The Gold Cup 2010

SteveM said:
I don't know where the notion that Denman was struggling comes from though.
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Primarily it comes from A P McCoy's comment that he wasn't happy with how Denman was going and disappointed that he couldn't pull away from Niche Market before the mistake. Paul Nicholls said that AP simply doesn't know the horse well enough to make that kind of judgement.
 
rorydelargy said:
Primarily it comes from A P McCoy's comment that he wasn't happy with how Denman was going and disappointed that he couldn't pull away from Niche Market before the mistake. Paul Nicholls said that AP simply doesn't know the horse well enough to make that kind of judgement.
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That's true but also throughout the race I thought Denman was going to piss in but literally around 5 seconds before the fence where he made his first mistake I thought "uh oh" and then thump. There was just something about the horse's approach to that fence that made me sit up and think the race was up for grabs.
 
To be fair, though, Niche Market did look exceptionally well that day, as did Tricky Trickster. Denman did not look as sharp as he did for the Hennessy, so it may be that AP's comment did not allow for the relative wellbeing of each horse. To my eyes, clean jumps would have won Denman the race (although he might have had to work a bit harder than normal) and Nicholls admitted afterwards that he was a month off being fully fit and wound up and is now saying that you write him off at your own risk.
 
redhead said:
To be fair, though, Niche Market did look exceptionally well that day, as did Tricky Trickster. Denman did not look as sharp as he did for the Hennessy, so it may be that AP's comment did not allow for the relative wellbeing of each horse. To my eyes, clean jumps would have won Denman the race (although he might have had to work a bit harder than normal) and Nicholls admitted afterwards that he was a month off being fully fit and wound up and is now saying that you write him off at your own risk.
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This seems the only sane way of looking at things to me. Obviously McCoy was going to be a bit downcast, but as we've said he doesn't know the horse.
 
redhead said:
To be fair, though, Niche Market did look exceptionally well that day, as did Tricky Trickster. Denman did not look as sharp as he did for the Hennessy, so it may be that AP's comment did not allow for the relative wellbeing of each horse. To my eyes, clean jumps would have won Denman the race (although he might have had to work a bit harder than normal) and Nicholls admitted afterwards that he was a month off being fully fit and wound up and is now saying that you write him off at your own risk.
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The whole point is Denman did not need to be as sharp for the Aon as he needed to be for the Hennessy. The Aon was a penalty kick that an 70-80% horse like Denman should have won in a hack canter.

The idea that McCoy does not "know" the horse and so cannot comment on him is bizarre - rules out all our opinions then!
 
Certainly he didn't need to be fully wound up physically, but he didn't seem that tuned up mentally either.
 
Did anyone see how Imperial Commander got on in a gallop at Kempton after racing? He seems to be the only horse that Nicholls is worrying about in the Gold Cup
 
If he turns up looking as welll as Razor Royale did, PF has reason to be cautious.

The brief glimpse I got of IC gave me the impression that he was well in himself, but his actual physical condition was obscured by the gloom and his rug.
 
Imperial Commander seems incapable of putting in top class efforts back to back. Good news is, his last run was lamentable!
 
I probably would too. Taranis also put in a big performance after his lay off, but I can't get too excited about one or the other possibly reaching the vacant spot in the frame. Even backing for a place is effectively betting to win as it seems that they are all running for third spot against the two.
 
I don't think the Haydock chase course is anything like so much of a test since they reconfigured the track.
 
I expect Kauto Star to win this.

As for Haydock, I thoroughly dislike its chase course now, and while KS usually manages to win round there, he hasn't looked like the imperious horse that subsequently shows up at Kempton.

I know IC goes well at Cheltenham, but I remain unconvinced about his stamina at this level, and to be honest, I'll be disappointed if KS can't account for him comfortably.
 
Denman will be subject to a pre-race veterinary check at Cheltenham after finding himself in the high-risk category after failing to complete the course on two of his past three outings.
The 2008 Gold Cup winner's stunning success in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup in November was sandwiched between a fall at Aintree and unseated rider at Newbury.
Despite his credentials as one of the premier staying chasers in the country, Denman is not above BHA regulations and will have to be assessed before the race on welfare grounds.
"Any horse that falls into the criteria will be examined and it will be no different for Denman," BHA spokesman Paul Struthers told the Daily Mail. "These measures were introduced four years ago after the high number of fatalities at the Festival. The checks are conducted by the racecourse vet and are standard procedure."
Trainer Paul Nicholls took the news on the chin, as he feels it will not have an impact on Denman's well-being.
"I hadn't even thought of it but there will be no problem" Nicholls said. "The vets will just check him over in the stables and whatever they want to do will be fine."
 
Kauto to win, however I think IC might sneak into 2nd. He will stay round Cheltenham and I've got this feeling that Denman still isn't 100%
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Denman will be subject to a pre-race veterinary check at Cheltenham after finding himself in the high-risk category after failing to complete the course on two of his past three outings.
The 2008 Gold Cup winner's stunning success in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup in November was sandwiched between a fall at Aintree and unseated rider at Newbury.
Despite his credentials as one of the premier staying chasers in the country, Denman is not above BHA regulations and will have to be assessed before the race on welfare grounds.
"Any horse that falls into the criteria will be examined and it will be no different for Denman," BHA spokesman Paul Struthers told the Daily Mail. "These measures were introduced four years ago after the high number of fatalities at the Festival. The checks are conducted by the racecourse vet and are standard procedure."
Trainer Paul Nicholls took the news on the chin, as he feels it will not have an impact on Denman's well-being.
"I hadn't even thought of it but there will be no problem" Nicholls said. "The vets will just check him over in the stables and whatever they want to do will be fine."
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Like it says standard procedure. Nothing should be read into this. The horse is thriving.
 
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