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I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to the race or dreading it. Either way I’m a tad nervous.
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I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to the race or dreading it. Either way I’m a tad nervous.
What’s to worry about Mo, I could jump most of the Haydock fences – just 1 fall and 1 u/r in the 6 year history of the race.
There is little to suggest that Long Run won’t be fit for a pot more valuable than the King George itself, and with a stone and more in hand, it shouldn’t really matter too much if he isn’t.
His OR was 158 in the race before he beat the novice Riverside Theatre and a shadow of Kauto Star in the KIng George before beating him again and another oldtimer in Denman in the Gold Cup.
He’s gone from 158 to 182 in 2/3 races that came at the end of a great era.
If this was a handicap he’d have to give Time For Rupert 23lbs and Weird Al 18lbs
Talk about an inflated rating
Let’s see how close those 2 get to him and how he’s rated afterwards.
I doubt if he’d give either a stone round Haydock.
I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to the race or dreading it. Either way I’m a tad nervous.
Me Too – I’m driving up to Haydock from Surrey cos if its Kauto’s last race I want to be there, I’m just praying if it is, it will be cos he’s does well and retires on a high.
All that matters really is that he gets round safely, it would be wonderful if he did win but as long as he goes home with everything intact and is happy, thats what matters.
Love Ya Kauto!It was music to my ears to hear that Paul Nichols has been working Kauto Star like his life depended on it.
As I suggested it’s the smart move because no matter what Nicky Henderson says he will not have Long Run 100%. He’d be mad not to leave something to work on with the King George so close. It may seem like along time until boxing day but when you get one 110% fit and you have to let him down before building him back up again every day counts.
When you look back on 3 of the 5 runnings of this race:- Imperial Commander only just held of Tidal Bay, Kauto Star beat Imperial Commander in a photo, Kauto Star was struggling to get to Snoopy Loopy when he UR, it indicates the horses expected to win or run well in the King George are never quite as sharp as you expect.
Maybe as Reet suggested Long Run doesn’t need to be 100% fit to win but this is the best renewal of this race yet.
Diamond Harry travels like a dream in his race and won’t be brushed off lightly, Kauto Star was rated the best chaser since Arkle and if anything like his old self he would beat Long Run, Wierd Al after a lay off looked like he had improved and won so easily there’s no telling just how good he is. Time For Rupert may have improved immensely for his run at Wetherby, he’ll have to and if he has he’ll badger the life out of the leaders up the home straight and if there’s any chinks in the armour he’ll find them.
Everything on paper says Long Run wins with ease but paper doesn’t refuse ink. If he does win I reckon it will be much closer than his fans expect.
The best result would be for Kauto Star to win and we could all cry instead of just some of us
i would have to take a chance on kauto at the prices either one of two things is going to happen with him in my opinion he is going to go close to winning or be pulled up but at the prices i am willing to take a chance surely nicholls knows its highly unlikely kauto can win another king george or gold cup and is priming him for this race i just cant see long run being 100% fit for this race although he could easily win if not also have a feeling weird al will bounce time for rupert could be interesting
deltamk; have a fabulous day..I’ve never seen Kauto in the flesh and, over the years I never warmed to him the way I did to other horses [Dessie, One Man..]. However, I was always worried for him in his early days and he has become very dear to me now that he’s in the twilight of his career. We don’t go to Cheltenham on Gold Cup day these days but I hope that, perhaps not next year but the year, after Kauto and Denman will parade before the race and I will go that day. Be there for me on Saturday and, fely, it’s good to know that you’ll be as worried as me on Saturday. What are we???
Seems like you love greys. I think I’ll dye my hair
Should grab the chance while you can even if he doesn’t win or even run well.
My hero as a lad was Persian War. It was quite heart wrenching to see him beaten near the end of his career in the Scottish Champion Hurdle, by Coral Diver if memory serves me well, but just seeing him in the flesh is something I’ll never forget.
Tough call this one, think Long Run is opposable at the odds, will probably back Diamond Harry.
Don’t think the track will suit TFR and he has a bit to find against WA in any case. Kuato winning would bring a tear to the eye of all but the hardest but just can’t see it I’m afraid, he hasn’t run anywhere near his best for 2 years, pray he gets home safely.
DH record fresh is exemplary, he’s a class horse and I just think it might be his day with Weird Al there or thereabouts also.
1. Diamond Harry
2. Long Run
3. Weird AlIt is looking like a very exciting contest. I would love it if Kauto could just run a good race and finish in the frame. I might just take a chance on him.
I am very much a fan of Long Run’s and have really defended his case whenever there has been a bad word said about him, but i must agree that he might just need the run just to get his juices going and to sharpen up his jumping. Can’t take him with those odds.
I’ve never really been keen on Weird Al and in all honesty i just don’t think he’s that good. Same goes for Time For Rupert.
It’ll take a divine intervention for Pure Faith to win, but hey outsiders have a great place record in this race and at 66/1… shame on me i’m actually tempted. Okay i know the Old Roan had zero pace and it really fell to pieces, allowing him to really get a second place, but there is no denying that he really, really did run a good race. Does he stay? Probably not. But this could be a better horse than we are perceiving him to be.
My pick of the bunch has to be Diamond Harry. He has always impressed me and i can’t oppose him when he’s fresh. He’ll need to be back to his Hennessy form, which we can’t exactly guarantee given the amount of time off he’s had, but i would have to call him the winner at this point in time.
Hard to oppose Henderson in his current form and with the day he’s just had. However, I do believe if Long Run’s there to be got, it’ll be tomorrow. His main aims for the season are obviously to retain the King George and Gold Cup, and with that in mind you’d assume he won’t be tip top until Boxing Day.
Diamond Harry of course has the course form and runs well fresh(which given last years Paddy Power performance, is a relative unknown with regards to Long Run). He is a class horse and has reportedly been working very well.
I’m just hoping like everyone here that Kauto has a safe journey round, whether he’ll bother the first 2 I don’t know but as far as I’m concerned that’s not the name of the game for tomorrow.
For me Time For Rupert would be better off taking his place in what looks a very winnable Hennessy. Would be running off a very decent mark and second season chasers have a good record in the race. Weird Al is good but I doubt if such a fragile horse can recreate that Charlie Hall performance less than a month after the race.
It’s Diamond Harry for me, Long Run looks beatable on his reappearance. However, I can’t see him being beaten again this season……………
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With £112K to the winner, those banking on Long Run not being fit enough to do himself justice are barking at the moon, imo.
11/10 against is a crazy price for a horse with so much in his favour.What a fantastic race in prospect, and a real puzzle.
Here is my take on it, for what it;s worth.
Long Run – Reet Hard, I disagree with you. I don’t think he will be 100% tomorrow. His main aims will surely be the King George and the Gold Cup. I can’t believe they won’t have left a bit to work on with Kempton in mind.
This might sound crazy but I’m not 100% certain about him. He hit a lot of fences at Cheltenham in March and won’t always get away with that. Don’t think the King George he won was the best ever either.
Pressure now really on Sam Waley Cohen now he is King – I think he’s gonna feel it.
That said, he is form pick but think he might get beaten for fitness and just have this feeling that riding an odds on Gold Cup winner might not be as much fun (and as easy) as it was last season.
Diamond Harry – great record fresh. Take Denman out of last season’s Hennessey and it was like a conditions race(most ran off 10 stone). Won it really well. However, he is really fragile and has numerous injuries, because of that I won’t be risking my money hoping he is the same horse as he was last year. Could do with more cut in the ground as well, I think.
Kauto Star – all time great but in decline. Because of that I can’t have him.
Weird Al – suspect this fella is best fresh. Can’t forget his post race condition first time up last year at Carlisle when he was in a terrible state and wasn’t the same horse for the rest of the season. Jason Maguire prefers to go to Ascot, if he really fancied him no way would he desert him, not for anything, not in a race of this calibre.
Time For Rupert – my pick. Was so impressive in his first two runs last season at Cheltenham (first over 2.5 miles). Was a high class staying hurdler (winning at Aintree – similar flat track) and 2nd to Big Bucks in the World Hurdle, 11 lengths back to the third. Genuine excuses for last two defeats, firstly in the RSA when he never travelled but only finished 6 lengths behind the winner and yet post race was reported by the vet to have coughed and bled significantly.
Last time he travelled really well and jumped like a stag. Fitness did him in the end but the bugger kept trying all the way to the line.
Will be 100% this time and I expect him to reverse form with Weird Al.
He has loads of class and an attitude to die for. At 9s I had to have a very decent punt on him. I think he’ll front run and make it a right stamina test.
I see Corals & Hills have him at 50s to win tomorrow and also the Gold Cup – will have a crack at that as well.
1st Time For Rupert
2nd Long Run
3rd Diamond Harry
4th Kauto Star
5th Weird Al
6th Pure Faith
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