Any punter depending on the "follow the jockey in form" theory has had only one option recently, and Conor O'Dwyer's current run of success has placed him firmly in contention for his first riders' championship.
The Gold Cup-winning jockey missed out at Newbury on Saturday but he hit back with a short-priced treble at Punchestown yesterday and could count himself unfortunate not to have made it four.
Star Service, the top-weight in the Cox's Chase, appeared to just have the edge on Streamstown but, half way up the run-in, O'Dwyer's saddle slipped and Star Service went down by a neck.
"The horse just jinked and the saddle slipped. It definitely cost me the race," said O'Dwyer who is now on the 47 winner mark, just two behind second placed Paul Carberry.
Five winners the previous weekend, including the high profile pair Youlneverwalkalone and Native Upmanship, and one at Thurles last Thursday emphasise O'Dwyer's hot streak, which is also good news for Arthur Moore, who supplied his three winners yesterday.
"Conor at his brilliant best," judged Moore after the second leg, Hot Shots, arrived decisively at the last to take the second leg of the maiden hurdle by half a length. The Gatherer had justified the 4 to 9 odds in the opening division, and the combination completed the treble in the Tied Cottage Novice Chase with Fadoudal Du Cochet.
The latter made most of the running and beat off Bedthem Prince, with the disappointing Grimes just third, but has put Moore in an opportunities quandary.
"He's not quite top class and is basically a two-miler but try and find me a suitable race for him between now and the Punchestown festival, and that's a Grade One. There's not even a handicap until Fairyhouse at Easter. I know I'm on the programming committee but when you have a horse like him, it really shows things up," said Moore.
The championship leader Barry Geraghty drew a blank yesterday but Paul Carberry scored on Streamstown, whose trainer Charlie Swan also won the novice hurdle in his jockey guise on Ross Moff.
Having his first run for new trainer Tony Martin, Ross Moff comfortably accounted for Vanilla Man, and Martin, who plans to aim his Haydock scorer It's Himself at Cheltenam's Foxhunters, said: "On the ratings he was entitled to win that. George Stewart had him as fit as a fiddle and I've had nothing to do except keep him ticking over."
Native Titan, the favourite for Ross Moff's race, was later found to have a respiratory infection, but there was nothing wrong with the Kim Muir Chase-bound PreOrdained who won at the track for the fourth time in the Grand National Trial, just edging out Magical Approach.
