Road To The Foxhunters

Diamond Geezer

Diamond Geezer

Gone But Not Forgotten
Joined
May 2, 2003
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THE CGA FOXHUNTER CHASE CHALLENGE CUP
Class 2, Total Prize Fund £35,000. 4.00pm, Friday, March 15, 2013,3m 2f. 110yds. PTP FORM NOT INCLUDED

Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
P/5000/P- BACKSTAGE (FR) 11 MPR & Capranny Syndicate Gordon Elliott IRE
U2-UP6 BENEDICTUS (IRE) 8 R W Humphreys Jane Western
40000-5 BOXING ALONG (IRE) 9 L Halley Vincent Halley IRE
30/123-1 CHAPOTURGEON (FR) 9 David Johnson & Paul Nicholls Richard Barber
2161-30 CLOUDY LANE 13 Trevor Hemmings Donald McCain
122-102 COOMBE HILL 12 G Thompson Charlotte Tizzard
20P411 COTTAGE OAK (IRE) 10 R J Hewitt John O'Shea
16-1 CREEVYTENNANT (IRE) 9 Mrs P Duncan Fergal O'Brien
F-212 CURRENT EXCHANGE (IRE) 8 Alastair Crow Sheila Crow
12//15/2-1 DANTE'S STORM 11 I M Cobbold Alan Hill
1112-1F DIVINE INTAVENTION (IRE) 9 H Wilson Francesca Moller
1 DOCTOR KINGSLEY 11 Pauline Harkin Pauline Harkin
3/3001-0 EARTH DREAM (IRE) 10 The Bloomfields Partnership John Ferguson
6P//B-51P EQUUS MAXIMUS (IRE) 13 Greenstar Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
22/01P6- FAASEL (IRE) 12 John Heard John Heard
613/PP/P- GALANT NUIT (FR) 9 Ferdy Murphy Rees Morgan Murphy
0P/00P-6 HOOPY (IRE) 11 John Earls Gordon Elliott IRE
P256P-2 KANESH (IRE) 10 Brendan Sweeney Mark Fagan IRE
4-FFPP3 KEENAN'S FUTURE (IRE) 12 Stephen Rea Stephen Rea
101 KIRKLEIGH 8 Mrs S M Trump Robert Chanin
32/PP-1P LOUIS PASTEUR (IRE) 8 Dick Bleathman Dan Drake
110-33P MERCHANT ROYAL (IRE) 9 Patrick Joseph McCartan David Christie IRE
PP0////-52 METAL DETECTOR (IRE) 16 Sarah Rippon Sarah Rippon
33/P1U-4 OFFSHORE ACCOUNT (IRE) 13 N Sutton Tracey Bailey
3/031-20 OSCAR DELTA (IRE) 10 Ms K O'Driscoll Jimmy Mangan IRE
24061F- PRESENTANDCORRECT (IRE) 12 Mr & Mrs Tim Sage Tim Sage
1PPP-11 RADETSKY MARCH (IRE) 10 Mrs S Gorringe Smith & C Duckett Sally Duckett
/340P////- RAINBOW TREE 13 Mrs K R Smith-Maxwell Alexandra Dunn
P-4P032 RATHCOR 11 Stephen Rea Stephen Rea
2B/1/U42- ROULEZ COOL 10 Robert Waley-Cohen Robert Waley-Cohen
11-4142 RUMBURY GREY 10 Mrs C M Rogers Steve Flook
1F-1221 SALSIFY (IRE) 8 Joan Sweeney Rodger Sweeney IRE
1-11122 TAMMYS HILL (IRE) 8 Patrick Smyth Liam Lennon IRE
0/31-121 THAT'S RHYTHM (FR) 13 Nicholas Wakefield Sally Duckett
0/P5F/-12 TRICKY TRICKSTER (IRE) 10 Chris Giles Paul Nicholls
1PP//6/5-6 UP THERE (IRE) 12 Mrs Rae Jones Nicky Sheppard
0R4-663 VIC VENTURI (IRE) 13 S W Dunn Stephen Rea
025/P-12 WHAT A LAUGH 8 R P Davies-Cooke Gary Hanmer
1/22-234 WHIZZAAR 13 J F Symes Miss Kayley Jones

39 entries
9 Irish-trained
 
Salsify a stone better horse on decent ground so easily the most likely winner.

Tricky Trickster has course form and was given far too much to do last time out, but qualified for this which was the main thing.

Cottage Oak has been in great form this season but was lame when Joe got him - herbal remedies have helped him out but feeling from me is that he needs soft ground to be seen to best effect.

What A Laugh is a horse I like a lot, they wouldn't hear of defeat FTO in a Maiden at Barbury last year and he racked up a sequence prior to being beaten at Bangor. The winner that day traveled well into the race at Haydock in Cottage Oak's HC but ultimately found the ground too testing. Slightly concerned that we haven't seen him out so far this season and in all likelihood he'll be going to the race first time out though he's an improving sort and one of the best youngsters we saw in the UK last season.

Oscar Delta has placed twice in this race so obviously has to be respected here - he's been running well under Jane Mangan this season and should go well again.

Chapoturgeon - Placed in this last year and won easily at Newbury, think the trip stretches him but he's a class horse on his day. Just not for me.

Creevytennant - Massive fan of this horse, sadly he jumps badly RH and needs to run that way to be seen to best effect, very classy individual but would be far better suited to something like the Hunter Chase at Fairyhouse or Punchestown in April.

Hard to see many of the others getting involved IMHO
 
I see there is an advert in the RP today whereby Hoopy is for sale. Remember seeing him in his box at Gordon Elliot's old yard shortly after winning at Cheltenham, grand old horse but probably won't be winning this.
 
I dont think Salsify is in the same form this year as last year (even with the ground) and given the extra knowledge they have about Chapoturgeon following last years race, I made him a solid/confident selection. Think the others lack their basic class.
 
Not watching these races or doing the form for nh anymore i get a few things mailed from others i know that do all the points and times etc and been told the nicholls horse.Having just had a brief look myself doesn't exactly take a lot of insight to pick it out though by the looks.
 
HawkWing said:
I dont think Salsify is in the same form this year as last year (even with the ground)
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Why? Personally, I haven't seen anything to suggest Salsify wouldn't increase his winning margin. At his age likely to have more improvement in him. Tammy's Hill form is the strongest there is and they could easily have repeated their previous one-two finish.
 
Some on here probably know kohaku he said it looks the obvious 2 plus cottage oak for third others nowhere!
 
Assuming Tammy's Hill doesn't run, Salsify, Tricky Trickster and Chapoturgeon look a different class to the rest. I can't see the winner coming from outside that trio. I wouldn't think Cottage Oak is good enough.
 
treetangle said:
Why? Personally, I haven't seen anything to suggest Salsify wouldn't increase his winning margin. At his age likely to have more improvement in him. Tammy's Hill form is the strongest there is and they could easily have repeated their previous one-two finish.
Click to expand...

Throughout last year Salsify's races were characterised by his extreme hard pulling with the danger really of getting to the front too soon from him travelling so strongly and jumping so well. Clearly superior to any hunter in Ireland.

This year, he hasn't travelled with the same keenness (which could be a good thing, maybe more settled) but he hasn't looked to me to be the same animal this year. He hasnt been the best horse in any race he has run in, and only won at Leopardstwon when Tammy's Hill faltered late on.

Salsify at his very best had so little to spare over Chapoturgeon last year, with the two jocks watching each other from the top of the hill. If Chapoturgeon repeats his run from last year, he will win. Handily in my opinion.
 
"Perhaps BACKSTAGE should be taken into consideration in the 2.45. I can't get the idea of 4-y-os in chases into my head but it does mean he receives quite a bit of weight and, as it is the first runner that Evan Williams saddles for Sir Robert Ogden, I'm sure he will be ready for this. It also seems significant that Mr. McCoy has been engaged to ride."

I posted this on October 2006 and he won @ 6/1 but to knock me off my self-built pedestal I also posted on the same thread:

"But jumping fences at his age, you have to question the shelf-life of his joints and legs.":o
 
When I visited Elliott's yard a couple of years ago, Backstage was taken out of his box and he just stood as quiet as an old dog while everyone stroked him and had their pictures taken with him. The gentlest racehorse I've ever encountered.
 
chroniclandlord said:
Backstage won at Tinahely today.
Click to expand...

From SL

Connections of the 11-year-old, trained by Gordon Elliott, have to choose between the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase over the cross-country course and the CGA Foxhunter Chase on the regular track.

"He won a point-to-point at Tinahely. Jamie Codd rode him and had five winners on the day," said Nick Bradley bloodstock manager to co-owners Middleham Park Racing.

"Jamie described him as being 75% fit. He won by half a length and Jamie said he blew up a little bit two out.

"The next race for him is Cheltenham. It will either be the Foxhunter or the cross-country. We would prefer the Foxhunter, but we will wait and see what comes out of both races."
 
What A Laugh bolted up having been left at the start at the weekend too - he'd be my idea of the best British contender.

Chapoturgeon's connections were desperate to win it last year - he won a 2 runner match-race to qualify for it, after connections were seen paying rivals not to declare (the horse collapsed after the race and had water thrown all over him to revive him).
 
Irish Stamp said:
What A Laugh bolted up having been left at the start at the weekend too - he'd be my idea of the best British contender.

Chapoturgeon's connections were desperate to win it last year - he won a 2 runner match-race to qualify for it, after connections were seen paying rivals not to declare (the horse collapsed after the race and had water thrown all over him to revive him).
Click to expand...

Christ... Bit much that.
 
HawkWing said:
I dont think Salsify is in the same form this year as last year (even with the ground) and given the extra knowledge they have about Chapoturgeon following last years race, I made him a solid/confident selection. Think the others lack their basic class.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's not that competitive and 5s is very fair.
 
I don't think the saddle slipped. The horse seemed to jink into the whip when maybe she was expecting it to edge the other way.

Desperately unlucky and dug Salsify's jockey out of a very big hole. Ridiculously over-confident.
 
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