Champion Hurdle 2014

If OC had to battle HF wins.My bets are already laid and I've only backed two horses -Our Conor e/w and win in multis when he went 7/1 and Hurricane Fly at 100/30 in win multis.
I think I've got one e/w multi with Jezki in it 10/1, but I'm a bit frazzled as I've over 50 bets covering 35 horses in the Graded races. Hopefully one will hit the net.
Time to take stock and give myself a pat on the back.
 
reet hard said:
Must take a hell of a lot of getting fit, DO. :lol:
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Nothing to do with fitness at this stage, assuming he is fit and well.

You just don't ask your champion hurdle winner to go and do anything spectacular ten days before the day that matters.

How often do we see reports of top horses doing mindblowing work in the week leading up to a big race only for it to flop on the day? Reason - it left its race behind in the gallop.
 
Maxbet said:
the ground keeps drying out and connections of MR and PZ do as they predicted then we have a 6 horse race.
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I really do not understand what part of your brain this is coming from, Max.

Regardless of the ground, I fully expect Melodic to take his chance. You're ignorantly judging him only as a heavy ground horse. The sole good-ground run you can genuinely discount him on was behind MTOY at the dog track Gosforth Park, where he was documented as pulling a muscle. I really think this race will suit him: He's raced prominently on a few occasions and it does not take a rocket scientist to work out they might try and make the pace to play to his strengths on stamina.

That's the last I'll say on him, you'll all be pleased to know!
 
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Is this recent news, Kauto? To clarify, GD-ST and he still runs???

I'm aware the trainer was quoted at some point saying the horse would avoid the Champion Hurdle unless it poured down, but that was a while ago.

More significantly..in his most recent comments on 26th Feb, according to The Racing Post, Scott said absolutely nothing about the horse needing soft ground.
 
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Ya, within the last week or so. He said Good/soft would be fine for him but wouldn't want it any better. Nicholls on the other hand has said PZ probably wouldn't go unless it was soft.
 
Henderson has described MTOY as faster than all his CH winners tonight at the Dunraven preview - time to get panicking HF fans ???
 
There's at least half a dozen horses entered up in the County who could run in this. These big handicaps are worth way too much money relatively speaking.
 
Kauto Abu said:
Ya, within the last week or so. He said Good/soft would be fine for him but wouldn't want it any better. Nicholls on the other hand has said PZ probably wouldn't go unless it was soft.
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Thanks for sharing, we may have heard it here first folks.
 
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comments at festival previews are all bollocks unless they support your argument in which case they're very worthy affairs. that's the ardross way
 
Ardross said:
Henderson has described MTOY as faster than all his CH winners tonight at the Dunraven preview - time to get panicking HF fans ???
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Don't doubt it for a second; the way he's nurtured this horse from day one suggests he's always regarded him as something special. However, quickest doesn't always mean ablest, and he still has to prove he has the temperament and stamina to win a Champion Hurdle.
Little surprise he fears Our Conor either as - the Fly apart - he's the only one in the field to show anything like the same gear change. Both have to prove they'll stay though, and - imo - OC seems the least likely, at this stage of their careers.
 
Jambo said:
comments at festival previews are all bollocks unless they support your argument in which case they're very worthy affairs. that's the ardross way
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Not at all - they are not worth listening to unless they come direct from those involved . Unless those involved have a history of talking bollocks like P Mullins.:lol:
 
reet hard said:
Little surprise he fears Our Conor either as - the Fly apart - he's the only one in the field to show anything like the same gear change. Both have to prove they'll stay though, and - imo - OC seems the least likely, at this stage of their careers.
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Call me biased buy I think OC has more to prove in that department more so than my tent. OC has won Over C&D last year but at a canter, he didn't need to come off the bridle and the Triumph form, Diakali aside, has worked out pretty poor. Anytime the gun was put to his head he's failed to show he can fight and win, last time at Leopardstown the most obvious.

My Tent battled with CF up that hill last year in soft ground and showed at the xmas hurdle that he's game for a fight against top class opposition.

If OC had to win either of those 2 Leopardstown races he'd be 2/1 fav. But he didn't and he'll have to battle, flat out, this time to get up the hill. He wont be winning the champion hard on the bit.
 
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marble said:
I really do not understand what part of your brain this is coming from, Max.

Regardless of the ground, I fully expect Melodic to take his chance. You're ignorantly judging him only as a heavy ground horse. The sole good-ground run you can genuinely discount him on was behind MTOY at the dog track Gosforth Park, where he was documented as pulling a muscle. I really think this race will suit him: He's raced prominently on a few occasions and it does not take a rocket scientist to work out they might try and make the pace to play to his strengths on stamina.

That's the last I'll say on him, you'll all be pleased to know!
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MR will only run if its very soft ground. The trainer has told the public this about 100 times in the last few months. It would appear that Max's brain has an ability to store information gathered from newspapers.
 
marble said:
I really do not understand what part of your brain this is coming from, Max.

Regardless of the ground, I fully expect Melodic to take his chance. You're ignorantly judging him only as a heavy ground horse. The sole good-ground run you can genuinely discount him on was behind MTOY at the dog track Gosforth Park, where he was documented as pulling a muscle. I really think this race will suit him: He's raced prominently on a few occasions and it does not take a rocket scientist to work out they might try and make the pace to play to his strengths on stamina.

That's the last I'll say on him, you'll all be pleased to know!
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It would seem that some people feel passionate enough to slag people off if they are not saying what they want to hear can’t say I’m entirely innocent on that count but I do try to answer the debates I get into with some degree of evenness.

Take away the bit where you slag my brain off and you do offer some reasonable debateable critique. So for your information this is what my brain remembers the trainer saying:

“We think it is better to make hay while this wet ground prevails that he seems to prefer. He’s still a relatively lightly raced horse, and the Champion Hurdle is still six weeks away”.

“Our thoughts at the moment are that if the ground is very soft at Cheltenham we would seriously consider it, but if not there are options at Aintree and Punchestown”.

So to correct you I would add that I am not ignorantly judging him only as a heavy ground horse I am simply assuming that if the trainer would have him make hay whilst the wet ground prevails and that if it’s not very wet in March then there is a good chance he will miss the race.

I am also entitled to contrast that to the thoughts of Nicky Henderson who was of the opinion that MTOY could leave Cheltenham behind on the heavy ground at Wincanton thus leading me to believe that Scotts thinking could be that if Cheltenham dries out and we pull him out; we left the Wincanton race behind

I am also thoroughly entitled to think because the said trainer thinks it, that also he might just be better on it - moreover that he handles it better than others and that in turn gives him some kind of edge.

http://www.jeremyscottracing.net./latest-news/29-back-on-track-with-melodic-rendezvous-21-01-14

Regards Marble brained Max
 
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Take the compliment Max, it was a compliment! No one is slagging you off, I'm disagreeing with you, sir. I do not understand or agree with your adamant stance about him.

Digger, Kauto seems like an all round good egg, he has told you he runs regardless of Gd-St, did you not see that post?
 
Incidentally Melodic Rendezvous was beaten 7 and a 1/2 lengths by Champagne Fever over 2m at Punchestown on the Heavy ground that he seems to like.

MTOY was beaten 1/2 a length by the same horse in the Supreme.

Melodic Rendezvous was beaten 7 lengths by guess who.....MTOY...baracouda would get off on this kind of collateral.

They may well run...he will surely go chasing next year.
 
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Digger said:
MR will only run if its very soft ground. The trainer has told the public this about 100 times in the last few months. It would appear that Max's brain has an ability to store information gathered from newspapers.
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Dated Feb 26th From Racing Post and also on Scott's website

MELODIC RENDEZVOUS was forced to miss last season's Cheltenham Festival and connections are hoping there will be no problems this time round for their star, who should not be underestimated for the Stan James Champion Hurdle according to one leading trainer.

Trained by Jeremy Scott for the Cash For Honours syndicate, Melodic Rendezvous was ruled out of last year's Supreme Novices' Hurdle a day before the race.

He has returned with three wins from four starts this term and is generally 20-1 for the Champion Hurdle, although William Hill offer 25-1.

Nicky Henderson, who has saddled five Champion Hurdle winners and will be represented by the classy My Tent Or Yours at Cheltenham, said "don't underestimate Melodic Rendezvous" at his pre-festival open day on Monday and Scott is hoping for a smooth run with the eight-year-old.

"We still need to get there, and a lot can happen between now and then," the trainer's website reported.

"Last year there was a lot of hype surrounding his festival run, and we've learned a lot from that experience.

"If he gets there we'll be delighted. If not, he's had a terrific season, winning three Grade 2 races."

The last of those wins came in Wincanton's Kingwell Hurdle this month.

"He had a quiet week last week following his win at Wincanton and he'll have his last decent canter next week," added Scott. "Nick [Scholfield] might come down and have a sit on him and maybe pop him over a hurdle.

"His owners have been having a terrific time and are like children before Christmas!"

The New One and two-time winner Hurricane Fly head the betting for the Champion Hurdle followed by Our Conor and My Tent Or Yours.
 
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marble said:
Digger, Kauto seems like an all round good egg, he has told you he runs regardless of Gd-St, did you not see that post?
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The vibes are that they are staying grounded. They pulled him at the 11th hour last year and I know they gave a viable excuse but they all do, they would be slagged to the high heavens by punters if they didn't.

The grounded stance, calm as Scott puts it leads me to believe they are very much ground dependant, on the running that is. Think it is their way of providing punters with....back him but we did say.

They are after all not openly saying, sod it we are coming come what may, so there has to be some doubt....
 
Maxbet said:
The vibes are that they are staying grounded. They pulled him at the 11th hour last year and I know they gave a viable excuse but they all do, they would be slagged to the high heavens by punters if they didn't.

The grounded stance, calm as Scott puts it leads me to believe they are very much ground dependant, on the running that is. Think it is their way of providing punters with....back him but we did say.

They are after all not openly saying, sod it we are coming come what may, so there has to be some doubt....
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Fair enough, Max. We'll see how it all pans out.
 
This is what we talk for, to get a feel of other peoples perspective - their different angles of approach.

Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference. ~Nolan Bushnell

A lot of ideas manifest and grow from shared intellect...
 
marble said:
Take the compliment Max, it was a compliment! No one is slagging you off, I'm disagreeing with you, sir. I do not understand or agree with your adamant stance about him.

Digger, Kauto seems like an all round good egg, he has told you he runs regardless of Gd-St, did you not see that post?
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Here you are Marble. This is what Jermy Scott had to say after the Kingwell. I knew I wasn't dreaming!!



Scott said: "It was lovely to see him pick up and battle as I'm not sure he was really enjoying that heavy, sticky ground. If conditions are okay and it is not too quick - good to soft would be fine - he will take his chance in the Champion Hurdle.

"I'm not saying he will be good enough to shake up Hurricane Fly but he deserves to take his chance and would not be without an each-way chance."

Link below to full article.

http://www.racingpost.com/news/hors...ictory/1607378/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews
 
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