Dual-purpose veteran worth chancing at 9-1

Brian Keenan: 'The whole pitch rules, and the way that the on-course bookmakers and AIR work, I think it's time to shred that completely.'

Leopardstown: crowds rushing in to place their betsCredit: Patrick McCann

It's been an extremely hard Christmas for the bookmakers. After Thistlecrack and Yanworth on Boxing Day, Native River hacked up in the Welsh National and the Paddy Power at Leopardstown was dominated by the two best backed horses in the race.

Lots of people have been quick to point out that only Gold Cup horses have been able to win the Welsh National under a big weight and it is quite clear that Native River is very good and of Gold Cup class. However it is worth pointing out a couple of things about Tuesday's race.

Firstly the ground was nowhere near as testing as it can be at Chepstow and secondly the handicap was compressed and Native River wasn't giving lots of weight away to any potential superstars. The fact that the frame was filled with 33-1 shots tells us that and, while he is getting better at a rate of knots, I don't see him as a Gold Cup winner just yet.

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Published on 27 December 2016inHorse racing tips

Last updated 17:55, 27 December 2016

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