Novice Hurdlers 13/14

jacob isn't on any of what you would probably say are nicholls 3 best hopes at cheltenham. says it all really.
 
With the notable exception of Ruby and I suppose AP jumping ship to take the Pipe job the revolving door for Nicholls' No1 jockeys has been spinning round .
 
Irving is on course for a possible outing in Saturday's Sky Bet Dovecote Novices' Hurdle at Kempton this weekend.

Nick Scholfield:

"He's really fresh and well and he might take his chance on Saturday in the Dovecote. His form is good and certainly in my mind he's probably best of the English novices so far this season. He has to be up in the betting for the Supreme."
 
Kilcooley caught my eye yesterday at Market Rasen, beating the 124 rated Certification very easily. Not sure if he’s a festival horse, but definitely one for the tracker
 
Just been studying the Neptune in a little more detail tonight.I'm not fully sold on Faugheen. As impressively as he travels and has won on the bridle so easily, his hurdling has been equally unimpressive. Particularly the last day at Limerick. Yet he still won so easily. So was he beating trees or is he that good??

Just can't be having the market at all with Faugheen 3/1 & Red Sherlock 6/1. Red Sherlock has proven a lot more so far imo. Including 2 wins at Cheltenham. Showing lots of versatility winning on Heavy and Good ground. Coming from off the pace and making his own pace. And then showing real guts in a battling victory up the hill last time at Cheltenham. Only negative I have on RS is Pipe's recent festival record with his better fancied stable stars.
 
I've liked Faugheen for a long time. I think a bit more pace will improve him. If your not on him by now, donor get suckered in at these prices.

Post the preview nights, Faugheen will be 5/2
 
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But haven't you liked him more so as a future chaser? Is he not another one of these - "Anything over Hurdles is a bonus".

Smacks of Pont Alexandre to me, who had been even more impressive at this stage last year.

Pont Alexandre went into the Neptune with an OR of 154. And he faded badly towards the finish.
Faugheen going in with with an OR of only 148. Red Sherlock 151 .....

I'm just worried Faugheen is too much hype. Particularly for this discipline
 
Nothing sticks out in the Neptune field as a champion hurdler next season. With that in mind, take it that they are all chasers in the making.

There is one horse I'd fear a lot if he were to run in this mind.

TTT
 
Faugheen could have that much of an engine that nothing in the Neptune will touch him even with his less than economical hurdling.
 
That's it in a nutshell Links. That's the question I'm asking. Does Faugheen have that much of an engine?! It'd want to something amazing to compensate for the hurdling and the short price!

I think granger makes a fair point, If you're not already on, 3/1 is not a good price. And after the preview nights that price will shorten again. No doubt a lot of the shrewdies on here are on closer to the 10/1 mark.
 
I've got a couple of AP each way L15s with him on at 16s and 14s one is going strong but I have 2 non runners in the other :( . Anyway he's definately not a play at 5/2 considering all the unknowns.For what it's worth I think he will do it from the front,do it well and be more 6/4 than 5/2 come the day.It interests me that they are playing down the horse compared to Pont Alexandre last year,faugheen looks much more capable-looking forward to what they do with him next year.
 
Agree Faugheen not a price to be taken now and if given the talk of Patrick Mullins, Ruby & Ricci you sense they rate him as one of if not the best novice in the yard, they will have a good idea of what is needed to beat Red Sherlock after Rathvinden's effort.
 
Jakers said:
Agree Faugheen not a price to be taken now and if given the talk of Patrick Mullins, Ruby & Ricci you sense they rate him as one of if not the best novice in the yard, they will have a good idea of what is needed to beat Red Sherlock after Rathvinden's effort.
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Yeah it seems to be between him and Vautour who Ruby and Ricci rate the best novice in the yard. And I've also thought for a while now that Vatour could win the Neptune, but his win over TTT showed he really does seem to have the speed for the Supreme. If Something happened to Faugheen, which do you think is more likely? Vautour to step up from the Supreme or Briar hill to step down from Albert Bartlett?

Briar Hill would interest me a lot more for the Neptune. The speed to win a bumper at Chelt, and stays! surely he is perfect for the Neptune - yet he is pointed at the Albert Bartlett. As is Sure Reef of the same connections (So we all assume - Faugheen still entered in the AB too). I just can't be committing to any of the AntePost novice races. Other than a very small bet on Wicklow Brave at 33/1, I've yet to commit to any of them yet.

And slightly off topic, Young Patrick Mullins - the most excited I saw him all year was when talking about Black Hercules! His face just lit up!
 
If Willie is not 100% happy with Faugheen and if his hurdling is a slight worry maybe a tactical switch will see him in the AB. Then he puts the ball in the Pipe yard - do they set a strong pace with King's Palace in the hope of exposing any flaws in Faugheen's hurdling? That is possible but Scu isn't the best at judging pace. I genuinely think if that yard had the choice they'd rather face Faugheen than Briar Hill.
 
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