Is it early to start building the elusive Cheltenham Festival ante-post book?
Some would say yes, but then there are times when you see odds that you have to take advantage of, and CONMAN JOHN falls under that umbrella.
He got off the mark at the first time of asking over hurdles at Kelso at the beginning of October. There was nothing flashy or amazing about that performance, but that all changed at Cheltenham on October 25th.
Having been solid in the market throughout the day, Conman John was sent off at 4/1 as the second favourite for the Play William Hill’s Final One Standing Novices’ Hurdle.
He took up the running from the drop of the flag, and this raw-looking five-year-old seemed to have a lot of his rivals in trouble from a long way out.
The Skelton-trained Great Fleet emerged out of the pack, looking set to take it up; however, Conman John was having none of it. Derek Fox set his mount down for the drive, and just as quickly as Great Fleet looked as if he was going to win, he was left standing as Conman John’s stamina kicked in, eventually winning by three lengths despite wandering up the hill (13 lengths back to 3rd).
That performance smacked of a horse that we are only scratching the surface with, and given how he races, he is a horse that I want to have on my side come March.
With Cheltenham experience and stamina already guaranteed, this fast-improving hurdler looks set only to get shorter as the season progresses.
There is so much more to come from Conman John.
