Road to the Gold Cup 2011

Euronymous said:
Was it the hill or the Gold Cup trip? It didn't bother One Man when he was brought back in trip.
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It did - he tied up noticeably in the last 50 yards, and but for the fact that he was being chased by the mighty Lord Dorcet, it would have been more evident - just watched it a couple of days ago.
 
Golden Silver is an intended runner.Not trying to be cute but it should be a dream trial for Big Zeb against two meaningful opponents.
I had presumed that the Red Mills would be the natural target for Sizing Europe-I would imagine that IF he runs on Sunday it will be a case of win if you can but don't kill him.
 
I hope they haven't wasted a year with a very good horse. This is not a criticism of connections here but a general observation - why, when a horse is seriously effective at a trip that he had to be tested to see if he stays further -it happens on the flat equally as much - a six furlong horse will be stretched to a mile etc etc..
My Reading of this would be that he will finish a good second to Big Zeb and they will go for the Ryanair and probably win it!
 
In theory the Ryanair is the logical target but I get the impression that it just doesn't have the same appeal as the other 2 races.I can't wait to see if he is up for it on Sunday.
 
LUKE said:
If he can get competetive with Big Zeb on Sunday the 2 miler is surely the way to go.
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I can't see how SE can offer any threat to Zeb..just on a line through Golden Silver - SE has about 10 lengths to find

even if SE is as good a chaser as hurdler he is still at least 7lb to find

BZ should be odds on
 
Would imagine this is to see if he is up to the Queen Mother Championship - if not he will go for the Gold Cup and take his chance at getting the trip.

Makes sense when you think about it, rip his guts out in the Hennessy over three miles finding out he does not stay and then go to Cheltenham for the Queen Mother? Better to try his hand at the less taxing race me thinks.
 
PANDORAMA, Ireland's leading hope for the Totesport Gold Cup is rated only 50-50 to make it to Cheltenham in March after bruising a hock.
The Noel Meade-trained eight-year-old is as short as 12-1 for the Gold Cup, but owner Robert Bagnall has revealed that he has met with a setback which will rule him out of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown on February 6 and leaves his Cheltenham challenge in jeopardy.
"We think he got a knock in his horsebox at Noel's yard and we brought him out for a small canter on Friday and he came back slightly lame," Bagnall told At The Races.
"Over the weekend he walked him and he appeared to be alright but when he brought him out this morning he came back lame again and the problem seems to be that he has bruised his hock.
"We did an x-ray on the horse and at first itappeared to be a little crack in his hock but we x-rayed the other hock as well and it was identical so we are just hoping that it is a bruised hock and obviously he is going to rest for a week which rules him out of the Hennessey which is coming up too soon.
"It is my lifelong ambition to get to Cheltenham and Noel thinks and hopes that it is just a temporary setback that he should get back into training and come alright. He thinks the chances are a good 50-50 that we will get him there.
"It is unfortunate when you get a good one, and you only get one good one in a lifetime. It is just very unfortunate so we hope and pray that it might be just a temporary setback and we will get him to Cheltenham. ( Racing Post)
 
I find it odd that they are fiddling around with the trip for SE at this stage ofthe season. Why not just go for thr Ryaniar? Hes not going to win the other two is he?
 
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Time for Rupert looks very short in the Argento at 6/4. There may have been a slight overreaction to Punchestowns defeat to Pride of Dulcote - that horse is very very smart, and has an outside chance in the Gold Cup. I think it is reasonable to expect Punchestowns to improve from that run, and even if he didn't, it should be good enough to win. 5/2 too big.
 
The bigger priced of the two might well be the smart move in this case, but after being very excited about Punchestowns earlier in the season I'm not brimming with confidence now and Time For Rupert hasn't done anything wrong and in fact has done everything right.
 
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