15th-Nov-2020

It is just about worthwhile backing Put The Kettle On now for the Shloer Chase on Saturday too.  She has been backed for the race already, but the 5/2 that is still generally available about her is worth taking. It will be a good race, Defi Du Seuil and Rouge Vif are worthy opponents but, for all the reasons outlined below, she has a big chance of beating them, better than odds of 5/2 imply…

I don’t think that Henry de Bromhead’s mare got the credit that she deserved for winning the Arkle at Cheltenham in March, possibly because she was a 16/1 shot, possibly because she raced during the summer, and she was rated just 144 going into the Arkle.

But she raced over two and a half miles during the summer. She was a different horse when they dropped her to two miles for the first time over fences and sent her to Cheltenham for the Arkle Trial in November. She won that race well, and she had the now 164-rated Rouge Vif eight lengths behind her in third.

She was very good in the Arkle in March too. She got into a lovely racing and jumping rhythm for Aidan Coleman, and that was even with Cash Back for company, on her inside. Her jumping was superb, she had all her rivals except Fakir D’Oudairies on the stretch before they reached the home turn, and she stayed on well to win by a length and a half from Fakir D’Oudairies.

I thought at the time that Fakir D’Oudairies might have beaten her if he hadn’t made that bad mistake at the second last fence, but actually, he got close to her on the run-in, and it appeared that she was finding more. She may have won with a little more in hand than the bare winning margin.

Fakir D’Oudairies is very good and she was very good in beating him.

She loves Cheltenham, it suits her style of racing and it rewards her fluent jumping. She is two for two there, both wins gained on the Old Course.

PUT THE KETTLE ON WON (ADV 5/2, SP 7/4)