- This topic has 544 replies, 77 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 2 months ago by
.
- Posts
Surely Djak goes gold cup.
He is only 8, placed two years running at 6 and 7. The first place was a remarkable achievement similar to the winner.
Mullins still hasn’t won the Gold Cup I believe. This horse is likely still improving at 8. He is a bit hit and miss but the last two festivals he has delivered.
I think Mullins would rather run a live GC contender in the GC rather than chase the Ryanair, for which he has a few live contenders already. The horse deserves to go for Gold.
When you actually stop to think about it, made perfect sense for Djakadam to go Gold Cup and Vautour to go Ryanair. Just surprising they didn’t make the decision sooner. Suspect the reason for that was convincing the owner.
Might well have made sense, but Mullins’s public statements suggested he was as committed to Vautour running in the GC as he is saying he now is with Djakadam. Perfect sense is fine so long as it goes with good decision making and good communications.
They are obviously not committed to the Gold Cup or they’d say so, outright, no question – He runs in the Gold Cup. Ricci’s comment about quick/soft ground tells you the discussion has been had and I can think of nothing else that the going could affect than the chances of UDS in the Ryanair V Djakadam’s in the same race. Doubtless the wellbeing of UDS between now and March is also a consideration,
Other factors they might be waiting for: is Alary as good as Tizz says? We should find out in the Peter Marsh on Saturday. Will Cue Card go Gold Cup? No question in my mind but apparently still a question for Tizz. But what will Mrs Bishop think, especially with that unanswered question from last year’s race? And the fact that everyone’s agreed that her horse ran way below form in what turned out a less than stamina-sapping King George? And the friendly but obvious rivalry with the Snooks? And of course memories of her husband’s dreams?
What about Native River? Young and still improving and steady money for him in the past weeks. The Mullins camp could end up being confronted with a very stiff challenge indeed for Djakadam. There’s talk of Theatre Guide running. Might Mrs Bishop believe that he could set a pace that would test the stamina of everything to the limit, not least Thistlecrack?
Above all, perhaps, Djakadam has had two goes at this and failed. Here’s Mullins’s comment from last year:
Djakadam had every chance from the fifth-last and jumped as cleanly as he could. He was beaten by a better horse on the day. It is going to be tough now for him to win one. We’ll see, but I would imagine he would stay on this road in a bid to come back here next year – Willie Mullins, trainer.
In 4 runs since the Gold Cup, Djakadam does not seem to be getting better: he’s failed to break 170 in RPR.
They’d go to the Gold Cup with hope instead of going to the Ryanair – especially a Cue Card and Valseur Lido-free Ryanair – with confidence. And, there might well be something too in what Gord says. Mullins and O’Leary are level with Nicholls, and maybe even a notch up when it comes to being competitive.
Thats something I would expect of a 10 year old child.
Yeah well you’re talking to Gordon, so what do you expect?
Might well have made sense, but Mullins’s public statements suggested he was as committed to Vautour running in the GC as he is saying he now is with Djakadam. Perfect sense is fine so long as it goes with good decision making and good communications.
They are obviously not committed to the Gold Cup or they’d say so, outright, no question – He runs in the Gold Cup. Ricci’s comment about quick/soft ground tells you the discussion has been had and I can think of nothing else that the going could affect than the chances of UDS in the Ryanair V Djakadam’s in the same race. Doubtless the wellbeing of UDS between now and March is also a consideration,
After last year Mullins undoubtedly feels he now needs to be absolutely 100% certain of a target. He may be 98% sure of going Gold Cup, but if eg Black Hercules miraculously shows comparable form and in the process looks a stayer – change of target for Djakadam is just about possible. If it were to happen and Mullins had already confirmed Djakadm for the Gold Cup… after last year he’d never be forgiven. There’s no reason why Mullins should confirm Djakadam for the Gold Cup yet.
Value Is EverythingWhat is the system regard entries then Ginge.
I’m sure Black Hercules had a Gold Cup one but not now…..?Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Alary entered for the Peter Marsh chase on saturday,hoping for a good run and these 50s i’m on will look bigger than they already do!
Amateur Race enthusiast, take my views at your perilAlary has yet to start favourite in 20 races so he will be breaking a duck in that respect. He may well be a late maturing horse as a win ratio of 1 race in 10 is hardly that of a Gold Cup winner, maybe the change in air and scenery will bring about further inprovement. The plunge in price from 50/1 to 16/1 is clearly down to the comments of Colin Tizzard and the lack of any credible opposition to Thistlecrack.
I’ve backed Alary EW for the Gold Cup and will probably have a decent bet on Saturday. I know nothing about the horse, but I’m happy to bet him on the basis of what Tizz says, something I very rarely do.
But Tizzard is doing something down there that no one else is doing and it has to be in the exercise regime. There is no undiscovered superfood or effective thoroughbred psychologist. He has hit on something in the way he is working horses.
He said that when Alary came over and they worked him ‘he could not get up the hill’. A few weeks later he reported him finishing that same gallop very close to Thistlecrack. He teased the press for quite a while in saying he had a very good young horse – wouldn’t name it as Finian’s Oscar until very late. He has plenty to compare against and he will know a good horse when he has one. I expect Alary to be the surprise Gold Cup package and that he’ll be single figures for the Gold Cup late Saturday afternoon.
He may be taking a leaf out of Michael Dickenson’s book who would use interval training and gallop his horses uphill.
Alary has yet to start favourite in 20 races so he will be breaking a duck in that respect. He may well be a late maturing horse as a win ratio of 1 race in 10 is hardly that of a Gold Cup winner, maybe the change in air and scenery will bring about further inprovement. The plunge in price from 50/1 to 16/1 is clearly down to the comments of Colin Tizzard and the lack of any credible opposition to Thistlecrack.
Maybe this is true, although i feel when they purchased this horse their main target was the GC meaning they must be seeing something in this horse. The form that CT has been in this season it is very easy to get carried away with his comments however i feel that he had to be worth a few bob E/W at 50/1 if he finishes 3rd in the GC im still getting 10/1 (which he could well be shorter than that on the day). I couldn’t have a bet on him saturday (this is clearly quite contraditory) but i would just like to see him around a course in england. Backing him for the gold cup was purely down to the price and comments/target i wouldn’t back him now at 25/1 before a run in england
Amateur Race enthusiast, take my views at your perilAm I missing something here, the race conditions have Alary running off 136 in the Peter Marsh Chase??? should this be 166
£50,000 guaranteed For 5yo+ Weights highest weight 11st 10lb Minimum weight 10-4, 3-y-o 10-0 Penalties after January 14th, a winner of a chase 5lb Alary’s Handicap Mark 136 pay £ 250 Penalty value 1st £28,475.00 2nd £10,685.00 3rd £5,350.00 4th £2,665.00 5th £1,340.00 6th £670.00
SP he has 11.10 and runs off 162 according to RP:
RACE CONDITIONS £50,000 guaranteed For 5yo+ Weights highest weight 11st 10lb Minimum weights 10-4, 3-y-o 10-0 Penalties after January 14th, a winner of a chase 5lb Alary’s Handicap Mark 162 Entries 24 pay £250 Penalty value 1st £28,475.00 2nd £10,685.00 3rd £5,350.00 4th £2,665.00 5th £1,340.00 6th £670.00
Mrs Bishop been reading my TRF posts :)
Although Bishop admits odds-on Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack will be tough to beat, she said Cue Card might not have been at his best at Kempton and deserves another crack at the showpiece contest, in which he fell three out last year with all to play for.
“We’re going for the Gold Cup,” she said. “We’ve had a talk about it and that’s what we’ve decided.
“Now we’ve made our minds up we haven’t got to keep talking about it. That’s what we’re going to do. I don’t know what the opposition will be, but he deserves to go and take his chance.
“Paddy [Brennan] thinks the ground might have been a factor in the King George. We got to Kempton early and they gave the going as good, and I thought then it might not be on his side. Paddy said it was the same as at Wetherby and he wasn’t at his best there. If he wasn’t at his best at Kempton, he actually did well to finish second.
“They are reasons rather than excuses. Probably the ground was too dry for him. And horses can be fine one day and not so fine the next, can’t they? He seemed to bounce back when he got home, so it might have been that he had an off day.”
Cue Card finished three and a quarter lengths behind the eased-down Thistlecrack and a short head in front of third-placed Silviniaco Conti. He is due to have his next start in the Betfair Ascot Chase on February 21.
Bishop continued: “I don’t know if there’s a horse that can live with Thistlecrack, but all his career Cue Card has never run away from anything. His races have always been strong races.
“Gold Cup day will be exactly seven years since he won the Bumper, and he does like Cheltenham.
“I’d rather him go and have a try there than go for something else. I expect it will be his last chance of going for the Gold Cup. He’ll do his best and we’ll see how it goes.”
Great news. I think he can do better then he did at Kempton.
I’ve taken the 7/1 at Betfair on Cue Card for the Gold Cup without Thistlecrack. Generous price in my opinion.
Paul Kealy the latest to gather on the clifftop awaiting the performance of Djakadam. To try and gain encouragement from his last run he points to the dire performance of Nichols Canyon. Problem is one horse ran a shocker but the other had every chance and was just disappointing. And apparently Leopardstown doesn’t suit Djakadam either, that despite recording two of his only five chase wins at the track. Feeble stuff. He also thinks Djakadam will go off second favourite. I strongly suspect he has got that wrong as well.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.