2 Mile Chasers 21/22

Both horses (and jockeys) ran their races, and the scenarios in which Energumene turns the form around at the Festival are pretty thin, any way I look at it.
 
chroniclandlord said:
And to think that so many people want this race to revert to a poxy handicap.
Click to expand...

If today's race had been a handicap you'd have had Shishkin giving Energumene a pound and First Flow 10lbs. There would have been a nose between the big two and we'd be raving about them giving First Flow a 10-length gubbing.

Sh1t hot horses.

Sh1t hot form.

Make it a £1m handicap and we could have had half a dozen plots trying to shake them up. It would have been a sight to behold and I'd be buying shares in Andrex.

Edit - just saw GH's reply. I agree.
 
Last edited:
Grasshopper said:
Both horses (and jockeys) ran their races, and the scenarios in which Energumene turns the form around at the Festival are pretty thin, any way I look at it.
Click to expand...

Willie has ruled it out. He said there is no where else for him to go but the Champion Chase.
 
I don’t agree. Doubtful IMO that the front two would have gone near the race if it was a handicap


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
viking said:
I don’t agree. Doubtful IMO that the front two would have gone near the race if it was a handicap


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

If you remove the options of soft Graded races, and bump the prize-fund as DO suggests, then you somewhat compel the top horses to run in it.

Also, it doesn’t need the two best 2m chasers either side of the Irish Sea to run. Converting to a handicap would improve the race regardless of who carries top-weight, and make it a much more compelling betting event into the bargain.

Today’s race was tremendous, but it’s a complete abberation compared to previous runnings as a Graded event.
 
Just look at the number of posts about this race, both pre and post. Seems to me there’s a pretty simple answer to the question of how to make racing more popular. :)
 
barjon said:
Can’t have that, reet. The race panned out exactly as expected and Townend knew Shiskin would be coming for him at the end. Come he did and there was nothing to be done about it., imo.
Click to expand...
Would have been a different result if PT hadn't sat, with plenty in hand, and waited for Shiskin to c ome to him.
Best horse lost, imo, and they won't be that cocky next time
 
I think the sneaky bet for chelt is chacun pour soi ew. Energumene got outstayed today and I think the only hope for him in the QM is for quicker ground and to use his better jumping to get shiskin at it. Super race.
 
reet hard said:
Would have been a different result if PT hadn't sat, with plenty in hand, and waited for Shiskin to c ome to him.
Best horse lost, imo, and they won't be that cocky next time
Click to expand...

“ Energumene ran his heart out and Paul gave him a terrific ride.” - Willy Mullins
 
HawkWing said:
Energumene got outstayed today and I think the only hope for him in the QM is for quicker ground and to use his better jumping to get shiskin at it. Super race.
Click to expand...

Hence my comment will they ride Energumene differently. The assumption would be Shishkin will beat him further at Cheltenham given his previous. Will be interesting to see how much pace they put in early/mid race.
 
HawkWing said:
Tiny point but why would shishkin have a p now. Thought if anything he showed his ceiling today.
Click to expand...

I initially thought the same, Hawk Wing. My guess is that they’ve retained it based in the fact that he was winning going away, and they take the view there’s still a bit more to come.
 
My mind has been racing, bear with me. Shiskin races like Inglis Drever and Big Bucks, butas though they were in the CH. Yet he still wins.
What if he wins the QM this year and the Ryanair next year and then the GC at 10. I'm convinced this would be doable. I think he is a very fast stayer. Am I too full of Guinness?
 
Superb race.i wonder did either trainer leave a bit to work on.

I found an a/p bet I forgot I'd done Shishkin at 9/2 trouble is it's in a Canadian and 3 of the others are non runners.
 
an capall said:
My mind has been racing, bear with me. Shiskin races like Inglis Drever and Big Bucks, butas though they were in the CH. Yet he still wins.
What if he wins the QM this year and the Ryanair next year and then the GC at 10. I'm convinced this would be doable. I think he is a very fast stayer. Am I too full of Guinness?
Click to expand...

Time for bed me thinks!
 
an capall said:
My mind has been racing, bear with me. Shiskin races like Inglis Drever and Big Bucks, butas though they were in the CH. Yet he still wins.
What if he wins the QM this year and the Ryanair next year and then the GC at 10. I'm convinced this would be doable. I think he is a very fast stayer. Am I too full of Guinness?
Click to expand...

If forget the Ryanair. Go for King George. Gold Cup if all goes to plan, 3m2.5f is a big challenge. I think we might want it but he'll be at 2m for most of his career.
 
Grasshopper said:
I initially thought the same, Hawk Wing. My guess is that they’ve retained it based in the fact that he was winning going away, and they take the view there’s still a bit more to come.
Click to expand...

Its very generous of them. I would have said that mid 180 was possible before today but think we got to see how good he was today. Rated a length better than energumene is about right
 
barjon said:
“ Energumene ran his heart out and Paul gave him a terrific ride.” - Willy Mullins
Click to expand...

He's hardly going to say he didn't, is he?
PT was cruising from the bottom of the hill (the commentator said he was sat motionless, turning in). Had he asked any sort of question between those 2 points Shishkin would've had much more to do.
 
Last edited:
reet hard said:
He's hardly going to say he didn't, is he?
PT was cruising from the bottom of the hill (the commentator said he was sat motionless turning, in). Had he asked any sort of question between those 2 points Shishkin would had had much more to do.
Click to expand...

No, but if he’d thought he’d given him a poor ride he just wouldn’t have said anything.
 
Last edited:
Townend did nothing wrong. The ground was very tacky and holding, hard to accelerate impressively really in that ground but Shishkin did. Shishkin made a bad mistake but jockey let him get over it. Have to say being there was never a doubt that after the last Shishkin was going to get there. His finishing speed possible bighted by that ground, but was not going to be beaten today. Crowd woke up and came to life having been basically camped inside and mostly ignoring the other races. Which was a shame. Great reception when all 4 came in though, Townend looked gutted.
 
Last edited:
I think the only way they beat Shishkin is to put it to him even harder in the hope that he makes a serious blunder. He has more speed than Energumene in a finish and will undoubtedly be better suited by the quicker ground at Cheltenham. But if they really piled it on, then he may make a mistake that he cannot recover from.

It will be a mouth watering re-match though and I am wondering now if I should go on Wednesday instead!
 
Back
Top