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Won’t be as entertaining as Batman Returns I’m afaid.
Looks like being a desperate race on Saturday for the Aon and we will be none the wiser how good thes Denman really is.
10 entries including Another Promise who hasn’t run for nearly a year, Turpin Green who will probably be about 90% fit and plod round half a mile behind Denman, Regal Heights and Mister McGoldrick will think they’re racing in a different county and the only possible danger is David Pipes who would be as well staying at home if it rains.
What annoys me about this is that the sport is becoming about trainers and not horses.
Nicholls has said that he has left Kauto Star in the decs just in case something should happen Denman. Surely the 2 horses should be considered separately and if KS is fit enough to run in the Aon then he should run. Either the Aon is part of his Cheltenham prep or it is not.
If I was Clive Smith then I would be pretty pissed off to be told "BTW Clive, if Denman can’t make the Aon then KS is running as MY substitute!"
But hes got Kauto pencilled in for Ascot next week hasnt he?
My concern is that Newbury’s card on Sat might have rather too many uncompetetive looking races.
I must admit its a disapointing race. Denmans odds will be stupidly low and unless he falls, which i doubt he will, then it will be a walkover.
Do you think it is more of a case of other horses running scared, or is there actually nothing else out there to challenge these 2 at the moment?
And i wouldnt read to much into the Kauto decleration. Thats sounds pretty common when you have 2 horses like this.
I’m not disputing that it’s the norm andy – I’m complaining about it.
Henrietta Knight got stick for not running Best Mate enough but here we have the 2 best 3m chasers being deliberately kept apart by the same trainer in order for him to win the Trainers Championship.
If either horse was trained by a different trainer, then we would have 4 Denman vs Kauto Star races each season instead of just the Gold Cup (Betfair Chase, King George, Aon, & Gold Cup).
If I owned Denman I would want my trainer to place him so he wins races for me. I most certainly would not want my trainer to put him against Kauto Star.
I think Denman will turn out to be a bit of a hype horse, good horse but not as good as the majority believe.
You can’t blame Paul Nicholls and the owners doing what is right for them.
Would you expect to see Tyson V Holyfield 3 times a year?
I think we know how good Denman is – Ruby Walsh has chosen Kauto Star
Zip,
Ps,
Batman Returns is a pretty good film – esp when the Penguin offers to show Catwoman his flipper trick!
We are in danger of going back 40 years here when Arkle and Mill House reigned supreme even although Kauto and Denman may not be regarded in the same class yet.
The biggest fear, although it would be great to see, is that Kauto wins the Gold Cup as easily as he won the King George.
If he does and persoanally I think he will, then nothing will want to take him on at levels. Arkle became so suprior he was 1/10 for his 3rd Gold Cup.
If Kauto proves to be well superior to Denman, there is every chance Denman would seek compenasation in races like the Hennessy giving weight away but you can forget Kauto taking that path. PN will pobably mark him out a path where he doesn’t have to give an ounce to anything and he will become a showpiece. Like Arkle 3 or 4 will turn out for the place money and that could also be the case in next years Gold Cup…..half the field this year have already chosen not to take the pair on…..think what it will be like if one of them wins on the bridle by 12 lengths. The price you pay to see a true Champion I suppose.
In his earlier days ED was always a danger but I think Kauto has improved a lot since then. As daft as it may sound I don’t think Denman has the pace to take Kauto off the bridle, the way he travels ….I don’t think any chaser has.
There’s always the chance new stars will emerge, I suppose Noland could go on to be special but 3m2f round Cheltenham I would worry about him getting the trip.
Of course they both have to win their races yet and get to Cheltenham in one piece which is easier said than done.
.I don’t know what people are complaining about to be honest. Which horses did people expect to see entered in the AON? At the moment we are lucky enough to have three staying chasers that are a long way ahead of everything else so there isn’t much (if anything) around that could give them much a race. Let’s just enjoy them. Personally I think it’s great that we’re likely to see Denman this week, Kauto next week and maybe even Exotic Dancer the week after.
Having said that don’t be so sure about Saturday (remember L’Ami last year).
If people think that watching a horse like Denman jump round Newbury will be ‘desperate’, maybe it’s time for them to get out of the game…
Can sort of understand your point David, but Denman did swerve the Betfair to run in the Hennessey carrying top weight. I think thats fair enough…
Might also be true that Leopardstown would suit him better than a good ground sharp Kempton
Keeping them apart for what is effectively a prep race is not unreasonable
Still…would be good to see them clash in next years Betfair…
I don’t think Denman would have got near KS at Kempton.
Because they’ve been kept apart, there’s obviously a danger that the big match-up might never happen (my biggest fear in life at the moment). As a trainer you can’t think like that though and what would be the point of getting one of them beat in a trial race when it’s possible to keep them apart?
KS may as well go for the Grade 1 that is on offer at Ascot as well…
The sport is supposed to be racing not a one-sided exhibition. What is exciting about watching an odds-on shot parade around in the big race of the day? What do we do then – get the ratings boys to decide if Mister McGoldrick or Ollie Magern ran to their best form so we can rate the race around them and decide based on the ratings if Denman is good enough to beat Kauto Star.
Do you think the 2m hurdling division has been poor over the last few years because Brave Inca, Hardy Eustace, Macs Joy were racing against each other 3-4 times a year? Certainly didn’t devalue the Champion Hurdle because they had ran against each other earlier that season – if anything it enhanced it.
Which horses did I expect to see entered in the AON Chase? I expect to see the top 3m chasers take each other on, not avoid each other until the very last minute. What’s to protect – their stud fee! The race was good enough for Kauto Star’s prep last year. The way it’s going, Denman will be running in the William Hill Hcp Ch at the Festival.
Very good points made there actually mate. It would be excellent for racing if the best clash in the best races. In flat racing the big horses clash more often than not dont they? You wouldnt get Dylan Thomas swerving the Arc because Authorized was in there would you.
Its alot easier for PN to do it because he trains them both. If they were at seperate stables i think they would have clashed by now…
Surely the idea for PN is to get both/all of his charges to their chosen big target fit, well and confident.
What good would it do Denman and KS taking each other on at Newbury? It would probably take the edge off them for the GC if they had a battle in the AON.
We know already that Newbury suits Denman’s style of running and KS seems indifferent to the track, going and distance within reason (a big part of the brilliance of this superb horse).Nicholls is not the first to keep his stars apart until the big day. Dickinson and Fred Winter charted a similar course.
A pity for the racegoer but it just adds to the anticipation of the big day IF they all turn up fit and fancied.
What good would it do Denman and KS taking each other on at Newbury? It would probably take the edge off them for the GC if they had a battle in the AON.
Exactly; if they both ran against each other at Newbury, it would come down to who was the fittest; and which jockey would be the most aggressive and which one would be careful and be thinking about the big day in March. It would have an unreliable result (excuses, etc) and only devalue The Gold Cup; which is when they will both be up for it.
And though Brave Inca, Hardy Eustace and Macs Joy did run against each other in Ireland a lot, it was Cheltenham that counted – how often was Hardy competing to the best of his ability in those races in Ireland? They even used to leave the blinkers off him! And there were always reasonable excuses for the losers regarding fitness and not liking the heavy ground.
Besides, and I’m sure everyone knows this: flat and hurdles races are totally different (less demanding for a start) than chases, and it just isn’t practical or safe for top-class chasers to run hell-for-leather several times a year like flat horses and hurdlers.
andyccfc,
You’re probably right in saying that the best take each other on more often on the flat but surely the Gold Cup is the jumping equivalent of the Arc in prestige and Kauto & Denman will both be there all being well. You wouldn’t get Dylan/Authorized taking each other on the Niel either.
If Kauto slammed Denman by 10L in the AON, it would take away all the anticipation from the Gold Cup and KS would be about 1-3 on the day.
And even if Denman wasn’t around, why run Kauto in a Grade 2 this week, when he can run in a Grade 1 next week?
Isn’t this one of the problems of the National Hunt season?
Everything seems to revolve around Cheltenham, other races, valuable in themselves and well worth winning are seen as trials for the big event.
Horses are "wrapped in cotton-wool" so that they arrive at the Festival in peak condition.
It’s great for the Festival, but doesn’t it detract from the rest of the season?
Colin
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