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Of course he did, total brain fart on my part there – but even that race was still well over 6 weeks ago and I am pretty sure that Nicholls would have left something to work on for the Festival so he might not be ready to execute really forcing tactics that could get your namesake beat.
Feels like you’ve got to be all over Politologue here. Race fitness and match practice especially vital to 2m chasers. Really hope we can get this Altior thing beaten.
Surprised at the tactics here – never was going to outspeed a Supreme winner and the fact that the outsider was still tanking turning for home meant the game was up at that stage.
Unless he has an off day on the day, I can’t see him getting beat in the QMCC and that is even if Douvan makes it (a massive if and even then he would be at a serious disadvantage fitness wise).
Might be interesting to see what the odds are for Hendo winning the big 3 at the Festival
STD said after the race that Nico told him that he was planning to take the lead on Altior. That could explain the odd-ness of the tactics.
For the first fence or so maybe but then you need to be flexible and once he was left in front he really should have made more use of him, it may have also helped with the fluency of his jumping as well as he never got into any sort of rhythm.
At the end of the day it may not have made one jot of difference what he did but you knew full well going into the race you were not going to outspeed him so on a horse that has won over 2m4f & 2m5f you needed to make it tough for your rival and play to your own strengths and not his.
No Cheltenham trial is going to be strongly run in soft ground. Against such a good opponent, had Twister made it a thorough test it would’ve run a significant risk of leaving both Altior and Politologue’s Cheltenham chances behind. That was never going to happen.
Value Is EverythingNot saying he should have gone an end to end gallop in that ground but when the outsider who hasn’t run for over 3 yrs tanked his way through the race and was still swinging off the bridle coming into the straight then to me you have significantly misjudged the pace and played into the hands of the horse with the best basic speed.
Every man and his wife knew he was never going to win if it turned into a tactical burn up and lo and behold it turned into a burn up from 2 out and he pretty much got laughed at with Nico barely doing enough to keep himself warm.
No Cheltenham trial is going to be strongly run in soft ground.
Cotswold Chase, last year….?
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Was the Game Spirit a real race or just more of a racecourse gallop? The Nicholls horses aren’t running the was they should and Valdez never counted in that race. So basically it was a racecourse gallop with a sprint after the final ditch.
Altior will surely come on for the run and for the wind op.Cotswold Chase every year, Nathan! I see Twister has ballsed up Bristol De Mai yet again by running him there. He’s obviously not recovered to be pulled out this far ahead of the race.
Yeah, he didn’t learn from the last time did he.
Also ginger says no Cheltenham trial race is run strongly on soft ground yet in another breath says Special Tiara is value based on the horse going off too fast on soft going….
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
OK Nathan, I should’ve said “if they have any sense no Cheltenham trial is intentionally strongly run”.
ie Had Sam made it a strongly run race he’d have put both Altior’s Cheltenham chance in doubt and his own.
Yes, Special Tiara was given too hard a race, but his price (Value Is Everything
) more than makes up for the chance he won’t recover in time.Value Is Everything
) more than makes up for the chance he won’t recover in time.- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.