The Road to the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup

granger said:
Great post this. I'm going to rewatch more races in future.

Sometimes people just repeat what they imagine happened.

Specific to podcasts, RP podcast is dirt, FF is becoming almost a cabaret which is such a shame, matchbook with Rory is better but it's gambling focused 100% fair enough given the sponsor
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not listened to FF in a long time which is a shame as kevin blake is a student of the game who i have plenty of time for

matchbook is the listen of choice at the moment when rory d is on
 
archie said:
The Al Boum Photo run in the RSA is a case in point with someone saying it was a tired fall and that being repeated ad nauseum until it becomes an accepted fact (Lydia Hislop please take note).
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Bit harsh as he was certainly looked beat. Mistake 4 out clearly wouldn't have helped.
 
Flaggers said:
I agree, and the further Kemboy has gone, the better he looks. I see a lot of love on here for Monalee and Road for Respect (but he was coming back from a break) and he absolutely murdered them. He turned in at Leopardstown absolutely swinging when everything else was off the bit. For me I think he won that very cosily and arguably, Mullins went to win the race when I doubt Ruby would have pressed the button yet. I think Percy is the best horse but only if he gets there and if he doesn't Kemboy is a good price to hit the frame NRNB for me!
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Harsh to say he murdered Road to Respect who had plenty of excuses, at 4pts bigger looks a better bet to me.
 
Frankel said:
Bit harsh as he was certainly looked beat. Mistake 4 out clearly wouldn't have helped.
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All ABP does is stay. I'm fairly confident that he would have been second had he stood up. It wasn't a tired fall whatever way you look at it but that seems to be the authorised version in medialand.
 
Beef or Salmon said:
Harsh to say he murdered Road to Respect who had plenty of excuses, at 4pts bigger looks a better bet to me.
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RTR slips and out first time but I don’t think he was winning or getting that close, Flanagan was bouncing before the slip to try and get rhythm, not travelling! Still a chance in the GC but happy with Kemboy!
 
I think the RP podcasts just depend who is on the show!
FFP has just gone from bad to worse, Kennedy just ruins it; everyone has so much time for Blake but I just can’t hack the garbage from Kennedy - made a real farce of it!
 
archie said:
All ABP does is stay. I'm fairly confident that he would have been second had he stood up. It wasn't a tired fall whatever way you look at it but that seems to be the authorised version in medialand.
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Well he still has that to prove really. He certainly is not slow.
Certainly debatable if he would have finished ahead of Monalee, even if it does appear he is more one for the Ryanair this year.
How much store we put in the Growise where he looked like winning is debatable again.
 
Who trains a Gold Cup winner first ; WPM or Noel Meade ?

Will it be this year ?

Galmoy Hurdle Presenting Percy's preferred seasonal debut Thursday Week; I hope they get enough rain to see him run; some forecast for mid week.
 
edgt said:
Who trains a Gold Cup winner first ; WPM or Noel Meade ?

Will it be this year ?

Galmoy Hurdle Presenting Percy's preferred seasonal debut Thursday Week; I hope they get enough rain to see him run; some forecast for mid week.
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Don't think Meade has a horse capable of it this year anyway
 
I've obviously got a vested interest so I'm just going to list some facts and let others interpret them as they wish.


There has been some comment about the Savills implying that it was a slow and muddled pace. While bearing in mind that Irish race distances and going descriptions are notoriously approximate and my own hand timings are also very much approximate, I've come up with these 'facts'.


2018
Winning time: 6m 6.5s
Time for final circuit: 3m 34s
Going: Good to Yielding
Comment: Faster than all but one of the previous ten runnings. Winner rated 157 before the race and 167 after.


2017
Winning time: 6m 8.4s
Time for final circuit: 3m 41s
Going: Yielding
Comment: Winner rated 163 before the race and 167 after.


2016
Winning time: 6m 2.4s
Time for final circuit: 3m 39s
Going: Yielding
Comment: Fastest race in the 11 years covered. Winner rated 160 before the race and 164 after.


2011
Winning time: 6m 19.5s
Time for final circuit: 3m 42s
Going: Good
Comment: Fastest going in the 11 years covered. The winner (Synchronised - 155 rated before this race) went on to win the Gold Cup in his next race off an official rating of 167.
 
Flaggers said:
FFP has just gone from bad to worse, Kennedy just ruins it; everyone has so much time for Blake but I just can’t hack the garbage from Kennedy - made a real farce of it!
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My thoughts exactly. As well as the thoughts of others I've spoken to.

I took a break from it for about a year. I'm back listening the last few weeks, and you can hear it in Blake's voice/laughs etc. that he's rolling his eyes at some of Kennedy's "jokes".

I can put up with his annoyance to hear what Blake has to say at the moment....although i'm not sure how long I can keep listening before I'll need another year off.
 
granger said:
Surprised at how well Alboum Photo was going looking backl - would not be put off him at all
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He's a horse I had put a line through half-way through last season, replying to anyone that brought him up in conversation with...."can't jump"
It didn't surprise me that he didn't complete in the RSA.

But i'm starting to think I need to re-assess my opinion.
A novice last season, it's entirely possible his jumping will improve this season.
It'll be interesting to see how he goes in the Irish Gold Cup.
 
hezz said:
He's a horse I had put a line through half-way through last season, replying to anyone that brought him up in conversation with...."can't jump"
It didn't surprise me that he didn't complete in the RSA.

But i'm starting to think I need to re-assess my opinion.
A novice last season, it's entirely possible his jumping will improve this season.
It'll be interesting to see how he goes in the Irish Gold Cup.
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I think he is just a slow horse to come around and grow up

I really liked that RSA run when looking back at it
 
Frodon to go for this if he stays in the Cotswold.

Wise decision? If he does stay he'd have as much chance as anyone, really wide open this year.
 
Same here. Very good handicapper but found out at G1 level. Tailed off in Ryanair last year.


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I think I will grin and bare the ones they do in review of DRF and preview the Festival just to hear Blake but I can't do it anymore and I know wilsonl is of a similar mindset. Completely agree with you though, it feels like Blake just wants Kennedy out as well. Kennedy could do with listening to how other hosts of podcasts host and take note - THE PODCAST IS NOT ABOUT YOU KENNEDY
 
Kauto Abu said:
Same here. Very good handicapper but found out at G1 level. Tailed off in Ryanair last year.
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I'm not sure I can agree, KA.

I think Frodon had a bad day at the office in the Shitebagair and is much improved this season. I don't have my figures to hand for him but he'll be higher than a lot of so-called Gold Cup contenders.

My doubt about him would be his stamina for a Gold Cup.
 
Tout est Permis winning over an inadequate trip really impressed me today.

I love seeing boats of the future win over short trips.

His star is on the rise but talks of the Ryanair are pointless.

Look forward to him getting his trip and conditions in time but def notes as one who wins a race at a big price someday.

Meade has done some job with him and great to see him having a great season.
 
It's hard to be sure, but Total Recall might have got up were it not for blundering at the last
 
That’s the way it looked to me. I was slightly surprised Ruby kicked Paul Townend off after Invitation Only got pulled out and then Ruby did what Ruby often seems to have done and made a mess of the last


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Total Recall made a mistake at the fence first time around as well.
Pity as he was staying on .
The winner must be the most improved chaser of this season; hard to equate him with the horse that finished a poor third in a Cork 3 year old hurdle.
Delighted for Noel Meade.
 
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