilst this is far from the end of the road for Born To Sea (who could yet make up into a high-class performer), at this stage the market appears to have it right in suggesting that Nephrite is the more likely of the pair to hit the heights next term.  |
| Posted: 10 Nov 2011 05:52 AM PST Justin Pipe is the form man on the PDC circuit but could he cause a massive shock and be crowned the new PDC Darts World Champion at the Alexandra Palace, or will it be a traditional name on the trophy? The 39-year-old only won his maiden professional title at the start of October – where he notably defeated 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor in the final in Dublin – but followed that up with a further two tournament victories in the space of one month. Those looking at the PDC Darts odds online will have been impressed. Pipe recorded impressive victories over former World Champions Steve Beaton and Mark Webster on his way to winning the Players Championship in Crawley last time out. In the final it was a real battle of contrasting styles as the slow Pipe took on Dutch machine gun Vincent van der Voort. "I'm really enjoying myself at the moment and I'm climbing up the rankings, and this is another massive confidence boost for me," said the Taunton flinger. Pipe has recorded some memorable wins in 2011 over some of the biggest stars in world darts and he is definitely going to be a dangerous opponent in the draw for the PDC Darts World Championship. His very long and drawn-out throwing style can put off some opponents, as they are forced to wait a long time to throw and that can leave them dwelling over previous missed opportunities. That leads to frustration which can be evident in their next throw. Whether Pipe can manage to pull off a serious title threat at the Alexandra Palace remains to be seen as there are a number of stars who on their day can register big three-dart averages on the biggest stage. On the big TV stage is where Pipe is still in his infancy, but if he can replicate his on-the-floor performances in front of a world championship audience then he can go a long way – but his slow pace could annoy some of the more critical darts fans.  |
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