Betfair Chase

Absolutely brilliant horse. I think he should go for Kempton if he comes out of the race okay. I think he likes it there and even if a couple of jumps were a 'bit long', I think he can out jump anyone.
 
Just come in from a long day at work - didn't dare check the result there.

That has made my year!!!! Well done Kauto and well done connections! Big cheshire cat impression here. And a new course record aswell!
 
Like Perputual I love the jumpers. Had tears in my eye wanting Kauto to win. I was one of many who thought he should be retired. Such a lovely and elegant horse and it seems the fire is still burning.
 
Legend. That silenced all his critics. Takes a special horse at 11 to gallop the field into the ground and have the gold cup winner off the bridle a mile from home.
 
chroniclandlord said:
Diamond Harry, Wierd Al and Time for Rupert would all appear some way short of Gold Cup contenders.
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Weird Al is only a couple of lengths behind Long Run, and didn't really jump with any great fluency himself. I'm not saying he's ready to win a Gold Cup, but any way I look at it, the horse has improved again and might still have further progression in him. To be fair, the other two were disappointing (though both probably have excuses), and I personally think it's still too early to write them all out of the equation, as they all remain relatively lightly-raced over fences.
 
Never heard a single word agin the horse - no-one to silence, as far as I know. An absolute joy to watch, although all this 'evergreen', 'old', 'OAP' stuff is a bit grating - compared to some others, he's very few miles on the clock, so his body should be in darn good nick! Isn't it wonderful to have replays available online? You could watch that race over and over because it's such a beautiful thing.
 
Going through some of the papers online at the minute and not a single spread on Kauto Star, a digrace.

This should be backpage news, unfortunatley we're not living in a society of people who're interested in anything that doesn't concern some form of criminality or men running around in shorts.
 
I love the way on the second circuit, Long Run comes up on the inside, Kauto jumps flawlessly and Long Run starts making mistakes.

Almost like Kauto is saying "Don't try and teach your Granny how to suck eggs"

Legendary stuff!
 
:lol: Yes, I got that impression, too, Hezz! Quite hilarious, although I realise that's humanising it a bit much for purists, but it really was like "Look, kid, this is how you do it!"
 
The prices for Kauto for the KG and the GC are insulting . Take out Long Run at not being 100% and the rest of the supposed coming generation have been thrashed .

Kauto rewrites the rule book . He broke the course record - if the old boy has returned to close to his best form he is the one to beat now .
 
Kauto scenes were trmendous but doubt he will be in the winners enclosure this season, he posted a 173 in my figures ,all out jumping very well and fully fit,

the emotions eclipsed the ride Long run was given,
it is a pity such a good horse is not ridden by a profesional,
even with the amateur he should reverse the form at kempton in style.
 
I was disappointed with 2 comments after KS's princely run:
PN "this was his Gold Cup day"
RW: "we were hoping there was 1 more big run in him"
Here's hoping they don't mean what I hope they don't ... if you see what I mean!

We can wait til March ... I'd guess Mr Smith can, too, as he cares.
 
Brilliant performance from Kauto and the best atmosphere of any race meeting I've ever been to - sadly for racing there's only one Kauto Star and he can't attend all meetings flat and jumps but yesterday was amazing.
 
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EC1 said:
it just highlights how lucky we have been to have such as Denman..KS...so to be fair..best be cherishing Long Run becaus those below these 3 are 10lb+ inferior.
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Indeed it does. These are three of the best we've seen (and Master Minded makes four). Great that they are all around and showing what they can do at pretty much the same time.
 
NH is very rich with true talent right now, especially when you throw the hurdlers into the mix, like BIG BUCK'S. The top trio chasers are real greats, of course, but even those below them in the ranks are far from inferior. All down (apart from basic talent), I guess, to the evolving improvements in training systems (viz feedstuff, supplements, therapies, vet's facilities, schooling regimes) and better riding skills overall.
 
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Partly Pipe, as far as we all know, but also just the overall improvements in horse care, SS. There are now so many different feeds for every stage of their life, from foal to retirement; veterinary products abound for every possible twinge and twitch; therapies previously only known to expensive spas or gyms for rich people are now becoming almost commonplace (swimming, salt baths, heat lamps, ultrasound, Reiki, Shiatsu, heated indoor treadmills, a variety of cooling or heating gels and pads for legs and backs, etc., etc.); veterinary care in terms of surgeries, endoscopy, and drugs; vitamin and other supplements for feeds; and finer-tuned early schooling, which some yards are borrowing from the French, or by buying ready-schooled French hurdlers and chasers.

There are also now many more artificial aids to maximising a horse's performance than previously used or even allowed. We think nothing of shadow rolls/sheepskin nosebands (they were first used in the US in the 1950s, I think), but now we have the regular use of tongue-ties, pressure nosebands, ear defenders, cheekpieces instead of just old-style blinkers, cup visors... on we go!

So, overall, the days when BROWN JACK jumped for fun and stunned racegoers are really ancient history in more ways than one. Horses is his day were regularly bar-fired, let alone pin-fired, proactively to strengthen tendons. Jockeys mostly rode like sacks on their backs, taken from the hunting seat, not nearly up with the Flat jockeys in stirrup length; the horses had their heads hauled off by enthusiastic but not race-tuned amateurs; they would probably be out hunting with the Quantocks one day and chucked into a race a few days' later with no real race prep at all.

All horses now, Flat or NH, are treated very much more precisely and individually as to their food/supplement needs, they're not all ridden in a one-size-fits-all manner, and their ancestors would be astounded at such innovations as the stuffed hurdle, a treadmill, the water therapy pool, and as for needing ear defenders to deaden the roars of the unrestrained, unsecured crowds mobbing them... !
 
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