The Champion Chase 2010

We're really not having a "is Master Minded a good horse or not?" conversation on here surely?? :blink:

Anyone with eyesight could see the horse wasn't travelling at all yesterday.
 
Let people believe in their blinkered views and have their snide comments if they wish - after all, the moderators will come and defend them if needs be. Anyone is out of their mind if they think Big Zeb is within the same parish as Master Minded.

I really can't hide my distaste for people who try and portray themselves as in with a horse when they have nothing to do with it, especially when you have so many people much closer to many horses who behave with a bit more something - I know 1/2 people are quite close to Reve de Sivola if I'm not mistaken yet I don't see them on here blathering after a fine performance. Some things you can't buy.
 
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Hamm said:
Let people believe in their blinkered views and have their snide comments if they wish - after all, the moderators will come and defend them if needs be.
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You're no stranger to blinkered views or snide comments yourself. Moderators are just as entitled to post their views as you are.
 
I made a very gracious comment and have to put up with a guy who thinks he has some link to Big Zeb and his friend the moderator chastising me - what is all this about?

I have no problems with strong opinions but when I have to read the rubbish posted in this thread, it leaves a bad taste.
 
It would be some race in prospect if DeBromhead decided to pitch Sizing Europe in against Big Zeb at Punchestown. Both appear to relish that track.
 
With regard to good grace, here is your own post after the Tingle Creek - funny, didn't see any good grace there only excuses

It just came too soon for Big Zeb. He's best fresh and irrespective of how easy a race you think he had at Navan, it was 2 miles on heavy ground against a 140 rated horse (I think). He was very quiet at the start and normally pulls through a race. The fact he had to travel too would not have helped. But anyway, tiz done now. If Twist Magic had beaten For Paddy in a photo, people would be saying he bottled out of a winnable race to pick up easy races at home. At the end of the day, no one died and he will be back for Cheltenham and more importantly, IMO, Punchestown where he has done well before.
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Hamm said:
With regard to good grace, here is your own post after the Tingle Creek - funny, didn't see any good grace there only excuses
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I'm not sure what your point is......I didn't think he should have gone for the Tingle Creek and that's what I was saying. I also recall you saying Voler should have run in the Christmas hurdle rather than he mares race and judged on how she went on Tuesday, the right decision was made at Crimbo as she falls short of that standard.
 
My point is you were as wrong about the Tingle Creek as I was about the Champion Chase - you only came up with excuses whereas I offered you congratulations yet have been told I didn't do it with good grace. Apparently words such as 'brilliant', 'I'll eat all the humble pie in the world', 'the front 2 underperformed without taking anything away from the winner' is not praise enough for you. What exactly do you want?

Voler point?? You highlighted something where I was wrong - good man. If we all took that approach we would be here all day with every single forumite.

This is all very, very petty from both you & Galileo. Make your jokes about pictures etc but you look very small in all this.
 
Hamm, there are plenty on here with strong opinions and some on this thread who shared your view and I have no issue with their views or opinions, in fact I respect their approach to the thread and have received thanks from some for sharing the inside line with them as they were losing faith in Zeb after Sandown.

We have more than a difference of opinion, and I think it's pretty clear to see that, so lets just leave it at that rather than boring other forumites. And just to point out, Gal and I are fellow forumites and not bosom buddies, so you are better off keeping any disparaging comments about him to yourself as I'd say he's pretty well respected by most on here.
 
I get the feeling that Master Minded has something wrong with him and sometimes he really feels it. His win two years ago was almost perfection. I backed Kalahari King to beat him this time because he is not 100%. If he were mine I'd retire him. One of the very best.
 
Moscow Flyer and Master Minded both ran in Cheltenhan once too many despite early warnings.
 
If Master Minded ran land jumped (except the last) like he did at newbury again, he would stuff the lot of them. I would still be against Big Zeb from now on. His price will be short enough and until we see a succession of decent rounds of jumping, he will still be very capable of putting in a Sandown type performance
 
Did he surprise you, though, clivex? There was a school of thought which suggested that he wasn't worthy. Of course, at their best, Master Minded is a better horse. But would you accept that Big Zeb would take the rest of them if he jumps around safely?
 
The Nicholls yard as a whole seems to be under a bit of a cloud at present, barring a couple of runners who looked and performed well (Sanctuaire, in particular). Maybe the very long and cold winter has taken its toll?

Some of the Irish horses too looked as though a bit of spring sunshine would help as many looked okay but weren't sparkling as normal - the majority lacked the lovely bloom that we normally see in their coats at this time of year - the exceptions being Sizing Europe, Big Zeb and Weapon's Amnesty who all looked strikingly well, both physically and in themselves.

Neither Master Minded nor Ruby looked happy during the race and I got the strong impression that MM was trying to lug right, as he had done last time he ran here. Something hurting and aggravated by the ups and downs of the track, maybe?
 
Did he surprise you, though, clivex? There was a school of thought which suggested that he wasn't worthy. Of course, at their best, Master Minded is a better horse. But would you accept that Big Zeb would take the rest of them if he jumps around safely
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Only in putting in a safe round bobbyjo. We saw last year at punchestown that he can travel extremely well and has real class, but i just assumed he would fumble at one or two and that would be it.

Nice he won though. Like the trainer. but i always tend towards the view that once a dodgy jumper....and thats the only reason why i wouldnt back him in a hurry again at likely prices

I do wonder if they will bring him over again in December... After the champion it is the race that you would want any two miler to win, but its those railway fences
 
that's fair enough clive....once you weren't in the Matt Chapman school of thought, that's fine!! I believe he said something like Big Zeb could start in February and still wouldn't win
 
Whilst I think he looked very good at cheltenham (& I agree with Clive that the railway fences will find him out if he travels over again), I do find it odd the comparative RPRs between hurdling and chasing.

Does anyone really think Big Zeb is as good in his sphere as Binocular in his?

I'm not sure why it is, but it seems (relatively) quite easy to get a 170 rating as a chaser, but near impossible as a 2 miler hurdler.
 
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