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Big Bucks has won 5 gd 1’s including 2 World Hurdles, Grand Cru has yet to win any.
While the latter is undoubtedly a very good horse, it’s far too early to be burying the former.I know the form book says exactly what you say, reet hard, but I noticed that he was on the bridle right up to the post – after more than a circuit struggling against a tight rein.
Frankly, I will be very surprised if he is not a superstar, of a quality we don’t see very often at all. But it’s the visual impression that I pay a lot of heed to in a race like that. He looked like a Grade I horse in a claimer, but it was a Grade 2.
I don’t want to argue about it, because I could be stone wrong, but I’m giving you my impression.
In recent years Cheltenham has dried out as the week progressed and if recent years are anything to go by the ground for the World Hurdle will either be good to soft or good and Grand Crus would appear to need soft ground to show his best.
Big Bucks is unbeaten in 10 races over hurdles and in 3 mile plus chases where he has not fell, on all types of ground, he rarely wins by far but is always going away at the finish. He would probably only win a seller by 3 lengths given his style of racing.
He has the best engine I have ever seen (with the possible exception of Long Run). Paul Nicholls with all his talented horses is on record as saying he is the best we have on the gallops.
In a true run race he would warrant a sizeable bet if he is anywhere near even money.
Grands Crus’ time in the Cleeve wasn’t anything special and was much slower than BB’s last year on apparently similar ground. I think on best form shown so far I would prefer BB. The market looks about right to me with BB on 2.0 and GC on 3.6.
But who will come third? There could be some each-way possibilities. Mourad seems to be third fav but his win odds look a bit cramped to me. So it’s beginning to look like a no-bet race to me at current prices.
Top RP speed figure of Big Bucks: 153
Top RP speed figure of Inglis Drever: 175Your Honour, I rest my case.
- Total Posts 17716
Top RP speed figure of Big Bucks: 153
Top RP speed figure of Inglis Drever: 175Your Honour, I rest my case.
Only if you ignore that the first was achieved in a common canter, whereas the 2nd most certainly wasn’t?
Grand Crus, of course, has never achieved a figure within hailing distance of either, and that may well prove his Achille’s heel. Whilst he’s won over the World Hurdle c/d, Saturday’s race was relatively slowy run (compares poorly with the relatively modest Art Professor in the last, for instance) and it’s been a feature of all his 3 wins this season that he’s won them by speed, well before stamina became an issue – something he won’t be able to do at the Festival, unless he really is another Pegasus.Well, BB is being talked of a superstar, and imho, it’s over the top. ID did win 3 WHs in 4 years; and though their respective handicap marks and RP ratings tell a slightly different story, I’m always more impressed by the times achieved by horses in the same class.
The horse ID beat that day was Kasbah Bliss, who went on, the next year, to be beaten a short head on the flat, in the Cadran. Yeats was third, one and a half lengths away.
I don’t believe the long-distance hurdle championship is the most coveted, as those who excel go on to chasing, if they can to similar effect, so that, too, takes a little of the shine off its superstars. But a gap of 22 points RPSF seems significantly off-putting to me re BB’s status as a real superstar, even in that division.
Heck, I’m probably mad sticking my head above the parapet like this, and making an absolute fool of myself. But I’m obstinate, and won’t believe it until I see it.
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So Grand Crus is a superstar because of a visual impression created in poor company, Grimes, yet Big Buck’s can’t be a superstar because he hasn’t registered a better speed figure than Inglis Drever?
Big Buck’s has routed everything that has been put in front of him and has done so on easy tracks and stiff tracks, and on ground from heavy to good. He’s also worked with, and cantered by, a peak-form Kauto Star.
At this moment in time Grand Crus is ridiculously short (relative to Big Buck’s).
A grade 2 race is not Cheltenham or Aintree’s finest, but it’s hardly poor company, is it?
"… yet Big Buck’s can’t be a superstar because he hasn’t registered a better speed figure than Inglis Drever?"
But it would be nice if he could have got within 22 points of Inglis Dever’s speed figure. Of course, you can say, well he can only thrash what’s in front of him, and that, of course, is true. But whether he’ll be able to beat this up-and-coming easiest of all possible Grade 2 winners. We shall have to wait ,and see.
If the jockey had restrained him any more purposefully, he’d have had tp pull him up. He looked as if he could have gone round again – and still won!
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Wish I handn’t mentioned time now, we’ll be bringing Baracuda into it next.
Everyone keeps saying Big Buck’s beat nothing but as I mentioned before take him away and Time for Rupert would have won the World Hurdle by 11 lengths last season and Karabak would have been beaten 12 lengths.
Considering Big Buck’s had beaten Karabak only 4lengths at Newbury it would have looked a fantastic performance almost everyone would have be hailing Time for Rupert a superstar.
To date All Grand Crus has done is beaten average horses and looked good.
Big Buck’s is good and there’s a world of difference between beating handicappers and taking on a Grade 1 superstar which will become blatantly obvious to anyonee who doubts that come March.
Timeform rates Grans Crus just 2lbs inferior to Big Bucks, and he hasn’t raced much, so there should be improvement.
On the other hand, GC’s official handicap rating is 16lbs lower, and his best RP rating, I believe was 6lbs lower. I’ve made my case as strongly as I can. Maybe it’s deluded.
Well, we shall see, come March, as you say, Fist.
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2lbs is unbelievable.
Horse wins a bad Greatwood and Big Buck’s has cantered over top notchers like they were selling platers……sorry! but that just doesn’t compute.Tomorrow Knockara Beau has got everything a horse could ever wish for going for him. He loves the course he loves the ground, the opposition is stones below World Hurdle class and he’s a hot fav to win.
His nearest rival in the betting appears to be Dicklers Oscar who won a race at Ayr. The second has ran since against Nicky Hensdrson’s Chablais and was beaten 54 lengths so the opposition is poor to say the least.
I’ll be surprised if he is beaten but not as surprised as the rating guys at Timeform who will look very silly with their 2lbs
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Won as expected and din’t do Crand Crus any harm, so I did the logical ting….put my winnings on Big Buck’s
Horse wins a bad Greatwood and Big Buck’s has cantered over top notchers like they were selling platers……sorry! but that just doesn’t compute.
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