The Road To The 2021 Champion Hurdle

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Could be a real family occasion at Cheltenham.

Goshen is the half brother of Willie trained mare, Elimay.
 
have to stith Epatante...keeping in mind the rea lreason for Honeysuckle running may simply be mathematics.......2nd in the CH is worth 100K the Mares is she won would be worth 65K

The owner may be loaded and not care but without Honeysuckle he'd be losing a fortune over he last 5 years .....so even if she losses finacially its worth the gamble
 
Maruco said:
The problem for Epatante this year is the pace they’ll go. It’s going to be a hot race given at least three credible horses are going to want to be leading at various points.

Epatante relies on her finishing kick, and this renewal is going to be won by the horse that grinds it out the best. Epatante is easily my biggest winner in the race, but I fear that the events and results over the last three weeks are more likely to make her my biggest loser, so I’ll be spending the next three weeks adjusting my book.
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Petite Muchoir is no slow coach and although made most he did inject a lot of pace into the race at a crucial point before weakening...Barrynever flinched and was never off the bridle although you would expect from 2 out more pace than last year I reckon they will still struggle to inject enough pace to beat her...........lets not forget this is 2 miles not 2m4f which gives her a huge advantage
 
The real reason Honeysuckle is going for the CH is because she has the beating of every Irish 2-miler, and the English horses are all beating each other. Her form chance is bang there, and there is no way she is running for second-place in an attempt to balance the books. Strong stayers have an excellent record in the race too, and it’s madness to write her off, because she gets 2m4f.
 
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Tanlic said:
Petite Muchoir is no slow coach and although made most he did inject a lot of pace into the race at a crucial point before weakening...Barrynever flinched and was never off the bridle although you would expect from 2 out more pace than last year I reckon they will still struggle to inject enough pace to beat her...........lets not forget this is 2 miles not 2m4f which gives her a huge advantage
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Did kempton just not happen?
 
Grasshopper said:
The real reason Honeysuckle is going for the CH is because she has the beating of every Irish 2-miler, and the English horses are all beating each other. Her form chance is bang there, and there is no way she is running for second-place in an attempt to balance the books. Strong stayers have an excellent record in the race too, and it’s madness to write her off, because she gets 2m4f.
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Absolutely, she has every right to be there as potential winner and I’m sure Henderson knows he’s got a true fight on his hands. (Shame they are both going to be knocked off by Goshen, though:D)
 
Tanlic said:
have to stith Epatante...keeping in mind the rea lreason for Honeysuckle running may simply be mathematics.......2nd in the CH is worth 100K the Mares is she won would be worth 65K

The owner may be loaded and not care but without Honeysuckle he'd be losing a fortune over he last 5 years .....so even if she losses finacially its worth the gamble
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Sorry, have to call BS on this, not a hope in hell did any thinking along those lines ever enter any of the connections heads. that kind of money is literally spare change to Kenny Aleaxander.

She goes to the CH becasuse she has the best form of any of them this season, has already won a Mares and no one has any idea what her celining is. Not going for the Champion Hurdle would leave them never knowing.
 
C’mon Tanlic......it was a Grade 1 where she was the clear form-pick. You can’t just write-off a disappointing performance with ‘They weren’t trying’. Better that you concede the fact, and hope for better next time.
 
Epattnte ran a good trial . Blatantly obvious she wasn't fully fit terrible mistake 3 out but still kept in touch with SS...I'd say a win would have been nice but Nicky'shad more than one run below for at Kempton....he has used the meeting to sharpen up horses for the festival for years....read your history
 
Tanlic said:
ofcourse it happened the question is why. Obviously she wasn't fully would up but Nicky wanted to get a run into her......nothing more if that was the case thsn a racecoursse gallop
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she'd already had a run, it wasn't a desperation race for her to get fitness, it was a natural stepping stone in her season in a grade 1 worth plenty of money.

she may not have been fully wound up to 100% but she wouldn't have been fair away and thusly it was a disappointing loss.
 
She clearly wasn't right at Kempton. She didn't carry herself great and they think they found the issue and have sorted it.
Hardly ideal going in to the Champion though.
 
She was very mulish coming out of the paddock, and going to post at Kempton. That might have been something to do with the under-par performance, but if it was, it would hardly fill you with confidence for her next race.
 
For however much you can rely on trainer comments these by Henderson after the race don’t make it sound as if it was just a training gallop. She was expected to win and should have done so. If there was a problem and it’s sorted then ok - otherwise it was a bad run.

“I’ve had a chat with Aidan. She scoped clean, her heart is clean and she blew for 20 minutes which is spot-on normal. Twenty minutes is right, 15 minutes you’ve done nothing and 25 minutes you are not fit.
“Aidan said he wasn’t getting the same feel he did off her at Newcastle. I don’t think that was the ground – it was just one of those things that happened. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her.
“She has been really well in herself, and her preparation has been completely perfect – for me anyway. We all thought everything was 100 per cent. Aidan just felt he wasn’t going well enough, because she is the sort of horse you can just ride along on the bridle and press the button and she goes.
 
Beef or Salmon said:
Sorry, have to call BS on this, not a hope in hell did any thinking along those lines ever enter any of the connections heads. that kind of money is literally spare change to Kenny Aleaxander.

She goes to the CH becasuse she has the best form of any of them this season, has already won a Mares and no one has any idea what her celining is. Not going for the Champion Hurdle would leave them never knowing.
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Fair comment I have no idea about the owner....prestige is vey important to most owners but some are more dependant on hard cash
 
Ive been really fancying Aba for last few months, but that Goshen run was outstanding.

Genuinely not sure what to think, I wouldn’t be laying him but I wouldn’t be backing him either. Looks an absolute monster when he gets his way though.

Im on Buveur and Abacadabras (have Saint Roi as well :lol:) wont be going in on anything else now
 
Double J said:
Ive been really fancying Aba for last few months, but that Goshen run was outstanding.

Genuinely not sure what to think, I wouldn’t be laying him but I wouldn’t be backing him either. Looks an absolute monster when he gets his way though.

Im on Buveur and Abacadabras (have Saint Roi as well :lol:) wont be going in on anything else now
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I think its wrong to suggest (you aren't the only one to suggest it) that Goshen needs it his way. When Goshen is on form, there is no 'his way', he does his own thing and others cant cope.

It is why in the lead up to the Triumph, it was seen that the scorching gallop would suit those that come from behind. Goshen just kept going. It didnt matter. Regular front-runners like Song For Someone couldnt go with him this weekend. Its just a matter if a) he is on form and b) if he can do the same to the highest class of opposition
 
HawkWing said:
Regular front-runners like Song For Someone couldnt go with him this weekend.
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Song For Someone was beaten early. Was never happy and you feared the worst before the 3rd. Not sure I would be using that as a marker.
 
Im not using it as a marker, just an example of what happens to front runners who run against him - see Allmankind and Navajo Pass also. And if you really want to stretch it Aspire Tower. The critical part of the race, just before the turn in, where Navajo Pass thought they could kick, and Jamie Moore felt, I can't go this slow for much longer and left out an inch of rein. Without Goshen in the race, Song For Someone would have plenty of bandwagoners for the Champion now.
 
Winner of the International, beating Silver Streak, having been inconvenienced by no jumps, winner of the Kingwell by 20l (beating Buveur dair's conquerer), you bet there would.
 
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