Tidal Bay

They couldnt go much slower yesterday and he's over taken horses that had stoped to a walk.
 
Its not just yesterday though, i think he'd love the extra few furlongs and the hill.
He always seems to finish off the best horse over 3m
 
Digger said:
...he's over taken horses that had stoped to a walk.
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Not true. They were only going slightly slower than you'd expect at the end of 3m on soft to heavy ground.

I think it's obvious that Tidal Bay has got slower with age and now needs an extreme stamina test. He didn't get that yesterday.

I'd give him a realistic each-way shout in The Gold Cup but can understand why connections are eyeing The Grand National.
 
All except Last Installment were going very slow at the end. (3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th - "No extra on run-in". Tidal Bay - kept on to go moderate 2nd)

To my eyes they were all going very slowly at the end. Infact FL was off the bridle and struglling about a mile out and is either not fit AGAIN or has regressed.
 
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Tidal Bay is usually unable to lay up with pace, but was in the van for much of yesterday's contest - the first time he's managed that over fences since God was a lad. Even by Irish standards, the race was run at a dawdle, and he was able to maintain his position until approaching the 2nd last.
A blanket would have covered the field until that point, and it was the speed that Last Instalment showed from there that won the race, not stamina.
As it turned out, the old boy might even have won, given a proper tow.
 
If First Lieutenant was not fit Dave then Mouse has some explaining to do, so to the jockey, the Hennessey was a far more winnable target then the Gold Cup and I am sure he was ready to win if good enough, time will tell if he is regressing and better ground at Cheltenham or Aintree will tell more but to my eyes he is starting to look a bit one paced.
 
what you don't want to be doing here is under estimating the performance of last Instalment, he held up the form from the last time he beat FL at leopardstown and that was on good ground albeit 2 years ago. If he gets to Cheltenham fit and well 10/1 looks big to me.
 
Agree with you Brian, brilliant to get him back and perform like that after missing the Hennessey with two different tendon problems and wins it the third time of asking, I have taken the 10s but doesn't totally explain FL losing his position very early in the race before being ridden back up with the pace.
 
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With FL another no-show, the Hennessy took next to no winning. The fact a 13yo (albeit a decent one) ran on into second-place should tell us that.

Bobs Worth has SC to beat at Cheltenham as the Irish challenge amounts to nil (and that includes Last Installment)
 
So are you dismissing the form of FL and Lyreen Legend yesterday and saying that they ran much better in the Lexus ?
 
frontrunner said:
So are you dismissing the form of FL and Lyreen Legend yesterday and saying that they ran much better in the Lexus ?
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Not exactly, Brian.

Bobs Worth should have been vulnerable in the Lexus, but still ran away from them at the end. The Irish staying chasers just aren't much cop in SDC's absence.....imho.
 
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If it turns up Heavy this fella would place even at the age of 13 if he turned. He did very well to finish 2nd yesterday after that dawdle.
As well as LI ran, I wouldn't read much too much in to the winning distance considering Tidal actually finish 2nd, as much as I love the old rogue.
I don't think Conti or Bob would have lost too much sleep.
 
I can see your line if thinking Baracouda, however, several things would make me err on the side of caution.
The ground, he has dodgy legs so almost certainly needs it soft/heavy (unlikely at the festival).
That race was a crawl yesterday, that won't happen in the Gold Cup
We don't know how he travels.
No Cheltenham form.
 
Bobs Worth had proved himself at 3m+ before he ever ran in a Gold Cup. LI has yet to face it (no foregone conclusion either, imo).
 
I for one was quite taken by LI yesterday. I do think he will need some soft in the going come March but some of his jumping yesterday was top class.

LI did yesterday what any realistic GC should do. He has pulled out fine this morning.

Bobs worth is good but not unbeatable.

For the record I did have grave reservations about the Fenton charge being half the novice he was but yesterday proved he still has something
 
Let's not forget that Bryan Cooper thought First Lieutenant the better horse before the race, and Last Instalment rather nicked the race with a burst of speed from 2 out (much as he did the last time they met).
That's not to say LT isn't a very good horse, but remains totally unproven at the Gold Cup trip, and no surprise to see BC opt for the same mount, should they both go for the big one.
 
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