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Alex Hammond: Oscar winner
- Updated: January 4, 2017
Sky Sports News’ Alex Hammond reflects on the best of the fetive period and looks ahead to this weekend’s feature action.
What did you make of Thistlecrack’s dominant display in the King George and does he deserve his place as even-money favourite for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup?
Thistlecrack has real wow-factor with a huge engine and with loads of scope and ability. I was impressed with the ease that he was able to stand off and put in huge leaps with minimal effort, yet also able to fiddle one when getting in close. He looks the full package and I really fancy him to win the Gold Cup despite his relative inexperience. It’s easy for me to say though as I backed him back in March and wouldn’t be rushing to have a bet at the current odds. Native River might not be as ‘sexy’ as Thistlecrack, but he is another Colin Tizzard inmate that looks capable of running a big race in the Gold Cup. If you aren’t lucky enough to already be clutching an ante-post voucher for Thistlecrack at more attractive prices than he is now (even money favourite with Sky Bet), then you could do worse than back his stablemate each-way. He is currently 8/1 and is an improving young horse. As we saw in the Welsh National, he is a relentless galloper and jumps well. He has only just turned seven, two years younger than Thistlecrack, and is still on the up.
Thistlecrack aside, what was your highlight of the Christmas racing period in Britain and Ireland?
Well, regular readers of this blog will know that I’m in love with Vroum Vroum Mag, so I have to say her win in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. I mean, have you ever seen a horse quite as versatile as this magnificent eight-year-old mare? She has never finished out of the first three in 18 starts and has won 13 of those. She has won a bumper in France, six times over hurdles and is unbeaten in six starts over fences. She seems equally adept over two miles, three miles and anywhere in between; what a superstar. Whilst I believe she is in the right hands with Willie Mullins, I can’t help but think that she deserves star status, which …
