Hurdling needs another Istabraq

[Himself]

Maybe we already have one, Sublimity looked pure class in this years Champion, I won’t be opposing him come March.

Ditto.

Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning

[aaronizneez]

FOF

You wrote

"He’s not a bad horse but a week ago Katchit was a superstar now no one fancies him. That simply wasn’t his running and I would prefer a watching brief next time before discarding him."

Superstar to some maybe but I think his run at the weekend is not too far off how good he is. With regards to the Champion Hurdle I can’t have him at all. The last Triumph winner to go on and win the CH was Kribensis I believe and it took him the season after to do it. Recent history suggest that the other Novice races are better for CH pointers. Istabraq, Hors La Loi III, Hardy Eustace, Brave Inca all won novice races at the festival before going on to win the CH (HLL & BI didn’t do it the following season I grant you) and IMO Sublimity would have won in 2006 had he not been interfered with.

You also wrote

"Sublimity is a 7 year old and hardly likely to have improved"

I don’t think being 8 years old next year is a negative on Sublimity’s part, particulary with such low mileage on the clock. Since 1989 the records are this

6 yr old – 5 wins
7 yr old – 7 wins
8 yr old – 4 wins
9 yr old – 2 wins

As regards to improving Sublimity won’t need to. If he runs up to last years form he will win with the biggest danger as previously mentioned the
OAP Harchibald , a sprightly 9 year old.

[MikkyMo73]

FoF,

Regarding Katchit, you have now said "something was amiss", the horse "wasn’t right" etc.

I hope you don’t mind me asking, but was this just your own personal opinion, or where the rumours you touched on proved correct?

The reason I ask is because like a few people have said, Katchit didn’t really run a bad race. Yes, some might have expected him to improve and be good enough to win the race, so in that sense he was slightly disappointing, but in terms of what he had achieved previously, then I reckon he ran almost right up to that form.

So as you can see, I’m a little baffled as to these ‘rumours’ that Katchit wasn’t right or something was amiss, unless of course, they are your just your own personal views.

Mike

[Burroughhill]

Definitely concur with LGR and Burroughhill here. If the three likeliest protagonists jump the last upsides in the Gold Cup next March, I’m more likely to be thinking, "Cor, this is grand!!", rather than, "Yeah, but how far up or down the track would Best Mate be?"

gc

Exactly!!

[pilgarlic]

Without carping at what Istabraq achieved I thought the quality of opposition in his era was very thin indeed. At least we`ve had plenty of Irish strength in depth in the last few years. ( I`m sure all of them would have beaten Theatreworld a long way for starters)

[Gazs Way De Solzen]

Will be interesting to see how Katchit goes at the Boylesports meeting next weekend, at a track that he loves.

[AndyRAC]

Will be interesting to see how Katchit goes at the Boylesports meeting next weekend, at a track that he loves.

Would that be the Bula Hurdle then??

Why are there so few really decent British trained 2m hurdlers? What are the Irish doing that we aren’t?

[Fist of Fury 2k8]

FoF,

Regarding Katchit, you have now said "something was amiss", the horse "wasn’t right" etc.

I hope you don’t mind me asking, but was this just your own personal opinion, or where the rumours you touched on proved correct?

The reason I ask is because like a few people have said, Katchit didn’t really run a bad race. Yes, some might have expected him to improve and be good enough to win the race, so in that sense he was slightly disappointing, but in terms of what he had achieved previously, then I reckon he ran almost right up to that form.

So as you can see, I’m a little baffled as to these ‘rumours’ that Katchit wasn’t right or something was amiss, unless of course, they are your just your own personal views.

Mike

Hi Mickey ,no it wasn’t my own opinion. It came from several sources. One friend was at the meeting and was advised not to touch the horse. He like me bet Blythe Knight

Apparantly a well known commentator said on Radio the horse was going to win nothing that the vibes for the horse were terrible. Another friend assures me more than a few of King’s horses are just not right at the moment and he is one of them.

Personally I thought Kings horse in the Tingle ran up to his best yesterday but that’s another story.

I have looked at the race several times since and my own opinion is that he was gone far too quickly for that to be his true running. The minute the foot went to the pedal he was beaten..he ran on well enough but there was no toughness there, he never offered any the fight back and he is well known as a real tough battler. For me he did run like a horse who had something on him and just wasn’t himself. The yard may have suspected it and that could be the reason for the lack of confidence behind the horse.

That is only my opinion and doesn’t mean I am right but had it only been Harchibald that went past him easily I might have another opinion. At the second last I would have put my house on Katchit finishing in front of Al Eile but he was gone completely approaching the last and his jockey knew it………..he was beaten far too easily and I just don’t think that was his true running

We’ll know more in a week I suppose.

[moehat]

what happened to Blythe Knight – was it just the ground?

[Author]

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