King George VI Chase - Boxing Day, Kempton

it probably won't happen but coneygreey, vautour, the don, cue card & conti lining up............*faints*
 
COC Barney Clifford: "If I had to forecast Kempton going report for Boxing Day, I'd say good to soft, maybe a little easier on the lake bend."
 
Sounds perfect ground and it has the potential to be the most exciting chase since the first Kauto - Denman race if they do stand their ground.

Cue somebody reminding me of a better one since then.
 
Just a gut feeling that I've had for a while Grass. Mullins isn't one to generally over-face his horses - though that's probably as much a result of other trainers avoiding him - and Vautour has had one race outside of novice company, when he showed a tendency to jump out to his left.

If he were mine I'd want to either give him an easier task on his next visit to a right handed track or continue his education going left handed until he needs to meet the other big players on a track we know suits in March.

Mullins could with hindsight be classed as having made a mistake in running another potential non-stayer in Champagne Fever in it last year and prior to that he'd never seemed to me to be a big fan of the race. Even Florida Pearl had had two cracks at the Gold Cup before taking in the King George (a race he'd seemed much more suited to) having bypassed it twice in favor of Leopardstown.
 
if mullins re-routed vautour then djakadam wouldn't be such a bad one to sub in. though i'd guess they'd need to supplement.
 
I've not heard or read anything from Mullins/Ricci/Ruby that the plan is changing, so am pretty confident both Vautour & Faugheen will be there on the 26th
 
As I said at the start, I would only question them re-routing Vautour if Coneygree is added to the line-up, something which at present is not the case hence the 7/1 still available about him winning.

For a horse with a slight stamina doubt and questionable jumping LTO do they really want to put both to the test in a race run in the manner Coneygree is sure to force?

Just look what he did to the Feltham field last year.
 
wilsonl said:
As I said at the start, I would only question them re-routing Vautour if Coneygree is added to the line-up, something which at present is not the case hence the 7/1 still available about him winning.

For a horse with a slight stamina doubt and questionable jumping LTO do they really want to put both to the test in a race run in the manner Coneygree is sure to force?

Just look what he did to the Feltham field last year.
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They think they know what they have, and they therefore presumably think there's no point in fu*cking about.

He's a second-season chaser - not a twice-raced novice - and the King George is exactly the race they should be targetting with him, imo.
 
it answers all the questions you need to know with a horse like vatour..if he stays well..GC..if he doesn't....then Ryanair probably.

they have to run really..personally..ryanair would be my guess..and thats all it is..hence running him in KG is the way to go to know
 
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Grasshopper said:
They think they know what they have, and they therefore presumably think there's no point in fu*cking about.

He's a second-season chaser - not a twice-raced novice - and the King George is exactly the race they should be targetting with him, imo.
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Couldn't agree more and I'd rather both he and Coneygree go for the race.

If Vautour can beat Coneygree then he'll win the Gold Cup imo, but IMO Coneygree would run him and any other chaser around ragged if he has improved.

Lets not forget Coneygree despite winning the Gold Cup is a second season 2 and the first to win the Gold Cup as a novice since Mill House... I think???

He's as entitled to improve as any other novice and he's going to be something even more special if he has.

Hard to argue witha record 5 from 5 won on the course by 40 lengths.....bring em on, his style of running was made for Kempton
 
Coneygree doesn't really need to improve imo..its only the pro handiappers that have him in the low 170's..he's 180 before season started imo. If he has improved then nowt will get near him..at 180 nowt much will anyway

lets pray we get the line up we want..we have waited a third of the season for one good race with all this talent on show..we will have to wait then another 3 months to see tother
 
Tanlic said:
the first to win the Gold Cup as a novice since Mill House... I think???
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Captain Christy, I think. However, there's never been the slightest indication that Vautour will go anywhere but Kempton. Ruby thinks he will get the trip and that's good enough for me. The KG is a rotten GC trial so I'd row in with being happy with a narrow defeat for Vautour in the KG.
 
Plenty with boot here so whether Coneygree can get them at in behind is debatable over this trip. We'll see.
 
"Obviously he has got the entry for the Lexus, if we're serious about going for that you have to leave on Boxing Day, but I'd definitely prefer to stay in England. There are still quite a few things he's got to get over and he's schooling tomorrow."We can possibly take the softer option of ignoring Christmas and going to the Cotswold Chase or the Denman, but if all is well and it certainly seems in that mould we'll give it (Christmas) a go.
"It does depend on how he jumps when we school him.
"Before the Hennessy his jumping was great, but not how it normally is. I think the foot problem was the initial issue, then whether the foot problem might have moved on to something a bit different and maybe he ripped something else, that may have been an issue.
"He will run his race, it's like the Cheltenham Gold Cup, there are some pretty cool contenders in that (King George). He will run his type of race and if he does not win we'll still move onwards and upwards.
"He is sound now and seems in very good health."
Regarding Leopardstown and the Lexus, he added: "They have been fantastic and definitely enticed us to go to Ireland, and it's definitely still a possibility."
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Silviniaco Conti could look a silly price when all is said and done. Granted, the level of opposition this year is vastly superior but they all have question marks hanging over their heads which Conti doesn't around Kempton. I'll definitely be tempted if he ends up double figures.
 
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