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That was an excellent performance again today from Sprinter Sacre.
He seems to be some horse.
I really hope he goes on to win The Arkle, and i hope he wins it well. He is very exciting and it would be great to see him go to Cheltenham and put in a really good performance.
He was absolutely tanking all the way today, and is really keen, but just travels so well, and jumps so well, he is just extremely exciting.
Love that performance. FInally watched it and just cant see him losing. WOW
Seriously seriously special. Love that he still looks so babyish and pulling all over the place. Cracking jumper to. Does what the best 2 milers do and effectively hurdles the jumps but with no sign of errors.
Terrifying prospect.
I’m a bit with Stilvi on this one….
Hugely, hugely impressive was that and has ticked one box I was unsure about…..he’s beaten a few decent yardsticks very easily….
I still don’t feel he’ll have everything his own way in a quality looking Arkle field and for me there’s still a nagging doubt about Cheltenham…
I am slowly turning though
and would be absolutely delighted if I was on at some of the prices some on here are on at from early on!2/1 before today and the price now don’t tempt me in the slightest though.
Managed to nip out of the office and watch it in the bookies – hugely impressive performance.
Just a slight niggling doubt about Cheltenham – those fences and course take no prisoners – he seemed a little bit keen – could easily come a cropper at one.
But having said that i’m feeling good about SS.
Have him in doubles and trebles with Quevega and Sizing Europe.Great horse – but going so easily may be a problem. Running too free in a race like that – all it needs is another 2-3 horses put there with the sole aim to burn him out – golden freeze anyone ?
Group 1 Winner
sketti
17 Feb 2012, 20:38
Love that performance. FInally watched it and just cant see him losing. WOWSeriously seriously special. Love that he still looks so babyish and pulling all over the place. Cracking jumper to. Does what the best 2 milers do and effectively hurdles the jumps but with no sign of errors.
Terrifying prospect.
Totally agree. This is the first serious 2 miler we’ve seen since the Moscow Flyer/ Azertyuiop days. He’s scarily good. I’ll be including him in any doubles, trebles etc at Cheltenham. Like others, if he gets beat its pretty certain I’ll have a bad festival.
Elgrandsenor, sorry about earlier, I’d had only 4 1/2 hours sleep, overslept by 1 hour making me miss my train to Newbury (a ticket which I spent 40 minutes getting because I found out I can’t collect pre-booked tickets from my local station), drove all the way there instead and spent 50 minutes spent in traffic in Newbury town centre that simply wasn’t moving. I’d been looking forward to having a nice day, looking at some top animals and I just got back in a foul mood and just took it out on the first thing I could find. Shame I don’t have a cat.
No worries Zark, takes a brave man to apologise (especially when you don’t have much to apologise for)
I overreacted when I said Long Run was the lay of the meeting, that of course is a bit ludicrous as he’s hardly a hype horse, maybe a better way of putting it is that I feel that he doesn’t have the profile of a horse that to wins back to back Gold Cups (although admittedly I struggle to think of anything that is going to beat him.)
And of course I apologise for my somewhat unjudicious comments.
Whilst i’m still blown away by the performance of SS here, I would still think twice about banking on this animal in doubles & trebles and god knows what else. Yes, he will probably win, but i would rank him below HF, Sizing, and Quevega because he has not got the T shirt yet from winning Grade 1’s in the white hot heat of the Cheltenham Festival.
I’ve got my money on at 5/2 and 6/4 post race today, but have pulled back from linking it with all the other hot pots.
Time will tell he is a great horse….but i’d rather he earns his stripes before making him central to all multiples.Maybe, but I see SS as being head and shoulders above the rest and i’m not sure about the others. Just because you’ve won at the festival in the past doesn’t ensure that you’ll do it again.
Hurricane Fly may well be different class, but in some sense the jury is still out on whether or not he’s the new Istabraq. Theres credible opposition there in the shape of Zarkanda, and I wouldn’t completely rule out a back to form Binocular either. Yes I think Hurricane Fly will probably win, but do I think he’s more likely to win the Champion Hurdle than Sprinter Sacre is to win the Arkle? No.
Sizing Europe looks solid as well, but he is a 10 year old, and at least on form doesn’t look head and shoulders above the oppo, Big Zeb is always a danger and Finians Rainbow is improving fast.
Big Bucks similarly has very real and credible oppostion in the shape of Oscar Whiskey.
The only one of the short priced former champions who looks bomb-proof to me is Quevega. Mainly because the Mares hurdle is far less competitive than those I just mentioned.
I know what you mean about "Unproven in the White-heat of battle" but that doesn’t really worry me. Sometimes you get these unstoppable momentums in racing (like Frankel on the flat last year) and Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle looks like one of those.
I’ve been all over Al Ferof for months, and though I’m not one to switch camps, it is worrying worrying times
Maybe, but I see SS as being head and shoulders above the rest and i’m not sure about the others. Just because you’ve won at the festival in the past doesn’t ensure that you’ll do it again.
Hurricane Fly may well be different class, but in some sense the jury is still out on whether or not he’s the new Istabraq. Theres credible opposition there in the shape of Zarkanda, and I wouldn’t completely rule out a back to form Binocular either. Yes I think Hurricane Fly will probably win, but do I think he’s more likely to win the Champion Hurdle than Sprinter Sacre is to win the Arkle? No.
Sizing Europe looks solid as well, but he is a 10 year old, and at least on form doesn’t look head and shoulders above the oppo, Big Zeb is always a danger and Finians Rainbow is improving fast.
Big Bucks similarly has very real and credible oppostion in the shape of Oscar Whiskey.
The only one of the short priced former champions who looks bomb-proof to me is Quevega. Mainly because the Mares hurdle is far less competitive than those I just mentioned.
I know what you mean about "Unproven in the White-heat of battle" but that doesn’t really worry me. Sometimes you get these unstoppable momentums in racing (like Frankel on the flat last year) and Sprinter Sacre in the Arkle looks like one of those.
Agree to most extent of what you say here, but SS is still just visually and potentially a great horse, whereby Frankel had most likely achieved champion status at 2yo dewhurst etc and the jumpers mentioned have at least multiple grade 1s under their belts, be it Cheltenham, Punch or Leop. SS has only demolished three small fields – and only one potential grade 1 chaser. As I say he’s got my investment on his back, but I cant call him a festival banker yet.
Actually just had another look at the replay of the race, and he still does look a bit raw, and in some ways quite inexperienced and a big baby. Needs to learn to settle, but if he does what a monster he could be.
That inexperience and the fact that he races free could be possible achilles heels for his rivals to exploit. Also he’s quite excitable so its possible that the Cheltenham crowd could get to him. If he sweats up badly and runs away with Geraghty it could be game over, so I doubt that Nicholls/McCain etc will be waving the white flag just yet.
I’m just playing devils advocate here though, I really do think the race is his for the taking.
The move he made down the back yesterday was terrific, he destroyed the field in a few strides, it reminded me of Frankel in the Royal Lodge
But I take your point about hype horses who have it to prove, we can all remember getting carried away in the past, with horses like Dunguib and Detroit City.
We’re way past Dunguib and Detroit City with this fella. I think it’s a waste of time entertaining the thought that he won’t be winning the Arkle by a ridiculous distance in a ridiculous time. I’ll be interested to see winning by distance betting, because I think we could see something really spectacular.
Hurdy, I half don my cap to you, spot on and the high praise you consistently gave him might not be as high as you or I thought. I’ll don the other half in 24 days.
Sprinter Sacre’s performance earned a RPR of 171. Completely unheard of for a novice. 6lbs better than Azertyuiop or Sizing Europe, 4lbs better than Best Mate, 2lbs better than Denman. His topspeed rating is also higher than any horse to have finished in the top 3 in the Arkle in the past 10 runnings. 3 higher than Somersby (Henry VI Chase), 7 higher than Ashley Brook and 10 higher than Contraband, Fair Along or ForPadyDePlasterer.
Sprinter Sacre wins the Arkle
I stand by this. Truly an exceptional talent and has risen above even my lofty expectations. He’s the real deal and Nicky Henderson said something worthwhile for once early on in the season when he described the horse as "frightening". I couldn’t agree more. Monster. I thought he would be making performance’s like that in the future at Newbury but not after 3 runs as a 6yo.
and would be absolutely delighted if I was on at some of the prices some on here are on at from early on!
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