Cheltenham Handicaps

You need pure luck to find 1 winner.

Even finding a winning ew place is tough as hell. My advice is keep your bets to a fiver ew max and sit back fingers crossed and enjoy
 
I love the handicaps!

(OK, maybe not the Fred winter or the amateurs' race but the others are sh1t hot races and not always hard to find the winner of.)
 
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The Coral Cup is one of my favourite races of the year. In the last 20 years I have managed to find Monkerhostin* Skys the Limit, Spirit River, Carlo Brigante, Son of Flicka and Dame De Campagnie, bless them.


* I had a very lucrative trixie that morning with Total Enjoyment in the bumper and Brave Inca in the whatever the fcku the 2.5 mile novice is called these days. I called PP to check my balance and was surprised to find it double the amount I expected. I'd been so rat arsed the night before I'd already placed the bet but had forgotten. It was my second best phone call ever.
 
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I had the opposite experience, had Boston's Angel, First Lientenant, Carlito and A Moore's Fred Winter winner in a docket, then removed Carlito as I thought Irish could not win every race .
OOps , I really should have had more drink
 
Outsider said:
Who? Gonna have to look that one up.
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I think it would have won the big DRF hcap hurdle by five lengths had it not been brought down two out, travelling a lot more easily than the eventual winner, Lord Erskine, which went up 8lbs for winning. Bialystok is only 1lb higher for the County, its only entry, than that day.

It might not run, though, and could maybe have something at Punchestown on the agenda. It won at the festival there last year.
 
Desert Orchid said:
I think it would have won the big DRF hcap hurdle by five lengths had it not been brought down two out, travelling a lot more easily than the eventual winner, Lord Erskine, which went up 8lbs for winning. Bialystok is only 1lb higher for the County, its only entry, than that day.

It might not run, though, and could maybe have something at Punchestown on the agenda. It won at the festival there last year.
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Willie quoted in the Sporting Life today saying he's the type to take the Galway hurdle if he doesn't take any of the spring races.
 
Desert Orchid said:
I think it would have won the big DRF hcap hurdle by five lengths had it not been brought down two out, travelling a lot more easily than the eventual winner, Lord Erskine, which went up 8lbs for winning. Bialystok is only 1lb higher for the County, its only entry, than that day.

It might not run, though, and could maybe have something at Punchestown on the agenda. It won at the festival there last year.
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Yes,I had a look and it was going well when it got bought down.one thing that bothers me is Lord Erskine is a 11yr old.
 
I haven't checked the sectionals yet but it looked to me like a bit of a pace collapse up front although LE was never that far off it. LE was well-handicapped on its best form so even if it won slightly by default it's a £150k race chock-full of bandits and he got the better of them.

He went up 8lbs. Add another six for running in a handicap in this country and you'd expect LE to be off about 134 in one of our handicaps.

The Mullins horse, had he won as I think he might, would have gone up at least those eight pounds plus the six for running over here, so - arguably - 14lbs, less the 1lb he has gone up [here] and he could be 13lbs well in.

To me, if he's trying he wins bar a mishap. I just still have the nagging doubt about Aintree or Punchestown being the aim so the NRNB is a big help.
 
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Does anybody have any information regarding Monbeg Genius and the Ultima. Hurdle at Kelso was a pipe opener. Wondering if he could replicate Corach Rambler?
 
Due to his owners I suspect he would be the most unpopular winner in history - An Capall .
 
an capall said:
Does anybody have any information regarding Monbeg Genius and the Ultima. Hurdle at Kelso was a pipe opener. Wondering if he could replicate Corach Rambler?
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This morning in the RP

Jonjo O’Neill was left scratching his head after Monbeg Genius’s below-par effort at Kelso last weekend but said he may use the Ultima Handicap Chase as preparation for next month's Randox Grand National.

The eight-year-old was pushed out to 33-1 (from 16) with Coral for the National on April 13 after managing to beat only two rivals home when fifth on Saturday, but O'Neill said: "He’s come out of the race fine actually. He didn’t jump great and I may run him at Cheltenham for a bit of match practice.

"The National is the plan, but he was a bit disappointing the other day. I think he was a bit rusty because there’s nothing wrong with him and he’s come out of the race grand. We’d like to see a little bit better from him before we go to Aintree."

Monbeg Genius was sent off at 6-1 joint-favourite in last year’s Ultima, when he finished third behind subsequent National winner Corach Rambler. He is a 16-1 shot to go two places better this time.
 
An old favourites bet.
NOT NRNB

Kitty's light. Ultima. 40/1
Frero Banbou. Grand annual. 25/1
First street. County. 40/1
Cloudy Glen. K8m muir. 33/1
Hewick gold cup. 16/1
 
I've taken a wee punt in the hope my gut instinct is pointing me in the right direction.

I'd looked at some of the handicap form the other day and alighted on Sans Bruit as a possible winner of whichever race it goes for between the County Hurdle and the Martin Pipe. Ex-French with only one run a wee while back, my thoughts turned to Aux Petits Soins which the yard won the Coral Cup with a few years back.Then I read the PN stable tour comments in which he said it would run in the Morebattle and was "unlikely to run at Cheltenham". Why he was even mentioned in the Cheltenham stable tour in that case baffled me but I backed him NRNB for the two festival handicaps anyway as the concession meant I had nothing to lose. I then saw yesterday that he was in the five-day decs for the Imperial Cup, the stable's only entry, which made me then wonder if there might be an attempt for the bonus.

In today's Weekender, Paul Kealy puts it up for the Imperial Cup for all the same reasons as I fancied it, particularly its French form. So now I've felt obliged to follow him in at 14/1 and hope it's declared tomorrow. As I say, if it doesn't run at all next week, no harm done. If they decide to go for the bonus it won't be the 33/1 (County) or 40/1 (Martin Pipe) I got the other day.
 
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