Cheltenham Gold Cup 2015

The best thing to do I think, would be to set aside a complete day for the amateur, point to point, and countryside type who are after all the bedrock of so much of the NH scene. Yes some of us might sneer at the barbour wearing folk (me included) but it's difficult to argue that they're an irrelevance and without them the sport would be much poorer

We already have the Foxhunters, National Hunt Cup, Pipe Conditions (surely to have AP's name added to it?) The Cross County Chase, & The Kim Muir. For the most part these aren't races that really capture our imagination. I don't have any problem with adding another hurdles of a similar ilk and trying in effect to create an amateurs Champion Hurdle. Basically give them their own dedicated day to celebrate their contribution (a bit like the FA Trophy). It would also allow the better quality races to be more condensed on the other 4 days

The biggest issue I have with my proposal is whether my countryside day becomes the first day, or whether it's inserted on the middle day. A few years ago we had a break of course because of high winds, and I'm not so sure it didn't help a bit on reflection, allowing us to recharge. Running on the Thursday on the Old Course would also mean that they aren't damaging the ground

The fifth day is inevitable, my only surprise is that it hasn't before now, but let's be pragmatic, they've got a new grandstand and facilities to pay for! If we accept the inevitability of it, then the question really is one of what it should look like
 
Last edited:
Smarty72 said:
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!
Click to expand...


Picked this post out but could have picked others and wondering what horses are lurking out there who might win one of the Championship race next year and who are completely unconsidered at the moment. Take the TTF competiton that I run and ponder this. In my list of 120 horses to choose from I included Faugheen and several players put him in their lists, fair enough. I did not put Dodging Bullets in the list and none of the 57 players on here chose him as their Dark Horse. I didn't include Cole Harden in the list and only Dan put him up as a Dark Horse and finally Coneygree was not in my list and once again not one of the 57 players chose him either.

So who are the Dark Horses out there who could come good and beat some of the horses being predicted as next year's champions ? Maybe we need to think outside the box.
 
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
 
Last edited:
The article in the racing post says it needs more days as they can fill it with people...as more people go for single or a couple of days now. So as usual real fans of NH will be ignored so the cheap suit and bum fluff brigade can get lagared up.

They will probably have Tom Jones on after racing most nights too! :blink::blink:
 
Digger said:
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.
Click to expand...

Don't want to worry you but they've done camel racing before, albeit not during March.
 
Digger said:
They will probably have Tom Jones on after racing most nights too! :blink::blink:
Click to expand...

Can't see Tom Jones giving up a slot in Vegas for a concert in the Cotswolds in March myself. They'll more likely get that appalling Irish kid who wrote some song about Kauto Star!

I'm actually wondering if the 7/1 on a veterans chase isn't actually a decent bet to be honest. Christ there's been worse placed in the last week.

I tend to think also that they'll go for the conditions hurdle. The RyanAir hasn't damaged the Melling Chase, and a 20F conditions hurdle completes the grade 1 set. I wouldn't want to see a mares chase. The mares hurdle is bad enough as it is.
 
A veterans chase and a 2m4f hurdle isn't too bad. But they'll have to extend the stayers if that happens, make it over the Gold Cup trip. Which of course would make it as interesting and high class as the ******* Queen Alex at Royal Ascot.

Just how much money is enough for these cunts. They're like these millioniare rock pricks greeting because people download their music without paying.
 
Queen Alexandras a handicap

a 20F conditions race needn't impact the stayers hurdle, but I think you're probably right that it would seem to make sense to push the staying hurdle out in trip a bit. 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.

The other thing to do then is set off a series of 'triple crowns' culminating in Punchestown
 
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.
 
wilsonl said:
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.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.....
 
Warbler said:
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.
Click to expand...


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.
 
Frankel said:
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
Click to expand...

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
 
Last edited:
Euronymous said:
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.
Click to expand...

Problem with Uttoxeter I'd have thought. Might the two tracks agree to host the 'Midlands National' at Chelters in return for a compensation package? I doubt it, in which case the BHA will have to sanction something in direct competition on what is Uttoxeter's biggest jumps day of the year. I'm no saying it's impossible, but its rife with issues, and since the Midlands National is my most lucrative jumps race in the calender I'm happy to keep it exactly where it is and change nothing
 
Last edited:
Warbler said:
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
Click to expand...

http://bettingzone.oddschecker.com/...ltenham-festival/next-race-added-to-programme
 
I've tackled them again about it, and they now accept the book exists, however, it only applies to a single race (the next race to be added). If Cheltenham announce more than one race on the same day, then the bet is void. In reality they probably need 3 races to make up 5 days of 6, and these will be announced in one block, or as soon as they get clearance. It's why I suspect the 20F conditions hurdle which clashes with Aintree (potentially) or the stayhing handicap chase (which clashes with Uttoxeter) won't be as easy to introduce as some of the others.

It sounds as if someone in the PR department asked an odds compiler to dash something off in a couple of minutes this morning for a press release, and they put a rider into the settling about more than one race. To some extent they probably have to, as they're treating it like a 'next manager' market, it's just that in this case they can name 2 or 3 races in a single press conference
 
Back
Top