Road to the Gold Cup 2012

Shame. Not sure he'd have been a factor though.

It does illustrate what goddamn machines Denman and Kauto Start are for getting there year after year - and also that Long Run is terribly short at this stage for a repeat.
 
Sporting Life 16 09 11 - 12.59pm
Imperial Commander has been ruled out for the season after suffering a tendon injury.
The 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero was last seen pulling up in the Prestbury Park blue riband after suffering a broken blood vessel, but had been under going a pre-training regime at Mount Top Stud in Ireland.
The 10-year-old was due to return to trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies in the near future but now looks set for an extended holiday after a tear was found in a foreleg tendon following light exercise earlier this week.
Twiston-Davies said: "We haven't seen him as he hasn't been back to the yard. He's been in pre-training in Northern Ireland and hadn't returned.
"I'd imagine we won't see him back until next year now, but I would hope he will return.
"I haven't seen it myself but the injury sounds very slight and he should be fine for next season."
 
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I would love to see Weapons Amnesty get there after at least 2 runs.Having said that deep down I believe it's hard for a horse to reach the top after missing a season.
 
Time For Rupert is heading for the CGC After his dismal showing at the Festival and somewhat later an ultrasound scan found damage to the lung which was probably a leftover from the infection which prevented him running at Cheltenham in January. During the Summer he has been in a hyperbaric chamber to cleanse his lungs and then eight weeks of lazing out in a field. The latest scan came up all clear so from what I gather he will start off in the Charlie Hall, all being well follow up in the Hennessy and then take quite a long break to keep him fresh for the CGC.
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Time For Rupert is heading for the CGC After his dismal showing at the Festival and somewhat later an ultrasound scan found damage to the lung which was probably a leftover from the infection which prevented him running at Cheltenham in January. During the Summer he has been in a hyperbaric chamber to cleanse his lungs and then eight weeks of lazing out in a field. The latest scan came up all clear so from what I gather he will start off in the Charlie Hall, all being well follow up in the Hennessy and then take quite a long break to keep him fresh for the CGC.
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That last part of your post is utterly depressing and shows all that is wrong with NH. Imagine SYT ran in the Tattersalls after his first run and didn't run again until the Arc! What a farce.
 
I agree largely with that Hamm but SYT will have a very short shelf life compared to TFR hopefully so it is a redundant comparison

That being said, the sport is eating itself alive from the inside with the cotton wool approach. Something like the Irish Hennessy should be an ideal prep for any Gold Cup aspirant
 
Even if SYT retires after the Arc, he will have run in 13 Group 1 races in his career. How many top jumps horses can say the same, for all that they spend longer around in terms of years? Not that many.
 
I don't think SYT is a good example based on the amount of credible opponents he's faced this year.

I think a lot of trainers see how long Denman and Kauto have been at it and think that by campaigning their own animals light they'll get the same results.
 
Hamm said:
Even if SYT retires after the Arc, he will have run in 13 Group 1 races in his career. How many top jumps horses can say the same, for all that they spend longer around in terms of years? Not that many.
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Its not easy holding your form for 4-5 years over 3 miles on heavy ground. Is it not easier to keep your form over a mile on good ground for 3-4 years?
 
Cantoris said:
Its not easy holding your form for 4-5 years over 3 miles on heavy ground. Is it not easier to keep your form over a mile on good ground for 3-4 years?
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Too hard to say. Is it possible to compare speed v stamina, a young and growing v mature horse, etc.
 
LUKE said:
I would love to see Weapons Amnesty get there after at least 2 runs.Having said that deep down I believe it's hard for a horse to reach the top after missing a season.
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Agreed. I'd also love to see WA make it to Chelts and run well having backed him for both his festival wins but they never come back at the very top level.
 
Hamm said:
That last part of your post is utterly depressing and shows all that is wrong with NH. Imagine SYT ran in the Tattersalls after his first run and didn't run again until the Arc! What a farce.
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What is farcical is the suggestion that any kind of parallel can be drawn between the career of a top-end Flat horse and that of a second-season chaser. The farce is compounded further if conclusions are drawn from that comparison. :cool:
 
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viking said:
Agreed. I'd also love to see WA make it to Chelts and run well having backed him for both his festival wins but they never come back at the very top level.
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Kauto didn't do too badly after missing the second half of his novice season with a chipped bone in his hock, mind you.

Trainers keeping their horses in bubble wrap might also want to think on that Kauto's most impressive overall season was 2006-2007, when he was unbeaten in six runs - 4 Grade 1s and 2 Grade 2s, from 2m to 3m2f. The cotton wool treatment didn't start until after he'd proved himself, and it would be hard to make a case that six runs in a single season had a detrimental effect on his form afterwards.
 
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Fair point about Kauto. Giving horses a long break before the festival certainly didn't work out too well in the most recent edition, e.g. Cue Card, Menorah et al.
 
Thanks for the info re TIME FOR RUPERT, DG. That does explain his shocker, which was deeply disappointing to me - I adore the gallant wee soul and feared he'd done himself in that day. So look forward to seeing the mended version back on course.
 
Does anyone know if China Rock is ok after last year's race and if he's in training this year?
 
Cruella said:
Kauto didn't do too badly after missing the second half of his novice season with a chipped bone in his hock, mind you.
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It all depends on the injury. Take Nicanor. 40% damage to his tendon, never the same. Take Brave Inca. 5% damage to his tendon and he won an Irish Champion Hurdle after. On the outside, both had tendon problems, but the reality is that Nicanor's was catastrophic but Brave Inca's wasn't. War of Attrition had 10-20% damage but recovered very well from it.

Bone problems, like fractures, tend to be less of a problem than tendons etc. I'm told that anyone, but I'm not a horse anatomy person.
 
Weird Al has been moved from the Ian Williams yard to Donald McCain's yard as the owners want to "try something different"
 
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