Betfair Hurdle

Harchibald most famously cruised like a superstar only to find nothing when it mattered. 2 miler.. we'll see about that when he'll meet TNO in the trials. He should've stayed Arkle last season but the owners ran scared of a hype and now they have the audacity to talk about the CH. To be fair I haven't seen a direct quote of him being entered in the CH, but it sounds ridiculous after just getting beat by a quality horse in Agrapart but nowhere near CH class.
 
DanB88 said:
Didn't think Ch'tibello was there to win in the Christmas hurdle but he'll have to go some off his revised mark.
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Agreed (and thought I'dd written that somewhere but can't find it). To my eyes he was ridden to pick up the scraps and is either flattered by the form of serves to bring it down.

Doesn't necessarily mean he is badly handicapped, though.
 
Marble said:
Dan, If he finished 5 lengths behind Yanworth, 3 lengths behind The New One, (both mid 160's horses),then 149 makes him look like a horse that is still actually handicapped to win a big handicap hurdle. He's only had 8 runs over hurdles thus far, has just turned 6 years of age, while he isn't no Champion Hurdler, I personally think he is interesting in either the Betfair or the County Hurdle. I reckon connections will seize the opportunity to win another valuable pot this season, as by next season, I agree they'll struggle to place him. But its too early to start that talk now, imho. He stayed on stoutly to the finish line on Boxing Day which I liked as well. He stayed the trip well in the end.
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True Marble, but that's assuming Yanworth and The New One ran to their marks. I haven't reviewed the race if I'm being honest.

I was just speaking generally, there may well be some scope in his mark. I just wouldn't be keen to bet him to find out.

With the Betfair and the possibility of a Champion Hurdle pretender masquerading as a handicapper I always work on the premise that you need something a good stone well in to be competitive. Again, doesn't always work out that way.
 
Fair enough, Dan. BTW I'm not saying he is a good thing for the Betfair, its obviously way too early to know that. But he'd have his chance.
 
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Marble said:
Fair enough, Dan.
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Sorry Marble, just tried to retype the post, every time I try and edit a typo it just scraps the post, which is driving me round the bend.

Skelton sure knows how to target the handicaps. Thought he was winning the one at Newbury at the weekend but Born Survivor is looking very soft off the bridle.
 
They can say the track didn't suit Yanworth, but in terms of pace, to my naked eye, I thought they went a proper clip on the good ground, Dan. I wonder if the sectionals can support that. Wish we had EC1 at times like this. It wasn't a Champion Hurdle clip, but a good clip nonetheless. Ch'tibello stuck with them despite looking like he'd drop away, and stayed on for pressure. I look forward to hopefully seeing him entered in this or the County.
 
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25lbs faster than the novice Elgin earlier in the afternoon.

Unfortunately Elgin doesn't have an OR just yet but his RPR of 137 for that performance would imply something around 162 for Yanworth who, to me, struggled to go the pace and struck me as likely to be taken off his feet in a Champion Hurdle.
 
So first entries will be with us on Tuesday; the next few weeks will prove interesting, in terms of seeing how the market develops.
 
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Hopefully someone like DG will be able to give us a sneak-preview, as it's today that entries need to be made according to race conditions.

Worth stating that you shouldn't expect any revelations or particular insight when I post my selection. It's basically a straw-man conspiracy-theory, and can easily be argued as complete bollocks. Mr Consistency, me.
 
I'll be looking no further than Peace And Co. He looks to be thrown in on the best of his form off 149. We all know he's had his problems, mainly settling; he had a wind operation in the summer. If his belated absence isn't a tadge conspicuous I don't know what is. Looks to me like he's the Henderson plot for this race; and there's non better. A big handicap has been the target all year, and I'm absolutely convinced, it's this.
 
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I'll be looking no further than Peace And Co
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Henderson quote in an article on the Sporting Life website today.

Peace And Co hasn't been sighted since pulling up in last year's renewal when a 16/1 chance but Henderson was able to give an upbeat bulletin on the six year-old, saying: "We're creeping into respectability. Behaviour is good. We only tinkered with what you would consider a minor wind procedure in the autumn and he had a reaction to that and was in hospital for a good month. We are probably quite a way behind, but having said that we are making good progress now, the horse looks fantastic, he hasn't galloped yet but he'll be entered anyway (for the Champion Hurdle)."
 
Maxbet said:
I'll be looking no further than Peace And Co. He looks to be thrown in on the best of his form off 149. We all know he's had his problems, mainly settling; he had a wind operation in the summer. If his belated absence isn't a tadge conspicuous I don't know what is. Looks to me like he's the Henderson plot for this race; and there's non better. A big handicap has been the target all year, and I'm absolutely convinced, it's this.
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This is what NJH has to say about Peace and Co in an article I saw yesterday.

Peace And Co hasn't been sighted since pulling up in last year's renewal when a 16/1 chance but Henderson was able to give an upbeat bulletin on the six year-old, saying: "We're creeping into respectability.

"Behaviour is good. We only tinkered with what you would consider a minor wind procedure in the autumn and he had a reaction to that and was in hospital for a good month.

"We are probably quite a way behind, but having said that we are making good progress now, the horse looks fantastic, he hasn't galloped yet but he'll be entered anyway (for the Champion Hurdle)."
 
The last sentence is clear enough but what the hell is he saying about respectability and behaviour? Was the horse letting itself down in polite society on account of a wind problem?
 
:D

he gets more eccentric by the day, there's a quote in his latest blog where he talks about Top Notch's jumping of fences, saying "he's only a little person..."
 
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Just as an aside the annual Grand National lunch where they announce the weights will not take place as of this year
 
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