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Do these handicappers realistically have a chance against the hidden graded horses
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Would be risky imo not including Johnnywho.
Similarities to the year Corach Rambler won – Corach ran off OR146 after winning the Ultima, Johnny will run off OR146 after winning the Ultima.The question is does the headgear work a 2nd time , I can’t see him a winning , not quite classy enough
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
No bets on this from me yet… if I can win a couple quid on the football today I’d be tempted to give a little back on Panic Attack.. Could you imagine a horse sired by Canford Cliffs winning a Grand National ..
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
“not quite classy enough”
It’s about being the best handicapped in a given year. Having more class is fine as long as the horse can give the weight away. Corach was up against classier horses the year he won, he only had 10 stone 5 i think. Johnnywho is 10 stone 4.
He had a wind op prior to Cheltenham as he made a noise when disappointing the time before, so perhaps that is what has helped him the most.It’s not anymore Mike , you need a graded or very near graded stayer , it’s no good turning up with a handicapper , that’s why I’m keen on Lecky , graded horse hiding in grade 1s , thanks Willie but I remember what he did last year … when trying , Willie can throw 4/5 graded horses at it
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
Corach won as recently as 2023. There hasn’t been enough evidence / runnings of the race to confirm your theory.
If folk want to back the ‘classy types’ thats fine, but would advise not to exclude Johhnywho from their calculations as he is ‘well in’. I backed Corach in 2023, I was strong on him, as I thought he was ‘well in’. And btw, Lecky has been terrible lol.In addition, Johnnywho got some course practice in off 12 stone in the Grand Sefton, and was 5th in an Irish National carrying a stone more in testing ground.
Corach finished 3rd in a Gold cup , he’s was better than a handicapper , Johnnywho would get lapped in a GC
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
“Corach finished 3rd in a Gold cup , he’s was better than a handicapper”
Not in his Grand National winning season, in his grand national winning season he was running in a Coral Gold Cup handicap chase. Got beat by horses like Le Milos and Remastered.
Yes but he wasn’t as exposed as Johnnywho , he won like a graded horse didn’t he , are you trying to argue Johnnywho is a graded horse , I’d say thats unrealistic , it’s a different race now Mike , easier fences and a helpful handicapper mean top class horses are now running in it , what was the actual last handicapper to win it
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
” are you trying to argue Johnnywho is a graded horse , I’d say thats unrealistic”
I never said that, I’m just saying that in the here and now he’s well in for a race in 4 weeks time.
“what was the actual last handicapper to win it”
Corach Rambler was a handicapper when he won. Beat Vanillier 2 and a bit lengths, that wasn’t graded form, he was a well handicapped handicapper at the time. He happened to improve the season after to finish 3rd in the Gold Cup. And as a ‘graded level’ horse he didn’t get close to repeating his National success, he had it do 13 pounds higher.
The Grand National is still a handicap and the winner needs to have something in hand and stay the trip whichever races they’ve been running in that season, whether it’s graded races or competitive handicaps. And one of those could be Johnnywho. He may well get 7 or 8 pounds for his Ultima win but can run off his old mark.
I’m not convinced so far that every horse that wins Nationals from now on has to be a graded horse that season, there hasn’t been enough runnings of them yet since Corach’s win for me to come to that conclusion.“what was the actual last handicapper to win it”
Nick Rockett
Yeah, he won the grade 3 Bobbyjo
And a grade 2 hurdle
Isn’t ever going to get a sniff of a G1 thoGreen Nick is a graded horse , Mike Corach became one , do you agree the race is now a different animal
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
“do you agree the race is now a different animal”
no, i’ve explained why in my last post.
“Green Nick is a graded horse ”
I’ll owe you a pint if he wins anything ever again. Starting with the Bluegrass on Tuesday against the has-been Gerri- should be easy right?
The compressing of the weights is what makes the classier horses come to the fore as much as anything I think. Realistically nothing with a chance gets into the race off less than 10 stone 7 maybe and they have to expose themselves to some degree to get in. This isn’t one of the run of the mill sneak one in at the bottom handicaps. Its basically a limited handicap in effect and the smaller the weight gap from top to bottom, the greater the chance those at the top outclass them. If you run a Grade 2 and Grade 1 horses get penalties, you still back the Grade 1 horses don’t you? This isn’t that dissimilar
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