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Why is a horse (Kargali) who has never run over hurdles and Royal and Regal – one hurdles run – entered in the Champion Hurdle??? Both trained by Luke Comer. Any thoughts … I am mystified … and amazed that evidently any horse can be entered in such a race … recipe for disaster should they actually run???
Why is a horse (Kargali) who has never run over hurdles and Royal and Regal – one hurdles run – entered in the Champion Hurdle??? Both trained by Luke Comer. Any thoughts … I am mystified … and amazed that evidently any horse can be entered in such a race … recipe for disaster should they actually run???
Royal and Regal was Group 2 class over staying trips on the flat and he was beaten less than 10 lengths by the useful looking Gates Of Rome on his hurdling debut. He was a far better horse on the flat then the current champion hurdler was when started his hurdling career.
So why shouldn’t he take his chance? I’ll definitely be backing him if he runs
Any thoughts … I am mystified … and amazed that evidently any horse can be entered in such a race … recipe for disaster should they actually run???
Don’t see any problem myself, what possible "disaster" can you forsee happening?
Don’t think we should be dictating to people without good reason when they’ve paid a lot of money to run in the race.From memory Luke Comer has tilted at windmills before, not least by entering Chimes At Midnight in the 2002 Champion Hurdle (150/1, second hurdles start) and at least two Irish St Legers. Disaster conspicuously failed to ensue on any occasion.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
From memory Luke Comer has tilted at windmills before, not least by entering Chimes At Midnight in the 2002 Champion Hurdle (150/1, second hurdles start) and at least two Irish St Legers. Disaster conspicuously failed to ensue on any occasion.
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Chimes at Midnight
was
a very good horse on the flat. Not far off Alderbrook’s standard when he won the champion on his second start over hurdles.
Unfortunately CAM was never a very good horse when trained by Luke Comer and I fully expect Kargali and Royal and Regal to head the same way.
Does experience over hurdles count for nothing then? Why do we have races for novices?
I’m roughly with Ten Plus (although I doubt either horse would cause carnage) as Comer’s entries are purely vanity. My understanding is that both will be denied a run by the handicapper under current rules – anyone else have a view on this? The glut of Fergus Wilson no hopers in Grade 1 races prompted an ad hoc rule that horses incapable of running to a mark of 130 or higher would be banned from running in such races.
This is the relevant section from the conditions of entry for the Champion Hurdle :
for four yrs old and upwards which are allotted a rating of 130 or more by the BHA Head of Handicapping following a review of the horses entered and after taking account of races run up to and including March 9th. Horses which are not qualified for a rating in Great Britain, Ireland or France may also be entered.
Such horses may be eligible providing the Handicapper is
satisfied that the horse’s racecourse performances up to and including March 9th would merit a minimum rating of 130. The decision of the BHA Head of Handicapping shall be final.Which would seem to indicate that Phil Smith gets the last word on whether Kargali can run.
AP
Neither are qualified for the race.
If that’s the case, why are both horses still in the race at the 6 day entry stage, where punters can still do their money on definite non starters?
Neither are qualified for the race.
If that’s the case, why are both horses still in the race at the 6 day entry stage, where punters can still do their money on definite non starters?
Punters can’t do their money; anyone fool enough to back them would get their stake returned. Clearly BHA Rules only kick in when the horses remain entered. Comer looks a bit of a numpty.
All bets will be void Cavelino.
How much in entry fees will be returned to connections silvoir and does that all come off the prize money?
Thanks for the clarification, Yeats. Still find it strange that 2 horses can still be in the 6 day entry’s for the biggest hurdle race of the year when neither are qualified to run in it.
Punters can’t do their money; anyone fool enough to back them would get their stake returned.
Well call me a fool then because I would certainly have had a bet on Royal And Regal.
That said I still haven’t signed up to the Delargy/Timeform school of betting dogma.
The laughable thing with the 130 rated rule is, an exposed horse rated 130 has about as much chance of winning as one of Fergus Wilson’s no hopers. I fail to see what it does other than improving the quality of no hopers.
Cav,
They’re still in presumably because, as the race conditions suggest, if they had run on or before March 9th and produced a performance good enough to get them a 130+ rating, then they would have been allowed to turn up next week.
Obviously that rule is designed to cater for the horse already rated close to 130 that might show enough improvement, but rules are rules ……
Fairly sure that Alderbrook wouldn’t have been rated 130 when he was entered for his first Champion Hurdle, but he would have ‘qualified’ with his Kingwell Hurdle success.
AP
Well call me a fool then because I would certainly have had a bet on Royal And Regal.
That said I still haven’t signed up to the Delargy/Timeform school of betting dogma.
There’s still plenty of time Cav
While Royal and Regal had excellent flat form, his last flat run was extremely worrying (went from cruising to nothing in strides in a bad Lonsdale Cup) and that sale to Luke Comer hardly inspires confidence that he still retains all his ability, even before he was well beaten behind stablemate King’s Bastion fto. If he was going to stand a chance in any race at the Festival, a demonstration that he at least has the requisite number of limbs would surely be essential.
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