Cheltenham Handicaps

Every race over the two days was multi-faceted.

There was a handful of triers in the non-handicaps (maybe a dozen in the handicaps) and they had their own race.

The others were about either finding out more about their horses or manipulating handicap marks.

I would be surprised iof anything than ran prominently in the handicaps even runs at Cheltenham. A few out the back might show completely different form...
 
Guesswork here.

Wide Receiver - Martin Pipe
Koshari - Coral Cup
Saint Sam - Boodles
Master Mcshee - County Hurdle
Blue Sari - County Hurdle
Chosen Mate - Grand Annual
Embittered - Grand Annual

Plus the other
Run Wild Fred - Kim Muir
Darasso - ? See where he turns up.
Verdana Blue - County

Sure there were some others, but if i dont have a couple of handicap winners there, or at least a couple coming close, I’d be suprised.
 
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Last year entries were published Thursday 20th Feb and weights announced Wednesday 26th Feb so I assume Thursday 18th and Wednesday 24th this year but who knows what's going on these days ?
 
Mick Pastor was entered for the cancelled Ludlow fixture last Wednesday and is being re-routed to a 2m Leicester novice chase on Thursday, which is just enough time for him to win and have the handicapper put him up the necessary 4 or 5lb to creep in at the bottom of the Grand Annual weights.

I’m going in again NRNB at 20/1 because if he wins the Leicester race and gets a Grand Annual entry he’ll be shorter on the day and if he doesn’t win at Leicester he won’t get in the Grand Annual anyway so money back with the NRNB concession.
 
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That would be around 5 horses in the green and gold for the Grand Annual. The loss of the 0-140 really is showing up this year.
 
Slim said:
That would be around 5 horses in the green and gold for the Grand Annual. The loss of the 0-140 really is showing up this year.
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Was just looking at last year's Grand Annual. Only 1 horse rated 140 got in. You reckon the cut off could be as high as 143 this year?
 
Slim said:
That would be around 5 horses in the green and gold for the Grand Annual. The loss of the 0-140 really is showing up this year.
Click to expand...

A really stupid race to get rid of.

It’ll be back in the next year or 2 when it goes to 5 days. Along with a grade 1, 2m5f hurdle :ninja:
 
I've just taken 20/1 Champagne Platinum for the Pertemps Final.

Elsewhere ahead of today's racing I wrote:

Nicky Henderson has suggested Champagne Platinum (for JP McManus) as a candidate for the final but his rating looks high enough to be safe so he only needs a top-six finish here.

He was off 138 today which might have been touch and go for cut for the final (average 135 for the last few seasons) and I think maybe they wanted to go up a pound or two just to be sure. Today he got a great placing ride, lobbing along the inside all the way in the first half-dozen and only being asked to hold his place up the straight before poking between the leaders of the chasing pack - the winner was well clear - and taking second place comfortably up the run-in.

I can't see 20/1 being around for long.
 
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