Presenting Percy

H

HawkWing

At the Start
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Mar 17, 2009
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No point going over the form and not wanting to be trapped into the David Hirst syndrome - a player who gets better the more absent he is - but isn't he a class or two above these. Fitness issues etc, being prepared for 6 weeks time, hurdles rather than fences etc etc. Isn't he just a lot better than the vast majority of the opposition who appear to be lights of their former selves. It takes a larger leap of faith that one of the french dark horses will improve past him, yet they are the only real opposition. 7/4 is generous in my book. 5/4-11/10 would be about right to me.
 
Disagree. I don't know what horse will beat him, but for me he is a win lay today. I think he will be handled very sympathetically.
 
I agree that he will be handled sympathetically, and will need the rust knocked off him, but I'm betting that he will be 5 weeks away from the very best condition he will ever be in. That to me will be enough to outclass these.
 
Some of us look like Brad Pitt, some of us can guess how fit Pat Kelly would need his horse to be 6 weeks before cheltenham.

Like how he pricked his ears coming to the last. If he blew up in that, it will take a decent horse to beat him in the Gold Cup. Remembering back to how Russell and Kelly were calling the handicapper a disgrace for the rating discrepancy before the Pertemps. They knew what they had on their hands then.
 
edgt said:
Big statement PJ but Davy really wants that horse to do good for "the small man" that is the basis of Irish Racing.
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It was largely in jest Ed, he has to prove it on the big day but there is a hell of a lot to like about him and his story

Irish jumps is in bad need of a story like this having a happy ending
 
Did anybody hear a rumour that PP has been bought by Giggi and is moving to G Elliot??
 
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Absolutely nothing to dislike about it but all Percy has done today is to run to a little below his hurdle rating. I thought that Davy was more downbeat than usual post race.

To put it in perspective, he is officially joint fifth rated (with 3 others) of the likely Gold Cup runners and barely gets in the Timeform top ten.
 
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Funny, one thing I thought about PP coming home today is how his connections campaigns have ensured he has started a lot bigger (oddswise) than his talent has merited. He has probably been fully tuned twice/three times in his life and has got away with it (mostly). it is a gamble that it will happen in March but I wouldnt be too interested in a match bet at Evens against very many of those ahead of him in the ratings.
 
It's not really fair to compare his mark, mostly earned as a novice, with the established chasers but he is a year older than many of the other novices and there's a chance that he has less improvement in him. His hurdle run today was only a few pounds better than the one last year and 5/2 for the Gold Cup is a bit cheeky. It may look good after the Red Mills but not yet.

Whatever the arguments about price and proven ability, there can be no doubt that he's good for the game because the public have latched on to him.
 
edgt said:
On the days that mattered PP has been head and shoulders the best horse on the day, never looking likely to lose.?
if they manage to pull it off again, it will be so magical that Brexit won't matter
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That's a good point

Last year's RSA was good and he cruised it

Be some scenes if Kelly trains a good cup winner and poor Willie cant
 
Noel Meade says today that Tout Est Permis was a couple of gallops short last time out and should be spot on for the Gold Cup.

WPM.JPG
 
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archie said:
It's not really fair to compare his mark, mostly earned as a novice, with the established chasers but he is a year older than many of the other novices and there's a chance that he has less improvement in him. His hurdle run today was only a few pounds better than the one last year and 5/2 for the Gold Cup is a bit cheeky. It may look good after the Red Mills but not yet.

Whatever the arguments about price and proven ability, there can be no doubt that he's good for the game because the public have latched on to him.
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Yes. I usually have a notional ball-park figure of 10lbs when anticipating improvement either from hurdles to fences or from novice chasing to second-season chasing but we're usually looking at younger horses when we do that.

The RSA last year was a good one, not far off Might Bite's on my figures and Percy did it easily enough. The big question is whether he can improve at his age without any further experience of chasing. I wouldn't rule it out, mind.
 
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