Horses that impressed you Cheltenham 2018

swedish chef

swedish chef

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Which horses have most impressed you?


Laurina - how good is she?

Samcro - won easy enough despite losing a shoe - Novice Chasing next year?

Presenting Percy - Good enough to win 2019 Gold Cup?

Altior - Just loves coming up the Cheltenham hill. Will he train on next season?

Footpad - 2019 Queen Mother winner?

Melon - Looks a monster chaser in the making but will they go that route?

Remiluc - How consistent has this horse been in top handicaps all season despite only winning one.
 
Though falling and would not have won, thought Total Recall was just creeping into the race when departing 3 out.

Probably not a Gold Cup winner in waiting, but almost certainly will win a Grade 1 chase
 
Might Bite, even though he got turned over. Travelled like a dream and jumped like a buck, until stamina let him down in the closing stages. Thought he acted quite well on the ground too, just caved in to the superior stayer.
Given better ground and a smaller field, I wouldn't be writing him off for next year's renewal, either.
 
I had a look at the 2019 odds for Cheltenham, Douvan at 14/1 for the Champion Chase is the standout value.
 
Summerville Boy - Not a great Supreme in all probability but he did really well considering the mistakes he made.

Samcro - Top class obviously

Footpad - If he goes for the QM next year I'd prefer him over Altior. The latter can be beat imo by something that will be too far clear by the time he hits the hill.

Presenting Percy - Travels, jumps, stays. Gold Cup player.

Monalee - I love this horse's jumping but he's keen and doesn't stay 3m. He's my first ap for next year (14s Ryanair)

Laurina - Breathtaking but you'd want to see her against the boys

Native River and Might Bite - Two proper top class staying chasers. The latter the better in all probability but today's ground was all in NR's favour.
 
Thought Footpad was the most impressive winner of the week. Question is what distances he goes at next season.

Not a winner but Douvan looked back to himself. What price does he go off for the 2 miler at Punchy?

Percy will be gold cup fav all summer i suspect but wouldn't be surprised if he's more of a price as next season goes along. Cheltenham specialist?

Altior fantastic. Might Bite lost very little in defeat. Likely King George fav again but wonder what it might have taken out of him.

Laurina looks like she could be grade 1 class.

And obviously Samcro. So exciting.
 
Euronymous said:
Summerville Boy - Not a great Supreme in all probability but he did really well considering the mistakes he made.

Samcro - Top class obviously

Footpad - If he goes for the QM next year I'd prefer him over Altior. The latter can be beat imo by something that will be too far clear by the time he hits the hill.

Presenting Percy - Travels, jumps, stays. Gold Cup player.

Monalee - I love this horse's jumping but he's keen and doesn't stay 3m. He's my first ap for next year (14s Ryanair)

Laurina - Breathtaking but you'd want to see her against the boys

Native River and Might Bite - Two proper top class staying chasers. The latter the better in all probability but today's ground was all in NR's favour.
Click to expand...

All of that word for word.
 
HawkWing said:
I had a look at the 2019 odds for Cheltenham, Douvan at 14/1 for the Champion Chase is the standout value.
Click to expand...

good spot. footpad half the price is daft. they've made no secret of the fact they believe he'll stay further.
 
Kalashnikov, will be a smart chaser, I'd be looking at the JLT route with him.
Laurina, wasn't sure if it was Laurina or Annie Power.
Footpad.
Douvan.
Might Bite is a mortgage job if the ground comes up good next season. Nothing I can see coming through to worry him too much.
Samcro, wow.
Santini, think this horse is a future gold cup player.

Let Downs
The Apple's sisters
Un De Sceaux, but what a career.
Yorkhill
Finians Oscar is finished
 
I echo a lot of the above.

Altior tops my list. I just don't see how anything beats him at Cheltenham.

I'd also say Black Op and Carefully Selected were noteworthy performances in defeat.
 
8.5/10 festival for me quality wise.

Championship races all have very good champions. Good cup was like Foreman/Ali.

The premier novice chases were won spectacularly.

supreme wasn't great quality but first 2 are good and Paloma will make a good staying chaser next term.

Samcro strikes me as having too many gears for a 3 miler but I await him with pleasure.

The 3 mile novice hurdle is a horrid horrid race. So many fancied horses get turned over here.

Footpad as a 3 miler not sold on either.
 
Samcro - Looked superb, should make a great chaser.

Laurina - She could be anything she looked so impressive.

Footpad - Very impressive, hard to know if he'll stay three miles based on his run at Punchestown last spring.

Presenting Percy - Certainly a Gold Cup contender.

Native River - Just the sort of chaser I love.

Blow by Blow - The most impressive handicap winner of the week. Would probably have finished runner up in the Ballymore on that run.

Rathvinden - The comeback of the meeting. Off the track for 930 odd days, pulled up after five fences on his return and off for a further six months. To win the four miler was some payback for the patience and perseverance of his connections.

 
Douvan looked as good as ever and would certainly have won IMO

Melon ran much better than I thought he was capable of

Native River did exactly what I thought he would

Altior probably would not have beaten Douvan but came from looking beat to winning in style yet again. Tremendous guts.

Presenting Percy a bit to go but with normal improvement looks a huge threat to his seniors

Samcro maybe not the superstar everyone thinks but a future grade 1 chaser in Ireland and possible future Ryanair winner
 
Encouraging performance from Blow By Blow in the Martin Pipe. Tiger Roll in the Cross Country for third festival win.

Sam Spinner with a different jockey next time out would be interesting.
 
I thought Shantou Flyer ran a screamer on the first day giving nearly a stone to Coo Star Sivola, when being stepped up in trip, with the first time visor. You can never be too sure of anything in racing, (unless you are Danny having a punt on the County Hurdle! :) ) but still only 8 years of age, Shantou Flyer will be interesting for future 3+ mile chases.

A race which might be worth taking a punt on for connections, this time over 3M5F, could be the Bet 365 Gold Cup at Sandown, on the final day of the season, (strike while the iron's hot!). Owner Carl Hinchy and trainer Richard Hobson have a very good horse to work with.
 
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Hope Laurina is not wasted running against the mares.

Footpad whether he goes up in trip. 2m on decent ground may find him out.

Would love to see Altior tried over further.
Douvan if they can keep him together. His price for the QM next year could look huge.

How Master Elliot campaigns Shattered Love and Balko Des Flos next season.

Percy is the business.

Will Might Bite get another chance. That was a hard race he had.
 
Blow by Blow by far the best portent of the future this week. Santini will some day be favourite for the Gold Cup. Samcro will win the Eurovision if he gets an entry.
 
Paloma Blue - I didn't think he ran as keen as was suggested but got a shade outpaced and keeping on at the line in the Supreme. Lovely novice chase prospect - tailor made for the JLT perhaps? Lovely prospect wherever he goes.
 
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