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I am in the “what is the rush” camp on Altior.
This horse could be a monster and appears to have a serious set of gears so I see no need whatsoever to go CC this year. He will IMO win the Arkle and then go the normal route to the CC and that is the way it should be. I think a talent like this should be nurtured and not rushed!!
Raymo, I think they might look at Tizz’s example in the KG and perhaps have the late Vautour in mind. When you have a fit horse who’s very talented, you might not have him next year. I too had a double on Altior and Thistlecrack post-festival, but did not ‘insure’ anything with an Arkle bet. But if I’d backed him for the Arkle, I’d definitely have a saver at 20s to cover my stake.
Hope this builds pace, might get Douvan back at a backable price.
Blackbeard to conquer the World
Anyone know if Ar Mad will turn up here or go for the Ryan air? I think 8/1 W/O without DOUVAN is a fair price.
I think he will go for the Ryanair. He stayed on in the Tingle Creek like he wants further and has run over 2m5f before.
He isn’t slow, in fact he is probably the only horse who could give Douvan something to think about. Fox Norton, I suspect, will just be ridden to pick up the pieces. Had Ar Mad not made that very bad mistake in the Tingle Creek he may well have won and nobody would be thinking about the Ryanair.
Raymo, I think they might look at Tizz’s example in the KG and perhaps have the late Vautour in mind. When you have a fit horse who’s very talented, you might not have him next year. I too had a double on Altior and Thistlecrack post-festival, but did not ‘insure’ anything with an Arkle bet. But if I’d backed him for the Arkle, I’d definitely have a saver at 20s to cover my stake.
I think it’s the fashion to do that now but I still think it’s more likely they’ll go the novice route with this sort of horse, just more likely they’ll go straight for the championship race.
I agree with Raymo here. Actually the horse still has it to prove against the other novices anyway before we can talk about him spanking the older horses
I was gonna wait til he won the Game Spirit to lay off my stake, but I might just have to hit the pink button now!
If you look at the winning times of last year’s Arkle & Champion Chase you will see times of 3:48.6 for the Arkle & 3:58.5 for the Champion Chase……would Douvan have won the Champion Chase had he run? Probably. The case for the novice race being an easier option would hold up if it was run at a slower pace but this is not the case, look at the year before and Un De Sceaux got round quicker as a novice than Dodging bullets in the Champion Chase…..would he have won the Champion Chase? Probably. Would Sprinter Sacre have another Champion Chase to his name had he ran in the Champion Chase against Finian’s Rainbow in 2012? You bet he would. It seems that exceptional chasers are missing opportunities and the sport itself is failing to capitalise on pitching the very best against each other. Who can forget Masterminded’s demolition job in the Champion Chase as a novice? If Paul Nichols were training Altior I would bet on him running in the Champion Chase. Douvan v Altior would make for the most exciting race of the festival and would make the second day of the festival a sell out and boost the tv audience. If I were the Cheltenham Racecourse owner I would pay the owner of Altior to switch races because Cheltenham needs to see the best competing against the best, who wants to see Douvan complete an exhibition round of jumping? there is little excitement in that!!!!!
The novice vs Championship times are sometimes like that. The Supreme is often quicker than the Champion.
Huh? Are you joking?
First of all, the races being compared take place on different days. The ground will have been affected by a whole day’s racing, the wind might be different, it might have rained, etc, there are literally tens of variables that could affect the times.
Second of all, it’s simply not an accurate comparison to make.
-In 2015 Douvan won the Supreme over 3 seconds faster than Faugheen won the Champion Hurdle
-In 2013 Champagne Fever won the Supreme just under 4 seconds faster than Hurricane Fly won the Champion Hurdle
-In 2011 Al Ferof won the Supreme over 1.5 seconds quicker than Hurricane Fly won the Champion HurdleWould Douvan/Champagne Fever/Al Ferof have won the Champion Hurdle?
NB. Both Arkle and Supreme Novices’ runners carry 3lbs less than Champion Chase/Champion Hurdle horses
If you look at the winning times of last year’s Arkle & Champion Chase you will see times of 3:48.6 for the Arkle & 3:58.5 for the Champion Chase……would Douvan have won the Champion Chase had he run? Probably.
Actually, the Arkle time was 3:48.7 and the Champion Chase was run in 3:49.10. The pace in the Champion was ran very strong in first half of the race (using up more energy eariler) in comparison to the Arkle which had a stronger latter half (conserving energy for a big finish). My take on that is, had Douvan ran in that Champion, he’d have had his work cut out to reel in Sprinter Sacre.
But do we know if Altoir is even the best novice
whereas with Douvan and master minded it was obvious
But do we know if Altoir is even the best novice
whereas with Douvan and master minded it was obvious
If he’s not, he’s doing a good impression :)
But do we know if Altoir is even the best novice
whereas with Douvan and master minded it was obvious
If you look at Altior’s current rating based on the horses he beat, he will already be in the 160’s, on the bare form he beat a 146 rated horse by 18 lengths. If you equate 1 pound for each length beating he would be 146+18 = 164 and the manner of his victory suggests you can add half a stone to that which puts him to the same level as Mastermind who went into his first Champion Chase with a 170 rating. Douvan currently has an official rating of 169
I was happy giving him the benefit of the doubt before, running over extended trips, giving away weight, dodgy season last year, etc, but Dodging Bullets is finished.
I don’t think I’ve ever backed Douvan before, but I think I might this year.
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