Cause Of Causes

17th-Mar-2016

I am backing old friend Cause Of Causes for the Kim Muir. We have backed him now at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, in 2014 when he finished second behind Spring Heeled in the Kim Muir, and last year when he won the National Hunt Chase.

Again and again previous Cheltenham Festival form proves to be crucial at this meeting. It is a special meeting with a special atmosphere and unique conditions: unique contours, goodish ground, fast pace, electric atmosphere. Not every horse can cope with it, but we know that Cause Of Causes can. Gordon Elliott’s horse was unlucky not to win the Kim Muir two years ago, he had crept into the race superbly under Nina Carberry and, if he had jumped the final fence better, he probably would have won.

He made no mistake last year in the National Hunt Chase, however, held up and delivered with a well-timed run by Jamie Codd. It was a good race, he had Broadway Buffalo and The Job Is Right and Sego Success and Ballyculla and Cogry behind him, and he probably won with more in hand than the bare winning margin.

He has just been easing his way into the season, he was weak in the market before the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown in December, and his next two races were over distances that are short of his best. He raced off a mark of 140 when he finished second in the Kim Muir two years ago, he is rated 140 in Ireland, and he has been given a mark of 142 by the British handicapper. That is fine. It looks like Jamie Codd is going to ride him again, and that is great. His stable companion Our Father, who will probably be ridden by Nina Carberry, is a big danger, he always went well fresh for David Pipe and he is a classy horse, but he is short. Cause Of Causes is proven at the Festival and he is a bigger price, so the value lies with JP McManus’ horse.

CAUSE OF CAUSES WON (ADV 8/1, SP 9/2)