Perpetual
At the Start
I don't agree. The racing will always be the centre piece at Cheltenham
I know this has been touched on by others and apologies if repeating anything previoulsy said.....
Cracking race and great performance by the winner but will this be it for Coneygree and his challengers?
The Gold Cup is a very hard race for horses and seems to blunt future development and form of horses.
Looking back at previous Gold Cups hardly anything from the winners and placed horses comes out and continues to dominate. There are a few exceptions obviously Deman, Kauto Star and Long Run just 3 off the top of my head in recent years. But plenty of good horses have suffered since Bob's Worth and Sir Des Champs from 2013 been the obvious ones.
Coneygree will be 9 next year and although lightly raced due to injury may have just given the best performance of his career and probably will never repeat this performance again. Conditions this year were perfect but will he get them again? Do hope I am proved wrong! but think we may at the most get one more big race from him another hard race will be the end for him.
Djakadam will be 7 next year but that was a hell of a run this year from a 6yo but how much has that taken out of him! Hit the last and drifted in the final yards of the race. Gave everything and does have time on his side but again could take a long time to recover. Needs to be campaigned next year in some soft Irish races really does not need another race as hard as the Gold Cup.
Road To Riches will be also 9 next year and for me another that had a gruelling race. Again difficult to see that he will repeat that sort of performance again. Just to far a distance for me for this horse.
Next year with the right sort of prep Djakadam could be a real contender, Coneygree if taking in the Hennessey or Betfair Chase, King George on route could be finished by then and Road To Riches likely to have similar campaign to this year taking in the Lexus on route but will find the extra 2.5 furlongs to much.
And the 4th Holywell? I would be looking at the 2016 Grand National and sure Jonjo can get his mark down. Plenty of stamina but not the pace to go with the leaders this year. Not likely to be any different next year.
Next year the ones to concentrate on will be 2nd season chasers or any novices that could emerge over the winter months (as per Coneygree who may prove to be an exception).
At this stage not going to highlight any horse, far to early for that but already looking forward to the 2016 Gold Cup!
As i've said in the past they will turn it into the Galway Festival. All about selling beer and very little to do with horse racing. The Festival is supposed to be the Elite. Only a matter of time till they put a sand track in the middle and have a couple of shitty camel races to fill the card.
They will probably have Tom Jones on after racing most nights too! :blink::blink:
A quote from the actual RP article;
"The ease and success of transition from three days to four shows how feasible it should be to make it five (or more). There's abundant scope for more races. Lob in a Grade 1, 2m4f hurdle, a female riders' race, a couple of veterans' races, divide a couple of the oversubscribed handicaps and you're pretty much there."
FFS, what an idiot.
Always room for cunts on here euro
I wonder if they might have a Cotswolds National and have a 4 mile staying handicap chase. The Grand National weights are set by now, and if they could accommodate a sensible arrangement with Liverpool for a fixed dates in the calanders.
PP Prices on the new race,
Mares Chase 6/4
Mares Nov Hurdle 6/4
2m4 Conditions Hurdle 4/1
Veterans 7/1
Mares Bumper 16/1
3m4+ HC Chase 20/1
Ladies Race 25/1
Cross Country 66/1
The four week gap between Cheltenham and Aintree is ideal, maybe 5 would be even better. A 4 mile handicap with big bonuses for anyone horse placing in both races would be a good incentive for National entrants.
Thought I'd give PP a ring, as 7/1 is big. What do they need? 2 new races, are they really betting 7/1 about a race that won't clash with anything in the calender, is bound to prove popular with racegoers, doesn't have any 'politics' attached to it, and will easily attract a sponsor for little prize money? Or put another way, the mares hurdle is gash as it is, are they seriously suggesting that a mares chase, and a mares bumper are the two most likely outcomes? (a total 3 mares races for a festival!!! the current field for the hurdle race is normally made up of one good horse and the rest) The conditions hurdles has been lobbied before, but failed, and it's not as if champion hurdles fields are getting bigger
Anyway, suffice to say, Paddy Power have no knowledge of this book and these prices .... urm
How come ******* is not allowed and cunts is?