Road to the Queen Mother Champion Chase

Maxbet

Maxbet

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Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase – Wednesday, 17 March
Altior
Battleoverdoyen
Bun Doran
Chacun Pour Soi
Chatham Street Lad
Cilaos Emery
Duc des Genievres
Esprit du Large
Fakir d'Oudairies
Fanion d'Estruval
First Flow
Greaneteen
Ibleo
Magic Saint
Min
Notebook
Nube Negra
Politologue
Rouge Vif
Samcro
Sceau Royal
Simply The Betts
Tornado Flyer
Put The Kettle On

Withdrawals:
A Plus Tard
Melon
Buveur Dair
Defi Du Seuil
Chosen Mate
Mister Fisher
Cash Back
Le Richebourg
Castlegrace Paddy
Sizing Pottsie
Janika
Al Dancer
Impact Factor
 
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That’s a shame. When I spoke to the yard last week the secretary did mention there was a possibility of him going back to JPs to give him a thorough MOT to find out what was wrong.
 
Defi Du Seuil will not take part at the Cheltenham Festival next month with connections deciding to miss the rest of the season in an attempt to get the 2017 Triumph Hurdle and 2019 JLT Novices' Chase winner back to his best.

Philip Hobbs has scratched the eight-year-old from the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and Ryanair Chase, and he told the Racing Post that the seven-time Grade 1 winner would not be seen again this season.

He said of the dual festival hero: "It has been decided after Ascot he is better off missing the rest of the season. There's no reason at all why he shouldn't be back properly next season, but having had two disappointing runs we felt that was the best thing to do.

"It was going to get very tight to get him to Cheltenham this year so it seemed to make more sense to give him a break. He is still with us at the moment, but he will go back to Martinstown [owner JP McManus's home]."
 
jinnyj said:
That’s a shame. When I spoke to the yard last week the secretary did mention there was a possibility of him going back to JPs to give him a thorough MOT to find out what was wrong.
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MOT indeed.

He's just turned 8 years of age. The horse has run in near enough 20 graded races over hurdles and fences thus far. In his first season as a four year old, he won five graded hurdles in a row. Somewhere along the way the horse has suffered burnout. Maybe he just wasn't built for a long career.

I don't think the trainer is culpable as he didn't have a crystal ball but maybe Defi is a horse who in hindsight wanted his races few and far between.
 
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Maxbet said:
He's 8 years old and rated 165...The handicapper won't touch him, even if he has a year off....
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If I've told you once, Maxbet, I must have told you a million times, I don't exaggerate...

I was trying - and failing, obviously - at a light-hearted take on how JP's horses recover their mojo. He was dropped 3lbs for the other day. I reckon if he gets iff the radar for six months he'll drop another three. If they give him a full year off he'll come back off around 160.
 
Marb said:
MOT indeed.

My feeling is having just turned 8 years of age, the fact the horse has run in near enough 20 graded races over hurdles and fences thus far, he started off young and must have won five graded hurdles as a four/five year old well....Somewhere along the way the horse has suffered burnout. Maybe he just wasn't built for a long career.
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Thats not the vibe I got. She said he was bouncing and squealing the day after his last run but they know there’s something not 100%. That’s why I suggested galloping him on a treadmill with an endoscope down his larynx. Just very occasionally you get a wind problem that isn’t obvious to detect by sound alone (usually a jockey will flag it up or the trainer can hear it as the horse gallops past). I really hope that something comes to light. The secretary told me he’s one of the happiest horses to be around and loves life.
 
jinnyj said:
Thats not the vibe I got. She said he was bouncing and squealing the day after his last run but they know there’s something not 100%. That’s why I suggested galloping him on a treadmill with an endoscope down his larynx. Just very occasionally you get a wind problem that isn’t obvious to detect by sound alone (usually a jockey will flag it up or the trainer can hear it as the horse gallops past). I really hope that something comes to light. The secretary told me he’s one of the happiest horses to be around and loves life.
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Wind operations seem all the rage nowadays, poor bloody horse only has to grunt and someone’s cauterising his palate or some such. How does it work - do wind problems develop or are they always present waiting to be recognised?
 
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Yes I agree but sadly nearly every horse seems to have one so there would be precious few left to be bred from if that were the case. I don’t agree with letting stallions stand that are unsound in wind or limb. Anything that had serious leg problems should never be used. But then again Mill Reef would never have stood if that had been the case I suppose, although many of his progeny were indeed pretty fragile.
 
Desert Orchid said:
If I've told you once, Maxbet, I must have told you a million times, I don't exaggerate...

I was trying - and failing, obviously - at a light-hearted take on how JP's horses recover their mojo. He was dropped 3lbs for the other day. I reckon if he gets iff the radar for six months he'll drop another three. If they give him a full year off he'll come back off around 160.
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I get it Do, but I don't think the handicapper is that stupid anymore, especially with a McManus horse and one of such high standing and youth. Since Isio beat Azertioup in the Victor Chandler (handicap back then) I can't recall any handicapper making a mistake of dropping a horse half a stone for having a year off. Altior is 11, he had over 300 days off and he was only dropped 3 Lb. He was dropped another 3Lb after he ran, but that is different.

I remember Nicholl's being erked at the time Azertioup was beaten in the VC. Isio had finished third in the Arkle off levels beaten 12L. They rated Azertioup 160/170 for the performance. Henderson gave Isio a 270 day holiday, enough at that time for the handicapper to not properly rate, or raise him, for his Arkle performance. He beat Azertioup a nk in receipt of 19Lb's...A lot of discussions was made about the, should/shouldn't a horse be dropped for the track holiday...I saw this event as the turning point in the handicappers eye's of the wool no longer blinding him!!
 
We all know no one can bring them back like NJH but surely he is peeing against the wind with Altior....surely theee eould be a better alternative at this stage of his career?
 
There will be fu*ck-all wrong with the horse. Henderson is no longer mentally-capable of seeing his horses beaten.
 
yeah i reckon he's just waiting for aintree/better ground to give him the best chance of a swansong victory
 
Grasshopper said:
There will be fu*ck-all wrong with the horse. Henderson is no longer mentally-capable of seeing his horses beaten.
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Thats utter tosh the horse ran a stone bwhind his best last time and showed very little of his old sparkle.... I suppose you think Sprinter Sacre ran up to his mark in his 2nd qmcc chase win....Altior has had a constant run of hard races because of his style of running...my gut tells me hes burned out and well never see the best of him again
 
Tanlic said:
Thats utter tosh the horse ran a stone bwhind his best last time and showed very little of his old sparkle.... I suppose you think Sprinter Sacre ran up to his mark in his 2nd qmcc chase win....Altior has had a constant run of hard races because of his style of running...my gut tells me hes burned out and well never see the best of him again
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You’ve clearly got some soft spot/ties with the Hendo yard judging by previous posts. Can’t tell me Hendo is absolutely bottling it with this horse?

He’s been stroppy about Altior since he was forced to run him at Ascot, plain and simple.
 
Tanlic said:
Thats utter tosh the horse ran a stone bwhind his best last time and showed very little of his old sparkle.... I suppose you think Sprinter Sacre ran up to his mark in his 2nd qmcc chase win....Altior has had a constant run of hard races because of his style of running...my gut tells me hes burned out and well never see the best of him again
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So, you agree the scope is a hoax
 
Well I was partly right, I just couldn't see Altior running in the QMCC as he would get beaten, so I thought he would go Ryanair instead.

Doesn't seem that I am alone in the fact that I am not overly surprised that he has been scratched from Cheltenham completely.
 
Tanlic said:
Thats utter tosh the horse ran a stone bwhind his best last time and showed very little of his old sparkle.... I suppose you think Sprinter Sacre ran up to his mark in his 2nd qmcc chase win....Altior has had a constant run of hard races because of his style of running...my gut tells me hes burned out and well never see the best of him again
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I don't disagree with any of this......but your favourite trainer was saying only a week ago that he was doing his best work ever, and was raring to go.

The rain falls, Altior's chance is even more compromised than it was, and he gets yanked by Hendo on a bogus scope excuse as a result. That's 100% of what has happened here.
 
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Grasshopper said:
I don't disagree with any of this......but your favourite trainer was saying only a week ago that he was doing his best work ever, and was raring to go.

The rain falls, Altior's chance is even more compromised than it was, and he gets yanked by Hendo on a bogus scope excuse as a result. That's 100% of what has happened here.
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also talked his work up before the tingle creek. the pattern is clear.
 
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