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As you say Fontwell form impressive and it was double franked. The 4th and second in that race since won before Cheltenham. Colin Tizzard said to anyone who would listen he’s the best bumper horse he’s owned and if it was trained by Mullin’s would have gone into the race as favourite.
Had it with Notus de La Tour in a double who was a long way second to Sanctuire. Gutted so straight back on to PP and bet it on its own before the off. Only a couple of quid stake but its one of the most enjoyable winners I’ve had seeing it cruising off the turn.
Impressed with your Alberta’s Run tip as well well done though stupidly went for another and i was kicking myself on that one!
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Perfectly obvious that " I " win the 2011 Gold Cup.
The only question is how heavy to pile in at 12/1.
It’s a tricky one
Paul Nicholls has made it perfectly clear Big Bucks will go for a 3rd World Hurdle before switchingto fences.
Like all of us he doesn’t know how Kauto Star and Denman wil come back in. I assume they will both appear ok which means they would have to run before knowing for sure.
By the time they do know there simply wouldn’t ve enough time to find the right races for Big Bucks to ready him for such a challenge.
I would imagine when the decision comes to make the switch it will come atthe end of the season with an nnouncement that kato Star is to be retired. Not half way through a season.
I think you should keep your money for then as he’ll be around the same price having not jumped a fence for 3 years.
- Total Posts 17716
I might be a bit of a Lone Ranger on this but I wasn’t that impressed by Cue Card.
It’s been 15 years since a 4 year old won the bumper but bumper horses are bumper hores because in the main they need time. You get a good 4 year old like Dato Star was, don’t run him over hurdles and drop him into this he gets 7lb from his elders who might not be as forward as him despite the age difference.
Dato Star turned out to be a decent hurdler and no doubt so will Cue Card but be in the same class as Dunquib?
I think it gave the media a talking point but one look at this horse tells me he came no where near to being as impressive as Dunquib and will probably end up somewhat below top class over hurdles.
Sorry but I wouldn’t have 10 quid on him at 100/1 for the Supreme.
Perfectly obvious that " I " win the 2011 Gold Cup.
The only question is how heavy to pile in at 12/1.
It’s a tricky one
Paul Nicholls has made it perfectly clear Big Bucks will go for a 3rd World Hurdle before switchingto fences.
Like all of us he doesn’t know how Kauto Star and Denman wil come back in. I assume they will both appear ok which means they would have to run before knowing for sure.
By the time they do know there simply wouldn’t ve enough time to find the right races for Big Bucks to ready him for such a challenge.
I would imagine when the decision comes to make the switch it will come atthe end of the season with an nnouncement that kato Star is to be retired. Not half way through a season.
I think you should keep your money for then as he’ll be around the same price having not jumped a fence for 3 years.
You may well be right but it is pretty irrelevant what Paul Nicholls says, the decision will be the Stewarts’ and they’re clued up enough to know that if they are to be in with a reasonable chance of winning a Gold Cup they need to strike when the iron’s hot. Next year may be too late, the year after most probably so. It all depends what they want, for me he’s nothing left to prove over hurdles and if the horse is good enough to contest a Gold Cup that’s where he should be.
If the Gold Cup was confirmed as Big Bucks Target,it would put a whole new complexion on the race,i for one would put him in as 2nd Fav to "The Commander" at 6/1!
Just to clarify Nicholls has said nothing is definite. Plans are fluid although the easy option is obviously the World Hurdle again, how boring that would be, although no doubt horses rated 20lbs inferior to him would get talked up as likely winners again
Absolutely no reason why they can’t prep him for the Hennessy and then decide from there. Kauto and Denman don’t have a chance of winning the GC next year, and you’d think PN and Mr S know this.
I wouldn’t prep him for the Hennessy, he would no doubt end up running off a very high mark and why chuck him into a big competitive race on his comeback over fences? I would have thought Down Royal would make more sense.
Regardless there should be no problem starting him over fences and if it doesn’t work out switch him back to hurdles half way through the year, did him no harm last year.
Because they need to find out. By prepping him I mean a soft chase somewhere for a feeler first, but given he nearly won the race as a 5yo they’ve nothing to fear off any mark at Newbury. After that they would know for sure where they stood with him (relatively) and could map out his plan accordingly.
I know people will say it doesn’t matter he’s a professional and all the rest of it, but i wouldn’t see Nicholls as the ideal candidate to prepare a successor to Kauto Star for a Gold Cup race. I maybe be wrong, but the consensus seems to be that Big Bucks chasing career should be put on hold because Kauto is his gold cup horse. I like Nicholls and i’m not criticising him, and i could be wrong, but at least Henderson throws in two good horses in the RSA, from two separate owners. Three world hurdles would be a good achievement, but nothing can get near him, so perhaps it’s the year to send him chasing. If he can’t jump when he is 7 or 8, then there’s no point starting him when he is 8 or 9.
Maybe PN will tell us that Big Buck’s
definitely does not run
in the Gold Cup…
………and then run him in it after all.
What fun
Paul Nicholls didnt shut the door on Big Bucks going chasing, but said it was more probable for him going the World Hurdle, he never said that it was certain though.
I can’t help but feel tempted by the 16s on offer for Cue Card. Over the past few years I’ve laughed at and mocked those that have said the Bumper winner will win the Supreme Novices’ as I’ve simply been unable to see what they’ve seen, but for my money the 4yo Cue Card was much more impressive than Dunguib, and what price was Dunguib afterwards? 4s? Crazy.
REPLY
Beware Championship Bumper Winners, I’ve no idea why but the winners of lesser Bumpers generally turn out to be better hurdlers than the real star Bumper horses.
The most impressive Bumper winner I’ve ever seen was Quadco who won The Aintree Bumper in 2000 by 16 lengths in a hack canter.
This is what Racing Post said in their race review…QUOTE
"The Festival Bumper runner-up plus 13 other winners for a race which looked competitive, but was turned into a rout as the athletic QUADCO sprinted clear under hands and heels, having travelled in a higher gear than his rivals from a long way out.
Like the Festival Bumper winner, Joe Cullen, he had been given a long break since a winning debut, and, on this showing, there´s little doubt he´s entitled to be rated the leading bumper performer of the season. He´s a cracking hurdling prospect for nextseason and, judged on the pace he showed, is certain to win plenty of races over this sort of trip."He turned out to be a real dissapointment over hurdles and fences winning only 6 more times from 55 more starts at various levels, mostly fairly average races.
Now if only I’d not been seduced by Dunguib’s bumper wins……
Have to agree with CS about Cheltenham bumper winners!!
It has been a long time since one of them turned out to be top class either over hurdles or fences!!But I am sure somebody will tell me otherwise!!
I was most impressed by
BIG BUCKS
MENORAH
WEAPONS AMNESTY
SPIRIT RIVER(I know it wasnt a class race but I think this might turn out to be a Hellovahorse!!)
QUEVEGANothing else said WOW!! Well not unless I backed it!!
Have to agree with CS about Cheltenham bumper winners!!
It has been a long time since one of them turned out to be top class either over hurdles or fences!!But I am sure somebody will tell me otherwise!!
Florida Pearl was the only that turned out to be "top class" and the term "top class" in respect of FP has to be debatable
I think winning four Irish Hennessy’s, a Martell Cup, King George (from a three-time Gold Cup winner), a Punchestown Gold Cup and an RSA chase entitles Florida Pearl to not only be remembered as top class, but as one of the best chasers Ireland has produced in recent times.
I don’t think that’s even debatable.
CS, well aware of Bumper horses due to my devoutness to the trends
I just have a slight inkling about this one and given he’s only 4 and the ridiculous 12/1 on offer, I can’t help but be sucked in.Be interesting to see if he can follow up at Punchestown. It used to be said that no horse could do the double but Cousin Vinny and Dunguib have made a mockery of that theory in the last two years.
Who’ll ride him? Is there an amateur jockey attached to the Tizzard yard or will one of our top amateurs get the mount – JT McNamara, Derek O’Connor, Robbie McNamara, Katie, Nina?
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