The 2016 Punchestown Festival

Im kicking myself here because thats exactly it. The Greatrex horse is a little unexposed and wouldn't have been pitched in without a chance. Trainer is far from daft
 
Warren Greatex on Racing UK saying has always been the plan to keep him back and run here against other horses who've probably had a hard season. Sees his future as a chaser and not necessarily next year's World Hurdle.
 
Oh lighten up miserable git. It was a joke . Not your thing of course

i admire ruby immensely but it's a peculiar story to say the least.
 
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You're a lying hypocrite.

Which of course doesn't prevent me from admiring you immensely too
 
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Ardross said:
Taking on Thistlecrack evidently takes a lot out of a horse !
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To me that result just emphasises what i have been saying for ages. the staying hurdle division has never been so poor.

No doubting Thistlecrack is a very good horse but if he goes chasing there's a whole new big wide world out there which he simply won't find anywhere near as easy.

Realistically he'd have to spend a season as a novice chaser before taking on the likes of Coneygree, Douvan and/or Vautour etc in the King George to have a real chance of success.

By that time he'll have lost a small fortune in prize money missing the long distance hurdle races he normally picks up without a fuss.

We just witnessed Douvan finish his novice season. The only horse in training even Ruby Walsh couldn't fall off at the last:lol: Thistlecrack needs to go through that too before tackling the big boys
At least Stan James has dropped him from their betting but Sporting Bet will gladly lay you 12/1 for this years until the cows come home.

People keep hitting me with he can go back hurdling but that could be near 2 years before they know that........good luck if they go chasing wouldn't be me. I'd use the money from Thistlecrack and go buy a superstar from France to go chasing..........Rich would sell them Min for a World Hurdle prize :0)
 
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Douvan picked up well today but I thought he was less impressive than at Aintree . I see he is evens for next year's Champion Chase not only does that insult Sprinter Sacre I should have thought it was at least evens he will not run .
 
Grey said:
Gloating at falls is taboo for any genuine follower of racing.
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You're backside You obviously have never mixed with any jockeys not have the sense of humour to do so.

No one jokes if someone or a horse gets hurt

But all being well the lads in the weighing room would be asking Ruby if he spotted a fiver and got off to pick it up etc etc

NH jockeys are biggest bunch of pi$$ takers on the planet unless thing have drastically change in a decade.
 
Ardross said:
Douvan picked up well today but I thought he was less impressive than at Aintree . I see he is evens for next year's Champion Chase not only does that insult Sprinter Sacre I should have thought it was at least evens he will not run .
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Been a long season and the time of the race would say he was maybe feeling it or Ruby was just taking it very very easy on him.

His time at Aintree was awesome this time he was slow in comparison.

At worse I would say fill your breeks with EW bets on Sprinter as he's sure to be racing next year.

As for Douvan I see no reason why he won't run and if he does he is without doubt faster than Sprinter Sacre is over those last 3 fences at Cheltenham and by some way.

That is why he is evens but whether that will come into play in an actual head to head there's always a doubt.

Rich Ricci won't shirk the challenge and the sensible way would be either take on Sprinter in the Tingle Creek or wait till the QMCC

I reckon knowing Nicky he'll avoid Douvan and won't want to clash until the QMCC getting as much lolly in as he can along the way.

As for Douvan there's nothing for him in March worth going for bar the QMCC or the GC. I can't see them going GC this time round but I'm pretty confident he will go King George after the QMCC and a step up in trip at Aintree in the Melling.
 
Tanlic said:
You're backside You obviously have never mixed with any jockeys not have the sense of humour to do so.

No one jokes if someone or a horse gets hurt

But all being well the lads in the weighing room would be asking Ruby if he spotted a fiver and got off to pick it up etc etc

NH jockeys are biggest bunch of pi$$ takers on the planet unless thing have drastically change in a decade.
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True, but none of us here belong in the weighing room.

There's an obvious difference between colleagues who endure the same extreme risks every day sharing gallows humour and a gobsh*te like clivex jeering from his armchair
 
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Tanlic said:
Been a long season and the time of the race would say he was maybe feeling it or Ruby was just taking it very very easy on him.

His time at Aintree was awesome this time he was slow in comparison.

At worse I would say fill your breeks with EW bets on Sprinter as he's sure to be racing next year.

As for Douvan I see no reason why he won't run and if he does he is without doubt faster than Sprinter Sacre is over those last 3 fences at Cheltenham and by some way.

That is why he is evens but whether that will come into play in an actual head to head there's always a doubt.

Rich Ricci won't shirk the challenge and the sensible way would be either take on Sprinter in the Tingle Creek or wait till the QMCC

I reckon knowing Nicky he'll avoid Douvan and won't want to clash until the QMCC getting as much lolly in as he can along the way.

As for Douvan there's nothing for him in March worth going for bar the QMCC or the GC. I can't see them going GC this time round but I'm pretty confident he will go King George after the QMCC and a step up in trip at Aintree in the Melling.
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Not hard to be quicker over the last 3 fences when you have been going much slower down the back straight .

Ricci seemed very keen on stepping him up in trip and who can blame him - Don Cossack probably gone Cue Card 11 and this year's staying novices much of a muchness the 3 mile plus horses look a lot less dangerous than Sprinter Sacre might be .
 
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Grey said:
True, but none of us here belong in the weighing room.

There's an obvious difference between colleagues who endure the same extreme risks every day sharing gallows humour and a gobsh*te like clivex jeering from his armchair
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Well I talk from experience but that's another story as far as Clive goes I find him outspoken but never offensive so I have no reason to agree.
 
MTOY may not be the horse he was, but even his recent form (didn't stay latest) entitles him to kick these clear out of the park.
Should be well odds-on, imo.
 
Ardross said:
Not hard to be quicker over the last 3 fences when you have been going much slower down the back straight .

Ricci seemed very keen on stepping him up in trip and who can blame him - Don Cossack probably gone Cue Card 11 and this year's staying novices much of a muchness the 3 mile plus horses look a lot less dangerous than Sprinter Sacre might be .
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That's the thing about it "A" the comparison comes from their best Cheltenham performances time wise. Douvan racing on good to soft ground put up a time 12 lengths faster overall than Sprinter Sacre did on good ground. Looking at the other race's times on the day the ground was 100% in Sprinters favour.

Whether that means Douvan will beat him in an actual head to head is open to opinion.

The biggest insult to Sprinter Sacre is the crap Timeform have written and given him a lousy 179 for blowing the horse they said was unbeatable out of the water twice. The latest in an unbelievable time.

Phil Bull must be turning in his grave wondering what happened to TIME in Timeform. Menorah 22 second slow Sprinter Sacre 1 second slow...........that's more of a time difference than it takes to jump the railway fences at Sandown.

As for Douvan V Sprinter Sacre....Douvan will IMO need a 185 plus performance to beat him.
 
Marlbrook is a best priced 6/1 in the 4:20 and Balnagon Boy finished second to him (giving 4lb) back in January and is a huge 26lb better off today including Jonathan Moore's allowance.

Yet is available at 14/1.

The slight easing of the ground due to today's showers will do neither of them any harm but it's clear to me which one offers the better value.

There's also a similar swing in the weights in the next race with Cresswell Breeze (same jockey) now 23lb better off with Emily Gray for the 2.5L beating in November.

Couple of e/w singles and an e/w double on what is possibly an overly-simplistic approach but bar Gods Own and a couple of short price winners it's been a brutal week so I see little point in putting too much wasted effort in.
 
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reet hard said:
MTOY may not be the horse he was, but even his recent form (didn't stay latest) entitles him to kick these clear out of the park.
Should be well odds-on, imo.
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Her missing the long distance for this and Willie running your man's Shaneshill speaks volumes about how good an owner Rich Ricci must be.

At least she has a chance here Shaneshill would have been tailed off over this trip.

If I were Rich Ricci I think I'd have wanted to go for the longer race than taken on a good horse like MTOY.

I am right behind you here Reet I think it's a MTOY win.

Him carrying 7lbs more than her is not a concern but her racing at this trip must be a huge worry for her backers
 
Only one ten year old (Moscow Flyer) has won the Tingle Creek in forty odd years, who was also one of only two eleven year olds to win the QMCC over the same period. I can't help but think Sprinter's best days are behind him and that next season Nicky may find it harder to achieve those levels again. Will be some sight to see Douvan tackling the railway fences in a Tingle Creek if that's the route Mullins sends him.
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Only one ten year old (Moscow Flyer) has won the Tingle Creek in forty odd years, who was also one of only two eleven year olds to win the QMCC over the same period. I can't help but think Sprinter's best days are behind him and that next season Nicky may find it harder to achieve those levels again. Will be some sight to see Douvan tackling the railway fences in a Tingle Creek if that's the route Mullins sends him.
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DG - Sprinter Sacre has probably not quite reached the heights of 2013 this year but his form is extraordinarily improved from last year and he is much the best 2 mile chaser around on this year's form . Whilst it is true that only Moscow Flyer has retained that level of form at 10-11 Sprinter Sacre has had in reality a long time off and not too much racing . Certainly this season his performances have just been getting better - Saturday saw him put up not only by far the best time of the day but he charged on up the hill with no signs of faltering . Of course he may go downhill next year due to age but that cannot be an assessment based on his form but only probability based on the evidence of other horses' careers .

As such he still looks a much more potent threat than any of the staying chasers especially as Don Cossack is very unlikely to come back.
 
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