Tiger Cliff likely to miss John Smith's Northumberland Plate – Horseracing News
Tiger Cliff is sets to miss the John Smith's Northumberland Plate following the dry weather in Newcastle, which has made the ground fast.
According to his owner Henry Ponsonby, “With the weather forecast the way it is he is a probable non-runner as the ground looks like it is going to be too quick. Obviously things may change but he is not a horse who
would want too many runs on fast ground and this comes too soon after Ascot but he has come out of the race fine.”
The four-year-old gelding was rated as the favourite for the event, after the news was confirmed that he would take part in the John Smith's Northumberland Plate. However, his camp was expecting the going to be softer, which does
not seem to be case.
Tiger Cliff had recently taken part in a tough race at the Royal Ascot, where he was given the best odds for victory. However, he was unable to meet the expectations of the bookies back then and finished as a runner up in the end.
The disappointing thing was that he failed to challenge the front runner and lost by two and a half lengths.
Although the competition would have been a lot easier for the Irish runner in the upcoming event, it is better not to take any risks. Once he is fresh, he can take on his rivals in another event somewhere else.
Moreover, there might be a slight possibility for Tiger Cliff to appear in the John Smith's Northumberland Plate, if the forecast goes wrong. That seems unlikely at the moment, as clerk of the course James Armstrong said, “We watered
the straight course with 5mm today and we will water the round course with the same amount tomorrow. It looks like it is going to stay pretty dry until Saturday so we may have to water again.”
Even with all the watering, the conditions will not change in Newcastle, which means that Tiger Cliff will not make an appearance in the event. In his absence, the punters will divert their attention towards some of the other stallions
like Montaser and Biographer, who are pretty decent runners.
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