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Order of Merit – The Contenders
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| Kauto Star
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With Denman out until Christmas, the way is potentially clear for Kauto Star to rack up some valuable points in the early part of the season.
The key to Kauto Star’s success has been his astonishing consistency at the highest level – even when he’s deemed to have run ‘below par’ he still finishes in the frame, and picks up points.
It remains to be seen if he has quite as many runs this season as in the past, but he has to have an outstanding chance of making it three Order of Merit titles in a row. 4/1 looks to be a very fair price. |
| Voy Por Ustedes
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Third in the Order of Merit last year, Voy Por Ustedes is tough, consistent and classy – the three essential qualities when looking for a potential Order of Merit Champion. He has NEVER finished out of the first two in all his completed starts over fences, an astonishing record.
He’s likely to be stepped up in trip this year, and this could ensure that he picks up plenty of points whilst avoiding the likes of Master Minded over the minimum trip.
The 8/1 currently available looks a tempting each way price. |
| Blazing Bailey
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Staying hurdler Blazing Bailey has plenty to recommend him as a potential Order of Merit challenger – he rarely runs a bad race and the competition has been won by a staying hurdler in the past (Inglis Drever).
He’s a young horse who could still be improving over the longer trip of 3m, and that doesn’t look like the strongest division for the upcoming season.
The 20/1 pricetag could be value if he makes a bright start to his campaign – the worry would be that he seemed to peak in the spring of last season, and he would need to demonstrate that level of form from earlier than that if he’s to be a real challenger. |
| The Others
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Of the other horses that feature prominently in the betting, Master Minded (around a 7/2 shot) may well go through the season unbeaten, but will he run often enough – he’s not scheduled to be seen until early December, and you have to think that Paul Nicholls will be campaigning him with a repeat victory in the Champion Chase as the priority.
Katchit (7/1) is as gutsy as they come, but there’s bound to be stiff competition in the 2m hurdle category this season, with the likes of Binocular (16/1) and Pierrot Lunaire (25/1) coming through from the Novice ranks to challenge, not to mention the Irish raiders like Sizing Europe coming back for another crack. |
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