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I’ve come across the argument before, via betfair, that Garde Champetre must have banks courses, as he likes running around in circles, and gets bored on regulation courses. However, I find the leap from using the Irish National non-performance as an indication that he won’t take to Aintree a bit hard to make. Surely there is a chance that the fences there will light him up, and unless they are going to go from Cheltenham to Punchestown six weeks later, they might as well run at Aintree inbetween (instead of Fairyhouse as last year), and suck it and see?
I’ll probably cover myself by having a small bet on Garde Champetre when the weights come out just in case he does run; if Nina rides he’ll be no price on the day, as he will no doubt be the ‘housewives choice’ horse.
Hi Gerald,
Thanks for the Update on Mr Strachan….even i did not realise he had gone through two wind ops.
It shows that they are persevering and have been very patient with the horse.
As Moehat says….the concern would be if he could get in off his current 132 rating but I would think that his handicap mark will go up but not sure if enough to get a run.
Anyway thanks for your thoughts
WREC
Did you back him at Carlisle? Every year I buy Jumping Prospects at the start of the season; at the end of it I see all the winners that were pointed out and that I’ve missed. Don’t check runners and riders every day so please let me know if Mr S runs at Carlisle again [or a similar track]. Worth keeping an eye on.
Gerald, i appreciate that there is a chance Garde Champetre will take to the Aintree fences, but theres an even bigger chance that he wont. Its just the Banks courses are so, so unique, I dont think that Garde Champetre will be fooled by Aintree!! After sailing over 3 or 4 fences, he’ll start to think, is this it??? He needs to be kept interested, and not even Aintree is interesting enough for the lunatic that is Garde Champetre!!!!
Well, I’m fairly sure that GC will get an entry Aido, just to see what weight he gets, so I can hold onto my delusion for a few weeks’ more.
Thanks for reminding me of the Silver By Nature Carlisle race, Moe.
I was rather stupidly on two horses without a prep; Malko De Beaumont and Antonius Caesar.There is a bit of an explanation of why Snowy Morning was running over 2 miles today:-
Snowy Morning
He is going to be hard to place this year now. At
least the handicapper dropped him back a couple
of pounds. The Grand National will be his target
again, and maybe we’ll run him in another few
handicaps, maybe the Hennessy at Newbury
could be on his agenda now. The other thing I’m
thinking of doing is bringing him back in trip for
one or two races and see what he can do. I have
found a lot of my older chasers can come back
to two or two and a half miles over the years. It’s
surprised me, but we’ve done it fairly successfully
with a few horses. I’m not sure he’s in love with
the three-mile slog on heavy ground, he probably
prefers nice ground nowadays, so maybe in the
softer ground in winter I might come back in
trip with him a little bit and let him enjoy himself
going a bit faster. It’ll be experimental but we’ll
see. He has just disappointed a little in the last
couple of seasons.I missed Mr Strachan’s winning run, as like you I just bet at weekends, or in certain races. I really need to set up one of those notification thingies – the problem is is that I’d then have to start looking at my email account, which I usually don’t do for weeks on end.
On the subject of horses to follow, there was one today, that I only came across because I now unfortunately have a French chef living in the house, who keeps forcing me to try his food. He was looking at the racecards in the Star or Sport in the kitchen this morning, and asked me why McCoy instead of Scudamore was on The Sliotar. I went upstairs to get the DP RP Stable Tour, and to my glee I noticed that I had put red pen marks around it. This is what it said:-
The Sliotar (by Presenting
)
I’ve always held him in high regard. Chasing will be his job this season and he’s certainly got the make and shape for it. Has only had the two runs for us, and on the second put up a fine performance when fourth to Kay Aramis in the Pertemps Final, galloping all the way to the line. If he takes well to fences, he could end up back at the festival for one of the handicaps, or even possibly the four-miler. Although not slow, I think he’ll stay well.Yep; my mate Snowy ran really well today by the sound of it. I’m still going to have an ew on him in case and at least it looks as if, if all is not well at the Mullins’s, at least some of it is. As for the French chef, errrr…what about the diet, or did you think we’d all forgotten????
Went out for my first cycle ride since Boxing Day today. I’m going to try walking to work tomorrow, instead of cycling, and that might make me cycle more. The only problem with that is that I stand up at work all day, and I might be more tired when I arrive home, and more likely to just slump in front of the Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars and the Grand National ante-post market when I get home.
Kendal Cavalier started a thread a few weeks ago, that didn’t attract much response, about Phil Smith’s crafting of the Grand National weights, arguing that normal ratings should be used (and the weights not be six weeks’ beforehand(? can’t recall all of it). [edit: can’t find KC’s thread, so it must have been a post on a different thread.]
I’m beginning to think that KC may have a point. Smith touched on this issue a few weeks ago in his blog.
http://www.britishhorseracing.com/gorac … apping.asp
On the subject of top weights Vic Venturi carried top weight to win the totesport.com Becher Chase over 3m2f at Aintree on Sunday. He was rated 148 here (145 in Ireland) and triumphed in a disappointingly small field for such a valuable race. From 24 entries how come only eight turned up on Sunday for such a good prize? Some trainers told the racecourse that they didn’t want to ruin their chance in the Grand National by running well in the Beecher Chase and going up in the ratings.
It is amazing that at a time when owners and trainers are complaining about prize money they are prepared to give up a chance of a big pot of money now for the possibility of something in five months time. The Becher chase is not a prep run for the National – it is a top race in its own right. Why someone would give up a one-in-eight chance of a big prize for a one-in-forty chance is beyond me.
As it happens it was a good race with all five of the remaining horses having a chance coming to the last fence. Interestingly the connections of two of the placed horses actually asked me to put them up to ensure they get a run in the Grand National. Indeed I will use the "Aintree factor" to do my best to give all five of the finishers an opportunity to run in April as they have shown themselves to be more than capable over the big fences.
When I do the weights in February there are always owners and trainers who ask me to ensure their horse gets a run. I will be saying to them you will have to get in the queue behind the horses that supported the Becher Chase and showed themselves worthy of the chance.
[/color:30r6i5hf]Palypso De Creek ran off a rating of 134, and Keenan’s Future and Royal Rosa off 128 (Royal Rosa courtesy of 3lb oh and 6lb ow). These horses have to be raised to 138 to realistically have a chance of getting into the National. Won’t trainers with self-selective memories use these or similar raises as an excuse/justification for not running in future editions of the Becher Chase?
Aido1
WROTE
i appreciate that there is a chance Garde Champetre will take to the Aintree fences, but theres an even bigger chance that he wont. Its just the Banks courses are so, so unique, I dont think that Garde Champetre will be fooled by Aintree!! After sailing over 3 or 4 fences, he’ll start to think, is this it??? He needs to be kept interested, and not even Aintree is interesting enough for the lunatic that is Garde Champetre!!!!According to the trainer it’s the jockey not The Banks that have brought Garde Champetre back to his form of old….
Enda Bolger said
"I’ve been saying it all along but I think she (Nina Carberry) is probably the best rider I’ve ever seen, she’s tremendous.
Without a doubt she has been the making of that horse (Garde Champetre)."I can’t explain his Irish National running, VERY disappointing and personally rather expensive…. still, everyone has an off day once in a while …. but it seems to me that Aintree would be ideal for the horse.
Gerald, I’d wondered about this. Perhaps it would make more sense to use the standard handicap, but guarantee any horse that had placed over the course in the previous year a run?
CheltenhamSpecialist,
Wasnt Nina on board at Fairyhouse that day? I love this horse, and I agree that Nina is one of the best Ive ever seen, but GC is an old rogue!! I have NEVER backed against him Cross Country, but I just think its too big a risk. This horse needs to be kept interested, and 30 of the same fences will not do that.
Gerald, I’d wondered about this. Perhaps it would make more sense to use the standard handicap, but guarantee any horse that had placed over the course in the previous year a run?
Yes, that’s a good idea. It is similar to what they do in the Melbourne Cup, where say the winner of that year’s English St Leger, amongst other races, is exempt from the ballot, irrespective of how low its handicap mark was when they were determined.
edit: WRONG![/color:39wb5x10] Had turned off computer when realised that it is the winner of the Doncaster Cup that is exempt, and not the St Leger.
CheltenhamSpecialist,
Wasnt Nina on board at Fairyhouse that day? I love this horse, and I agree that Nina is one of the best Ive ever seen, but GC is an old rogue!! I have NEVER backed against him Cross Country, but I just think its too big a risk. This horse needs to be kept interested, and 30 of the same fences will not do that.
30 of the same fences? I haven’t made up my mind of GC yet but Aintree is hardly 30 of the same fences all the way round
How the hell has someone managed to alter my avatar from Grimalkin as a kitten to Willie Mullins??????????????
I was rather stupidly on two horses without a prep; Malko De Beaumont and Antonius Caesar.
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