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A great performance from a great horse, but no better than his Gold Cup win, imo.
The overnight rain made conditions just about ideal for him over this stiffish 3.25 miles, and it’s no coincidence that his 2 previous best performances came in very similar circumstances. Had Kauto Star met the same horses on good ground around Kempton, he would probably have given them 7lbs more and beat them as convincingly.
Sad thought on such a great day, but potentially the greatest Gold Cup confrontation since Arkle/Millhouse might still be decided by the hosepipe?
Marvellous training feat by PN also – Denman truly did look an absolute picture.I’m fundamentally a ratings/weights man but from time to time you get horses that are so well suited by the particular demands of a particular race that to some extent handicapping is not all that relevant and no matter what the weights etc. that horse will be mighty hard to beat. I think that Denman combined with 3m2.5f on soft ground at Newbury is one such example. The Hennessy suits Denman down to the ground. It’s quite simply his race
[b:24wbwo19]HIS [/b:24wbwo19]race
I think Barbers Shop ran a nice race with a view to the King George.
He actually came back at Niche Market late on and nearly snatched third. I think Kempton over three miles, in less testing conditions, will suit and he looks a decent ew alternative.
Where to now for What A Friend? Could be a hard horse to place after running Denman fairly close.
A great performance from a great horse, but no better than his Gold Cup win, imo.
The overnight rain made conditions just about ideal for him over this stiffish 3.25 miles, and it’s no coincidence that his 2 previous best performances came in very similar circumstances. Had Kauto Star met the same horses on good ground around Kempton, he would probably have given them 7lbs more and beat them as convincingly.
Sad thought on such a great day, but potentially the greatest Gold Cup confrontation since Arkle/Millhouse might still be decided by the hosepipe?
Marvellous training feat by PN also – Denman truly did look an absolute picture.Dont think you can really say that. We never see Kauto carry big weights and never will.
Look at the excitement the performance has created. It took me back to the days of Dessie.
An absolutely wonderful exhibition by Denman, without question the NH performance of the year.
Have been toying with the idea of getting tickets for Gold Cup day this year [always go on the Tuesday] and think today has made my mind up…always a chance that Kauto Star or Denman may not run, but thats the risk you always take. Even if neither of them win, I so want to see both horses in the flesh…..however, although I guess it’s never going to happen I have been having dreams of watching Denman win the Grand National….[oh, and aplologies for being boring yet again but perhaps after seeing todays race youngsters on the forum will understand more why us oldies nag on about Arkle all the time!]
There was a niggling certain something about Denman today – once he’d warmed up – that’s hard to quantify, put your finger on or put into words; the ‘jizz’ birdwatchers call it – "the overall impression or appearance garnered from such features as shape, posture" – that left me believing that here’s a horse rarer and more special than even the one we’ve grown accustomed to.
The nimble, fluent, dextrous, straight, sometimes clever fencing; the fluid agility and speed away from his fences; the relentless balanced gallop; the ground-devouring stretch of his legs; the confidence evident in his head carriage and demeanour; and the unfussy resolve he showed to see off What A Friend
All in all an impression of calm-and-collected effortless superiority
I’m the first to admit that I haven’t come down off cloud nine yet so may be guilty of hyperbole that will seem a tad embarrassing come the cold light of a new day, but for the meantime I’ll revel in the feeling that we saw something very very special from a very very special horse; and NH has been blessed with special horses in recent years.
Even older timers than I may be amusing themselves tonight with memories of ‘himself’ in the ’65 Gallaher Gold Cup and rather more topically, the meeting with Stalbridge Colonist in receipt of 35lbs
on days like those…on days like these
Reminds me of what Clare Balding said of Denman a while ago after one of his races…’don’t pull alongside him..it just makes him angry’….did anyone catch what Ruby said about running him in blinkers, though?
How lucky we are to have all these great jumpers come back season after season-and how lucky for the Nicholls barn!
I honestly cannot understand the hysteria surrounding Denman.
The betting suggested he was expected to win and he did just that, but he is no Arkle.The commentators seem totally unable to keep their feet on the ground and to my mind at any rate, had eyes on just the one horse in the race.
In my opinion,talk about it being one of the performances of the century is laughable, but everyone is entitled to their opinion I know – it is just not one I share.
Flames expected of course, but I’m too old to let them worry me.
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First off in the nicest possible way "The Finger" to all you who said he would never be the same again.
He’s back with a bang thankfully and saved my bacon after a large loss on Binocular..I’m not at home I think I won about 7 quid out the day…..well it pays for a Pizza
So the big one is back on Kauto Star V Denman…..finacially don’t give a hoot which wins. What I care about is puting the record straight and even if it comes up soft I think Kauto will do just that.
Can’t wait!!!
Fist, on that form, Kauto Star won’t see which way Denman goes.
That was Gold Cup winning form – trust me !
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Fist, on that form, Kauto Star won’t see which way Denman goes.
I agree, Denman will be behind him when Kauto crosses the line for GC #3.
The betting suggested he was expected to win and he did just that, but he is no Arkle.
Why not? What did Arkle do that Denman couldn’t (leaving Kempton out of the equation)?
A fantastic performance, most poetically encapsulated by Drone.
I was very much a spectic before the race, and did my stones place-laying him, but I confess I was roaring him home over the final two.
A quite wonderful effort from Denman
What makes it remarkable isn’t the fact that the horse won a 2nd Hennessy, or that he defied a mark of 174 – it is the manner of his resurgence from his lacklustre efforts of last season.
Make no mistake – this was a truly great sporting comeback, the like of which is rarely, if ever, seen on a racecourse. How many times do you see a formerly great horse lose his brilliance for a whole season and then return in this style? It simply doesn’t happen – well, not until today…
I’m quite happy to be added to the list of people who thought he was appalling value today at 9-2 BTW.
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