Un de Sceaux

Muttley said:
Yes, unfortunately. He looks impossible to control into his fences - has to be ridden on a really tight rein all the time so that he doesn't disappear into the wild blue yonder and he takes a few chances. In every race he has looked a bit of a white knuckle ride. There also has to be a chance he'll completely boil over.
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Most of us that where there today would agree with this, I worry about the downhill fences for him at Chelts, but with a clear round nothing going to get near him
 
In his favour, there are only 9 fences in the Old Course 2 miles and the second last has been moved from near the bottom of the hill to the straight.
 
Tipping-up is about all that will stop UDS winning the Arkle. He has handed two decent young chasers their rear-ends today without breaking sweat, and he is a country-mile clear of everything else in the division. The rats from the sewer were smacking their chops today - and with good reason.
 
Muttley said:
I agree about that round of jumping, Tanlic - it was very good but my worry is how he will cope with the variations (uphill, downhill, water jump, etc) in the Cheltenham fences. I hope to goodness he does, because he is so exciting to watch, but there is a chance that he won't.
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Excellent point and it's late here and that is something I usually point out to others.

Maybe it's best Ruby wears an extra ball guard just in case....
 
Muttley said:
Yes, unfortunately. He looks impossible to control into his fences - has to be ridden on a really tight rein all the time so that he doesn't disappear into the wild blue yonder and he takes a few chances. In every race he has looked a bit of a white knuckle ride. There also has to be a chance he'll completely boil over.
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I wouldn't be too concerned about him boiling over Muttley. He's likes to get on with things in his races but in the parade ring and down at the start he was like a lamb today.
 
UDS sweaty leaving the parade ring which might just be him.
Chase course softer and slower than hurdles course for sure today.
Of the three horses today UDS the smallest and least scopy.
But boy can he cover ground when half given his head; a Small Aeroplane.
By the way he has (what I call ) "magic markings " too. ( two white forelegs; one white hind leg)
Rarely a bad sign!
 
When I saw him leaving the parade ring and the sweating so badly (he looked awful to my untrained eye - Eddie would know better) I reversed my 'no bet' policy on the race and backed Clarcam. I don't know if sweating impacted the winning distance, but we know now that it certainly doesn't stop him winning. I expect this to be more pronounced in the 18 degree heat of Gloucestershire in mid March.
 
A higher rating than all bar one performance, when winning the race itself, of an Arkle winner in the last 10 years and probably farther back if you want to check that far.
 
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I think someone from TF tweeted last night that UDS mark from yesterday is good enough to win 19 of last 20 Arkles.

I usually have the Arkle winner somewhere between 153 -163......with most at the lower/mid end of that scale.
 
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Super performance...but would you really want to back a novice at odds on in the Arkle? A watching race now.
 
if UDS wins i've got the double going onto Vautour @ 19/1 and also snagged 6/1 to win any race after he lost at xmas. fair to say i'll be cheering heavily for him if it comes to that but unfortunately the JLT looks far from an easy race to win.
 
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