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I don’t lead a very fulfilling life, the summer is the worst, where i basically cant wait for the charlie hall chase and the ‘proper’ racing to start.
I had, in my head to help me nod off, put together dream fields for Cheltenham’s highlight races for each day, but i got to the world hurdle, got bored and went for the Ryanair instead.
What a line up you would put together if you just took the best winners over the last 15 years or so. I also don’t think its as simple as just going off the ratings either (which you could feasibly do for the CH +GC) as many of these horses may be considered better over the 2m or 3m+ distance.
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Imperial Commander
Riverisde Theatre
Cue Card
Vautour
Un de sceaux
Frodon
Min
Allaho
Envoi Allen
Protektorat
Fact to FileWhat a race. My 1,2,3
Vautour (On that day he was just a sight for sore eyes)
Allaho
Imperial CommanderYou’re right – that would be some race.
I reckon peak Allaho would break them all, though. Both Frodon and Imperial Commander would try to stay with him, and pay the consequences, so Vautour and Cue Card to fill the places.
There is a hell of a lot of pace in that race! You are probably right about Allaho – i just loved Vatour’s Ryanair and his JLT. His jumping was just beautiful, looked a picture under Walsh.
You forgot Albertas Run, a two time winner of the race plus another RSA win as well. he also had a 40% strike rate throughout his career.
While he may not have beaten the best fields, I agree with ERL that Albertas Run deserves a place in this line-up as one of the few dual winners of the race. He was more of a specialist at the distance than many of the other winners as well.
I pretty much agree with Gladiateur about which runners are the cream of the crop, though Vautour at his peak would have to be my number one. His two chase performances at the Festival were sublime, especially the Golden Miller win.
So for me 1) Vautour 2) Allaho 3) Cue Card, with Imperial Commander and Un De Sceaux not far behind.
Such a shame that neither Vautour nor Allaho completely fulfilled their potential in my view, despite their successes.
I did actually leave alberts run out on purpose. I just felt he was a level below most of these and won two ordinary renewals. He also broke my heart as i lumped and lumped on Kalahari King on his 2nd Ryanair. I loved Kalahari King, but had a lot of injuries and should have been stepped up in distance much sooner.
I always remember his 2nd to Albertas run as being such a close race, but just watched it back and he was a well held, even though it was a length he was never going to win… and to this day i don’t know how he never won his arkle.
I doubt anyone will lead UDS for long given the way he took charge of Ruby (when he tried to hold onto him) after three fences and tanked along pretty much to three out – with all that pace up front either many of those front runners will have to take back (which they might not like) or they will simply cut each others throats and be sitting ducks for a horse that sat off the pace and picked up the pieces.
I have a fancy for Fact To File, didn’t beat the strongest competition in his renewal (but then you could argue that fact for a number of horses on the list) but I could see the race being perfectly set up for him and we also know he stays 3m well considering he got within 4L of GDC in the Irish Gold Cup.
If it came up really testing then UDS and Protektorat become big players to make the frame but with that being said if we are talking about ideal Cheltenham ground somewhere around good to soft, then my 3 are:
1. Fact To File
2. Cue Card
3. Vautour (assuming he sits just off the early pace).Agree with AndrewBeamish, tho it’s not my favourite race, deprived us of Allaho and Vautour going for the big one
As long as he jumped round Cue Card would win , he,d out stay them , realistically he is the only one who could have won a GC the rest prob not
Imperial Commander did win a gold cup! In the Kauto and Denman era nonetheless. Absolute certain CC doesn’t beat either and he never go to prove he stayed the 3.2m around Cheltenham.
Allaho and Vautour both stayed the 3 Mile trip pretty well. Vautour probably a little unlucky not to win a King George (paddy brennan!). Allaho won a very good Punchestown Gold cup.
Around Cheltenham i think the 2.4+ was the optimum for both Allaho and Vautor, but I think both could have been competitive or even won a Champion chase, but perhaps not vintage renewals. If Dodging Bullets, Put the kettle on, Special Tiara could do it, then so could these.
Both could have won a King George. Certain Vautour would have went on to win one, and Allaho would have been made for it in his prime, Mullins waited too long.
He did Andrew , however peak Kauto and Denman would had have no trouble with him , both in there dotage at that point
I still think it was a very good Gold Cup that IC won, but agree both beat him in their prime. Not sure Cue Card would have won that GC, but its guesswork really. I say that with Cue Card being very much my favourite horse i have seen live – being at Wetherby and Haydock in 2015 and following him to win both and the 2015 King George.
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