Road to the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup

I’ve never been a fan of his. He flaps around in a finish like a recently landed trout. And I could see several strides out that Shan Blue was going to fall.
 
Grasshopper said:
OK, I get this entirely. Looking back, I recall saying much the same about Moore when he came off Goshen in the Triumph.

Whilst I think the circumstances are slightly different i.e. Skelton almost found himself in front by accident with a half-mile to go, and going vastly better than anything else, a more cautious approach in the straight would probably have been wiser.
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He found himself in front but gunned the horse off the bend. He might have felt it was necessary, but the first thought that went through my mind, was he best not make a balls of this for his own sake. Pinged the first in the straight. Me thinking he has complete confidence in his horse's jumping - one of the best jumpers of the past while. Then....

There was no need to put the foot down tuning in. He did the exact same with Molly Olly's Wishes an hour before - riding Wetherby's straight as if he was turning in on Lingfield's all weather where he might pinch a length off the bend.

Whether it equates to him being to blame for the fall, I don't know. Probably didn't help.
 
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As Timeform has it:

CHASERS
179 CHACUN POUR SOI
176 ALLAHO
175p SHISHKIN
175 MINELLA INDO
174 A PLUS TARD
170 AL BOUM PHOTO
170 CLAN DES OBEAUX
169p ENERGUMENE
169 FAKIR D'OUDAIRIES
168 NUBE NEGRA
168 SAINT CALVADOS
167p MONKFISH
167+ CHAMP
167 CHANTRY HOUSE
166 FRODON
166 KEMBOY
166 MISTER FISHER
166 MONALEE
166 SHAN BLUE
165 GALVIN
165 ROAD TO RESPECT
 
Desert Orchid said:
They only go back six runs.

Kemboy's career high is higher than Champ's.
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To be fair, I don't have a problem with Kemboy's rating but Champ has been consistently marked up because of his back story. 170 for the RSA is too high as the race fell apart at the end. 170 for the G2 second is just perverse when second in the Savills and first in the Dublin Gold Cup only get 169.
 
Champ pulled out of his weekend race

[FONT=&quot]“He’s going to pass this one. He’ll school again tomorrow. He’s difficult to place. We thought about the Many Clouds, but we’re going to leave that one alone for now,

Sigh[/FONT]
 
barjon said:
As Timeform has it:

CHASERS
179 CHACUN POUR SOI - maybe
176 ALLAHO - agree
175p SHISHKIN - no more than 169
175 MINELLA INDO - 177
174 A PLUS TARD - 177
170 AL BOUM PHOTO - 168
170 CLAN DES OBEAUX 168
169p ENERGUMENE - 165
169 FAKIR D'OUDAIRIES - 170
168 NUBE NEGRA - 166
168 SAINT CALVADOS - wtf
167p MONKFISH - 164
167+ CHAMP - agree
167 CHANTRY HOUSE - 164
166 FRODON - agree
166 KEMBOY - 164
166 MISTER FISHER - 162
166 MONALEE - 162
166 SHAN BLUE - 163
165 GALVIN - 164
165 ROAD TO RESPECT - wtf
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granger said:
Champ pulled out of his weekend race

“He’s going to pass this one. He’ll school again tomorrow. He’s difficult to place. We thought about the Many Clouds, but we’re going to leave that one alone for now,

Sigh
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I read that. What a f*cking joke.

He's an RSA winner who for whatever reason, ran once over an inadequate extended 2m prior to Cheltenham in his second season over fences. He ran (+ jumped) poorly in the Gold Cup but he wouldn't be the first and maybe it had something to do with Nicky sending him to it after a campaign so light it made Al Boum Photo look like he'd had a hard season.

Now suddenly he's become difficult to place.
 
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Al Boum Photo was rated 164 when winning his first Gold Cup. Now there just might be a new kid on the block off the same mark Protektorat

It wasn't the best race at Aintree but Protektorat never just beat them he absolutely destroyed them never slowing down at any point.

Protektorat is for my money one of the most improved horses in training and at 20/1 well worth bakcking EW now for the big one.

It's only a matter of time before Dan Skelton wins one of the top 3 races at the Festival and this could be the one to do it.
 
wilsonl said:
I read that. What a f*cking joke.

He's an RSA winner who for whatever reason, ran once over an inadequate extended 2m prior to Cheltenham in his second season over fences. He ran (+ jumped) poorly in the Gold Cup but he wouldn't be the first and maybe it had something to do with Nicky sending him to it after a campaign so light it made Al Boum Photo look like he'd had a hard season.

Now suddenly he's become difficult to place.
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Can only go left handed over fences

Bring him to Leopardstown so
 
Think you run Champ in the Cotswold Chase, see if his jumping holds up, then you make a decision. Nice gap between that race and Cheltenham.
 
I've taken 10/1 Minella Indo. He was a good winner last season beating the reigning dual champ fair and square. I reckon the price is a complete over-reaction to one bad run.
 
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