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Thought I would come in here having found a sleeper in AMERICAN, but I can see he has been mentioned plenty already. He’s still plenty unexposed and is probably well above his mark of 157 having only raced three times over fences. He needs soft ground, but if he turned up he would surely run well.
Bristol De Mai @ 90’s. 2nd in the JLT in 2016, credible 7th in the GC. Is 6 going on 7 with improvement to come.
All those positive reports about Our Duke and then he runs like that before scoping badly.
Never travelled a yard poor chap. It looked too bad to be true from early on. “American Tom” type scenario it seems. (Speaking of which, does anyone know if that horse came right after his fall last season? I really liked him).
Road to Respect’s performances are a pointer to YorkHill’s potential; really want to see him going for the GC
A dramatic day on the Gold Cup trail. Given the dirty scope, I suppose the Our Duke push-outs are a bit of an overreaction. Although, as Grassy suggests, you have to worry that the effort (and the horse did stick in there quite gamely for a long way despite never travelling) might leave some sort of mark as may be the case with American Tom.
Blaklion is established as a notch or two below the Gold Cup standard so I don’t think Bristol De Mai has really done anything special, although he did show battling qualities off the bridle for the first time in a while, which will be really encouraging for his fans.
Any slim hopes for Coneygree or Cue Card seemed to fizzle out today. You’d want a decent price on either of them even lining up for the Gold Cup now.
Coneygree looks far too fragile to be considered for the Gold Cup. Cue Card shot his bolt in 2016 and I can’t see him winning it now.
Thistlecrack is the one for me.
I think the fall itself rather than the illness may have kept American Tom off LS- it was a belter poor chap. Our Duke didn’t get given a dreadfully hard time so hopefully mentally OK. Right enough I would worry about running with grubby airways causing long term damage to lungs and hope he is given plenty of time to recover.
Might Bite, Yorkhill (left-handed at least) and Sizing John left standing as the relatively untainted options.
Nobody think Douvan could show up?
If Sizing John can win a Gold Cup then Douvan surely has a shot? Ricci will want his senior chasers split up; Min for Quenn Mother, Djakadam for the Ryanair and that leaves Douvan for this?
I think the prices would be slashed big time if they were to declarer for this
Not sure what theyll do with douvan, vibes seem to suggest 2m, i have a feeling theyll up min to the ryanair and leave djakadam running toward the gold cup again
Will depend on things like what benie des dieux, yorkhill, un de sceux do throughout the season as arguably two of those are capable of atleast running in the CC
Common sense would say one thing though, there is absolutely no way that douvan, min and great field will all run in the CC, 2 yes that seems feasible with one being a jp horse, definitely wont be 3 as each is capable of winning at the festival, seems unlikely he would run 3 even if it is the champion chase
I can forsee yorkhill stepping up to the gold cup if faugheen returns and not coming back over hurdles
I think Yorkhill will go Ryanair, possibly here. Mullins seems very intrigued about Yorkhill’s potential as a stayer
Djakadam ain’t winning a Gold Cup.
Can’t see Douvan in this. The more fences he has to jump the more the chance of tripping over those long legs. No obvious sign he’ll stay either. He’s the sole progeny of his dam so far and on the sire’s side his stock can muster just 1 victory above 2m4f. Haven’t gone back more than 1 generation so there might be some stamina evidence elsewhere.
If I were betting on Yorkhill running in a surprise race it would be the Champion Hurdle, not this where even Ruby could have trouble keeping him settled over such a trip. He’s way too fizzy for a Gold Cup imo and would be much more at home over 2 miles.
The one who’s beginning to look potential value to me is Acapella Bourgeois at around 33/1. Since he slaughtered Road to Respect that one has won a G1 and two G3s and was just beaten the other day in another G1. AB had the run of the race that day said many but that argument about him has been put forward in other races. AB is relatively unexposed and fully unexposed under a top trainer. It could be he is reliant on deep ground and a heavy ground Gold Cup is unheard of these days although it has been soft twice in the past six years.
Ryanair would be possible I suppose but there’s a much stronger chance he’ll need deep ground there and I’d say the Gold Cup will be favourite. 33/1 too big by some way, I think.
I think Yorkhill will go Ryanair, possibly here. Mullins seems very intrigued about Yorkhill’s potential as a stayer
Djakadam ain’t winning a Gold Cup.
Dont think he would win either, just guessing the routes they will put them down
From the RP – good to see him back.
There was light at the end of the tunnel for followers of Killultagh Vic as Colin McBratney, who has been assisting with the recovery of the Grade 1 winner, reported on Monday that the talented chaser has made a full recovery and will return to Willie Mullins’ yard on Wednesday.He said: “Killultagh Vic is doing well and is heading to Willie on Wednesday – he’s ready to step forward now to the next stage.
“He had a crack on his pelvis as well as a suspensory injury but he’s fully recovered and has done plenty of work – we’re very happy with him.”
Absent since January 2016, when somehow winning a Grade 2 novice chase at Leopardstown after all but coming down at the last under Ruby Walsh, Killultagh Vic is 7-1 favourite for the St James’s Place Foxhunter at Cheltenham in March.
However, when asked whether hunter chasing beckons for a horse who beat Thistlecrack on his final start over hurdles at Punchestown in 2015 and has earned a rating of 153 over fences, McBratney responded: “I don’t think so, not at the moment.
“That was a possibility at one stage but the way things have progressed this past month would suggest he still has plenty of ability. If he stays right I can see him doing better things.
“He’s a very classy horse and is still only eight. There’s plenty of time to go hunter chasing with him.”
Sky Bet quote Killultagh Vic at 66-1 for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Wow. Interesting news. Mullins said the horse had been retired in last year’s stable tour!
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