Un De Sceaux© Photo Healy Racing
He wins bar a fall, surely that's all that can stop Un De Sceaux in the Arkle now after a show stopping dispatch of two of the most promising novices in training at Leopardstown last weekend.
On RacingFM this week, despite the continued brilliance of Hurricane Fly and the delightful progression of Many Clouds, the only horse people wanted to talk about was Un De Sceaux.
It has been suggested to us at the station that he is becoming the "people's horse" and that may well be true despite being only at the fledgling stage of hopefully a very long career. To become that you generally need to have brilliance, individual character and perhaps a little chink or flaw for all to focus on and debate.
We can get behind that journey or even against it and feel involved, celebrate and cry at success and failure with equal enthusiasm and enjoy the ride. It is going to be some ride, although if he continues to be polished into a diamond by Ruby Walsh he may not have that exciting flaw that adds so much drama any more. Imagine that and it's Sprinter Sacre territory.
I'm referring of course to Un De Sceuax 's "heart on his sleeve" nature, hard on himself from flag fall to winning post and his one, very exciting, way of doing things. That is what sets him apart and that is what makes him so exciting, you know what you are going to get and you know that there is nothing that can live with it.
Ruby, to my eye, on Sunday was able to dictate without careering away, the horse was able to do more than just go long and fly at his fences and it seems he even has a change of gear despite starting quicker than any rivals can finish. He has made a couple of silly errors now, the fall on chase debut was not a bad leap, the adjustments next time were progression and then on Sunday it was closer, though not there yet, to measured and masterful.
The final point is how he seems to quicken off his already lightning pace. Good luck to anyone else fancying a tilt at the Arkle this year and fingers crossed the "people horse" gives the performance to match his billing.
Slippers Madden on the Talking Horses show yesterday seemed to be talking sense when he suggested veteran only hurdles races might be a good addition to the racing calendar but I didn't realise he was psychic.
24 hours later Newbury announce exactly that and next week I will ask him for the lotto numbers!
Have a great weekend and stay warm.
