The King George

Just watched the race again and I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. Long Run has a really good jumping set up. He put down at the 11th when trying to match strides with Kauto and got close to the wing six out (13th). Apart from that he jumped the other 16 pretty much impeccably and very safely. He flew the second last when under pressure and corrected himself when landing a little awkwardly at the last. There is nothing too much wrong with this.
 
For me, Long Run will reign supreme after that run.

He was pushed along early, maybe about 8 fences from home if I remember? anyway he kept on fighting with his tank pretty much empty for a mile and still managed to finish within 8l of Kauto Star and a new track record.

There is no doubt in my mind that Long Run will come out this a new horse, it was the perfect run you could of had and I don't think many Betfair Chase winners have ever been primed to win the race which he was up against a big task especially as that primed horse was one of the best we'll probably ever get to see in our lifetimes.

Long Run will win the King George and Gold Cup, he'll have more speed, sparkle and finess in his running after leaving all his summer puppy fat on the ground at Haydock were he's going to be stripped into a lean mean fighting machine which in truth no one will be able to stop - not even Masterminded! who in my books will stay three miles but he won't stay three miles in a fashion that's required too! he'd pick up some nice three miles over in Ireland.
 
I said forget not know. The way people are talking it is as if he's finished. This wasn't even a loss of form. He's simply not at peak fitness for this season, or even at his peak physically as an individual. The point I'm making is that not too many have already won a King George and Gold Cup at this stage. There is plenty more to come.
 
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SteveM said:
The way people are talking it is as if he's finished. This wasn't even a loss of form. He's simply not at peak fitness for this season, or even at his peak physically as an individual. The point I'm making is that not too many have already won a King George and Gold Cup at this stage. There is plenty more to come.
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The only thing I need to work out now is will the market continue to be against the horse. Anything 7/4+ at Kempton is a bet for me.
 
SteveM said:
The way people are talking it is as if he's finished. This wasn't even a loss of form. He's simply not at peak fitness for this season, or even at his peak physically as an individual. The point I'm making is that not too many have already won a King George and Gold Cup at this stage. There is plenty more to come.
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People said that about Master Minded after his first CC. I'm not necessarily sure he has regressed (The CC he won that year was poor I thought and Voy Por Ustedes was on the wain) but he certainly hasn't dominated as you would expect. He has a similar profile to Long Run in that sense. Kauto has broken the previously held mantra that French breds don't progress as well because they start early but he has broken many rules and Long Run might just be as good as he is. Just a thought.
 
SteveM said:
Just watched the race again and I really don’t know what all the fuss is about. Long Run has a really good jumping set up. He put down at the 11th when trying to match strides with Kauto and got close to the wing six out (13th). Apart from that he jumped the other 16 pretty much impeccably and very safely. He flew the second last when under pressure and corrected himself when landing a little awkwardly at the last. There is nothing too much wrong with this.
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Indeed, you see it better than most with this one. He jumps lower than Kauto, but he's quick and accurate.
 
Sizing Europe will fund all Christmas presenst and my visit to Burma/Laos and Cambodia in the Tingle Creek. I'm generally against Long Run. He just hasn't wowed me yet
 
He clips fences far too often to be called a good jumper. He simply is not and if he was up to scratch, yogi bear wouldnt be back on the Henderson payroll.

All this talk about "fat" before the race, did anyone see him in the paddock for real? I have no idea but nothing ive seen indicates that he was needing this badly physically. As before, this is a big race and its not hendersons way. If massive improvement is expected., i think some might be disappointed. And you hardly "run on" if that short of fitness eitehr
 
clivex said:
He clips fences far too often to be called a good jumper. He simply is not and if he was up to scratch, yogi bear wouldnt be back on the Henderson payroll.

All this talk about "fat" before the race, did anyone see him in the paddock for real? I have no idea but nothing ive seen indicates that he was needing this badly physically. As before, this is a big race and its not hendersons way. If massive improvement is expected., i think some might be disappointed. And you hardly "run on" if that short of fitness eitehr
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Well, he wasn't running on because that would mean he was gaining on the winner but he was staying on - that's what you call class, strip the throughbred down of race fitness (a fundemental that every racehorse has) and you're left with mentality & class - the variance in these two variable is what makes the Sport unquestionably the greatest science in the world.

You take Nicky Henderson, he wouldn't have every horse under the same training regime, unlike us he see's his horses every day and understands the lengths to which he wants to take them before achieving their goal and by god it would have been unfathombly stupid to leave Long Run without much improvement to come.

Different horses are set differently, if they were all the same then how boring would it be! Nicky Henderson will know how much condition Long Run has but to us it may seem he looks normal, why? well for one we're untrained to the eye and we don't have the same set of horses to look at day in day out - when we're at the races we unconciously compare traits from what we're seeing around us to influence our decision on our primative target.
 
Hamm said:
Can't have what? ...
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The suggestion that Long Run is "quick and accurate" jumper of fences.

He is better than careful or safe, but he's only a notch or two above that, imo. Master Minded (when he isn't carrying an injury) is a quick and accurate jumper; one of the very best, in fact. Long Run isn't in the same league, in terms of getting from one side of a fence to the other.

Mind you, he rarely gets himself into serious bother, and I'd hesitate before I laid him based on his jumping alone.
 
Fair enough Bruce. I probably overdid the response (not unknown..)

Hes a terrific horse and we need those always
 
clivex said:
Fair enough Bruce. I probably overdid the response (not unknown..)

Hes a terrific horse and we need those always
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Sorry for the hasty reply, I see your point of view and it's a great one but maybe hindsight will give us both the right answer!

Yes, he's great for the sport! :)
 
I did wonder if Henrietta Knight had a masterplan for Somersby but her latest comments say to me that he isn't good enough and she knows it.
 
I think Somersby is a better horse going right handed rather than left

also remove Master Minded from his form and thats further enhanced

RH is record..without MM

141331231211 = 50%


record left handed

31225 = 20%

the win was when he had a relatively easy task the race before taking his first grade 2

some decent placed efforts there..yes..but no wins of significance
 
I think so too, over 3m.
If Somersby hadn't finished 2nd in the Arkle, he'd have probably have run over the distance long ago. As it stands, Hen says she can't wait to run him over the trip, yet she keeps shoving him back to get outpaced over 2.
 
The thing everyone seems to have forgotten is how terrible the stats were for Gold Cup winners trying to repeat their succeses until Best Mate came along and then Kauto and Denman shared the prize for three years. It is not easy to do .
 
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