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You say I am double timing for want of better words and my assumptions are wrong yet I wrote a post about how I thought the Wayward Lad would go and against all odds I was 100% correct.You could have written the commentary of the post before the race.
Congratulations on getting right what was effectively a 2 horse race, it was hardly ‘against all odds’ as you claim! It panned out the way it did too mainly because Peddlers Cross virtually walked through the first fence….if he had pinged it things could easily have panned out differently?
When I look ar Al Ferof I see a horse who is not a great traveller
You either a) have the eyes of Stevie Wonder…or…b) are basing your opinion on a split second in the Supreme Novices 3 from home where Al Ferof doesn’t jump the best or quickest and for a moment is left a bit by the front three. He was travelling as well as anything half a mile from home just in the slipstream of Sprinter Sacre funnily enough. Ruby got him going again though and left Splinter Sacre for dead after he walked through the last and looked tired on the run in….Al Ferof still looked to have plenty in the tank for me.
If you watch everyone of Al Ferof’s other races over timber I think you’ll struggle to back up your claims and find a race he didn’t travel well in.
His hurdle debut he led all the way until 2 out and never came off the bridle before taking quite a nasty looking fall.
Next time out was the Challow hurdle at Newbury ran in thick fog. Throughout the race you saw the horses twice, the first time he was last and travelling well, the 2nd time he was about 3rd and still travelling equally aswell. They then just appeared after jumping after the last and he was 3rd. Hard to say what else went on but his confidence could have been knocked a bit from his previous race and that nasty looking fall?
His next 2 runs leading up to Cheltenham were both bloodless victories at odds of 1/7 & 1/4 where he never came off the bridle in either race, always travelling strongly and winning as you should at those odds.
His chase debut this season over the Arkle CD was an outstanding one where he jumped beautifully all the way round, foot perfect and hardly touching a twig and yet again travelling strongly throughout and never coming off the bridle to win impressively.
Then last time at Sandown again jumped superbly all the way round and travelled strongly all the way before getting involved in a tussle with For Non Stop.
You seem to be basing your opinion about Al Ferof not being a good traveller solely on one race as all his other races suggest differently. You are coming to your own conclusion that Sprinter Sacre will automatically reverse Supreme Novices places because he is a much better chaser than hurdler, but for some bizarre reason you seem to be overlooking just how much better a chaser Al Ferof is than he was a hurdler?
Do me a favour and watch all Al Ferof’s hurdle races and then watch both his chase wins and tell me he’s not a far, far better chaser than hurdler…
Don’t get me wrong Sprinter Sacre has jumped very impressively in his two races but so has Al Ferof. I don’t see Splinter Sacre taking a couple of lengths out of Al Ferof at every fence as you suggest and I don’t see Al Ferof as the poor traveller you make out.
What Al Ferof also has in his favour is Cheltenham form, two excellent jumping rounds at tough tracks. He’s shown the ability to battle it out and grind out the win when the chips are down.
At the current prices I think Al Ferof is the bet of all seasons and he will break SS’s heart again up the hill like he did last year!
I took Denman on with Noland in the RSA Hurdle because i classed Denman as a chaser in the making
I think the same with Sprinter Sacre. He’s grown, is stronger and i think has more speed than Al Ferof, who should be stepped up in trip.
noland never ran in the rsa hurdle he ran in the supreme.. surely you are referring to the weld horse?
I agree with nigh-on everything Zamorston had to say about Al Ferof.
He was being pushed along turning for home in the Supreme, six lengths down on Sprinter Sacre who was cruising in front. Al Ferof puts his head down and the minute he hits the hill he takes off and was pulling away at the finish.
That is why he needs a strong pace in his races. He doesn’t possess the cruising speed or turn of foot of Sprinter Sacre, but he jumps for fun and stays forever. The pace of an Arkle will sort the men from the boys in the jumping department and it will become a war of attrition up that famous hill.
Al Ferof has demonstrated all the sttributes of an Arkle winner. If anyone wants to see a horse make light of the hill, just look at Al Ferof’s chasing debut when Ruby asked him for some effort after the last.
The races Sprinter Sacre has been competing in will not prepare him for an Arkle – just look at Finian’s Rainbow last season. The battle hardened Captain Chris – who has since proven his ability over further – found more at the business end.
Just looking at the shape Sprinter Sacre makes over fences, it will be interesting to see how his technique responds to pressure. I’m not convinced at the moment.
noland never ran in the rsa hurdle he ran in the supreme.. surely you are referring to the weld horse?
I meant Nicanor – christmas booze brain.
Remember the night before sat in a bar in Cheltenham talking to a Scottish guy who was utterly convinced Voy Por Ustedes would win the Arkle, and i was reeling off reasons why Denman wouldn’t win his race. Makes Cheltenham what it is. Thousands of punters coming together with six months – sometimes longer – of opinions
Cannot take the hill a consideration that Sprinter Sacre didn’t win the Supreme, the last hurdle he had all wrong and destroyed the hurdle and the first and second overtook when he made the error, don’t really see how Al Ferof is the more battle hardened either, he was expected to win with ease against For Non Stop and almost lost.
With the times he is winning his races cant see how a fast pace will put paid to his jumping, even when he gets novicey at his fences he is so intelligent he finds a way himself anyway.
You say I am double timing for want of better words and my assumptions are wrong yet I wrote a post about how I thought the Wayward Lad would go and against all odds I was 100% correct.You could have written the commentary of the post before the race.
Congratulations on getting right what was effectively a 2 horse race, it was hardly ‘against all odds’ as you claim! It panned out the way it did too mainly because Peddlers Cross virtually walked through the first fence….if he had pinged it things could easily have panned out differently?
When I look ar Al Ferof I see a horse who is not a great traveller
You either a) have the eyes of Stevie Wonder…or…b) are basing your opinion on a split second in the Supreme Novices 3 from home where Al Ferof doesn’t jump the best or quickest and for a moment is left a bit by the front three. He was travelling as well as anything half a mile from home just in the slipstream of Sprinter Sacre funnily enough. Ruby got him going again though and left Splinter Sacre for dead after he walked through the last and looked tired on the run in….Al Ferof still looked to have plenty in the tank for me.
If you watch everyone of Al Ferof’s other races over timber I think you’ll struggle to back up your claims and find a race he didn’t travel well in.
His hurdle debut he led all the way until 2 out and never came off the bridle before taking quite a nasty looking fall.
Next time out was the Challow hurdle at Newbury ran in thick fog. Throughout the race you saw the horses twice, the first time he was last and travelling well, the 2nd time he was about 3rd and still travelling equally aswell. They then just appeared after jumping after the last and he was 3rd. Hard to say what else went on but his confidence could have been knocked a bit from his previous race and that nasty looking fall?
His next 2 runs leading up to Cheltenham were both bloodless victories at odds of 1/7 & 1/4 where he never came off the bridle in either race, always travelling strongly and winning as you should at those odds.
His chase debut this season over the Arkle CD was an outstanding one where he jumped beautifully all the way round, foot perfect and hardly touching a twig and yet again travelling strongly throughout and never coming off the bridle to win impressively.
Then last time at Sandown again jumped superbly all the way round and travelled strongly all the way before getting involved in a tussle with For Non Stop.
You seem to be basing your opinion about Al Ferof not being a good traveller solely on one race as all his other races suggest differently. You are coming to your own conclusion that Sprinter Sacre will automatically reverse Supreme Novices places because he is a much better chaser than hurdler, but for some bizarre reason you seem to be overlooking just how much better a chaser Al Ferof is than he was a hurdler?
Do me a favour and watch all Al Ferof’s hurdle races and then watch both his chase wins and tell me he’s not a far, far better chaser than hurdler…
Don’t get me wrong Sprinter Sacre has jumped very impressively in his two races but so has Al Ferof. I don’t see Splinter Sacre taking a couple of lengths out of Al Ferof at every fence as you suggest and I don’t see Al Ferof as the poor traveller you make out.
What Al Ferof also has in his favour is Cheltenham form, two excellent jumping rounds at tough tracks. He’s shown the ability to battle it out and grind out the win when the chips are down.
At the current prices I think Al Ferof is the bet of all seasons and he will break SS’s heart again up the hill like he did last year!
Watch his chase wins? are you serious? He was off his feet to beat a handicapper rated a poxy 140 over hurdles and you take from that
he’s a better chaser than a hurdler.You call me Stevie Wonder? Al Ferof is a totally differnt type of horse to Sprinter Sacre he was racing all the way in the Supreme while the Henderson horse was lobbing along. Sprinter Sacre when he was asked to quicken left him for dead and Ruby hit him a total of 11 times eight of which were as hard as he possibly could have to get him to pick up. Pick up he did and he beat a big lanky immature horse big effin deal.
All this crap about getting up hills. Sprinter Sacre is bred for 3 miles on his dam side his half brother won 3 races over 2m7f in France. Further proof that it was immaturity and nothing else that prevented him winning the Supreme.
Total nonsense if Peddlers Cross has pinged the first it would have made very little difference. It’s bad day when one mistake results in you being beaten hands down especially when it was at the first fence giving you plenty time to recover. Barry was in no hurry to go flying off in front. Anyway IFS don’t win races he out jumped him he outsped him he outclassed him and Al Ferof will get a dose of the same come March.
But what do I know. If you think he’s a good thing to beat Sprinter Sacre go head and back him.
Interesting that Donald McCain is now saying Peddlers wasn’t himself which I find odd. He’s ran a good race in defeat considering his first fence blunder but he’s finished miles clear of the third as expected. Looks like he’s thinking of having another go.
Nothing odd about that,my initial feeling was exactly the same.There is no way that was the same horse who put it down to
Hurricane fly
in last years Champion hurdle.None the less i dont see Peddlers Cross as a threat to
Al Ferof
anyway as i’m totally convinced he’ll fall.The more i watch this big flashy
Sprinter Sacre
parading himself the more i’m also convinced he will fail big time on the big day! Why? because he is Still a big baby (mentally) and will need another year.You wont like this ‘Hurdy’ but he reminds me an awful lot of erm……………………………………………………………………………………….
calgary bay
You say I am double timing for want of better words and my assumptions are wrong yet I wrote a post about how I thought the Wayward Lad would go and against all odds I was 100% correct.You could have written the commentary of the post before the race.
Congratulations on getting right what was effectively a 2 horse race, it was hardly ‘against all odds’ as you claim! It panned out the way it did too mainly because Peddlers Cross virtually walked through the first fence….if he had pinged it things could easily have panned out differently?
When I look ar Al Ferof I see a horse who is not a great traveller
You either a) have the eyes of Stevie Wonder…or…b) are basing your opinion on a split second in the Supreme Novices 3 from home where Al Ferof doesn’t jump the best or quickest and for a moment is left a bit by the front three. He was travelling as well as anything half a mile from home just in the slipstream of Sprinter Sacre funnily enough. Ruby got him going again though and left Splinter Sacre for dead after he walked through the last and looked tired on the run in….Al Ferof still looked to have plenty in the tank for me.
If you watch everyone of Al Ferof’s other races over timber I think you’ll struggle to back up your claims and find a race he didn’t travel well in.
His hurdle debut he led all the way until 2 out and never came off the bridle before taking quite a nasty looking fall.
Next time out was the Challow hurdle at Newbury ran in thick fog. Throughout the race you saw the horses twice, the first time he was last and travelling well, the 2nd time he was about 3rd and still travelling equally aswell. They then just appeared after jumping after the last and he was 3rd. Hard to say what else went on but his confidence could have been knocked a bit from his previous race and that nasty looking fall?
His next 2 runs leading up to Cheltenham were both bloodless victories at odds of 1/7 & 1/4 where he never came off the bridle in either race, always travelling strongly and winning as you should at those odds.
His chase debut this season over the Arkle CD was an outstanding one where he jumped beautifully all the way round, foot perfect and hardly touching a twig and yet again travelling strongly throughout and never coming off the bridle to win impressively.
Then last time at Sandown again jumped superbly all the way round and travelled strongly all the way before getting involved in a tussle with For Non Stop.
You seem to be basing your opinion about Al Ferof not being a good traveller solely on one race as all his other races suggest differently. You are coming to your own conclusion that Sprinter Sacre will automatically reverse Supreme Novices places because he is a much better chaser than hurdler, but for some bizarre reason you seem to be overlooking just how much better a chaser Al Ferof is than he was a hurdler?
Do me a favour and watch all Al Ferof’s hurdle races and then watch both his chase wins and tell me he’s not a far, far better chaser than hurdler…
Don’t get me wrong Sprinter Sacre has jumped very impressively in his two races but so has Al Ferof. I don’t see Splinter Sacre taking a couple of lengths out of Al Ferof at every fence as you suggest and I don’t see Al Ferof as the poor traveller you make out.
What Al Ferof also has in his favour is Cheltenham form, two excellent jumping rounds at tough tracks. He’s shown the ability to battle it out and grind out the win when the chips are down.
At the current prices I think Al Ferof is the bet of all seasons and he will break SS’s heart again up the hill like he did last year!
Watch his chase wins? are you serious? He was off his feet to beat a handicapper rated a poxy 140 over hurdles and you take from that
he’s a better chaser than a hurdler.You call me Stevie Wonder? Al Ferof is a totally differnt type of horse to Sprinter Sacre he was racing all the way in the Supreme while the Henderson horse was lobbing along. Sprinter Sacre when he was asked to quicken left him for dead and Ruby hit him a total of 11 times eight of which were as hard as he possibly could have to get him to pick up. Pick up he did and he beat a big lanky immature horse big effin deal.
All this crap about getting up hills. Sprinter Sacre is bred for 3 miles on his dam side his half brother won 3 races over 2m7f in France. Further proof that it was immaturity and nothing else that prevented him winning the Supreme.
Total nonsense if Peddlers Cross has pinged the first it would have made very little difference. It’s bad day when one mistake results in you being beaten hands down especially when it was at the first fence giving you plenty time to recover. Barry was in no hurry to go flying off in front. Anyway IFS don’t win races he out jumped him he outsped him he outclassed him and Al Ferof will get a dose of the same come March.
But what do I know. If you think he’s a good thing to beat Sprinter Sacre go head and back him.
Your posts make no sense and you keep moving the goalposts. Is it any wonder that people get angry with you and find that they can’t have proper debates?
Sprinter Sacre was lobbing along and Al Ferof was racing. Right ok. Even though Al Ferof raced behind him ffs.
Al Ferof was not out on his feet. He comfortably stayed 1/2 a length ahead of him after the last. Or are you suggesting that Al Ferof is a slow horse and everything he beat in the Supreme is also slow.
As for being whipped by Ruby – after 8 years of being a horse racing fan I am sure of absolutely 1 thing. I’d rather have a Brave Inca than a Harchibald. Especially around Cheltenham.
Hurdy…
The point I was making about Peddlers Cross’s first fence blunder is the fact the race may have been run differently had he not walked through it. You were sending out the high fives and backslaps because you said ‘against all the odds’ the race went exactly how you said it would. With that error though the chance of Peddlers Cross leading the race and Sprinter Sacre just sitting in behind totally went, so I would say that was more down to luck than judgement.
Other than the Supreme Novices you still haven’t pointed me towards a race where Al Ferof didn’t travel strongly in?
He jumped the 3rd last slowly and lost vital momentum as the front 3 quickened away for a stride or two….I’m not denying Ruby had to get down to work and get serious, but the response was there and as Sprinter Sacre was walking through the last Al Ferof was staying on very strongly to win going away.
It is blatantly clear if you watch all Al Ferof’s races that he’s far better at jumping the bigger obstacles. In quite a few of his hurdles races he didn’t jump particularly well, but in both chase starts so far he’s been near on perfect at every fence. This is the reasoning behind why the Sprinter Sacre fans are saying he will easily turn round Supreme Novices form as he will make a far, far better chaser than hurdler, but at the same time are overlooking the fact that Al Ferof is indeed a much better jumper of fences than hurdles.
For whatever reason (after travelling strongly throughout and a great round of jumping) he had to dig deep to beat For Non Stop in a driving finish. He did show that day though that he’s got the heart for a battle when the chips are down and had previously beaten a near 140 rated chaser (Astracad) hard on the steel without breaking sweat over the Arkle CD….
And…..
I already have backed him…….plenty of times, and will continue to do so right up until Cheltenham…..and then will collect and enjoy.
All this crap about getting up hills. Sprinter Sacre is bred for 3 miles on his dam side his half brother won 3 races over 2m7f in France. Further proof that it was immaturity and nothing else that prevented him winning the Supreme.
Like to know a little about this breeding angle. Clearly it doesn’t follow that just because his half brother won over further than two miles, Sprinter Sacre will do likewise. What we do know is Nicky Henderson has described him as a two miler with no qualification and he has been beaten by a useful, but not brilliant opponent when stepped up beyond the minimum. We also know he races freely.
If you look at the firepower in that stable, when Messrs Henderson and Geraghty say this horse is frighteningly good, we should really sit up and take note. They said the same thing about Long Run before he saw a racecourse in England, and what did he win? Oh just a Feltham a King George and a Gold Cup!
These boys know their stuff!
They said he was a baby last year and an embryonic chaser, so anything over hurdles was a bonus. Have all the arguments you like, my 10/1 about Sprinter Sacre for the Arkle is looking a pretty decent bet to me. Not knocking any other horses in the race, but I am more than happy with what I am sitting on at the moment.S Sacre looks a potential monster right enough but I think, ahead of his appearance tomorrow, Cue Card is worth a bet at the 20s offered by S James.
He’s done little wrong and a fast-paced Arkle would suit him well imo as he needs to be going a good clip to take a cut at his fences.
Wow,this seasons Arkle Winner
Al Ferof
against this seasons Champion hurdle winner
Spirit Son
against next seasons Ryanair winner
Sprinter Sacre
.
S Sacre looks a potential monster right enough but I think, ahead of his appearance tomorrow, Cue Card is worth a bet at the 20s offered by S James.
He’s done little wrong and a fast-paced Arkle would suit him well imo as he needs to be going a good clip to take a cut at his fences.
I think they’d be better advised going for the Jewson. Aside from the bumper, i think every 2 mile race i’ve watched him, Cue Card has looked outpaced in the closing stages. The race against Bobs Worth was ‘ odd ‘, but i think if Cue Card was hunted round Cheltenham over 2 1/2, he’d be fine.
They should try holding Cue Card up in a 2 1/2 miler. He was travelling well until a mistake against Grands Crus.Top class bumper horses often need a step up in trip over obstacles. Cannot understand why they haven’t done this with Dunguib now he’s older. He’s bred to be a 3 miler. ( and if he was mine he’d have run in the Ascot Gold Cup )
Mark, I thought CC over-rated as a hurdles but I believe he has considerable potential over fences. I don’t think he minds being held up off a fast pace but I’m convinced the key to him is non restraint.
He was constantly being reined back against Grands Crus and thus not allowed to have real cut at his fences; he paid the penalty.
Much more positively ridden at Newbury, he should have won; steadying him at the last was a mistake.
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