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Cheltenham Race Reviews

Desert Orchid said:
Hendo talks about how his festival horses are doing:

https://www.attheraces.com/news/2020/March/31/nicky-henderson-on-his-cheltenham-stars

I found his comment about Allart quite interesting. "Unfinished business"? I think those are grounds for adding to a tracker. Greatwood? Betfair Hdle? Coral Cup? County Hdle?

Is it possible they'll send Shiskin own the Altior route, Chantry House down the Champ route and train Allart for the Champion Hurdle?
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Have you seen the feature with him running on ATR today. I did think of you when he said Altior was a certainty for the Supreme!
 
Slim said:
Have you seen the feature with him running on ATR today. I did think of you when he said Altior was a certainty for the Supreme!
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Is that the TV programme? If so I don't have it. I don't see any link to it on the website. Just the one I copied above.
 
Thanks, tiggers. I don't have ATR TV. At the moment I don't have RTV either as I paused my subscription during the shutdown.
 
I've just had a couple of big price antepost bets for next March.

The first is Lamarckise for the Mares Hurdle. Willie made no secret of the high regard he holds her in, to the extent that if he'd been able to get a second run in to her she'd probably have gone off favourite for the Mares Novices. They certainly regarded her as the stable first string given the hounds were barking all season. She's apparently a big stuffy mare who takes plenty of getting fit, and her win on debut was better than expected, when they were using the race in an attempt to get her up to race fitness before the Festival. In the end they didn't take their chance. No injury, she just needed a couple more weeks. As a Martaline mare she's bred to appreciate the step up up to two and a half in the Mares Hurdle, and if she'd had the opportunity to run fresh and win at Aintree or Punchestown she'd be single figure odds. She's freely available at 50/1. Who knows where Benie and Honeysuckle will go. Perhaps they've got unfinished business, or more likely this time Benie will go the Stayers route. Honeysuckle I'm sure will go this route though. Either way the price is big each way I'm happy to take it early. Concertista, Dame Comagnie, and Indefatigable could also come here, but in Willie's judgement with mares we trust.

The second one I like is also a Mullins horse. Aione ran down the field in the Albert Bartlett, and shaped as he had before as an absolute stayer. He was in position, but those at the head of the race had too much pace, and all he did was stay on. Willie obviously thought he was good enough to be on the boat though, perhaps with the future in mind. He's built as though chasing will be his game, he's won a point, and improvement can be expected over fences. He's also got a nice staying chaser pedigree. And crucially Willie has bullets to fire at the RSA and the Marsh already, so he strikes me as one that is likely to get Patrick's services in his novices chases with an eye on the NH Chase. 66/1 each way early doors is the kind of price I like to back my judgement early.
 
Yes it was on twice this morning while I was waiting for the Hong Kong coverage to start.
 
Are you sure Lamarckise had no injury Paul ? She was dismounted straight after passing the winning line at Limerick.
 
Two more to add. Notebook went off favourite for the Arkle, but ran no sort of race. Despite Rachel saying beforehand she was going to tuck him up behind a couple of horses on the way down to post to stop him getting worked up, he went down like a bat out of hell as free as anything. Clearly he's a risky proposition, but up to that point, despite his antics, he'd been the best novice two mile chaser all season, including a win over Fakir D'oudaries when that one was getting a lump of weight. He's unlikely to go up in trip given his style of racing, so it depends on whether they can get the quirks out of him. Henry is the right man for the job though, and if they can he's clearly a talented animal. 40/1 ew is huge in a division that's full of doubts. Surely a season too far fro Altior. Chacun is fragile and has to get there, Fakir looks like he'll benefit for a step up to the Ryanair, and in my opinion Defi will step all the way to the Gold Cup, more of which in a moment. Politologue is a poor standard winner and is unlikely to to be good enough to defend his crown, so I think Notebook offers good long range value. For info I already have Put The Kettle On backed at 20/1 ew for the same race.

The final one is the aforementioned Defi at 50/1 each way for the Gold Cup. It's unlikely they'll have another crack over two miles, and even more so after Lostintranslation finished a close third in the Gold Cup. Defi looked more of a stayer than Lostintranslation in the their clashes in their novice season, and I bet Hobbs and JP will both have been left wondering what might have been if they'd followed the same route as that one. I would be, and that's enough to make me think that's how they'll campaign him. JP and Fran will have some decisions to make with their chasers, but they way I see it they have Le Richebourg for the Champion Chase assuming he's back as planned, Fakir D'oudaries looks all over as though he'll improve again for a step up in trip and looks a Ryanair horse, and Champ will definitely go Gold Cup. That leaves a a bit of a free hand with Defi. He's 25/1 for the King George (I've taken that too), and I think that'll be his first target and they'll take it from there.
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Are you sure Lamarckise had no injury Paul ? She was dismounted straight after passing the winning line at Limerick.
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They said she finished tired DG. No report of injury, just that she wouldn't be ready for the Festival.

Perhaps Archie has heard different to me though?
 
Been enjoyable watching some of these 2011/12 festival replays back and what a beast Big Buck's was. F**king loved him.

Listening to Ruby say you were riding a Champion Hurdle/Gold Cup horse in a Stayers Hurdle, he was just an incredible horse!

Would have toyed with them in a 5th.

Won't mention the Replay of the Sussex in 12. Poetry in f**king motion!
 
Do any of you guys have a view with regards Column Of Fire going chasing or staying over hurdles? Or has there been any words from Gordon or Giggi?
 
Slim said:
Some thoughts:

Envoi Allen got Davy Russell out of an awful lot of trouble from the bottom of the hill. He had the horse badly positioned put my God is the horse some tool. He should be marked up for the performance given the ride.
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Strongly disagree
The leaders went too fast ( just check the sectional times) and he was in the right position
The winner is very good but second and third will be very good too, especially Mullins horse over fences
 
sunybay said:
Strongly disagree
The leaders went too fast ( just check the sectional times) and he was in the right position
The winner is very good but second and third will be very good too, especially Mullins horse over fences
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I don't care for sectionals. They seem to be used where they suit people. I've seen an interview with Davy since admitting he gave the horse too much to do.
 
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So you prefer what Davy says than what the data says

I dont mind what he says
the sectionals are not opinable , they provide the numbers, the problem is the people that dont understand it or dont want to.

It is a fact
the race was run too fast and he was in a better position than the other 2
 
sunybay said:
So you prefer what Davy says than what the data says

I dont mind what he says
the sectionals are not opinable , they provide the numbers, the problem is the people that dont understand it or dont want to.

It is a fact
the race was run too fast and he was in a better position than the other 2
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Data my bollocks. That sectional nonsense has sent more punters skint. Anyone with two eyes could see he was awfully positioned from 3 out and looked in big trouble at one point being 6l behind. The horse got him out of trouble. If you think that's a well judged ride than that's on you.
 
At the time live I said 'hes in trouble' and as soon as I said it the turbo kicked in. I would have thought that the horse got Davy out of trouble.

Having watched it again, I think that he cruised throughout, even over the second last and the front two kicked and Davy was a length, maybe two further back than he wanted. When the turbo didn't kick in immediately, a flash of panic was there, but in a few strides all was grand. I think the camera angle exaggerates just how much trouble envoi Allen actually was.

Not sure how it tallies with the sectionals as it looked to me that they went slow and the front two kicked hard and a little too early. Had to try something to get him beaten.
 
Always a danger when a jockey thinks they have so much in hand they just need to take a safety first approach, widest of all etc

Sent from my SM-J415FN using Tapatalk
 
Slim said:
I don't care for sectionals. They seem to be used where they suit people. I've seen an interview with Davy since admitting he gave the horse too much to do.
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Imo,NH sectionals are iffy, at best, but watching the race back they clearly didn't go much of a gallop for the first circuit, and speed had more effect on the closing stages than stamina.
 
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This is the problem of writing in the forum

One says the pace was not strong because the jockey told it to a friend in a pub

then come another says the same because he has watched the race again and he thinks so

It doent matter what the clock says.....

On the positive side , it is good so many people dont want to buy the sectionals, do it or understand it,
 
Desert Orchid said:
Ballymore v Coral Cup

From the last to the line, Dame De Compagnie was two seconds (about 10 lengths) faster than Envoi Allen.

How many racing diehards would have watched the two races and come to the conclusion that DDC was ten lengths faster than EV from the last?

For me, the conclusion is that the Ballymore was a very solidly run race whereas the Cup was a jog and sprint from the run towards the stands first time round, only quickening up seriously from two out.

I suspect these splits suggest that Russell, for all I thought maybe the horse got him out of being too far off the lead approaching the home turn, probably judged the pace very well.
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Since suny bay brought us back round to sectionals, I thought I'd check back for my own conclusions from earlier in the thread.
 
sunybay said:
This is the problem of writing in the forum

One says the pace was not strong because the jockey told it to a friend in a pub

then come another says the same because he has watched the race again and he thinks so

It doent matter what the clock says.....

On the positive side , it is good so many people dont want to buy the sectionals, do it or understand it,
Click to expand...

I'm only too happy to bet against punters like you using sectionals.
 
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