The Road To The 2018 Champion Chase

hendo is a pessimistic sort but him saying Altior might not get a prep run and "should" be back for march raises serious alarm bells.

have backed Douvan at 7/2 for the queen mum on the back of this news anyhow.
 
If it's just a routine wind op like they say then I don't think there is anything to be worried about.
Bob's Worth had one after running in the Feltham , then ran in the Reynoldstown before winning the RSA.
 
The best spin you can put on it, is that it's a deviation from Plan 'A', so lit's egit to have mild concerns, I reckon.......though hopefully everything gets straightened-out with him soon enough.
 
JamesRB said:
hendo is a pessimistic sort but him saying Altior might not get a prep run and "should" be back for march raises serious alarm bells.

have backed Douvan at 7/2 for the queen mum on the back of this news anyhow.
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Unless he is telling lies its a minor breathing op he is getting. A few weeks box rest with very little work missed.
 
Sprinter had one after his Supreme and Might Bite had one before last season so heaven help the rest of the 2m brigade if helping him breathe easier improves Altior in a similar vein :ninja:
 
So the whistling noise was identified on Saturday but in his lengthy ATR interview on Monday he tells us that the horse looks magnificent and is right on course for the Tingle Creek. Two days later he’s going under the knife and he’s relieved that he doesn’t have to be retired.

Go figure....
 
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Are we absolutely certain that the whistling-noise wasn't just a rogue piece of Weetabix stuck in Henderson's nostril, when he was inspecting Altior yesterday?
 
Did you see what Altior did to the Punchestown Champion Chaser in the Game Spirit.........or the Champion Chaser in the Celebration Chase?

You appear to have him woefully under-estimated, Tanlic. His talent is indisputable, imo, and it's an error to dismiss it all as hype.
 
Yet somehow think that Yanworth is the second coming

The damage that even a windy Altior would do to Yanworth would be akin to letting Fritzel loose in a cellar
 
When did I say Yanworth was the second coming...........far from it?

You keep bringing up the Game Spirit Grassy and you constantly ignore the facts. Fox Norton's leg was badly cut prior to the Game Spirit and was boxed up for weeks before the race. he had done some work but barely enough to run and no chance of winning. The plan that was documented was to get a run into him wherever they could as they only had 4 weeks to go before the Champion Chase. In effect Altior had a virtual walk over as Dodging Bullet 3rd and tailed off was in such bad form he was retired after his next race.

I don't think anyone would dare compare his Arkle performance to that of Sprinter or Douvan which leaves you one race to tout that being the Celebration Chase.

So which Special Tiara turned up that day I ask. The one that ran in the Champion Chase or the One that ran in the Shloer Chase? in the Celebration he finished 4 lengths ahead of a horse rated 12lbs inferior to him for which he was dropped 5 lbs to his lowest mark for 3 years.

His toughest assignment so far was the Arkle which he won but not anywhere near as impressive as ecpected

The Tingle creek for me would have been a true test had UDS and Politilogue ( 2 solid yardsticks) had taken him on but as good as he looks and he does he has still to face a real tough test.
 
I agree Altior was more workmanlike than expected in the Arkle, but disagree with everything else.

Take Fox Norton out of the Newbury race if you like. You can even ignore ex-Champion Chaser Dodging bullets. That leaves you with Altior cantering all over a solid high-150’s horse in Traffic Fluide.

Take Champion Chaser Special Tiara out of Sandown, and it leaves you with Altior cantering all over 150-rated novices in San Benedeto and Vaniteaux.

Any way you cut it, Altior has displayed top-class form in both races.....even if we give you the benefit of the doubt on your highly-questionable assessments of FN and ST.
 
Really mate ?? Don't go there it's very dark at the bottom of a barrell

Trafic F solid? He was beaten 32 lengths..that's a distance and it's got bog all to do with anything.

Unless you want to comment on his run that day and compare it with his run 7 days later when he was beaten 44 lengths by Cue Card and again finished stone last.AGAIN

These horses are beaten so far they are insignificant.........they are there to have a look at the people and have a nice day out while picking up a nice pay day for their owner...

That Game Spirit was such a non event no one even bothered posting it on Youtube.
 
Willie Mullins said:
Douvan has been pleasing us at home and I was very happy with the work he did during the week. We hadn’t decided where he’d start off his campaign but that has changed and the likelihood now is he’ll go to Sandown for the Tingle Creek next month.
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Willie Mullins said:
Un De Sceaux won the Tingle Creek last year and could start back in that race or maybe in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork.
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sure, let the hype go and convince yourself he needs to be stepped up in trip, but why send UDS the hilly way? :lol: .. but seriously, do the owners of this horse have no spine?
 
Clearly Willie made his mind up when Altior was ruled out.

Great to see Douvan in the race though.
 
Even better if we see UDS in there as well considering he's won it last year.. 2nd place is worth the same as winning the Cork race so its a no-brainer for connections I would've thought.
 
Only danger to Douvan now is Ruby falling off him.......another fall today on a 1/3 shot hardly inspiring considering he did nothing to try and correct her
 
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Tanlic said:
Only danger to Douvan now is Ruby falling off him.......another fall today on a 1/3 shot hardly inspiring considering he did nothing to try and correct her
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It's wouldn't be a National Hunt season without Ruby Walsh cruising to the last having not touched his horse, which is an odds on shot, and falls offs.
I've still never forgiven him for Annie Powers fall. I still get cold sweats.
 
Double J said:
It's wouldn't be a National Hunt season without Ruby Walsh cruising to the last having not touched his horse, which is an odds on shot, and falls offs.
I've still never forgiven him for Annie Powers fall. I still get cold sweats.
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Heavy here at Cheltenham I reckon I wonder if they will take Special Tiara out tomorrow .
 
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