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It was a respectable effort on only his second race in about a year having been thrown into a Grade 1 chase at Lingfield prior to today.However it is a long way from a novice chase at Market Rasen in receipt of 8lb from the second to the festival.Odds unchanged at 20/1 for Gold Cup.Also made a few mistakes.Hope will be that he comes out sound, improves for the race and is suited by a more galloping track.  <br>
(Edited by Lingfield at 10:21 pm on Sep. 24, 2005)
He’s a great big lolloper thats for sure! I think he jumped worse today than he did at Lingfield, but in hindsight, conditions weren’t exactly perfect for him. McCoy must have felt like he was trying to ride his bike around the living room, the horse just didn’t look suited to the track at all. I think he wants at least 3 miles and some pretty soft ground if he’s to go to the highest level, because he’s simply going to get outpaced on decent ground, and he hasn’t got the gears that the likes of Kicking King has. I think the Lexus at Christmas would be a logical target, he’d be likely to get some soft ground, and it would probably answer the question as to whether he can hack it with borderline top class chasers, or should stick to the Novice route. I wouldn’t write him off completely for the major races yet, but he’ll have to improve in most aspects of his game if he is to start worrying the major players.
if he hasnt got gears how did he beat baracouda, what was baracouda’s excuse, is baracouda a novice? i dont think so. he will mix it with the best were very hopeful of that. it was a tight track today, you will all see him in better light on a galloping track which cheltenham is.
three times a course winner what more do you want.
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<br>IG
The horse will probably be better over further, on softer ground, and can be made fitter.<br> However, he was low and novicey at a lot of his fences today, and will in time have to jump bigger fences at a faster pace than he met here.<br> He is still a novice though, and who knows how much his jumping will improve?<br> Wouldn’t mind owning him myself.:)
I’m looking forward to seeing him run over fences again. Let’s hope he has an injury free season.
He’s got a cracking engine and I thought he dealt fairly easily with the opposition.
Improved fitness, a longer trip and a more galloping track should all bring out an improvement on yeasterday’s performance.
If Venusian is right and he’s been schooled over fences for 2 years (though how much of that time was lost to injury?), then his jumping has to be regarded as disappointing.
He’ll not be winning the Gold Cup this year if KK is fit and healthy, but he could end up winning the R&SA.
Steve
He didn’t look like he had loads of gears to me yesterday. Don’t take criticism to the heart IG, I’d give anything to own a horse like Iris’s Gift, and I can tell you I’ve heard far worse things said about the two horses I part own than, "he hasnt got the gears that Kicking King has"!
you lot can say what you want at the end of the day you dont really know the horse like i do and i can tell you now he will suprise you all he only does what he has to do to win everyone said before he won the stayers that he had no chance of winning it and then he went on and won it and you all ate your words.
you can also ignore the last fence yesterday because that is his party piece he has done it in all his races over hurdles apart from the festival.
he’s a caracter and he will just laugh at you all in march
If you’re right IG then I’d be the first to congratulate you.
Should stress that my personal opinion was not really negative. What he did with regards to yesterday’s race was good – he won, and did so with factors against him.
However putting that performance into perspective with Cheltenham etc is a different matter, and I hope and expect to see improvements through the season, undeniably a very talented horse. But on the bare facts of yesterday’s performance he will need to, you can’t deny that.
All the best to you though!
I really hope he does prove to be as good over fences as he was over hurdles because at least then Kicking King would actually have an opponent who could give him a race.
On last years evidence KK has very few challengers for the major 3m+ chases this year.
Who’s idea was it to introduce the horse at Market Rasen?
Trappy little fences that wouldn’t invite a novice to get up in the air, tight bends and two straights of three forlongs in length, difficult to think of a less appropriate track IMO for a horse of this ilk.
it was jonjo’s idea he was ready to run and knocking the railing’s down at home so he decided to enter him at market rasen
you lot can say what you want at the end of the day you dont really know the horse like i do
Could it be that you "know" the horse too well?
I’d suggest you don’t have an objective perspective on him.
everyone said before he won the stayers that he had no chance of winning it
He was 9/2 2nd fave for chrissakes. He wasn’t some 33-1 no-hoper.
At that price, there must have been plenty people who though he could win. Unless you guys had bets that would give JP McManus the willies.
he went on and won it and you all ate your words.
I thought that Baracouda was going to win it and bet accordingly. But I don’t remember "eating my words". I was just wrong. No biggie.
Racing’s all about opinions and surely no-one "eats their words" everytime they get it wrong. That’s a lot of eating!
he’s a caracter and he will just laugh at you all in march
Laugh at us? He’s a horse. He’s no idea what we’re saying about him.
I think the comments about him on this thread have been generally favourable and certainly sympathetic and supportive.
However, to win the gold cup in 2006 (if KK runs), he’s got one hell of a mountain to climb. Personally, I think it will be too big a mountain.
I think, if he stays on the novice route, he could end up winning the R&SA. And that’s a great achievement. And maybe he can take it to the next level in 2007.
If he proves me wrong and wins the Gold Cup next year, I’ll be happy to see another horse reach the top<br>level at that distance (assuming it’s a real GC and the top horses turn up) as there’s always space for a top class staying chaser.
I’m sure most people here would love to see him going into the GC as a real contender. It’s just that we’re pretty sceptical.
Maybe we’re wrong After all, he’s the 4th favourite on betfair. However, he’s also > 20-1 which would suggest we’ll probably be right.
Steve
You aren’t exactly endearing yourself to your audience Irisgift1. I think you’re acting like a bit of a spoilt brat to be honest. I like the horse, I gave an opinion on him, and apparently everybody apart from you, Robert Lester and Jonjo O’Neill thinks the horse is s***e!
The horse isn’t s…..! OK he will have to improve his jumping, but I think that’s possible. I saw his first run over hurdles and dismissed him as not good enough.
IG don’ t take criticism personally. I like, most others, I am very excited by the return of such a great horse.I hope your dreams work out.
Irisgift1
I’m presuming you are the young girl who was holding hands with Robert Lester when the horse was being led in yesterday. If so I reckon you are about 15 or 16. I point this out not to be condescending but I think some of the Forum members may wish to take this into consideration when viewing your comments.
The scary thing to me is that Jonjo didn’t appear to have a gameplan in mind. A horse of Iris Gifts potential should surely have had races mapped out for the season subject to fitness.
For instance :-
1) Your Dad intimated that he would like the horse to run at Bangor – a good place to have started IMO
2) Next run at Haydock over 3 miles – big galloping track with stiff fences, would suit the horse down to the ground.
3) A third run at either Newbury or Cheltenham.
4) Fourth run in the 3 mile Novice chase on the King George card.
5) Following a break run in a prep race in February or go straight to the Festival fresh for the Sun Alliance.
6) Win the 3 mile Novice chase at Aintree followed by a long summer break.
All being well you can then plan the season around the King George and the Gold Cup.
That would be The Bears plan of action – Jonjo’s appears to be run it at the most unsuitable track in the Country then to quote Mavis Riley "I don’t really know!!"
Big Tony-why would anyone want to take 20s from you when 25s is freely available from high street bookmakers.<br>IG1-I was in the winners enclosure at Aintree when IG was runner up to Kickham.Jonjo introduced your father to JP.He said he was absolutely thrilled to have a horse good enough to get placed at Aintree.I have followed IG closely since then without necessarily punting on him.Hopefully he will win lots more races-even though the Gold Cup might be out of reach.
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