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Very surprised that Walsh on the horses that mattered, was let bowl along, up front, unchallenged on the inner rail all week, even more so with the ground riding as good as it has done all week. To my mind if you hand your opponent on the best horse in the contest the tactical opportunity to racing optimally surely your making the task even more difficult for yourself. And it was hardly unknown that Walsh would race as he did do in the big races that he’s won so far.
Same with McCoy yesterday, “after you Tony” on the inner rail. Almost looked like a 20 times champion was riding at his last festival and needed a winner…..
Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised, it is National Hunt racing after all.
Agree – What about the trainers too. Surely you could run a spoiler a la Jenny Pitman with Golden Freeze? One proven way to get front runners beat is to take them on. Keeping up with those this week might have been another matter but no need to hand them an advantage on a plate. If it was a Derby and Magnier was in opposition, do you think he’d let them away with it?
Couldn’t agree more Cav – although the problem in the Champion was perhaps compounded by a lack of competition (8 runners!) I couldn’t believe the way Ruby was allowed to dictate a slow pace that clearly wouldn’t help TNO or Jezki. The only way TNO could conceivably have won was off a strong pace – so what did they do!
Letting Faugheen have an easy lead was basically saying there you go Ruby congrats on the victory,can’t believe Mc Manus didn’t have a pacemaker in or NTD put one in if he has one suitable
There’s plenty of rumours doing the rounds about TNO anyway so we’ll wait and see,all might not be as it seemed with him on the day.As for Mc Coy on Uxizandre it was a magnificent ride,had everyone thinking he went too quick(including myself). If the horse you had punted or simply were following tried to go the pace with Mc Coy early what would you have thought, and not what you think now but what you thought at the time?
Have to agree with you Fran regarding Mcmanus. Why didnt they run a pacemaker for Jezki ? Last year they ran Captain Cee Bee and I am sure they could have found one of the hundreds JP has got to make the pace…….
Yes I was surprised nobody took Ruby on. But I suppose that’s easy to say with hindsight, and I’m sure the jockeys had their instructions. It would have taken a lot of guts and confidence to go against trainers instructions, plus would it have actually made any difference against such fantastic horses?
I'd like to live in a place where they cordon off swans...It would have taken a lot of guts and confidence to go against trainers instructions, plus would it have actually made any difference against such fantastic horses?
I like this …
Ok chaps and lassies , lets talk business , does anyone think Faugheen , un de saux , or Vatour …would have been beaten under any different circumstances
I mean Really ????
thought not
I think the reality was in the CH that the connections of the opposition pretty much knew Faugheen was going to be hard to beat no matter what they did. A pacemaker would have taken the pressure off Ruby and he could have sat in the slipstream and went on when he chose.
TNO has done well enough off a slow pace in the past – his Neptune victory a good example. But he’s been amiss for some time now and I doubt Sam could have done much pacewise, even if he’d wanted to. Jezki, as has been mentioned in the CH thread, had shown no signs of improvement since last year, and there’s an argument he’d gone backwards. Trainer said AP had ridden him ‘to beat the fav’, and if they’d not done so he might have been second (kind of confirms the attitude of the opposition going into the race).
So, as well as holding all the aces, Ruby was allowed to be the dealer too. His pace-making tactics are solidly established at Cheltenham: set off at a decent clip, take a nice long breather down the back then let the momentum carry you downhill before digging into the energy reserves.
Nico scuppered him in the Gold Cup by keeping enough in reserve to fool Ruby into thinking he could adopt the usual strategy from the top of the hill: sit still and let Djakadam come down it, saving energy. Trouble was he left himself too far off the pace when they hit the rising ground. And that’s the disadvantage of having such a well-established tactic as Ruby’s. Nico knew how Ruby would ride it and effectively outrode the maestro – therein lay the frustration Walsh showed post-race imo.
The Gold Cup was the ride of the meeting for my money. Nico set off at such a pace, nobody else could do much about it. Fehily seemed most affected (very unlike him). S Conti was keen for most of the first circuit, and, with hindsight (always easy, I know), I think Noel would have gone up and taken Coneygree on. He’d said before the race he was totally confident about the favourite’s stamina, but he didn’t ride as though he was and ended up using much of the horse’s energy for nothing.
Cooper was wise to things from the outset, but his horse just wasn’t good enough in the end. Those on the lesser lights – Bobs Worth, Sam Winner, Lord Windermere never got an alternative other than ‘try to keep up as long as you can’. Brilliant ride by NDB.
It would have taken a lot of guts and confidence to go against trainers instructions, plus would it have actually made any difference against such fantastic horses?
I like this …
Ok chaps and lassies , lets talk business , does anyone think Faugheen , un de saux , or Vatour …would have been beaten under any different circumstances
I mean Really ????
thought not
I think Arctic Fire could’ve been closer to or even beat Faugheen if they went a true gallop,him being with the same yard’s a stumbling block mind you. I’m thinking of backing him for CH next year antepost,20/1 available but going to look for 100 on the exchange
I’m not at all optimistic am i 
Not to talk out of my pocket the ride of the meeting for me was probably Tom Scu on Next Sensation. Usually a trailblazer he didnt go of lickety split from the off but held on to him for long enough to have something left up the hill. Well ridden young Scu I say !!
As far as the high profile races are concerned I think Vautour would have won whatever the other jockeys did.Same with Un De Sceaux and Coneygree but maybe the placing in the CH could have been different if JP had a pacemaker in there. Admittedly Faugheen looked different class but Arctic Fire was catching him up the hill and a more end to end gallop could have seen a different outcome but we will never know. And to be honest the game is all about opinions and it wouldn’t do for us all to think the same.
As far as jockeys go Ruby’s life is made simpler by being on class horses most of the time, Mccoy is all action bullying horses and my preference is always and has always been for the finesse of a jockey rather than brute strength but that is just my preference and others would sooner see Mccoy winning on one than say Geraghty.P.S. My pocket ride of the meeting was David Bass on Darna !!!
maybe the placing in the CH could have been different if JP had a pacemaker in there. Admittedly Faugheen looked different class but Arctic Fire was catching him up the hill and a more end to end gallop could have seen a different outcome but we will never know. And to be honest the game is all about opinions and it wouldn’t do for us all to think the same.
I haven’t read any sectional analysis of the Champion Hurdle but to the eye, Ruby went a steady pace on Faugheen and burned them off the bend with a blistering change of gear. In that scenario, it was no surprise to see Arctic Fire as the horse to come through with the main challenge, as he himself is a horse who possesses a lot of raw speed. In a stronger run race I imagine Ruby would have been just as happy to get a lead, and he would probably have won by further. He has won over three miles on heavy ground so a test of stamina would hold no fears for him. His versatility is remarkable.
Arctic Fire has improved at a rate of knots and if he’s being aimed at the race again next year then 16/1 is a very good price. It’s hard to see anything that finished behind him on Tuesday reversing the form while Douvan will probably go chasing. The way he’s improving then anything is possible, although he’ll need to improve plenty more to beat Faugheen.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>raymo61 wrote:</div>
maybe the placing in the CH could have been different if JP had a pacemaker in there. Admittedly Faugheen looked different class but Arctic Fire was catching him up the hill and a more end to end gallop could have seen a different outcome but we will never know. And to be honest the game is all about opinions and it wouldn’t do for us all to think the same.I haven’t read any sectional analysis of the Champion Hurdle but to the eye, Ruby went a steady pace on Faugheen and burned them off the bend with a blistering change of gear. In that scenario, it was no surprise to see Arctic Fire as the horse to come through with the main challenge, as he himself is a horse who possesses a lot of raw speed. In a stronger run race I imagine Ruby would have been just as happy to get a lead, and he would probably have won by further. He has won over three miles on heavy ground so a test of stamina would hold no fears for him. His versatility is remarkable.
Arctic Fire has improved at a rate of knots and if he’s being aimed at the race again next year then 16/1 is a very good price. It’s hard to see anything that finished behind him on Tuesday reversing the form while Douvan will probably go chasing. The way he’s improving then anything is possible, although he’ll need to improve plenty more to beat Faugheen.
Agree with all this; can’t remember a Champion Hurdle being as good as over so far out. Perhaps we expected him to accelerate even further away up the hill, which made it look less impressive. Still unbeaten at all distances in the 2nd most competitive division of NH racing!!
There’s plenty of rumours doing the rounds about TNO anyway so we’ll wait and see,all might not be as it seemed with him on the day.
I’m not at all optimistic am i 
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