Novice Chasers 2011-12

Geraghty said: "I adore this horse. That was top class. "He was all wrong at the last but was very clever at it. He jumped from fence to fence and is a horse that gets your blood up. We always knew he was going to make a smashing chaser.

"For a big horse, he is very clever. He shows plenty of respect for his fences and is not running like a headless chicken.

"He's got the right combination of pace and respect for his fences. He's one of the best I've ever sat on - he is frighteningly good."

Henderson added: "We've jumped the first and he (Peddlers Cross) hasn't. We've gone from Plan A to Plan B - Barry said that's about as good as it gets."
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McCain said: "At first I was devastated but I've spoken to Jason and he's made me feel a huge amount better.

"He's happy, he said he's learned plenty. He gave the first a good old rub and that gave him a fright and he took a while to warm up after that.

"I think we have to seriously consider stepping up in trip. He won over two-five as a novice at Cheltenham and two miles around here on this day was sharp enough.

"He's a neat and clever jumper but he's not exuberant and it might be that we need to step up and we've always thought we may need to, we only dropped back to two because of the Champion Hurdle.

"We always thought we'd have this season over two with a view to stepping up to longer distances next season but we may have to do that sooner. I'll have a good talk with Tim (Leslie, owner).

"Jason was happy, no excuses, the winner is a very good two-mile chaser - over this trip he might be very special. We bought him to make a chaser and if we have to go over further so be it."
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"I think we have to seriously consider stepping up in trip. He won over two-five as a novice at Cheltenham and two miles around here on this day was sharp enough.

"He's a neat and clever jumper but he's not exuberant and it might be that we need to step up and we've always thought we may need to, we only dropped back to two because of the Champion Hurdle.

"We always thought we'd have this season over two with a view to stepping up to longer distances next season but we may have to do that sooner. I'll have a good talk with Tim (Leslie, owner).
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Interesting quote, that gives some insight into why trainers persist in running horses over inadequate distances.
Are these verbatim, Granger, or alternatively, is there somewhere we can access them?
 
reet hard said:
Interesting quote, that gives some insight into why trainers persist in running horses over inadequate distances.
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Peddlers Cross would have won an average renewal of the Champion Hurdle and I think McCain (who comes across as a very thorough, thoughtful trainer) didn't want the same thing to happen in the Arkle. Hence an early clash with Sprinter Sacre to find out where they are.
 
No effence but I wish some people would get it into their heads Peddler's Cross lacks the toe to have won any Champion Hurdle. People simply don't realise just how fast Champion Hurdle winners are and he's not quick in a finish he's got class which allows him to run well in good races over 2m but he's a stayer in the making. Sick of saying something had to finish 2nd to Hurricane Fly in a Champion Hurdle.

We assume it was a better than average renewal but apart from Hurricane Fly I wouldn't be singing too high a praise about any of the others for various reasons like wrong trip etc.

I'd say wait and see what happens in March if Hurricane Fly was to be turned over fair and square by Binocular or by a couple of the younger Brigade like Grandouet, Zarkander, Spirit Son etc then people will be saying Hurricane Fly beat nothing. It's always been the way of punters who are quick to find new heroes and forget the old when it suits. They are worse than teenagers and fahsion.



Don't get me wrong he's grand stamp of a horse in hos won right who should go for the Jewson and be aimed at next years King George and forget trying to beat the speedsters.

As for Sprinter Sacre what can I say but repeat my first few lines of my first post on here. Maybe he should go for the Champion Hurdle after beating PC miles further than Hurricane Fly did LOL

Arkle
Kauto Star
Sprinter Sacre?

As I said at the time he really is that good.

Howewer talk of him skipping the Arkle and going for the QMCC simply won't happen not unless Nicky breaks the habits of a lifetime.

He's a novice and albeit the best I have seen there's a huge risk one or two novicey jumps and he'd come off the bridle and be taken off his feet in the QMCC.

Anyway after yesterday and the way Finian's Rainbow got back from an impossible position he looks like he's come on a ton from last year. The way he picked up after he was clearly a beaten horse was amazing. I walked out the room thinking I had done my money to be honest. 2 years ago as a novice Finian's would never have comeback from something like that.

Funny thing is Barry was just saying before the race how he's a foot perfect jumper, I wonder what went through his mind when he was hanging out the back door for dear life.
Don't know how he managed to stay on as Finians backside nearly hit the ground.

Great day for Nicky Henderson he looked like a kid in a toy shop. Not so good for the lads who lost their winnings in the last when Barry went from Hero to Villian. That must have hurt.
 
Grasshopper said:
Sprinter Sacre looks very, very good, it has to be said.

McCain talking about upping PC in trip, and didn't exactly rule out the Champion Hurdle either (assumes HF does not run, I'm guessing).

Take nothing away from the winner though. He looks a tremendous prospect.
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As far as I'm concerned now Sprinter Sacre is the Arkle (and future Champion Chase) winner. Real fluency and clever when he got in too close, brilliant at some if a little novicey at others. A superb prospect (didn't he look outstanding too). I'm on at 10s so will forget about the Arkle until March and concentrate on the other races. Peddlers clouted the first but was never doing anything as easily as the winner.
 
The Jewson looks like being ultra competitive of the three novice chases with Sprinter and Grands Crus forcing the competition to migrate from their respective races to the 2½-miler.
 
I might be the only one saying this but don't be writing off Peddlers Cross just yet. Provided that McCain is bold enough to take him there I still think he has a decent chance.

The race yesterday was never going to suit him at all and basically everything went tits up from the word go. He belted the first (maybe it wasn't a good idea to run at Bangor twice in hindsight), lost his confidence a little, then Jason never had a good stride to really get a nice jump to get him back into the race.

The Arkle couldn't be a more different race (at 2m over fences that is) so I think the form needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Don't get me wrong Sprinter Sacre was mightily impressive and is a more than worthy favourite for the Arkle. He absolutely demolished Peddlers yesterday but while that battle was comprehensively lost I don't think the war is beyond the point of no return just yet.

Peddlers will have learnt an awful lot from the race (particularly that the fences need more respect than those at Bangor). I would be fairly confident that once he adjusts he will again find the slick rhythm that characterised his performances at Bangor. Once he had made the mistake at the first (all he did was jump too low) he lost confidence quickly and it took him a long time, especially as Jason never had a good stride, to get back on an even keel. He was basically beaten at the first and I think it was too his credit that he managed to get back upsides entering the home straight. Jason let him come home once he had accepted defeat and I think with the benefit of another run, at a decent track with stiff but fair fences, he is more than worthy of his place in the Arkle line-up.

Sprinter Sacre will be a formidable opponent because he looked every inch the superstar yesterday but there remains one big worry for me for his chances in the Arkle. I just cannot get it out of my head how weak he was up the hill in the Supreme. I know he will have strengthened but the fact that he is very keen, and might finish weakly, sets the race up for a horse that will stay better. To me he looks vulnerable of 'doing a Finian's Rainbow'. Jumping and travelling the best but always doing a little too much and just getting caught up the hill. I strongly considered having a small bet to cover my bets on Peddlers before the race but decided against it for the very reason above.

Everything went perfectly for Sprinter Sacre and he is a worthy favourite, and looks right out the top drawer, but I think it is too early to dismiss Peddlers Cross. He is a very good horse too. Everything that could have gone wrong yesterday did, and in conditions that would not have played to his strengths. He definitely has the pace for the Arkle. He will need to jump better but think he is well capable of that too. He will stay up the hill very strongly. For those reasons I think it will be a huge disappointment for the race if he doesn't take his chance. He deserves to be there and should be too. Whether he can win is a different matter but things can hardly go any worse than they did yesterday, and conditions will suit him far better. Sprinter Sacre deserves to be favourite but I am not writing off Peddlers Cross just yet.
 
No one's writing off Peddlers, but the fluency and speed of SS is what you want to see for the Arkle. This is the sort of blue print performance you're looking for. Peddlers may well go for the Jewson (for which he'd probably be favourite and more than likely win). SS is an Arkle natural, they won't be queuing up to take him on now, you'll only get a different winner of the Arkle if something goes wrong with SS.
 
SteveM said:
No one's writing off Peddlers . . . you'll only get a different winner of the Arkle if something goes wrong with SS.
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But you are. You are suggesting that the Arkle is a forgone conclusion and I don't think it is at all.

There can be no doubt about that Sprinter Sacre is the best candidate on paper but I do not think people should be writing Peddlers off for the race just yet. If he came out and jumped really well again round a decent track then I would be more than happy to have him on my side against Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle.

Everything was in Sprinter Sacre's favour before the race, and everything fell in his favour during the race. I'll be honest and say that I still expected Peddlers to win but the Arkle in March is a whole different ball game.
 
Zenyatta said:
But you are. You are suggesting that the Arkle is a forgone conclusion and I don't think it is at all.

There can be no doubt about that Sprinter Sacre is the best candidate on paper but I do not think people should be writing Peddlers off for the race just yet. If he came out and jumped really well again round a decent track then I would be more than happy to have him on my side against Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle.

Everything was in Sprinter Sacre's favour before the race, and everything fell in his favour during the race. I'll be honest and say that I still expected Peddlers to win but the Arkle in March is a whole different ball game.
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Not as a horse but for the Arkle SS just does everything a bit better and more naturally. Peddlers would be good enough to beat most other novice chasers though. As I said at some point earlier SS reminds me in certain respects of Remittance Man, who is a blue print sort of horse for this race. I reckon SS would win nine out of every 10 Arkles and maybe the other one as well.;)
 
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Eh, McCain would want to get hold of himself - he is being extremely blinkered. The tests have shown nothing was wrong. Accept his horse isn't quick enough for 2m against Sprinter Sacre and move on.
 
The difference on the day was in the length of stride. Both horses are highly talented, but SS has a longer stride and, naturally, covers more ground per stride than PC. You only have to have the difference of around five inches per footfall to know that a longer-striding horse, who keeps that fluency going, is going to head the one with the busier, shorter action. SPRINTER SACRE should always be able - given equal jumping skills on the way round - to outgallop PEDDLERS CROSS, simply because he has the better action.
 
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