Novice Hurdlers 2011-2012

Grey said:
I like Fingal Bay, he's one of my bets in the ante post competition, but Boston Bob has a turn of foot, will improve for better ground, is battle hardened and imo is the more likely winner.
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Fingal Bay is the ideal Neptune type of horse. Big, loads of scope and only just does enough. He finds plenty and has beaten everything he has faced including the current Supreme favourite. I have backed him at 5/1 for this and may do so again.
 
Outside of Boston Bob, i'm not as clued in on this years novice crop. I'd like to see Jessica Harrington have a good horse again so i'm hoping Steps to Freedom is good
 
On The Bridle said:
Fingal Bay is the ideal Neptune type of horse. Big, loads of scope and only just does enough. He finds plenty and has beaten everything he has faced including the current Supreme favourite. I have backed him at 5/1 for this and may do so again.
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I think they are two very similar horses, and whatever can be said about one can also be said about the other. They both have scope, find plenty in a battle, and don't go in for winning by extravagant margins (Fingal Bay's bumper and maiden hurdle excepted).

Both are Grade 1 winners and both have beaten an Irish Stamp aeroplane (Fingal Bay got the better of Simonsig, Bob beat Mount Benbulben). :)

Last time out Boston Bob conceded a minimum 7lbs to his rivals (10lbs to most of them) in a Grade 2 on heavy ground, which is always difficult. The form of his Grade 1 win at Navan, run in a good time for the conditions, has worked out very well, with Ipsos du Berlais and Jetson both winning good races since. He has not yet had the opportunity to show what he can do on better ground but Bob Back progeny generally prefer it.

At the very least Fingal Bay has a serious rival, and I think he is more than that.
 
I thought Sous Les Cieux was marginally unlucky at the weekend, and think he could still represent the yard in the Neptune. Still a horse with a lot of promise for me, and crying out for the step back up in trip.
 
Grasshopper said:
I thought Sous Les Cieux was marginally unlucky at the weekend, and think he could still represent the yard in the Neptune. Still a horse with a lot of promise for me, and crying out for the step back up in trip.
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Sous Les Cieux might also run in the Neptune, but Boston Bob is the higher rated horse and has to be allowed take his place in it.
 
I can only remember Mullins winning the Supreme once with some grey rag owned by Garvey. His record IMS is pretty poor in the novice championship races (not that Hobbs is any better) but I am a sucker for a hype machine like Fingal Bay.:rolleyes:
 
He's won the Sun Alliance/Ballymore/Neptune with Fiveforthree and Mikael D'Haguenet.

His Supreme winner was Tourist Attraction
 
The Mount Benbulben G1 beating looks very good on paper but it must be remembered that MB jumped like a mule out to the right all the way that day. Digressing a little but if MB was stabled elsewhere he would be an absolute moral for the Albert Bartlett. I really don't know about Elliott, a lot of his horses seem to run up very light. I know someone who took back some horses from him there lately and they were mere shells of horses he got back.
 
Grey said:
He's won the Sun Alliance/Ballymore/Neptune with Fiveforthree and Mikael D'Haguenet.

His Supreme winner was Tourist Attraction
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Yeah.....but what have they done since?:o

His record is much better than I thought. Seem to only remember the So Young's, Cousin Vinny's, Zaidpour's he has had. Must remember not to let my pocket get in the way of my memory or the truth!;)
 
On The Bridle said:
I can only remember Mullins winning the Supreme once with some grey rag owned by Garvey. His record IMS is pretty poor in the novice championship races (not that Hobbs is any better) but I am a sucker for a hype machine like Fingal Bay.:rolleyes:
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With all the hulabaloo about where Simonsig would run I had a close look at him and really liked what I saw

Sometimes we miss the obvious when it's staring us right in the face.

I was looking at him as a typical early season sort that wins everything then flops at the Festival.

He might just be an exception to the rule. The way he picked up last time it will take some horse to peg him back up the hill.

Personally I hate the Neptune but I will most likely bet him on the day.
 
I also like Simonsig a lot but my impression is that he'll run in the Supreme rather than the Neptune?
 
Yeah I think he's a supreme horse from everything he has said about the speed to drop back to 2m.Something tells me he isn't the best horse he has though.
 
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