Gold Cup 2023

As things stand, I do not see this years field as yet elite but for sure it is competitive

Unusually for a race of this nature, a lot of the horses will be relatively unexposed

Imagine saying that about a grand national winner.

As for Hewick, great story but he hasn't been seen in so long, it is hard to relate to him

Galopin is the one horse who could "rip" them but I would think he needs a DRF prep in advance
 
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She's a good trainer but bad race planner for a Grade 1 horse, as so many are. Should never have been anywhere near the King George. Mullins never goes near the race with his Gold Cup contenders.
 
Euronymous said:
Mullins never goes near the race with his Gold Cup contenders.
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That doesn't make sense to me, euro. He's only ever won the GC with one horse and, at 9/1, wouldn't you class Tornado Flyer as a "contender" going into the race last season?

Plenty of past GC winners have taken in - and won - the KG en route.
 
It's poor race planning, end of story. The horse jumps to his left, it was 100% obvious the track wouldn't suit - so why go for the race. Same with Lucinda and Ahoy Senor. That's why there's a comfort level to having a Pumpkin/Henderson horse in your AP portfolio - you know they will plan a proper campaign. A lot of these trainers who have a horse that stands out in terms of the usual standard they normally have kind of **** it up from a planning standpoint. You see it on the flat as well.
 
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Said on racing radio that he was purchased with a problem so they always knew he would need time and also be fragile. I assume that, when you have a horse like that you have to run them when they’re sound because you never know if they might pick up an injury on the gallops.
 
I’m going back a long time here but I’m sure that, years ago Mullins rarely raced his horses here away rom the festival. I’m saying this because there was one horse that he did sometimes bring it over to run in handicap hurdles because I used to back it…but I can’t remember which horse it was. He did bring horses over for flat races with a lot of success eg Sesenta.
 
It's a shame. All I was wanting before the King George was L Homme Presse to run as I thought that he would give Bravemansgame a real race and that's what he did.

I couldn't blame Venetia myself.

From memory this horse had injury problems before his winning streak last season and those reoccuring was always a possibility.

I'd be gutted like anybody if I'd backed him anti post for the Gold Cup but we all know the dangers of backing horses months aways from a race.
 
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That's hindsight though, Euro.

They say its a wonderful thing but it's a sickening thing if you ask me. :)
 
Euronymous said:
She's a good trainer but bad race planner for a Grade 1 horse, as so many are. Should never have been anywhere near the King George. Mullins never goes near the race with his Gold Cup contenders.
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Couldn't be more wrong

He ran a cracker in the KG until the jockey fell off, if he hadn't have fell off would you have the same opinion?
 
Euronymous said:
It's poor race planning, end of story. The horse jumps to his left, it was 100% obvious the track wouldn't suit - so why go for the race. Same with Lucinda and Ahoy Senor. That's why there's a comfort level to having a Pumpkin/Henderson horse in your AP portfolio - you know they will plan a proper campaign. A lot of these trainers who have a horse that stands out in terms of the usual standard they normally have kind of **** it up from a planning standpoint. You see it on the flat as well.
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Disagree with the suggestion it’s poor race-planning, Euro. Where else is a Grade 1, second-season, UK-trained, 3m chaser meant to go over Christmas? Granted, they could have taken in the Savills, but we’re a million to have a runner in that race these days.

The King George was the right race for LHP. I touched on him going left-handed in the KG thread, but he had never jumped aggressively left-handed, and it certainly wasn’t marked enough to put me off. Granted, he did veer more left than I anticipated at Kempton, but I’m not having that as a valid reason for running elsewhere. Where was he supposed to go - the Welsh National?

The simple fact is the horse took a pearler of a fall at the last when beaten, probably has some muscle/tissue problems as a result, and therefore won’t be ready for Chelts. I don’t see why it would be any more complex than that, to be honest.
 
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Why run him over Xmas. Cotswold on Trials Day or the Denman would be ideal. This will likely be Venetia's sole chance to win a Gold Cup and the planning for the horse needed to be precise and pinpoint.

Rehearsal or Hennessy
Denman or Cotswold
Gold Cup
 
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It’s the recognised mid-season staying Championship race with a bundle more prize-money than the alternatives you mention, is reason enough, I would have thought.
 
Cue Card, Kauto Star, Long Run etc. We could be here all night!

I’ll concede recent winners haven’t been particularly inspiring, but that’s largely down to all the best staying chasers being trained in Ireland - and they’ve their own lucrative target to aim at.

Still maintain the point about poor race-planning is erroneous.
 
If a horse is jumping to its left then it’s probably got a likely tendon issue in its off fore (right front) and is jumping away from it. RP says problem is “temporary”.....we’ll see.....

And it may well have been the owner who wanted to run in the KG en route to the Festival
 
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KG was the obvious race for a top UK 3 miler. pretty horrendous aftertiming to now say it was poor planning. no mention of such before the race on the king george thread.
 
Obvious? Is that why Might Bite and l'Homme Presse are the only RSA winners this Century who ran in the KG the following year.

Bob's Worth and Denman were never, ever gonna run in it.

He beat ******* handicappers in those novice races Grassie.
 
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King George as you have rightly said is the second most important "traditional" Grade 1 staying chase in the calendar.
Venetia has trained one type of horse and has been lucky enough to win this race with Teeton Mill already .
Add in that the Irish record in this race is moderate at best and where else would a UK trainer with a top staying chaser run , moreover with Ascot, Sandown and Festival wins.
Bad luck for connections.
 
Euronymous said:
Obvious? Is that why Might Bite and l'Homme Presse are the only RSA winners this Century who ran in the KG the following year.

Bob's Worth and Denman were never, ever gonna run in it.

He beat ******* handicappers in those novice races Grassie.
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Denman and Bob were never going to run in it, because they’d both run in their respective Hennessy’s four weeks before the KG, and were out-and-out stayers wholly unsuited to the test at Kempton. This applies to several of the other RSA winners this century, and several more were trained in Ireland, and probably went to the Ericsson/Lexus/Savills (cba checking).

L’Homme Presse had won G1 novices at 2m4f and 3m1f, and won his prep in a handicap off top-weight over 3m. Of course he was going to run in the fu*cking King George.

I don’t know what is motivating you here, but if it’s because you’ve done your stones ante-post in the Gold Cup, I fear it is clouding your usually solid judgement.

You can’t just dismiss the fact he’s won three times rh simply because it doesn’t suit your argument. And Venetia’s race-planning is/was utterly logical, for a horse with Presse’s profile.

You’re wrong on this one, mate. Move on. :cool:
 
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