Cheltenham Foxhunter

We're starting to approach the time where, if I had a long term fancy for this race, I'd be getting a little itchy if they hadn't yet had any qualifying wins or places.
 
Sorry just seen these posts - looks very open at present.

Burning Ambition lacks the experience of a lot of these and the reason for those who put him up seems to be that he has a similar profile to Cappa Bleu, but then he also has a similar profile to the winner of the Limerick race two or three years ago It Came To Pass and many others.

I'd be keen to see a few more of the hunter chases in the coming weeks before putting my money down - nothing stands out currently.

Martin
 
The hunter chase at Haydock on Saturday has a bonus for any horse that wins and goes on to win at Cheltenham and/or Aintree. Nicholls has Virak entered so presumably high on his list.

I've taken 3/1 Nicholls to have the winner at Cheltenham.
 
Skybet now going Nicholls 5/1 to have the winner. Seems a very fair price when Wonderful Charm is 6/1 and you get Pacha Du Polder and Virak thrown in.
 
Well, it's taken about 50 weeks for them to admit it but they've finally done so....

Nicholls on Wonderful Charm's run last year (at the RP site today):

"All the other races are mega-competitive and we have chances but if the ground is good Wonderful Charm can go one better this year. He's my best chance. He's a bit quirky and ground-dependent but is a good horse when he's right."We've trained him just for that race. He has a good pilot on him as well. Katie [Walsh] rode him last year and she just got a bit unlucky in running, probably following the wrong horse during the race, the favourite, and then got a bit behind.
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Takes me back...

Last year on the morning of the race I wrote:
Biggest bet of the week (and for some time):

Wonderful Charm 11/2
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After it:

Desert Orchid said:
Fvck fvck fvck fvck fvck!!!!!

Beaten by a pathetic over-confident ride. "Oh, I only have to beat On The Fringe..."
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And in my race review, more temperately:

As I said before, I was seething throughout the Hunter Chase. It looked to me like Katy Walsh had decided she only had to stalk On The Fringe to win. JJ Codd had been riding brilliantly (as ever, but he gets the best horses) so it was an understandable tactic. However, OTF came off the bit quite quickly and Wonderful Charm was left with a lot of ground to make up. To fail by a narrow margin to catch one that was itself finishing strongly shows just what a certainty Wonderful Charm should have been.
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Whether he will be up to winning a year on I won't really know until I've studied the race a wee bit more.

Like the NH Chase, I think the Foxhunters' is attracting classier types these days.

PS - I've just noticed archie's post above as I haven't been following the thread (still hurting...). I'll have a wee look but I take it that price is long gone?
 
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Thanks for reminding me of that DO. Had won plenty on the day thanks to Defi, but needed Wonderful Charm for another £3k or so. Such is life.
 
I've spent the year trying (but failing) to forget it too and to potentially make matters worse, I've been going back in ever since for this year's edition.

Wouldn't want to see the ground deteriorate too much.
 
They sold out to those lads before he ran at Limerick.

Looks typical of his sire in that he travels well but can't quicken. Think he will come up short on decent ground.
 
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