Road to the Champion Chase 2011

Grey - are you suggesting that they run horses in championship races - and make AP ride them - that AP thinks have no chance ?

I don't believe that for a minute . If CCB runs it will be because AP thinks he has a chance . If AP thought he had no chance they would not run him.
 
Market moves for Captain Cee Bee during the year suggest AP and others think he can win.
 
JP has horses scattered all over the place, it's not possible to view the horses running in his colours as part of a single entity, still less a "well oiled machine". JP buys horses and leaves them in situ, and he doesn't jump in and start changing plans already made.

The first time he set eyes on Capt Cee Bee was in the parade ring at Cheltenham the day he won the Supreme. Who did he beat? Another JP horse, Binocular. AP didn't know which one to choose, and in the end plumped for the wrong one. There was no question of redirecting either horse elsewhere.

The O'Neill stable would be different to most of the other stables where JP has horses, because he owns Jackdaws Castle (I think) and Jonjo is virtually a private trainer for him. This, and one or two other stables (Madden?, Roche?) might be part of a closer operation, but I reckon the dozens of others who train his horses are left to do their own thing.

Ardross, I'm sure AP's opinion is taken very seriously, but if Eddie Harty wants to run Captain Cee Bee in the Champion Chase his opinion will also count. After all, he has already delivered one Cheltenham win, and the horse is clearly very high class. It's a strange notion that AP would attempt, or be allowed, to veto his participation.
 
I doubt there has ever been an owner on the planet who would take a horse out of a race on the say so of the jockey over the trainer, where he had enough confidence to retain horses with the trainer in question.

Tony McCoy, by the way, told Noel Chance that Mr Mulligan had no chance in the Gold Cup after riding him in a racecourse gallop after he'd fallen in the King George. The pair were rumoured to have had words as McCoy felt Chance had led him astray in believing that MM had a winning chance.
 
Last edited:
Gearoid said:
What is your biggest outlay ante post on the festival, if you don't mind me asking?
Click to expand...

Do you mean on which horse?

Last year 60% of my overall outlay for the week was on four horses: Big Bucks, Denman, Tell Massini and Binocular.

At this stage before the Festival I'm no more than covering positions that I consider to be value to defend my downside on the real bets nearer the time and on the day.
 
Last edited:
There was some talk that Roche got quite annoyed with Frank when he had a horse ready to win only for Frank to walk into the parade ring and tell him "not today". Roche argued that horses are not machines that you can switch on when you say "yes". Suffice to say, Roche was told who pays the bills.
 
I love the story abou a racing post tipster going for a Roche trained horse in a g
handicap at The Curragh on Derby weekend-causing the price to shrink.After the horse had won -I think it was Alan Sweetman-offered his congratulations to Christy.Fuck off -was the reply.
 
Sizing scratched from Ryanair and Gold Cup

BY STUART RILEY 2:48PM 14 FEB 2011

LAST year's Irish Independent Arkle winner Sizing Europe has been scratched from both the Ryanair Chase and the Totesport Gold Cup at this year's Cheltenham Festival.


RELATED LINKS
Ryanair Chase card
Gold Cup betting
Champion Chase betting
World Hurdle card
Champion Hurdle betting
Free bets
Sizing Europe was a best priced 12-1 for the Ryanair and a general 33-1 shot for the Gold Cup. The nine-year-old still holds an entry in this year's Champion Chase, for which he is 16-1.

Sizing Europe, who raced over 2m last time out, has not won in four starts since completing a five-timer in the Arkle. He now looks set for a return to what many feel is his optimum trip.

Solwhit was also scratched from the Champion Hurdle but retains an entry in the World Hurdle for which he is 25-1.

More to follow . . .
 
I've got to agree about his prep - Arkle winners have a good record in the QM but you can't help feeling his prep will have blunted some of his speed, price does look value but my minds made up that Somersby is still progressing.

I actually put SE in my 10 to follow lines as my QM horse and left out MM this year :mad:
 
LUKE said:
I will be backing him each way for the Champion Chase at 16s.
Click to expand...

I can't have him in the first three even allowing for ground improvement - he would have been an interesting Ryanair contender. I really like this horse and his trainer is a very decent individual but his campaigning is equally as bad as Mikael D'Hagenuet and that is saying something.
 
On The Bridle said:
I can't have him in the first three even allowing for ground improvement - he would have been an interesting Ryanair contender. I really like this horse and his trainer is a very decent individual but his campaigning is equally as bad as Mikael D'Hagenuet and that is saying something.
Click to expand...

Interesting that Dreaper is spending a lot of time with Potts these days. I saw them together at Leopardstown on Sat where Dreaper did not have a runner for him, and again yesterday when deBromhead had a runner in the race for Potts. I know Dreaper had Royal de la Thinte for Potts but surprised he was still hanging around later. I believe Dreaper is now training Potts' expensive purchase Gone All The Way.
 
It's with Twister according to the RP Cantoris (Go All The Way that is) and I was told that he'd gone to Hobbs after being sold for a mind boggling sum relative to what he'd shown and the like.
 
20th May 2010

Go All The Way was second in a competitive Bumper on his debut at the Punchestown Festival in April and the son of Milan was always thought to be popular before he came under the hammer and sold for £310,000 to trainer Philip Hobbs, buying for Sizing Europe's owner Alan Potts.

The five-year-old was trained by John Kiely for Brian Gleeson's wife Claire and Anthony Bromley kicked off the bidding at £100,000 before George Stanners joined in £10,000 later on behalf of a telephone client but the pair soon dropped out as the final exchanges were fought out by Hobbs, speaking to Potts by phone, and the eventual underbidder Tom Malone.

‘He was unlucky not to win his bumper and will hopefully go on to better things. Alan had a horse (Cavite Beta) who ran in the same race when Katie Walsh lost her irons so he knew the form,’ said Hobbs. ‘He's a lovely strong horse and I haven't thought about what route we'll take with him. We'll probably stay over hurdles but he's still a maiden so could try and win a bumper.’

Go All The Way (IRE)
6-y-o (06Apr05 b g)
Milan (14.2f) — Kings Rose (IRE) (King´s Ride (14.0f))
Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies
Owner Ann & Alan Potts
Breeder Brian Gleeson

ENTERED RACE ENTERED FOR THE FOLLOWING RACES

17Feb11 4:50 (Four Day) at Ffos las, Braceys Friendly Builders Merchant Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race

19Feb11 4:40 (Five Day) at Ascot, Gardiner & Theobald Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race
 
What return has Potts had from his horses with Hobbs,Henderson and Nicholls.Some shockingly expensive failures.
I am fairly certain there is no rift with Henry and suggestions to the contrary are untrue.
 
granger said:
Love the horse but I think he has been giving the worst campaigning i've seen any good horse get in years
Click to expand...

I agree with you and when I said the same a few weeks back I was told I was trolling; clearly not.

I don't see what has happened to make them travel over for the King George, thereby campaigning him over 3m, and then without even racing, bringing him back to the minimum trip. Maybe the trainer dreamt something, or had some sort of epiphany?

The only chance he has of being placed is if other horses get injured, or fall (and bring down others) during the race. As things stand, I would strongly fancy the following to finish above him..

Master Minded
Big Zeb
Captain Cee Bee
Woolcombe Folly
French Opera
Somersby
Mad Max
Golden Silver
Tataniano (if the ground 'good' enough for him).

That's just me though. Looking at the above, you can at least say if the above 9 turn up, it's a very good QMCC.
 
Back
Top