QM Champion Chase betting

chroniclandlord said:
Hard to know what's wrong with him, there was very little between him, Don Cossack and Carlingford Lough last season, and the others have gone on to win Grade One races this term.
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Probably nothing wrong with him. Just getting prepped for his target. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the Topham.
 
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Desert Orchid said:
Which is also incorrect :blink:

I'm not sure of the origin of 'Balder', whether it's English or French, but 'succès' is pronounced 'suk-seh' (with the short, sharp French 'u' sound, of course).

It annoys me that they cannot do some simple research - I refuse to believe C4 does not have any French native speakers on its staff but I suppose it isn't as annoying as not pronouncing English words correctly.
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Try listening to "Un Get (h)appens" overtime mine runs....and I've told the buggers plenty times!

My french tells me it should be susay....but either way its better than calling him success!

Still think SS wins this easy. Ryan Air is a minefield tho.
 
Re 'succès' - the first 'c' is hard, as in 'car', the second, because it is followed by 'e', is soft, as in 'cell'. It's the same rule as in English re words like 'accept', 'accelerate', etc (although I know people who mistakenly insist it is 'asselerate' :confused:
 
I, too get annoyed when presenters can't pronounce French names but I have to admit to struggling with Balder Succes.
 
The betting would certainly indicate CF is going for the QMCC.

I'm not sure WM can be confident of winning the race or the Ryanair and the place money is much bigger in the QMCC.

I still think Sprinter Sacre will win, he's just so superior to these he needs to improve very little to beat the lot of them

I refuse to believe that any trainer nursing a horse back after a set back on his way to Cheltenham is going to hammer a horse into shape.

I am referring to Nicky Henderson but that also applies to Sire De Grugy.

It's when they get that first run out of the way the real works starts.

Sire De Grugy's comeback was disappointing but Gary Moore is very confident he have him right on the day.

Basically for anything else to win the race on the book both Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy would have to run way below their best.

If one or both run anywhere near their best nothing else will matter IMO

The odds of both of them failing to turn up in good nick must be high.

I reckon backing anything else at this point of time is nuts because you going to get bigger odds on the likes of DB Mr.M and CF if the 2 line up on the day.

Without them Dodging Bullets would be clear afav and I reckon you'd still get 4/1 about CF

They might even be tempted to drop Balder Succes back to 2 miles if they didn't turn up and if he did that would cause a few to drift

Very dodgy race to be backing in at the moment.

Must be a chance none of them will run again before the meeting so prices are unlikely to be changed much
 
The r is not silent, but I wouldn't get too hung up about it. The French certainly don't when the shoe is on the other foot.

But it's Vohtour, not Vatour. Are you listening, Des?
 
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P. Nicholls
"Dodging Bullets has gone under the radar. He is in the form of his life having won the Tingle Creek and Clarence House Chase.

"He has not been great in the spring before, but we have adapted his training slightly. To me he deserves to be favourite. It should not be done on sentiment but on form and that is my view.

"I think Mr Mole will run a big race. He dotted up last week after being left 15 lengths at the start. He has won four races on the trot and won ones that Master Minded did.

"I always thought he was good but it has taken a bit of convincing. AP (McCoy) didn't really like him at first but he has got confidence with him now and is on a roll.

"I think he has the more natural ability, whereas Dodging Bullets is the more hardened and tougher horse."
 
Trying to be dogmatic about the pronunciation of 'Balder' is pretty pointless. It could be any one of a few pronunciations depending on the origin of the word.

It isn't a verb that I know of so the 'ay' pronunciation at the end unlikely to be correct. Place names like Quimper ('Kam-perr') tend to pronounce the ending 'err' but others take the 'ay' sound, as in Poitiers (same as actor Sidney Poitier) but there might be local differences.

For example, most French people will pronounce the ski resort Chamonix 'sha-mo-nee' but apparently the people who live there say 'sha-mo-neeks'.

With Balder, the first thing is that the first syllable will never be pronounced 'bol', as in the English comparative 'balder' (more bald). Unless, of course, the person who named the horse had that in mind.

The 'ay' pronunciation of the final syllable of 'succès' is unlikely to occur outside of a local dialect, since that sound would require an acute accent on the e ( é ). The grave accent ( è ) should give the e a similar sound to the e in word like get, yes, etc. Slackness of pronunciation might cause an English listener to hear it differently though.

Incidentally, the correct pronunciation of Kauto is 'ko-to' (rhyming with 'moto') but I admit to pronouncing it 'kaw-to' as that's largely the accepted pronunciation here. It is most definitely not 'kay-to' as some tv buffoons insist(ed) on calling it.

Grey is right. Let's not get too hung up about it. Speakers of other languages have a tough time trying to get our words right.

I imagine a French commentator would even say Shompa(ny) (ny as in onion) Fehveur.
 
Fascinating indeed; which is more of a muddle, the race or the pronunciations?

The ideal prep race is one which you win without too much stress to top up your confidence.
Should Mr Mole be left 15 lengths in QMCC he will not be seen.
CF, HC , ST and Dodging Bullets have had the ideal prep races from a confidence point of view.
March 5 next declarations and a chance to see what is what.
 
Lets not get started on how to pronounce Champagne Fever....I say the race edgt...If the big two come back as ordinary horses according this thread there will be 8 horses jumping the last in a line
 
Can't believe Champagne Fever will go for this; didn't have the speed for an Arkle and only prevailed in the Supreme ( a stiffer test - at that stage - than a QMCC) through a superlative ride from Ruby; almost certain to prove a better horse over the trip for the RyanAir, and I'd strongly doubt that Balder Succes and the current edition of Cue Card pose nearly the same threat as the likes of Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy. WM's logic often takes some understanding, but I just can't believe he'd actually prove that perverse.
 
The more times I watch the Clarence house the more I am convinced that unless Nicky Henderson has forgotten how to train a horse there is no way on this planet will Dodging Bullets beat him in the QMCC and there isn't too many more to be worried about. My opinion on that, I am sure, won't surprise anyone

Sire De Grugy must also have a chance of coming back to something like his best, there were signs that he hasn't forgotten how to race and they seem very pleased with the way he came out of his comeback.

The top and bottom of it is Dodging Bullets was flat to the boards to win The Clarence House and Sprinter was having his first race in over a year.....those who think Dodging Bullets will beat him again must be assuming Sprinter Sacre is still a sick horse or he will turn up with that race having done nothing whatsoever to bring him on the few pound he needs to kick him into touch.

Champagne Fever should be in line for a place if any of the 3 falter and he may even have the beating of Dodging Bullets who finished behind him in the Arkle. He may have improved DB but beating old Somersby isn't exactly the form of the century.

The Ryanair is a different ball game it's full of potential winners...bloody hoard of them to be honest..would be too easy to end up unplaced in that with so many having chances.

I think WM in weighing up the situation is thinking anything could go wrong with Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy.
 
To settle the pronunciation argument once and for all, I have had it confirmed by a fluent French-speak that the correct was to say it is 'Balder, you inconsistent, impossible-to-read, squiggler cu*nt Success'.
 
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Time for me to 'fess up...

I copied and pasted your comments on to an email, sent it to Alan King and asked him to read it to Balder Succes in the parade ring yesterday.
 
I cannot for the life of me, get the basta*rd right.

I backed him ante-post in November for the QMCC, and had written the bet off........and I'm not inclined to change my mind on the back of yesterday's race. It was probably a poor G1 (not much "probably" about it, actually).
 
Grasshopper said:
I cannot for the life of me, get the basta*rd right.

I backed him ante-post in November for the QMCC, and had written the bet off........and I'm not inclined to change my mind on the back of yesterday's race. It was probably a poor G1 (not much "probably" about it, actually).
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he's almost certainly going to the ryanair
 
reet hard said:
Can't believe Champagne Fever will go for this; didn't have the speed for an Arkle and only prevailed in the Supreme ( a stiffer test - at that stage - than a QMCC) through a superlative ride from Ruby; almost certain to prove a better horse over the trip for the RyanAir, and I'd strongly doubt that Balder Succes and the current edition of Cue Card pose nearly the same threat as the likes of Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy. WM's logic often takes some understanding, but I just can't believe he'd actually prove that perverse.
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Agree entirely.
 
Cue Card will win the Ryanair. Still think it's foolish to judge him on runs which were either inadequate or too far in terms of trip. Gets his optimum conditions in the Ryanair, and will show them who is boss.
 
That may be true about the JLT but it's still a Festival win. At the prices, I just don't fancy anything ahead of him in the betting. TDS is still a knocking ew price but I won't be having any more bets on anything until NRNB.
 
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