GINO LOOKING LIKE SIR THING

Ben Morgan is backing Henderson's charge to finish the Festival in style

JCB Triumph Hurdle 

SIR GINO has been all the rage for this race since a devastating performance at Cheltenham where he put Burdett Road firmly into his place. I thought Burdett Road was one of the better juvenile hurdlers we have seen this side of the Irish Sea in recent years so for Sir Gino to do what he did really caught my attention.

The clockwatchers were jumping up and down on the spot as he crossed the finish line and the time was backed up by a strong visual performance so I’m happy to name him as one of my bankers of the week. Nicky Henderson has a respectable record in the race and has named this lad as one of his best juvenile hurdlers which is some comment given some of the four year olds he has stabled. Current odds of 5/6 look fair compared to what some of the other hot pots are priced up at.

One of the reasons he is so short is because there is no standout Irish contender which is unusual. Kargese took the juvenile hurdle at DRF and reversed form with Kala Conti in the process but the fact they have beaten each other this season sends off mixed signals. They are both mares however so receive valuable weight off the selection which is worth considering a mare won the race last year but I personally can’t see either getting past the favourite.

Majborough is the apple of Willie Mullins’ eye but it sounds like he is more of a chasing type who might find this test a bit too much at this stage. Having said that he should take a good step forward from his stable debut in that Grade 1 at DRF and could be placed.

Storm Heart is a consistent type and should run his race but I think Bunting might be better suited to the demands of this race and could be the one to run into a place. Provided a good strong pace to run at I think he could pick up the pieces late.