The Well Worn Road To The Champion Hurdle (2016)

Didn't Ruby say Nichols shows nout on the gallops anyway.
Clearly he ain't ran his best Faugheen. Though probably not as much as some think. Nichols is a good animal.
No firm view at this stage. Roll on next race.
 
thats good info Frankel

its give us summat talk about anyway..if he had won this would have been shortest CH thread on record:)..as it is its opened it up a bit
 
Indeed. Was a cracking 5-10 mins on Sunday. What with Sprinter livening up the QM race too.
 
EC1 said:
yes but i'm not talking about what i know..Mullins knew what each hoss awas carrying..he said V beat NF on the gallops..there was no need to even mention it..doesn't really need deciphering...by saying it he is telling us he is puzzled by the loss..if he thought F wasn't fit..he wouldn't be puzzled would he?
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It wasn't a home gallop, they took them to the racecourse(Curragh) and F might have been in racing mode and done too much after so long off the track so thats why Mullins said maybe he left his race behind.. they weren't fully fit but NC is so small it doesn't take too much to get all the summer weight down, F takes few months to reach a proper racing fitness. Mullins did say few weeks ago he weighs about the same as that time last year and at Ascot Skelton said he never saddled a fatter horse for a race.. NC is a good horse nevertheless, it wasn't a mug who took it from F, be it by half a length. I thought the CH was an open contest anyway with MTOY and P&C in the picture but now it adds more puzzles into equation..
 
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Frankel said:
Indeed. Was a cracking 5-10 mins on Sunday. What with Sprinter livening up the QM race too.
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Had a hefty double on them at the festival.. it seems these champions have secretly spoken to not take the spotlight of each other :)
 
What about Old Guard? I've added him to the AP comp & backed him with hard cash..

Pro's
Massive improvement over the summer (hopefully it continues)
C&D winner x 2
Not ground dependent
Travels beautifully & jumps well (look at the last in the Greatwood, which also makes me think there was loads left in the tank)
Targeted at the race

Cons
Only raced off 145 on Sunday. Assuming he goes up 8-10lb, still needs to find another 10/15lb
Will also lose the jockeys claim

I think 40-1 EW with Hills is a little bit of value
 
It was a gallop with no hurdles I expect; the word schooling has not been used.
NC's jumping won him the race along with taking a few lengths off Faugheen at the final bend.
Enough said.
By the by Phoenix magazine last issue had a snippet that WPM has registered a yard near Ruby Walsh's as one of his training premises.
as it is within ten miles of The Curragh WPM qualifies as a Curragh trainer so can work horses there for a flat 100 euro a month rather than approx 100 Euro a spin. He also has access to the grass gallops there. Whether that covers the 200+ horses in training or just those stabled near Ruby is open to question.
 
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Perpetual said:
What about Old Guard? I've added him to the AP comp & backed him with hard cash..

Pro's
Massive improvement over the summer (hopefully it continues)
C&D winner x 2
Not ground dependent
Travels beautifully & jumps well (look at the last in the Greatwood, which also makes me think there was loads left in the tank)
Targeted at the race

Cons
Only raced off 145 on Sunday. Assuming he goes up 8-10lb, still needs to find another 10/15lb
Will also lose the jockeys claim

I think 40-1 EW with Hills is a little bit of value
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Cons - His owner is a class A w4nker - who hopefully will get kicked in the bollocks by said horse some time soon.
 
Nicholls said he was a small, weak horse last season and that he's strengthened up considerably over the summer.

I'd be surprised if he's up to Champion Hurdle quality but he's rightly been picked up as one to consider.
 
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Euronymous said:
Old Guard was miles behind Peace and Co in the Triumph.
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I'm not saying that Old Guard is a CH contender or not..but using that to diss him on could be an error..we have had instances of horses improving in a season to take the race..Make A Stand..Collier Bay..Rooster Booster..handicaps to CH winner in current season

in fact using the Triumph winner wouldn't give you many CH winners either..have any TH winners apart from Katchit won the CH..can't remember now..but winning the TH is actually a worse guide to a CH than using handicap winners i would think
 
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EC1 said:
I'm not saying that Old Guard is a CH contender or not..but using that to diss him on could be an error..we have had instances of horses improving in a season to take the race..Make A Stand..Collier Bay..Rooster Booster..handicaps to CH winner in current season

in fact using the Triumph winner wouldn't give you many CH winners either..have any TH winners apart from Katchit won the CH..can't remember now..but winning the TH is actually a worse guide to a CH than using handicap winners i would think
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I think Persian War won a TH, before winning a CH. But because the TH is now of greater quality, maybe we will see more horses stepping up to take the following year's CH. Don't Supreme Winners have a terrible record, too?
 
Persian War was 1968 though wasn't it Len..and was a very exceptional hoss...a lot of TH winners will have run in a CH or have been stepped up in trip since then i would think

When a horse wins a TH..rightly or wrongly..i usually think..needs more of a test than the CH..because if you need a stiff 2m1f as a young hoss you tend to find the CH a too speedy test. On top of the TH being run over 2m1 it is run on the new course which makes the run in longer than the CH and hence plays to stamina rather than speed. The TH is a sort of equivalent 2 and a quarter mile test imo

the only time i haven't thought that recently was with Our Conor.
 
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Peace & Co heading for the Bula hurdle at Cheltenham in mid December along with My Tent or Yours according to Henderson the other day.
 
P&C will clearly do better with a faster pace to aim at (and probably a fence) but suspect he could be a bridle ponce. didn't find much in the triumph off the back of the last and went backwards today when push came to shove.
 
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