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I’d run her in the Champion. Win and you make history; lose and you know where you stand.
The Riccis are worth north of £100m. If Mr Mullins shows them the door, he’ll need to make room for a fleet of horseboxes coming to collect their horses (see image).
I don’t think even Willie values his authority and independence enough to see this lot going to rival trainers and losing any future purchases.
Unless he can persuade the Riccis that there is no way possible, bar a fall, that AP will beat the Fly, then she will run in the CH imo. I think Steve’s point about value is a good one.
The only value remaining in the race, to my mind, is 8s Jezki and 25s Melodic Rendezvous with a run.
http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t426/Steeplechasing/th_Ricci_zps214e41b4.jpg
I’d say it’s more likely than not that she’ll run in the Champion. During the week Mullins said she had three options for a prep: run today at Leopardstown in the Grade 1 (2m), run at Doncaster yesterday (2m) or run in a British Champion Hurdle trial (2m).
A crack at the Champion Hurdle this year followed by another clash with My Tent Or Yours in the Arkle next year (NAP).
She will not beat Hurricane Fly on today’s run by HF. So why waste her taking him on?
She will not beat Hurricane Fly on today’s run by HF. So why waste her taking him on?
By that logic Jezki and Our Conor would be as well off trying to pick up Grade 2’s and 3’s for the rest of the season.
May be wrong but I’ve never known Willie Mullins give one of his horses so much experience of running at Cheltenham before [although I realise he’s running more over here than he used to, Ireland not being big enough these days]. There was one hurdler that he used to bring over here a lot but blowed if I can remember his name [he was Tanya’s tip in the Champion once at a huge price]. This is going to bother me now.
Nathan; strip off naked and roll around in stinging nettles? Did’y’not’know McCoy does that every day before breakfast
May be wrong but I’ve never known Willie Mullins give one of his horses so much experience of running at Cheltenham before [although I realise he’s running more over here than he used to, Ireland not being big enough these days]. There was one hurdler that he used to bring over here a lot but blowed if I can remember his name [he was Tanya’s tip in the Champion once at a huge price]. This is going to bother me now.
Thousand Stars ?
What year ?
But her form with Zarkander puts her at the approximately the same level as The New One and My Tent or Yours, so she should be at the same price as those two.
I don’t really trust Zarkander as a yardstick, based on his form this season, and The New One had a wayward spell during the race against Zarkander where he went from well clear, to Zarkander being almost upsides, and then re-asserting. I would be worried about taking the form literally.
Another difference with Annie Power is that she has multiple options for the festival, whereas we know where the two horses you compare her to are going to run.
Finally, I would be very concerned for Annie Power if the ground were good or faster in March.
Plenty enough reason for me to say she is hellish value at 5/1 with a horse who, bar one mini blip, would be lining up for four in a row at only two points shorter in the betting.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Would you, if a great trainer, strive to beat the best horse you ever trained? Where is Mullins’ heart ? With HF or something else? It’s not about my logic it’s about Mullins. Whereas OC may improve we don’t know how close Annie would get to HF. Why not have run her today instead of last Friday and find out?
I would like to see her run in the Champion Hurdle, but I think she will take her chance in the World Hurdle… A race which she is more than capable of winning too.
Go for the Champion surely – the Stayers’ is a consolation to say the least, and I’m not even commenting on the cursed Mares race which should be abolished.
Yeah but its not a consolation race is it? Its just that we for some arbitrary reason put more prestige in a 2 mile rather than a 3 mile hurdler. We almost do the opposite in chasing.
I think most of the great champion hurdlers wouldn’t win a stayers and vice verse.
Which is why we should be wary of Annie Power.
SHL
Go for the Champion Hurdle. Let’s see how good she is. That is why there are Champion races, isn’t it?
If she goes for another race and wins it, some will say "but Annie was not there" after the Festival.i’d say she has worked at home with Hurricane and Mullins has a fair idea what she is capable of – hence why she is running in lesser races instead of the trials races to keep her ticking over till she gets to Cheltenham. Mullins clearly doesn’t want to give her a hard race before the trial.
leaves it tough for us punters to gauge how good she is but then gain that’s not mullins job. His job is to train her to win a big race at the festival – which he is clearly aiming at.
World hurdle or champion? I think she would win the world hurdle, I don’t think she will beat her stablemate the hurricane at Cheltenham. People continue to doubt this horse and he proves them wrong time and time again.
She’s a very fine mare who could easily win a Gold Cup one day. But she’s been odds against in just 2 of her races. Today didn’t prove to me that she has the pace for a Champion Hurdle. I have strong doubts she can go fast enough and jump well enough on better ground against hardened Grade 1 horses.
Having said that, I’ve no doubt she’ll go for the Champion Hurdle. This will be a decision made by the owners imo, the Riccis. To them, entering the World Hurdle rather than the Champion would be like shopping at Primark rather than Harrods.
I spoke to Rich Ricci in the Press Room at Doncaster on Saturday, Annie goes for the Champion Hurdle – ignore what Willie wants to do, he wants to win a Champion Hurdle with her and then go chasing.
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