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TONY McCOY is to ride Denman for the first time when the 2008 Gold Cup winner and second favourite runs in the Aon Chase at Newbury on February 13.
Trainer Paul Nicholls, writing exclusively in the Racing Post, announced that McCoy would remain on board Denman for his titanic third showdown with stablemate Kauto Star in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 19.
- Total Posts 17716
DENMAN V KAUTO STAR
McCoy V Walsh
Himself
V Fist 
A truly classic event folks and you can get free transport from anywhere in the UK Free tickets with a complimentary drink on arrival at the course.
All you need to do is purchase a Kauto or Denmand supporters badge from Grassy…..price $8,000 each or 2 for $19,000.
You can send the money to me via moneybookers and I’ll pass it on to Grassy next time I see him
Not bad eh? and we will pay the postage
That says to me that Denman is going to need some pushin and a shovin to keep up with kauto.
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A shocking decision imo, and Paul Nicholls has shown once again, for all his fine words to the contrary, that common decency comes a long way down his list when it gets in the way of personal glory.
Loyaly to Sam Thomas apart, and with all due deference to Tony McCoy’s undoubted ability, he’s the last person I’d want on a horse with a heart problem. God willing, it won’t be too close a finish in the big one.I’m with reef hard on this one – though I’d consider it more as a disappointing decision than a shocking one.
It’s not so much a wrong wrong decision but a poor one, in my opinion.
I thought ( and hoped ) that Sam Thomas would retain the ride as I believe he is perfectly suited to the horse.
Ok, maybe AP will still be able to get the best out of the big horse, but I just have this certain little niggling concern that it’s a partnership which may prove to be ill suited. I think Denman is a horse who needs as much gentle cajoling as he does rousting.
I very much hope that I’m proved wrong. No wonder Mr Fist is (prematurely?) rejoicing.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Not a particularly difficult ride and not a particularly difficult or controversial decision…
Like the ridiculous amount of coverage given to who will or won’t be the England captain this week, this topic should be filed under "who really cares?" rather than debated endlessly….
Add me to the disappointed pile.
There’s "the best jockey" and "the best jockey for the horse", and they are not the same thing.
Do wonder if this means What A Friend *will* run – didn’t the owners specifically ask for Sam Thomas to ride him?
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I think someone needs something eplained about Denman’s so called heart problem. It is in no way life threatening no animal had ever died from it or so I am led to beleive. So AP pushing and shoving Denman won’t have the horse dropping dead so please no more of that talk if you don’t mind.
Depending of whether you think AP is technically good enough or not should decide whether you think he’s the right man for the job or not. Sheer strength in a finish is unlikely to matter.
Either Denman will get Kauto off the bridle and do the same as he did to him in 2008 or he’ll get trounced.
Thing about Kauto Star is when he goes past you the race is over in a matter of strides and there’s no coming back from that, especially with a horse like Denman.
For me Ruby Walsh is the best jockey I’ve ever seen and as near to technically flawless as you can get but he’s obviously unavailable.
They clearly don’t want Sam on board, who incidentally I would have loved to see keep/get back the ride, so who better than AP?
AP is not all bull in a china shop, far from it. He is a very talented jockey with a great pair of hands and a brilliant judge of pace and that is exactly what’s required. The fact he is able to stoke a horse up better than anyone is just an added bonus, if the occasion arises.
AP is not all bull in a china shop, far from it. He is a very talented jockey with a great pair of hands and a brilliant judge of pace and that is exactly what’s required.
Very well said Fist.
People tend to focus on McCoy’s strength in a finish and tend to think of him, very unfairly, as a bit one dimensional.
He’s a great all-rounder, wins on all types of horses and makes fewer mistakes than most.
Nichols and/or the Findlay ownership camp may never have another Gold Cup contender like him, you never know, and if you have the chance to put the best jockey on board that’s what you should do.
No room for sentiment when Gold Cups are at stake so I can understand the decision, however tough and unfair it may seem on Sam Thomas. McCoy is one of the worlds truly great sportsmen after all. Maybe Sir Alex has been telling his Jimmy Leighton FA Cup Final stories over a pint or three.
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Fist
Neither of us are vets, but if you’d had a heart problem in the last couple of years, would you fancy taking on the best in the business up the Cheltenham hill? Particularly with one noted for his ‘will to win’ on your back.
Yeah, right.Mistake. It is not about the millions of ordinary winners AP has clocked up – he isn’t as good as he was and now he hardly rides any big race winners. His record at the Festival is becoming increasingly average. Sam Thomas was the obvious choice.
Reet – Do you think Thomas would be taking it easy on the horse coming over the last a length or two behind (or in front) of Kauto Star, on hand on the whip and the other on the horse’s pulse?
Not a particularly difficult ride and not a particularly difficult or controversial decision…
Like the ridiculous amount of coverage given to who will or won’t be the England captain this week, this topic should be filed under "who really cares?" rather than debated endlessly….
Spot on TDK
It seems to be becoming increasingly
de rigeur
on message boards to knock Nicholls
Not that I could really give a toss, but doncha all think Findlay and Barber may have played a part in the decision
AP is not all bull in a china shop, far from it. He is a very talented jockey with a great pair of hands and a brilliant judge of pace and that is exactly what’s required. The fact he is able to stoke a horse up better than anyone is just an added bonus, if the occasion arises.
Spot on Fister
It seems to be becoming increasingly
de rigeur
on message boards to criticise McCoy
With all due respect to TRF’s legion of Irish correspondents, how very British it is to knock the best of the best
AP won’t be around a whole lot longer, enjoy him while you can
you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
AP is not all bull in a china shop, far from it. He is a very talented jockey with a great pair of hands and a brilliant judge of pace and that is exactly what’s required. The fact he is able to stoke a horse up better than anyone is just an added bonus, if the occasion arises.
Spot on Fister
It seems to be becoming increasingly
de rigeur
on message boards to criticise McCoy
With all due respect to TRF’s legion of Irish correspondents, how very British it is to knock the best of the best
AP won’t be around a whole lot longer, enjoy him while you can
you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone
McCoy is a great jockey and a fine fellow. However, on this animal there is no evidence that Sam Thomas couldnt do the job. Getting jocked off is hardly anything new and whoever pays the bills is entitled to put Krusty the clown on if they want.
That said, some degree of loyalty is a trait I like in people so I don’t have to like this….and I dont.
SHL
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