The Champion Chase 2010

Desert Orchid said:
He was already the second best two-miler before that. He didn't do any more today than he had done at Sandown. No reason to shorten him. It's just the bookies trying to sucker punters into thinking he can challenge Master Minded.

If the real MM turns up at Cheltenham Twist Magic can't hope for better than second.
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surely the fact that he has won (a grade 1) away from sandown is reason enough to shorten
 
Not if it doesn't amount to anything more than he's already done. The stable has already claimed they thought he'd win the Arkle when he came down so Sandown isn't a must for him.
 
They said at the beginning of the season that Master Minded was going to be campaigned more agressively , looks a big horse and will not be easy for Nicholls to have him ready.


twist Magic is running very well but is not a Cheltenham horse, Petit Robin is not jumping very well and is a little bit exposed for me, forpaddy is not good enough and golden Silver could be interesting if the ground is very soft, very tricky race for me at the moment.
 
sunybay said:
They said at the beginning of the season that Master Minded was going to be campaigned more agressively , looks a big horse and will not be easy for Nicholls to have him ready.
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Spot on Suny. I think Nicholls is desperate to get him ready for the GS, as it's hard to imagine him being race fit without a proper run come March.

Regarding Twist Magic being cut by the bookies, it is reasonable to do so as his Champion Chase price already factored in his ability to blow out completely in the New Year. Now that he has proven that he put together several top class runs in succession, he must be considered a stronger candidate. I'd imagine that Timeform will rate him at least as high as for his Tingle Creek win and, for all I have reservations about him at Cheltenham, he deserves to sit very high in the pecking order.
 
The discovery of the broken rib would have hit on the head any plans to campaign Master Minded aggressively. I'm not sure how long it would take for the rib to mend but I can't see Nicholls having him less than 100% come the day. After all, he tends to campaign them to win a big one before Christmas, give them a little break and then bring them back spot on.

Rory's argument in favour of shortening Twist Magic is an angle I hadn't considered. It may well be that the horse was too long before yesterday, given that he is clearly the second best two-miler around anyway.
 
I am not sure that TM is not a Cheltenham horse - he has spat the dummy out the last two years before Cheltenham and was running a big race when he came down two out in the Arkle.
 
Twist Magic was cantering when coming to grief in his Arkle run and it looked like he would go very close in that race. I see no reason to suggest he can't run well at Cheltenham but he won't get close to Master Minded if he's anything close to being on top of his game.
 
Simon said:
Twist Magic was cantering when coming to grief in his Arkle run and it looked like he would go very close in that race. I see no reason to suggest he can't run well at Cheltenham but he won't get close to Master Minded if he's anything close to being on top of his game.
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By that logic, Don't Push It might win this year's Champion Chase! That Arkle looks absolutely desperate in retrospect.
 
The Arkle has been a good source of top stayers in recent years, though, hasn't it? So maybe DPI can win a decent race over longer.
 
Does anyone think Kalahari King could do it?? I think For Paddy will run into a place as Cheltenham suits him so wherever he finishes, you'd think Kalahari would be beside him. And judged on his run behind Twist Magic at Sandown last season when he missed out the first few fences, he should be near enough Twist Magic. So all in all, he has sufficient form with enough of the ones up front to warrant serious consideration, if they can ever get a run into him.
 
For me Twist Magic would be a massive each way bet at 4s or bigger on the day but I would want to be standing at the betting shop counter when they jump off.
 
Good effort from Big Zeb there but Cheltenham is not Punchestown and Geraghty will be claimed for Petit Robin .
 
You would just love to see him put in a similar round of jumping at Cheltenham - but it is unlikely - to see what exactly he can do with a clear fluent round.
 
Galileo said:
You would just love to see him put in a similar round of jumping at Cheltenham - but it is unlikely - to see what exactly he can do with a clear fluent round.
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True - but it is a struggle to envisage him putting in such a round at Champion Chase pace .

The only other thing is that Golden Silver strikes me as having struck up a real rapport with Townend and I don't think he goes as well for Ruby . I never felt that Florida Pearl and Ruby gelled and this horse could be the same.
 
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Delighted to see Big Zeb win after a break of seven weeks. I said before, this horse needs to be fresh and he has six weeks now to the Festival which is perfect. If he hadn't run in the Tingle Creek (when he wasn't fresh), I'm sure he would be 3 from 3 this season and much shorter for Cheltenham. Geraghty off is not a negative. He's a straight forward horse whose better in himself this season and is jumping better. He hasn't fallen for a while now!! Some will say he didn't jump well at Sandown but it wasn't his ability to jump was the problem there....he was just jaded. Although the railway fences would not suit him anyway.

I was delighted to see that win and look forward to Cheltenham now. I've followed this lad since he was a three year old in the yard. Come on Zeb
 
Doesn't matter, he's not good enough. No doubt we'll hear the same old 'if he puts in a good round' nonsense about Big Zeb coming up to Cheltenham. If that is the case, he should go racing on the flat.
 
So now one of the top two mile chasers in Ireland/Britain should not bother contesting the big races....Jesus Hamm I wish you would make your mind up....


Hamm said:
Doesn't matter, he's not good enough. No doubt we'll hear the same old 'if he puts in a good round' nonsense about Big Zeb coming up to Cheltenham. If that is the case, he should go racing on the flat.
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When did I say he shouldn't contest it?

I said if people are going to come out pre-Cheltenham with the usual stuff about this horse 'if he puts in a good round .... blah blah blah' then he is better off flat racing. The name of the game is jumping.

Funny how sensitive you are to Irish horses!
 
I do not see anyone saying he does not have jumping issues at times.

How many people said they just wanted a clear round from Moscow Flyer to see what he could do? Obviously jumping is the name of the game but I don't think there is any problem wanting to see him put in one of his better rounds to see what he can actually do.
 
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