Order Of Merit

Bar the Bull

Bar the Bull

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
9,534
Location
Llandubno, West Wales (very west)
Kauto Star (2) , Exotic Dancer (10) , Katchit (12) , My Way De Solzen (12) , Voy Por Ustedes (12) , Twist Magic (14) , Denman (20) , Monets Garden (20) , Wichita Lineman (20) , Black Jack Ketchum (25) , Blazing Bailey (25) , Blythe Knight (25) , Detroit City (25) , Gaspara (25) , Inglis Drever (25) , New Little Bric (25) , Taranis (25) , Well Chief (25) , Afsoun (33) , Another Promise (33) - Others 33 or more

Monets Garden and Katchit take my eye.

MG is likely to win a good few decent races over 2m4f.

Katchit will take a lot of racing, and the place points often clinch the title.
 
Blythe Knight doesn't seem to shirk his races either. My best guess is that you want a 2 miler? Quinny seems to be talking up every race as a target and the division looks weaker than it has for many years. The Irish will stay over the water I suspect until March, which means that if he takes in the targets that the trainers talking, he could inherit a few soft points?

Although I've thrown away last weeks copy, I seem to think he was ear marking the Fighting Fifth, Bula and Xmas Hurdle
 
Katchit is a superb price at 12/1; unfortunately the 12/1 is somewhat mythical since I don't know anyone who can get a bet with Skybet! :laughing:

That said, even 10/1 is a big price and I have had a bit of an interest.
 
Hurts me to say it but I'm with Dom here, Katchit all the way. Going to be targetted at 3 Merit Races and win the Betfair Million.

I would be going in on him;

my guess is can they Katch him, no they can't :+)
 
Not a prayer in the world Shadow...your support for him is encouraging

He's this years Arcalis/Darkness etc etc etc....you're already talking with certainly before the others have shown their hand. How unfortunate.
 
Oh yes, Darkness. That was an atrocious call wasn't it? I marked him up before he'd jumped a fence in public as a potential RSA horse, when he was 33/1, and suggested he might not be a bad each way bet. Remind me, Bobbyjo - wasn't he 3rd in the race? Didn't he go off as favourite? Well blow me, I called that one wrong didn't I!

We all get things wrong - I was wrong about Arcalis and others besides. Let me think, you've never been wrong about a horse on here, have you?!
 
Never

The initial Darkness call was a good one but we all remember the consistent support throughout the winter when he was clearly not going to win the race. Yes, smart arse to say it in hindsight, but there was enough people calling it. Your revisionism on the era is impressive, it is flattering to you, but there was more to it and you know it!!

I just don't understand how anyone can say Katchit WILL win the Champion Hurdle when last year's winner could be anything and a lot of the other second season horses haven't even shown their hand yet. For example, the clash of Bobs Pride and Ebaziyan tomorrow which I have flagged on another thread. There is nothing to suggest that Katchit will come any closer than the grossly overhyped Detroit City. The good news, however, is that Katchit is probably unlikely to meet any of the main contenders before Cheltenham bar perhaps one or two so if he can overcome those challenges he will be equally layable on the day as the great DC.
 
Sublimity , painful as it was for me, was a good call.

However, it was a guess. He had no actual form to suggest he could win the race.

As I said when supporting Detroit City, it doesn't matter if they haven't shown the form to win The Champion Hurdle prior to winning it , as very few winners of The Champion Hurdle have actually shown that level until the day they win it.
 
However, it was a guess
Click to expand...

Isn't every bet a guess, of sorts. Sublimity had been unlucky not to win or come very close to winning the Supreme the year before when he got bumped. Only those who backed him on the day [at big prices] really noticed, however.
 
Uncle Goober - hate to be pedantic, but relative to your statement that "as very few winners of The Champion Hurdle have actually shown that level until the day they win it"..I would contend that only those in bold conform to that statement in the last ten years.

1998 Istabraq
1999 Istabraq
2000 Istabraq
2001 Istabraq
2002 Hors La Loi III
2003 Rooster Booster
2004 Hardy Eustace
2005 Hardy Eustace
2006 Brave Inca
2007 Sublimity
 
I would think Hors La Loi III supreme would have him close enough to winning his champion hurdle if not a clear winner.
 
Yes I know Bobbyjo, and I know you were keen on him for various reasons, but even form up with Straw Bear wouldnt have been Champion Hurdle winning form.

Pedantic maybe An ! Ok, I mean the FIRST time they win it obviously :P

Matter of opinion here, I would disagree with some of those and I would have thought their Champion Hurdle winning ratings would have been some way ahead of what they achieved prior to winning the race for the first time.
 
Originally posted by Bobbyjo@Nov 1 2007, 03:23 PM
Never

The initial Darkness call was a good one but we all remember the consistent support throughout the winter when he was clearly not going to win the race. Yes, smart arse to say it in hindsight, but there was enough people calling it. Your revisionism on the era is impressive, it is flattering to you, but there was more to it and you know it!!

I just don't understand how anyone can say Katchit WILL win the Champion Hurdle when last year's winner could be anything and a lot of the other second season horses haven't even shown their hand yet. For example, the clash of Bobs Pride and Ebaziyan tomorrow which I have flagged on another thread. There is nothing to suggest that Katchit will come any closer than the grossly overhyped Detroit City. The good news, however, is that Katchit is probably unlikely to meet any of the main contenders before Cheltenham bar perhaps one or two so if he can overcome those challenges he will be equally layable on the day as the great DC.
Click to expand...
The Katchit WILL win the Champion was slightly tongue in cheek, Bobbyjo - I know how you hate sweeping statements, such as those that he has "not a prayer"...

I like the horse a lot and think that he will overcome the five year old hoodoo, the first 5yo, incidentally, who I have ever thought has a chance of doing so. This little horse has a bit of class and is as tough as they come; obviously at this stage no-one knows what will come out of the pack or how he will fare against the older horses but the whole point of following racing is to make educated guesses. That'll be the same as the educated guess you made about Sublimity last year, and the educated guess you made about Sublimity this year, and yes, the educated guess I made about Darkness, Arcalis and others.

You seem to have quite an obsession over Darkness, so you will be pleased to know that the last I heard he was on track to return this season, no doubt!
 
Even Istabraqs form prior to winning the Champion for the first time could not really be considered to be Champion Hurdle winning form. Hardy Eustace likewise.
 
Uncle Goober. MY reading on Sublimity was that he was going very well when bumped at the top of the hill and forced wide. Said to myself that it was a shame to have all your cheltenham plans ruined by one piece of bad luck - especially for a smaller stable, and got back to concentrating on the race. As they jumped the second last. I couldnt believe that it was Sublimity who was looming large in the wing mirrors of Straw Bear. He must have made up 10l coming down the hill, and the exertion told. It wasnt out of the question that he would been battling out the finish bar the poor fortune. I didnt back him, but understood the support behind him.

The thing about the Darkness issue was that I can remember reading here that the biggest danger to his supporters was if Egerton was going to go for the Gold Cup with the horse. NOt sure if that was you or not SL. He was third, but a lucky third, and was a poor ante post favourite for the race. Easily said now or course. There were plenty on here who were at pains to point this out for 4 months before the race, and were ignored really. I think its the nature of racing forums.
 
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