Diamond Harry

The problem with the RSA Chase is that he needs experience of jumping fences before he tackles that race. The problem with DH is that he needs time between his races. By running him in the fixed brush race on his reappearance, in my opinion, his trainer has effectively set the World Hurdle wheels in motion. I'm at the yard on Sunday and will ask the man himself.
 
Shadow Leader said:
There's something seriously wrong here; we keep agreeing with each other all of a sudden!!! :lol:
...I really think that over fences he could be very special.

.....and on that note, I'm going for a lie down......
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:) ...believe me it's got me worried too.
 
Mounty said:
The problem with the RSA Chase is that he needs experience of jumping fences before he tackles that race. The problem with DH is that he needs time between his races. By running him in the fixed brush race on his reappearance, in my opinion, his trainer has effectively set the World Hurdle wheels in motion. I'm at the yard on Sunday and will ask the man himself.
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Eminently sensible, as always. :)
 
Mounty said:
The problem with the RSA Chase is that he needs experience of jumping fences before he tackles that race. The problem with DH is that he needs time between his races. By running him in the fixed brush race on his reappearance, in my opinion, his trainer has effectively set the World Hurdle wheels in motion. I'm at the yard on Sunday and will ask the man himself.
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Fixed brush jumps could equally be seen as priming him for fencing. They are an intermediate stage between timber and fences.
 
Are they, Steve?

They take next to no jumping, imo, and have the potential to make horses lazy when faced with real hurdles or fences. I'm not a fan of them myself.
 
Grasshopper said:
Are they, Steve?

They take next to no jumping, imo, and have the potential to make horses lazy when faced with real hurdles or fences. I'm not a fan of them myself.
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Neither am I. They are a soft option. However (as you know) a horse makes a different shape when taking a hurdle or a fence. The fixed brush fences are meant to encourage them to take fences, but are easier on them if they are not up to the job... if that makes sense.
 
Christ alive, someone get me some water!! Grassy, I agree with Steve here, the fixed brush hurdles are pretty much mini fences and aren't a lot different from fences bar in their size and as such I also see them as good practice for jumping fences.
 
When I was doing the form for the fixed brush race at Haydock last week I looked at the profile of previous course winners and couldn't find one that had raced over fences the time before. Burton Port was favourite despite having won a chase at Bangor last time.
 
Mounty said:
When I was doing the form for the fixed brush race at Haydock last week I looked at the profile of previous course winners and couldn't find one that had raced over fences the time before.
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That's because this is an intermediate stage on the way to chasing.
 
What I'm saying is it's unusual for a fixed brush winner to have prepped over fences yet the favourite had and was beaten. Might be a useful angle in future.
 
According To Pete won the race the year before having won a novice chase on his previous start. In fact, 3 of the first 4 last year had run over fences on their previous start. Though the first and second in 2007 were established hurdlers, the third fourth and fifth had all run in a chase on their previous start. Aren't the majority of races over fixed brushes novices hurdles, which would explain why few have run over fences before then.
 
Mounty said:
What I'm saying is it's unusual for a fixed brush winner to have prepped over fences yet the favourite had and was beaten. Might be a useful angle in future.
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Quite so. It would be the other way round, they would prep for fences by taking fixed brush first.
 
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Arkwright said:
Confirmed on the RP website that all being well he will be going for the World Hurdle
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Rory's information was good! If it's the case that he goes for races like the Long Walk Hurdle or the Cleeve Hurdle before the main event he'll likely bump into BB before the Festival... maybe still time for a rethink?
 
Would be very, very suprised. I'm slowly convincing myself that Big Buck's could be the best staying hurdler I've seen, it's scary to think how good he would be if he could jump;)
 
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rorydelargy said:
Diamond Harry will definitely run on Saturday all being well, according to connections.
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I like Williams and think he's generally very good at placing his horses, as he showed with this horse in bumpers, but I don't agree with him on this one. Given how he tended to jump and hang left on occasions last year there has to be a chance he'll prove better going the other way round to Ascot. For me, the Cleeve would have been a better prep given his course form at Cheltenham and if Big Bucks were to take him on there he'd also be receiving weight from him.

I think there's a possibility Diamond Harry could blow out on Saturday without it necessarily affecting his World Hurdle hopes.
 
chroniclandlord said:
Diamond Harry was impressive at Haydock, but Big Bucks performance at Newbury was awesome and I can't see him being beaten.
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Quite... They are saying that DH didn't have a race lst time, which is true, but BB won unbelievably easily and is easily the highest rated hurdler in training... well above the bunch heading the Champion Hurdle field.
 
I think there is scope for a play on the horse though. He's trading at 4.6 on the machine and I can see that price being a fair bit higher on the day as all the weekend layers and backers bid to side with the Nicholls team.
 
Euronymous said:
I think there is scope for a play on the horse though. He's trading at 4.6 on the machine and I can see that price being a fair bit higher on the day as all the weekend layers and backers bid to side with the Nicholls team.
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I won't be backing DH at Ascot, although I may take a little 6/1 on the World Hurdle before he runs at Ascot (having already backed BB at 7/4 for that).
 
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