2018 Gold Cuppin'

Coney Island to be given entries in both the IGC and the Ascot Chase, with Eddie Harty suggesting a preference for 'the easiest race' which rather suggests we'll see him at Ascot.

Intention still seems to be to go for the Gold Cup.
 
CGC Entries


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Sizing John goes straight to the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. My neighbour breeds horses and sold a few to the Harringtons over the years. He told me last night that the horse is feeling very sorry for himself right now. They literally have to pull him out of his box every morning and his work, or what they’ve attempted to do with him, has been poor.


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Kauto Abu said:
Sizing John goes straight to the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. My neighbour breeds horses and sold a few to the Harringtons over the years. He told me last night that the horse is feeling very sorry for himself right now. They literally have to pull him out of his box every morning and his work, or what they’ve attempted to do with him, has been poor.


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That's a real shame.
 
Ya it sure is. I think last season is catching up with him too. I was at Thurles the day he beat Sub Lieutenant around this time last year in the Kinlough Brae. After that he had those 3 Gold Cups all within 3 months and I heard Kate Harrington refer to how tired he was in the days and weeks after Punchestown. It literally was a mammoth effort.

Hopefully he regains a bit of spark again. Best Mate was the last to keep his crown. Not even the mighty Kauto Star could do it so I’d imagine, even tho he looked good in the John Durkan, it’s left its mark. Can you imagine where he’d be now if he had gone to Haydock.


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I was very surprised they went to Leopardstown at xmas with Sizing John.

Jessie kept harping on about, there was only one day in mind for the horse and that was Cheltenham in March.

I was sure they would skip xmas, possibly go for the Hennessy or straight to Cheltenham.
 
Does anyone think that, with it becoming a bit of a substandard Gold Cup, they might be tempted to have one more go with Cue Card?
 
Good to hear about Our Duke. If Might Bite is to be taken on then I’d be inclined to do so with the Irish novices from last season. Hard to split those three though.


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If that's case regards Sizing John then it's a damn shame. If true, they should probably be kind and give him the rest of the season off. You can guarantee Mullins would.
 
I took another ante-post bet for the Gold Cup this evening, prompted by the Bryony Frost debate.

Saphir Du Rheu 66/1 ew NRNB & BOG

I backed him in the Gold Cup last year as well as in the National. He used Cheltenham as a prep run for Aintree last season and I wonder if maybe they think he might have gone very close if they'd trained him seriously for it. The fact that they've now declared he won't go for the National and that Sam T-D will ride means he's still regarded as the stable's best staying chaser. If he turns up on the day he'll be no more than 33/1. If he doesn't, no harm done.

I'll copy this across to the long shot thread.
 
For GH, from the long shot thread:

SDR

Ran a cracker in the face of a stiff task, in contention until late in the day and sticking to his task. Waited with, travelled well, headway three out, ridden straight, one-paced approaching the last.
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BDM

Over two furlongs longer trip was reverted to being ridden prominently. Though he failed to match his Haydock effort, he promised better than his final position suggests, going smoothly while a serious difference of opinion with his rider at the last perhaps cost him as much as ten lengths; ridden after three out, not quicken straight, sixth when bad mistake at the last.
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I think those quotes are accurate. I was trying to type while listening and the punctuation is my own interpretation of how it was read to me.
 
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Thanks, DO.

Those comments pretty-much accurately reflect how the race was run....though the "cost 10L" is obviously high-subjective.

As far as BDM is concerned, he was already beaten before making a hash of the last. He would not have worried the places, imo, and about the best you could say is that he might have collared SDR for fifth, without the error.
 
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Have a look and see if you find any common ground with the brother's opinion that he got messed about at the top of the hill as well. I'm still reviewing the Tuesday!
 
No trouble for BDM at the top of the hill that I noticed, DO.

He was still in contention coming down the hill (4th), but lost his pitch jumping three-out (jumped it clean) as they quickened into the bend, and all he did from that point was stay-on, until the mistake at the last.

SDR was kept wide throughout - possibly down to jumping concerns - but appeared to run his race.

There were no hard-luck stories in the last Gold Cup, on my viewing.
 
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