Aintree - Thursday

Brochdoll said:
On my way home from my first trip to Aintree. Fab day, including the weather! Only 2 winners Big Bucks (i know it wasnt worth it but first time Ive seen him in the flesh so I had to) , Cloudy Lane which was fab and a place witg Ringaroses in the last.
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I was so underwhelmed with the opener I was actually in the toilet during that race.

My companion backed Cloudy Lane and Menorah (who was mental value on track, I thought he'd be 3/1) and then lost her ticket on the latter.
 
The obvious problem with Big Buck's is that he runs at such an unfashionable distance. Kinda like being 5 times Olympic Curling Champion. Well done and all that but who really gives a f....
 
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Hamm said:
Very unsporting connections. Boring. He should be running Saturday but they have little ambition in them - you could at least understand it in one way if it were the flat and potential stallion fees were a factor, but they have no reason to be so unsporting. Their loss, as few people look on Big Bucks in a very fond way.
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Their loss?

They won loads of money today.

They have set a record for consecutive wins over jumps.

And I believe that the horse is very popular.
 
Euronymous said:
I was so underwhelmed with the opener I was actually in the toilet during that race.

My companion backed Cloudy Lane and Menorah (who was mental value on track, I thought he'd be 3/1) and then lost her ticket on the latter.
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Oops my husband had Menorah as well! He did have a good day
 
Aftertiming alert.
My trip to Aintree involved getting up at 5.15. On the road at 6.00 getting stuck in a horrendous traffic jam following a nasty accident on the M1. Pitying the poor bugger whose engine was belching out clouds of white smoke then realising it was me. Nowt AA could do in the traffic so periodically drove very slowly on the wrong side of the bollards eventually reaching Junction 13.

Fortunately my mate is a laid back Mr Sensible whose comparison of our ill luck with the plight of those in the accident in front of us put things into perspective. Otherwise I would have blown a gasket when the AA patrolman suggested I'd probably put petrol in my diesel beamer. He eventually diagnosed a blown gasket in the car. AA relay finally arrived at 12.45. and got me to my local garage at 2.35pm.

Was disappointed, knackered, feeling ill from drinking a liquid purported to be coffee, and facing large repair bills, but surprisingly for me, very philosophical. It could only get better. It did.
DaveG, who'd got my tickets, sold them. ( Some bloke!). The hotel agreed to refund aready paid room costs . I hadn't bothered to bet in the first and dodged a bullet by not putting substance behind a small bet in the second. Just got in in time for the 3rd and increased my bet on Hunt Ball, who was impressive until after the second last, however with Betfair at hand took out the distance risk by laying stake at 2.4.
Cloudy Lane, 9/1 with Nannyfred last night, and given as a strong reccommendation to my son's friends going racing for the first time, made me feel good for both reasons. Wouldn't back against my former favourite Al Ferof but couldn't back him- still disappointed that potential may have vanished for that one. Astracad (ew) , who I lost on at Cheltenham gave me a shout until the very good winner applied another gear.
Hope is not totally abandoned for Al Ferof because a horse I praised on here as a novice that could have a decent future only for him to perform poorly thereronafter, showed for the second time in a month that he does have at least a certain amount of class. Cape Tribulation looked good at Cheltenham, and convinced me that he might have turned a corner. He certainly has and made a pretty good contribution to the repair fund.

Another potential winner came shortly after the Cape. My local garage guy thinks the car problem is less serious than had been diagnosed. Get in there !

Circumstances clearly left me unable to post so please excuse aftertiming! I'm too knackered to sort out tomorrow's tonight but suffice to say I've been backing Frankie Figg since the books opened..
 
Brutal day betting wise. Not had a day that bad in a good while. Highlight of the day was standing and applauding Big Bucks all the way from the last to after the line. Seeing history in the making.
 
Great run by Cape T in the Silver Cross - clearly would have been second in the Liverpool Hurdle !

I pity those who find BB boring - I imagine they are bored by Frankel and would have been by Arkle too .
 
Katharine said:
I agree with this, Cruella. I'll be sad when he retires. Big Buck's is second only to the inestimable Kauto in my heart. Apparently prior to today's race, 123 different horses had taken Big Buck's on over hurdles, and he's beaten them all.
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He's beaten them all but hardly any of them have been proper Grade 1 animals. It's a shame he couldn't have run in a handicap giving them loads of weight or at least taken in a 20f contest.
 
I suppose this comes down to the fact that some don't think staying hurdles and the horses that run in them are really up to G1 standard. I disagree these days. I think Big Buck's has beaten enough good horses in his time. I feel in recent years this division has changed somewhat, too. It has seen its fair share of very good horses.

Yes, run Big Buck's in the Pertemps Final next year...
 
Some very strange (bitter?) posts here. Some people are so permanently miserable. You are watching one of the true champs of jumps racing here. A magnificent beast with character and quirks dominating a division (I wonder if some here would slag off the Ascot gold cup on the same basis?) to a remarkable extent

And a great training performance (as ever) to keep him so fresh year after year

Connections have a penalty kick to break a long standing record and break it at the highest level too. And they take a risk over a different distance?
 
Christ almighty. As i thought, I have been better off without this place. I have an opinion and put it down, and am now 'miserable'. For me, his campaigning is boring and risk-free - even the diminutive Well Chief ran in a handicap.
 
clivex said:
Some very strange (bitter?) posts here. Some people are so permanently miserable. You are watching one of the true champs of jumps racing here. A magnificent beast with character and quirks dominating a division (I wonder if some here would slag off the Ascot gold cup on the same basis?) to a remarkable extent
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Miserable maybe but not bitter. As for the Ascot Gold Cup - Yeats was rated about 127 at his best, way below the best horses at the more competitive distances.

Big Buck's failed over fences, so no matter how awesome his beating of handicappers in Grade 1's over hurdles he could never be compared to a Frankel or an Arkle.
 
Hamm said:
Christ almighty. As i thought, I have been better off without this place. I have an opinion and put it down, and am now 'miserable'. For me, his campaigning is boring and risk-free - even the diminutive Well Chief ran in a handicap.
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your posts do come across as abrupt, maybe even rude. dismissive of other peoples view points, you then react when people challenge your point of view.
 
Eh, read my post on Big Bucks and you will see I was agreeing with Granger.

I don't get how anyone could find Big Bucks a hero. He runs in the division for the slowest horses, and connections refuse to take a chance running him either over a different distance or carrying a weight in a handicap. If people find this exciting and interesting, good luck to them, but they view top racehorses in a very different way than I do.
 
Hamm certainly has a right to his opinion.Some of Big Bucks wins have been as interesting as watching paint dry.Listening to some of the post race interviews yesterday they were talking about him being at the same level as Kauto Star.In a few years time if you were asked what Kautos greatest acheivement was you would have multiple options-ask the same question about Big Bucks and what would the answer be.
 
When another staying hurdler comes along and matches the feats of Big Buck's, perhaps I'll revise my opinion of him.

While I'm waiting, I'll continue to enjoy him.
 
Big Buck's failed over fences, so no matter how awesome his beating of handicappers in Grade 1's over hurdles he could never be compared to a Frankel or an Arkle.
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Hate to say this but i dont think Frankel is much cop over fences either. But its an option once they geld him i suppose

It surely doesnt need pointing out that many hurdlers never vene try the fences. Does that make Istabraq a failure too?

Last year i thought he was going to meet his match in Grand Crus, who is certainly not a handicapper and would IMo have dominated this division at any other time. Of course it didnt happen and if thats as interesting was "weatching paint dry" then we can assume that watching Arkle was the dullest of all racing experiences cant we?
 
Euronymous said:
No one is criticising the horse or his fans, but the plaudits being handed out are a bit heavy handed.
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Some are questioning what he has achieved in his career. I think it amounts to a lot.

And some are perplexed that there are those of us who enjoy watching him.
 
clivex said:
Hate to say this but i dont think Frankel is much cop over fences either. But its an option once they geld him i suppose

It surely doesnt need pointing out that many hurdlers never vene try the fences. Does that make Istabraq a failure too?

Last year i thought he was going to meet his match in Grand Crus, who is certainly not a handicapper and would IMo have dominated this division at any other time.
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The likes of Frankel and Istabraq and Hurricane Fly etc etc were not bred to go over fences. Big Buck's is.

For a horse who wasn't a handicapper Grands Crus sure did run in quite a few of them.
 
I'm not convinced he has beaten anything as good as Baracouda and I think some commentators mistake most dominant for best.

I personally would like to see him beat Voler La Vedette by more than 2l before pretending what we are seeing is a horse worthy of Arkle like stature.

Every time he beats solid grade performers in good style (but no more) there is a charade of commentators wondering "this 17th win surely proves he is the greatest".

I personally think there has to be a question mark about Grand Crus stamina after what we've seen this year.

That said, I hope he stays unbeaten.
 
LUKE said:
Hamm certainly has a right to his opinion.Some of Big Bucks wins have been as interesting as watching paint dry.Listening to some of the post race interviews yesterday they were talking about him being at the same level as Kauto Star.In a few years time if you were asked what Kautos greatest acheivement was you would have multiple options-ask the same question about Big Bucks and what would the answer be.
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4 World Hurdles
17 jumps races unbeaten.
10 Grade 1 wins
4 Liverpool Hurdles
No horse has gotten to within 1.5L of him since he kicked off his sequence.

I think we are witnessing something really special in his career. I would love him to jump fences, or step down to 2.5 miles, but I understand why connections won't do it.

Iris's Gift and Limestone Lad were two gems who were disappointing over fences.

Big Buck's connections feel they tried fences and failed. Why would they deny their horse a real shot at greatness (20+ wins, 5 World Hurdles, etc.) in favour of a venture that failed in the past?

I think it is a tough decision. I would probably run him in the Saturday hurdle race, but I understand why they are doing it.
 
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