The Road To The 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Good luck with the project Luke. I think Hdb didn’t get a clear run with him last year given the shape of the novice programme. Where next on the back of a win today will be interesting as more experience between now and Christmas will be on the agenda.
 
LUKE said:
Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.
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I rewatched the Festival last week to refresh my memory and the RSA still hurt. I'm already heavily invested in the horse for next March (mainly due to an Arc/GC double with Sottsass) so hopefully we'll have plenty to celebrate.
 
LUKE said:
For what it’s worth-I had a 20 minute chat with HdB about a month ago-I have a theory that Minella Indo is a spring horse and asked him what his opinion was.aHis reply was that he doesn’t think he is a spring horse but It takes a lot of work to get him fit.He also said he was going to give it a right lash to get him ready for Christmas -he didn’t say Kempton or Leopardstown.
Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.
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Good to see you still about, Luke. Good luck with that.

I'm quite intrigued by Kim Bailey's comments that he thinks Vinndication will improve again this season and could improve the "10 pounds or so" he needs to find to be a contender.

Like Luke, I am trying to think a bit laterally or outside the box on feasible targets, and given Vinndications best performances have come right handed, I am considering an anti post bet on the horse for the King George, which he is currently priced at 33/1.

There's little doubt he'll run before Christmas, in something like the Betfair Chase, so a good placed effort would see him shorten for the King George, around a right handed track like Kempton that he might just favour. It's plausible.
 
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Euronymous said:
I rewatched the Festival last week to refresh my memory and the RSA still hurt. I'm already heavily invested in the horse for next March (mainly due to an Arc/GC double with Sottsass) so hopefully we'll have plenty to celebrate.
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This prompted me to check back my own brief review of the RSA, probably written the week after the meeting:

RSA- I watched it again this morning. I think Champ is far superior to the other two, who I think are pretty high class. Not a lot went right for Champ through the race, imo. He appeared to fiddle quite a number of fences while Allaho in particular looked very fluent. I backed Allaho ante-post and thought he was a good thing, to be honest, but the ew steal on Champ was sound insurance. I did think wherever MI finished Allaho would be in front but suspected Champ could surprise on a going day. I think the sectionals show (it's a few days since I read them) that the front two died up the hill and Champ merely stayed on. It reminded me of Synchronized's Gold Cup. The problem with Champ is whether he will properly take to jumping. I think the other two will be serious Gold Cup contenders.
 
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The last two RSA's have been similar in that up to three out the fields were bunched up and then the class horses asserted.
With Champ you have to worry about the extra jumping in a Gold Cup. How many extra fences is it?
 
LUKE said:
For what it’s worth-I had a 20 minute chat with HdB about a month ago-I have a theory that Minella Indo is a spring horse and asked him what his opinion was.aHis reply was that he doesn’t think he is a spring horse but It takes a lot of work to get him fit.He also said he was going to give it a right lash to get him ready for Christmas -he didn’t say Kempton or Leopardstown.
Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.
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Did he say they would keep the mare to mares events come March?
 
redundant pal said:
Good luck with the project Luke. I think Hdb didn’t get a clear run with him last year given the shape of the novice programme. Where next on the back of a win today will be interesting as more experience between now and Christmas will be on the agenda.
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Redundant Pal —in my opinion Minella and A Plus Tard might have been slightly undercooked at this year’s festival -I think they would make a nice little each way double for 2021.Also if Minella is being primed for Christmas there is a good chance Monalee will go to Kempton.
 
Granger -only so much you can fit into a 20 minute conversation-I did say to him that getting Put The Kettle on to win at Cheltenham last November was the training performance of the decade. Didn’t quiz him about targets for this year.
He thinks that Monalee was the second best horse in this years Hold Cup -very strong opinion.
 
Vinndication entered at Ascot this Saturday in the Sodexo handicap chase and in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby.
 
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Euronymous said:
The last two RSA's have been similar in that up to three out the fields were bunched up and then the class horses asserted.
With Champ you have to worry about the extra jumping in a Gold Cup. How many extra fences is it?
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Two more fences in the Gold Cup. No doubt Hendo will be having the horse intensively schooled to iron out that fiddliness as it could be costly in open company so it will be interesting to see how he fares when he eventually reappears.

It's still far too early for me to be considering an ante-post bet in the race but I'll probably get something on Topofthegame before he comes out and wins the Hennessy.
 
Desert Orchid said:
Two more fences in the Gold Cup. No doubt Hendo will be having the horse intensively schooled to iron out that fiddliness as it could be costly in open company so it will be interesting to see how he fares when he eventually reappears.

It's still far too early for me to be considering an ante-post bet in the race but I'll probably get something on Topofthegame before he comes out and wins the Hennessy.
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Champ has also had a wind op too.
 
As well as being balls deep in Minella Indo I've taken 25s Delta Work. He actually finished the race really well last March and if (bigish if) his trainer can sort his jumping and we get a better pace next March he's a player.


However, for the big race at Down Royal this Saturday I prefer Chris's Dream who goes well fresh and was running a really good race himself at Cheltenham before his stamina ebbed away. In fact, he might be a shout for the Ryanair.
 
Maruco said:
And spent the summer schooling with Henrietta Knight.
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Henderson says:

“ We have just done a wind operation on him. We were doing some schooling with him the other day, I wanted to tidy up his jumping. He was good, but his technique wasn’t flawless, and he had a week with Henrietta Knight. Nico went and schooled him and we started to hear a rather suspicious noise. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was there last year, I am almost certain it was.
Before the second last in the RSA at Cheltenham in March, he was trying to get this second wind. Barry had to sit still and get a breather into him, he then got his second wind and he ran. Maybe I am being a total optimist, but he certainly needed it doing. I think you can expect quite a lot of improvement and I am hoping his jumping will be slicker. If it all fits together, we will be in good shape. Even if he is the same horse as last year we’re in quite good shape. He is the winner of the RSA and he's won every steeplechase he has completed.”
 
I’m probably being mildly harsh, as he’s still quite lightly raced over fences, but Vinndication seems to get found out upped in class. Not sure I’d want him onside in the Charlie Hall, let alone a King George.
 
We shall see, Grass.

Kim Baileys horses are flying. Trainer thinks the horse will develop or improve with time.

He's certainly lightly raced enough to reveal more on the racetrack this season.

I wouldn't necessarily fancy him for a Gold Cup but I can see an angle for him winning this Saturday and shortening for the King George, for reasons I said before - that he's probably a better horse right handed.

Anyhow, lets get over this Saturday first, to find out if I really am talking out of my arse. :)
 
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