Nap of the Day: Promising son of Shamardal to strike

Sunday’s nap comes from a sparkling eight-race Curragh card. Action takes place on Nov 5th between 12.10 and 16.10.

The ground is very likely to be heavy, so if you’re having a little tickle you need to find horses with stamina and fortitude to spare.

12.40 Curragh – Yosemite Valley @ 7/4

A 7f contest for 3-yr-olds and upwards; and I’m taking a chance with a relatively inexperienced colt trained by Donnacha O’Brien in County Tipperary.

Yosemite Valley is a son of Group 1-winning sire Shamardal, who excelled at around 7f/1 mile, and certainly didn’t mind cut in the ground. The conditions of this race do not favour him one iota – Charles O’Brien’s Big Gossey, rated a whopping 19lbs superior to the selection, actually concedes just 1lb in this race.

So – how do I argue a case against such an overwhelming drawback? I don’t believe that Big Gossey has run up to near his best in recent appearances. He’s been extremely busy this season and won an eighty-grand, 6f good ground affair here in September. I’m not convinced though that deep ground is what he wants, or indeed 7f. And it’s been a long old haul since March – 14 races and counting.

He tried a mile back in March on this type of ground and was beaten, er, miles. His solitary try at 7f was over 2 years ago, on good, and he still faded late. He’s so well treated I can see why connections are running, but I think he’s vulnerable. As a 6-yr-old gelding he’ll earn nothing apart from on the racecourse, but in this game of opinions I feel he’s there to be shot at.

So what of the selection? Great stable, nice performance at 2 against the outstanding Little Big Bear, and only 4 career starts to date so plenty of scope for improvement. Landed a Curragh maiden last time very easily on soft ground (6f), and unlike Big Gossey should relish the extra furlong on Sunday.

I’m backing promise. Flaxman Stables Ireland own many fine horses in training, and potentially for me this could be a real cracker. Three others oppose, but I wouldn’t swop – even though deadly Billy Lee is aboard one of them. Fingers crossed that Donnacha makes it back from Santa Anita in time to cheer this one home.

Another Nap of the Day, from Insights