The Road to the Grand National 2018

Tiger Roll is a remarkable horse for sure, Davy Russell is indeed a gent and Gordon Elliott is an outstanding trainer.

I'm sorry I listened to those doubting the horse's chances of coping with the Aintree fences.
 
JamesRB said:
the screens were for a jockey being assessed. if that's what you mean.

i feared for saint are after i saw the collision following ADO's unseat at the chair. hoping he's ok.
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No I meant the replay sharply cut away from the replay of bechers first time. Obviously hiding the falls but if the horses were ok and the jockey was ok I can't see the problem. Anyhoo.
 
jinnyj said:
Saint Are went at Bechers so it must have been jockey but they said Charlie Deutsch had been injured but was back.
I think they are rightly being over cautious.
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I Just Know went at Bechers, unsure if there were others then but Saint Are crashed into Alpha Des Obeaux after the chair unless the comms got it wrong
 
I think they said three (? or was it two) went at Bechers - in the old days they would give a list of departures at each fence.

[Edit: Stewart Machin called Virgillio and Houblon des obeux along with I Just Know at Becher's].
 
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Aintree officials now reporting that Saint Are is "stable" and continuing to receive veterinary care. Charlie Deutsch is said to be "fine" after being able to walk back in to receive medical treatment.
 
TheBear said:
Surprised everyone’s not lumping on Tiger Roll after he hacked up in the virtual grand national last night. [emoji23]

All mine were tailed off so probably won’t watch the real thing today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I had that coming.:blink:
 
Outsider said:
My record in the grand national is pretty consistant.
1 winner since 2000 and i dont think that was my first pick.
But its all going to change today(fingers and toes crossed) when willie mullins wins the national with ]pleasant company.
Blundered his chance away at valentines last year when 9th and with better luck he can win this.
Houblon des obeaux is a favourite of mine and although he got well beat last year he ran as though it was a practice for horse and rider for this year.dont forget this horse was 2nd to Many clouds in a hennessey giving him 6lb.

Good luck.
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So near but so far...another yard. Well done anyone who backed tiger roll what a brave little horse..
After winning at cheltenham he had heat eexhaution and i didnt think he would get over that so quickly.
 
G-G said:
It wasn't nice to watch - maybe they are trying to considerate even if all the horses have come back okay - I really hope they have. Just said screens were up for the jockey at Beechers but all ok. Saint Are still being assessed in stables.
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It wouldn't have seemed as graphic in the old BBC days. Those side camera views are great but if something bad happens, urgh, not nice.

The other thing to take out of the race was how far ahead the Irish trainers are. With Henderson not having a runner and Nicholls nothing much it wasn't
a fair fight almost.
 
Desert Orchid said:
Despite a couple of ante-post reverses already, the biggest being a pretty substantial ew on Noble Endeavor at 50/1, I'm not too unhappy with the ante-post ones I have still going after yesterday's forfeit stage.

The Last Samuri 40/1
I Just Know 100/1
Tenor Nivernais 250/1
Tiger Roll 50/1
Virgilio 100/1
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I shoulda drawn stumps there and then...
 
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Danny said:
Did you cash it out in the end Des or did you let it roll ! Pardon the pun.
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I let it roll, as I did with all of them.

I genuinely didn't enjoy the race too much. The only one I could get really excited about was Noble Endeavor who was scratched a while back. I was always struggling to get really enthusiastic about anything.

On purely handicapping terms, Tenor Nivernais and Road To Riches stood out after NE's withdrawal but my bets on them were much smaller than usual for a five-star pick. Last year my big fancy was Definitly Red and his form this season has shown he should have hacked up, not that it mattered as I backed One For Arthur anyway.

The year before it was The Last Samuri and the year before that The Druids Nephew who was clear and cantering (but he might have ended up doing a Blaklion) five or six out. I really thought they were just about unbeatable.

This year was more like 2014, when I struggled to fancy anything strongly. I had taken Triolo D'Alene despite his only being a 7yo. I don't think I've backed a 7yo since.

I do take a scattergun approach and don't apologise for it. Paul Kealy, in his Weekender piece, said, in addition to his three overall Weekender tips for the race:

... but I've mentioned before that my rather barmy National system is to back every horse who would annoy me if they won because I'd had a good bet on them for another race in the past, so I will personally be having several more at some point.
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Mine is not dissimilar. I tend to back three or four in a decent big-field Saturday handicap so why wouldn't I back ten or twelve in the National if the prices are right. This year I didn't get involved with short-shots like Blaklion - which I dismissed at the start of the thread - or Anibale Fly or Total Recall or Ucello Conti or Vieux Lion Rouge etc etc; horses that were pretty short when the betting opened. When you dismiss a lot of the favourites the value elsewhere kicks in.

I said early in the thread I wouldn't list the winners of the race I've backed as nobody would believe me. I can tell you since 2012 the only years I've missed out on finding the winners were:

2015 Many Clouds which was more of an oversight than anything else as it was on my list of 160+-rateds but I was so sure The Druids Nephew was going to win anyway!

2012 Neptune Collonges (I got a Facebook message the other day reminding me that I'd said Sunnyhill Boy was my main fancy after all) which I'd told the brother I was going to back since I rated it Gold Cup class but for some reason didn't.

I went through a barren spell for a few years missing out on Monty's Pass, Amberleigh House and Hedgehunter in succession. They may just have been blips as I'd found 8 of the previous 11 betting only five or six in the race. Royal Athlete was a sickener as I'd backed him in his previous attempts. Deep down, he's probably why I take out sickness insurance these days.
 
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Having read 'Go Down to the Beaten' recently I'm not ashamed of having lots of bets because I look on the race as a bit of fun/brain training and, if a horse I back ante post starts the race much shorter I think I've won anyway.
 
Tiger Roll deserves a book to be written about him.
Purchased by Darley for the flat, sold unraced to Seagram's jockey Nigel Hawke for 10k who won a 3 year old hurdle at Market Rasen and flipped him for 70k to Giggi; onto Triumph hurdle success before looking like becoming a summer jumper with wins at Ballinrobe and Kilbeggan before a Munster National win for Lisa O'Neill propelled both towards Festival glory in NH chase, before repeating the dose in Cross Country Chase.
Surely the stuff of fairytale like his fellow 8year old Aintree victor Red Rum.
Add in the Davy factor, fired by Giggi in Dec 2013, became his first winner back for Giggi, Triumph Hurdle '14. "the day the fog lifted "for Davy and this Grand National is his first ride on him since Punchestown 2014.
Thoughts with pdleech whose Bay Of Freedom danced a few dances with the Tiger along the way; hopefully the ulcers pass and glories await down the road once again.
Tiger ran in Killarney the evening Wings Of Eagles won his maiden, just to add to the story: when did an Epsom Derby and Grand National winner last run at the same meet anyone ?
 
edgt said:
Tiger Roll deserves a book to be written about him.
Purchased by Darley for the flat, sold unraced to Seagram's jockey Nigel Hawke for 10k who won a 3 year old hurdle at Market Rasen and flipped him for 70k to Giggi; onto Triumph hurdle success before looking like becoming a summer jumper with wins at Ballinrobe and Kilbeggan before a Munster National win for Lisa O'Neill propelled both towards Festival glory in NH chase, before repeating the dose in Cross Country Chase.
Surely the stuff of fairytale like his fellow 8year old Aintree victor Red Rum.
Add in the Davy factor, fired by Giggi in Dec 2013, became his first winner back for Giggi, Triumph Hurdle '14. "the day the fog lifted "for Davy and this Grand National is his first ride on him since Punchestown 2014.
Thoughts with pdleech whose Bay Of Freedom danced a few dances with the Tiger along the way; hopefully the ulcers pass and glories await down the road once again.
Tiger ran in Killarney the evening Wings Of Eagles won his maiden, just to add to the story: when did an Epsom Derby and Grand National winner last run at the same meet anyone ?
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More I mull this over, the more I realise what a versatile little horse this is and very much in the mould of Red Rum. Still only 8 and look what he's achieved. Like Red Rum destined for the Flat initially he's also blessed with a brain who adapts to any role. The Triumph so often bottoms a young horse yet 2 years later, he's out winning the four miler and then 2 years on again he's taking the Cross Country (finishing exhausted and requiring treatment) and then bounces back to win the Grand National. No mean feat!
 
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