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Well that looked quite decent at Huntingdon just 
The Old Pretender
- Thread starter Irish Stamp
- Start date
Nick Mordin's penciled him in for the Gold Cup it would appear, mind you he told us that 12/1 about Detroit City wining three Champion Hurdles was a cracking bet;
THE OLD PRETENDER IS SOMETHING SPECIAL
THE OLD PRETENDER (37) strolled home on his racecourse debut at Huntingdon in one of the fastest Bumper races we've seen in recent years. In a race run at an unusually strong pace he was always going the best. Indeed he was going so well that fully half a mile out jockey Paul Maloney was stealing glances at this rivals.
Maloney soon kicked on with The Old Pretender, but after riding him along for half a furlong you could see he was wondering where the other horses had gone. Maloney looked first over his right shoulder then his left and even ducked down to look through his legs. Clearly he found it hard to believe that his mount had scooted into what was a twelve length lead so quickly. He decided to stop riding thereafter and allowed The Old Pretender to simply coast through the last furlong or so. Nonetheless he still won by eighteen lengths in pattern class time.
The Old Pretender is built and bred for chasing and could easily be a Cheltenham Gold Cup prospect if he translates this sort of form to fences. His trainer, Carl Llewellyn expressed an aversion to running the horse on firm ground in an interview earlier this season, and my experience tells me that trainers usually know a horse's going preference. However, I should add that The Old Pretender doesn't show much keen action and the best relatives on his sire and dam's side all acted on fast ground. In addition his dam's only other foal, a full brother to The Old Pretender, ran his best race to date on the fastest ground he's encountered (good to firm). This being so I wouldn't want to put anyone off taking the available 16-1 about The Old Pretender for the Cheltenham Festival Bumper. He might just be good enough to take that race even if it is run on the fast ground that normally prevails.
Next season I suspect The Old Pretender will go straight over fences seeing that his pedigree and physique point so strongly to him excelling in that sphere rather than over hurdles. In any event he looks to be one of the best prospects we've seen all season.
THE OLD PRETENDER IS SOMETHING SPECIAL
THE OLD PRETENDER (37) strolled home on his racecourse debut at Huntingdon in one of the fastest Bumper races we've seen in recent years. In a race run at an unusually strong pace he was always going the best. Indeed he was going so well that fully half a mile out jockey Paul Maloney was stealing glances at this rivals.
Maloney soon kicked on with The Old Pretender, but after riding him along for half a furlong you could see he was wondering where the other horses had gone. Maloney looked first over his right shoulder then his left and even ducked down to look through his legs. Clearly he found it hard to believe that his mount had scooted into what was a twelve length lead so quickly. He decided to stop riding thereafter and allowed The Old Pretender to simply coast through the last furlong or so. Nonetheless he still won by eighteen lengths in pattern class time.
The Old Pretender is built and bred for chasing and could easily be a Cheltenham Gold Cup prospect if he translates this sort of form to fences. His trainer, Carl Llewellyn expressed an aversion to running the horse on firm ground in an interview earlier this season, and my experience tells me that trainers usually know a horse's going preference. However, I should add that The Old Pretender doesn't show much keen action and the best relatives on his sire and dam's side all acted on fast ground. In addition his dam's only other foal, a full brother to The Old Pretender, ran his best race to date on the fastest ground he's encountered (good to firm). This being so I wouldn't want to put anyone off taking the available 16-1 about The Old Pretender for the Cheltenham Festival Bumper. He might just be good enough to take that race even if it is run on the fast ground that normally prevails.
Next season I suspect The Old Pretender will go straight over fences seeing that his pedigree and physique point so strongly to him excelling in that sphere rather than over hurdles. In any event he looks to be one of the best prospects we've seen all season.
And sure enough the horse earns this weeks 'Timewatch' nomination from Dave Edwards in the Weekender
The Old Pretender 120
"The majority of bumper races tend to be pedestrian affairs, but The Old Pretender bucked the trend when scoring decisively at Huntingdon on Friday. Most unusually, Carl Llewellyn's debutant recorded comparatively the fastest race on the card despite being eased considerably throughout the final furlong. The highly promising son of Our Vic has to be on the short list for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham".
Not only was he eased in running the fastest time, he did it on the worst of the ground too, and achieved without having any class par concessions made to him. As a bumper he'd be entitled to one of the more generous allowances and so if anything, the raw time actually under states his performance.
290 odd years later, perhaps the Old Pretender is on course to finally reclaim the throne? :dork:
The Old Pretender 120
"The majority of bumper races tend to be pedestrian affairs, but The Old Pretender bucked the trend when scoring decisively at Huntingdon on Friday. Most unusually, Carl Llewellyn's debutant recorded comparatively the fastest race on the card despite being eased considerably throughout the final furlong. The highly promising son of Our Vic has to be on the short list for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham".
Not only was he eased in running the fastest time, he did it on the worst of the ground too, and achieved without having any class par concessions made to him. As a bumper he'd be entitled to one of the more generous allowances and so if anything, the raw time actually under states his performance.
290 odd years later, perhaps the Old Pretender is on course to finally reclaim the throne? :dork:
Worth baring in mind the trainer thinks he has two better than this at home, Voice Of Reason being one.
I think its worth noting that okay it was impressive but it beat nothing in a canter on bottomless ground. Not always the best lines for Cheltenham imo.
I think its worth noting that okay it was impressive but it beat nothing in a canter on bottomless ground. Not always the best lines for Cheltenham imo.
Arkwright
Journeyman
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Interesting what you say about Voice and Reason as this is what Carl said after that one won on Saturday.
Almost certainly not for sale, either, is Voice Of Reason, who completed a double for trainer Carl Llewellyn when producing a gritty staying performance to land the Listed bumper.
Llewellyn, who earlier took the 2m handicap chase with Letalus as a trainer, also rode Voice Of Reason, who he likes, but possibly not as much as Friday's runaway Huntingdon bumper winner The Old Pretender.
"He's nowhere near good enough for the Champion Bumper," said Llewellyn, who, however, believes that The Old Pretender could be - provided there is a wet spring.
Of Voice Of Reason, he added: "He quickened up well but he's a galloper. He'll maybe have one more run in a bumper and then it will be a novice hurdle in May if the ground is right."
Almost certainly not for sale, either, is Voice Of Reason, who completed a double for trainer Carl Llewellyn when producing a gritty staying performance to land the Listed bumper.
Llewellyn, who earlier took the 2m handicap chase with Letalus as a trainer, also rode Voice Of Reason, who he likes, but possibly not as much as Friday's runaway Huntingdon bumper winner The Old Pretender.
"He's nowhere near good enough for the Champion Bumper," said Llewellyn, who, however, believes that The Old Pretender could be - provided there is a wet spring.
Of Voice Of Reason, he added: "He quickened up well but he's a galloper. He'll maybe have one more run in a bumper and then it will be a novice hurdle in May if the ground is right."
Impressive performance as it was from The Old Pretender, a heavy ground, right-handed, flat track win wouldn't appear to be the ideal prep for a Champion Bumper, and would suggest perhaps that Llewellyn didn't see him as his Champion Bumper horse beforehand. If that were the case and Voice of Reason doesn't have it on his agenda he must have something pretty special in mind to take to Cheltenham.
Strategic Approach presumably Chris? He was comfortably despatched by The Big Orse who looked useful in winning the race. He looked like a future chaser to me and as he's six already I wonder whether Llewellyn would now be tempted to go the same way as Voice of Reason and get him over a hurdle before the season is out. He's obviously been given time, and he did show signs of greeness, but my feeling from the race was that it happened a bit too quick for him and the fact he's from a staying family would perhaps support that. All that said he's entitled to come on plenty for the race and the experience, and I have to admit to having heard good things about him myself before the race at Newbury.
Shadow Leader
At the Start
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I've lost count of the amount of horses per season that are labelled "Llewellyn's best bumper horse" in hushed tones, as though they're Pegasus.
In fact Murphy is a classic case in point - spoken of as the best thing since sliced bread at one point; 8th out of 13 on its debut then last on its subsequent run.
I wouldn't believe a thing I heard from the yard about how good or not one of Llewellyn's yokes was.
In fact Murphy is a classic case in point - spoken of as the best thing since sliced bread at one point; 8th out of 13 on its debut then last on its subsequent run.
I wouldn't believe a thing I heard from the yard about how good or not one of Llewellyn's yokes was.