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It will be very interesting to see what Mullins decides to run in this. I can’t see Djakadam getting involved again. He is running black Hercules over 2 miles and 2 miles 4 for some reason but I think the Gold Cup Trip would be ideal for him. He hasnt many others for the 3 mile division. For that reason I’d keep an eye on some of his RSA horses this year with a view to next year.
Maybe it would be better to just avoid thistlecrack but if he fell at the first they would regret it.
Bye bye Coneygree
Not good enough Djakadam
Too slow Native River
Not good enough Cue Card
Doesn’t stay/doesn’t like going LH Valseur Lido
Fit/healthy enough Don Cossack?Thistlecrack does handstands over this lot
May be connections know Cue Card is on the downgrade now and not up to the standard of a Gold Cup?
Cue Card has put up several top class performances on good ground in the past, but may be nowadays needs a bit more cut to produce his best?
Is Cue Card an out-and-out stayer? No way! After Haydock and 3m on heavy am sure he’ll stay 3m2f110y, but also has enough speed for shorter. Especially if returned to prominent tactics – which I suspect will be the case at 2m5f. Cue Card didn’t run to form Boxing Day, that at least partly due to trying to go with his stable companion… Fair enough, did seem “outpaced” by Thistlecrack 4 out, but – at the same time – Cue Card himself outpaced three rivals who are all fully effective at shorter. Is that the mark of an “out-and-out stayer”, Joe?
Value Is EverythingCue Card has put up several top class performances on good ground in the past, but may be nowadays needs a bit more cut to produce his best?
You slaughtered me for saying the same thing.
Perhaps my race reading isn’t as bad as you make out.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Ginger he ‘outpaced’ 3 rivals who are about 20lbs below his class. He got out-speeded by Irish Cavalier. I’ve always thought him a stayer and even backed him for the GC when he won the Ryanair almost 4 years ago now (his last victory below 3 miles).
The better the ground is the more of a stamina test he needs – King George 2015 a classic example, not to mention the way he came farther and farther clear of Coneygree in the mud.
Yes, he has the speed to lay up in the early part whatever the trip, but at the business end of things that speed has gone and, at his age, will not be coming back. Ryanair would be a rank bad decision. GC should be run on easy ground and that trip would be everything he needs on that going. I haven’t backed him and from a punting point of view would not want to see him there, but I’d bet everything I’ve got he’d beat the Silv Contis and Teafortwos of the world a hundred yards there.
Cue Card has put up several top class performances on good ground in the past, but may be nowadays needs a bit more cut to produce his best?
You slaughtered me for saying the same thing.
Perhaps my race reading isn’t as bad as you make out.I asked a question on the previous page, Nathan. Doesn’t mean I believe good ground is against Cue Card.
No, I didn’t “slaughter” you atall, just previously asked for “evidence” which frustratingly you were unable to give.imo There’s just a small chance that good ground is against Cue Card nowadays. But considering it was good ground in this year’s Gold Cup, still travelling better than anything else 3 out when coming down. Many good TRF judges are adamant he would’ve won National Hunt’s Blue Riband – on good ground – but for one mistake. That’s not only a Grade 1, that’s winning Jumping’s number 1 quality race on good going. Yet you think there’s a probability of not acting on good going. Cue Card must have changed going alliegences very quickly if that is the case… which isn’t impossible – just as I said at the time – unlikely. You seemed to want to ignore the Gold Cup.
Value Is EverythingThere is another possible excuse for Cue Card’s below form Kempton display.
Was he over the hard race in atrocious conditions at Haydock?
Sometimes an exceptional time performance (considering ground) is followed by a below form effort due to the severity of the previous start.Value Is EverythingLast bit of 10/1 about for Native River; got laughted at for saying on RUK I’d personally rather back him ew at 10s than Thistlecrack at Even Money. Will get a soft lead and go on any ground. Think he could be a monster.
Ginge, he fell so far out it is inconclusive, who’s to say he would have outstayed Don Cossack who you rated by far the best since records began afterwards and not forgetting the King George where you said Vautour did not stay yet it took Cue Card the bitter last stride to get past him
Evidence before and after would tell you he is not as good on the going like he was many years ago
Good judges would say he’d have won as many had backed himGaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Evidence before and after would tell you he is not as good on the going like he was many years ago
Good judges would say he’d have won as many had backed himNathan,
By saying “evidence before and after” isn’t “evidence”.
Please explain.
What is the evidence before and after?Value Is EverythingLook at his results, it doesn’t take a genius to work it out
Unless it was training in public at Wetherby I’d say the horse prefers cut in the going these days.
The only evidence you have come up with was that he was travelling well when falling last year a long way out, hardly evidence to suggest he’s just as good on good going as with cut in it.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Don Cossack at double figure odds – does he start bigger than 5s if he gets there ? That ” if ” is getting smaller by the day.
Look at his results, it doesn’t take a genius to work it out
Unless it was training in public at Wetherby I’d say the horse prefers cut in the going these days.
The only evidence you have come up with was that he was travelling well when falling last year a long way out, hardly evidence to suggest he’s just as good on good going as with cut in it.In last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup (on GOOD) it wasn’t as if he was struggling on the ground, it wasn’t even as if he was travelling ok. Not only was Cue Card travelling well, he was going best of all when falling at the third last. That’s the “third last”, hardly “a long way out”. Too far out to say he’d have won, but the probability of Cue Card being involved in the finish/running to (or very close to) form must surely be extremely high?
At Wetherby Cue Card was below his best on GOOD. But take a look at the previous year (unlike this season) on officially “soft” and (like this season) on reappearance. On both occasions needing reappearance. On At level weights with second and third, Beating Dynaste 3 3/4 lengths. Dynaste hasn’t been at his best for some time. Further neck to Ballynagour (4 lengths in all). Ballynagour has a best ever rating of 163, so add the 4 lbs and Cue Card ran to 167. Fourth Sam Winner gave Cue Card 10 lbs and only beaten a total of 15 lengths (only coming out a 5 lbs inferior horse to CC). Sam Winner has a top Official rating of 162, that would put Cue Card on 167. So even if Ballynagour and Sam Winner ran to their best ever rating – Cue Card comes out at only 167.
This season, Cue Card gave Irish Cavalier 4 lbs and beaten a total of 3 1/4 lengths. IC has a best ever OR of 160, so using the winner Cue Card ran to around 161. Second, 11 year old Menorah has better form way back, but is now rated 163, was on the same weight as Cue Card and finished 2 1/2 in front. Giving CC’s run 161. Fourth, Blaklion’s best rating is 154, recieved 5 lbs and was 5 lengths behind Cue Card. So judged on Blaklion, CC ran to around 164.
Let’s say CC ran to 161 on GOOD this season and 167 last season on Soft. Look at how Cue Card performed in this season’s Charlie Hall. Raced prominently, the other prominent runners finished in the last 3 places and hold up horses finishing to the fore. Cue Card did far better than the other prominent runners in an overly strongly run race. ie Without being unsuited by the run of the race he would’ve done better than 161. Hope you understand pace, but even if dismissing it there was at most only around 6 lbs between these two races and BOTH performances behind Cue Card’s best of 176.
On both SOFT and GOOD going Cue Card NEEDED his reappearance and came on a lot for the run in BOTH Betfairs.
What of other GOOD ground performances?
If GOOD has always been against Cue Card, then how come on GOOD ground in the Melling Chase of 2013 Cue Card finished closer to Sprinter Sacre than any other horse did when SS was at his very best? Without the best horse since Arkle, CC would’ve been a 19 lengths winner!
If GOOD ground has always been against Cue Card, then how come on GOOD ground he put up one of the best performances ever seen by any novice chaser in the Arkle of 2012? Without Sprinter Sacre) he would’ve been a 22 lengths winner!
Even won the Champion Bumper by 8 lengths from Al Ferof on GOOD ground.
Value Is EverythingI did say ‘he is not as good on the going like he was many years ago’ I never said it has always been against him.
As horses like humans get older (past their prime) they naturally lose a bit of pace, I’d say stamina is more his strength nowadays, I could be wrong it’s only my opinion and with a bit of cut in the going it slows down the younger speedier sorts. Back to the Gold Cup 3 fences out is still a long way from home, a lot can change at Cheltenham after the last fence, lets just say he won with a rating of 180+Looking at this years race(2017)
Would you prefer him running in the Gold Cup on GOOD or with some cut in the going….?
What going would represent his best chance…..?Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Hope you understand pace
Cheeky sod, I was the 400m Somerset champion under 13’s
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Nathan is spot on imo. It isn’t that CC doesn’t act as well on Good ground it’s that it makes the race less of a stamina test for others and he’s more likely to be done for toe. He might well have won the GC last year, but that would have been because the test on good ground would have been perfect for him – it wasn’t Haydock or Aintree: it was as serious a test of stamina as you can get at Grade 1, removing the advantage others might have on a less testing track.
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