Saphir River - 25/1 NRNB Pertemps

I can't take credit for this selection given he was a horse I hadn't really paid much attention to until he was pointed out to by Fivebagken on my Coral Cup Thread. However, connections have since come out and said that the Pertemps Final is the aim and at 25/1 he makes plenty of appeal.

Bred to be very good on the flat (sibling Stormy River (RPR 122) won the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat) and he himself wasn’t bad recording an RPR of 107 when taking a listed contest as a 3 year old.

He then went other hurdles in France and has some very good form, including when finishing second in a Grade 1 on his final start. The winner has won a Grade 2 easily since and the 6th Roi Du Val had beaten Thousand Stars in the summer (also he was sent of favourite to beat Thousand Stars and Grand Crus in June)! I’m no expert on French form but he’s been given a handicap mark of 139 which could be lenient. Also last year he ran Spirit Son (OR154) to a nose off level weights with Barbatos (OR 142) in third.

He has since been sold to race over here for a massive 280,000 Euros, to put this into perspective, Triumph Hurdle favourite, Pearl Swan, only went for 90,000 Euros at the same sales. In my opinion if he’d been bought by one of the big UK stables (imagine there must have been interest for the price to get that high) he’d be about half the price he is. He’s only 6yo and the fact he’s still engaged in the World Hurdle suggests they think he could be a bit better than his 139 mark.

Connections have said in a recent interview he worked "very, very well" in a racecourse gallop at Newbury. At 25/1 he makes plenty of appeal in a wide open contest.

1pt E/W Saphir River 25/1 (General, BOG)