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I know it was the first run of the season, (has won first time out last 2 seasons), however it was a rather disappointing run from the Champioh Hurdler no less to get beat by a horse that could not even win at Cheltenjam last April and had previously got beat by a horse that won the 2m novice chase earlier in the day.
Either Snap Tie is top class which I doubt or Katchit was disappointing.
Or if Snap Tie is top class which would make Imsingintheblues a very good ante post bet for the Arkle.
I watched the race.
The winner looked quite impressive; his jockey always looked confident throughout – although I thought Katchit, who probably needed the run (as the betting indicated) didn’t quicken in the manner you’d expect from a Champion Hurdler.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
It was a pipe opener.
His first run of the season.
I dont think he has done anything wrong today, he isnt race fit yet, still needs to get a bit sharper in his work at home and translate that onto the track and he will be fine.
He won what ended up being a moderate Champion last year after Sizing Europe went wrong. I’ll be surprised if 2 or 3 don’t improve past him this year. Get him in the book, TDK.
personally i think sizing europe was doped at cheltenham, im going to back it in 09 defo.
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Probably a comment to remove, johncoffee.
Totally agree with Carvs on this one. That being said, Katchit was at least a stone below his best yesterday and on that evidence Snap Tie isn’t winning any Champion Hurdles either.
Can’t be overly disappointed with that.
Kempton is a world away from Cheltenham as a course, where the stiff finish looks to suit Katchit.
He ideally likes the ground a bit easier.
It was a pipe-opener – we know King is particularly adept at bringing horses to their peak for when it matters.
All in all, do not write Katchit off.
The headline of yesterday’s race should be; "A 100% ready Snap Tie beats a not-100% ready Katchit by not very much. The markets shrug".
Surely the point is, and it’s one that Philip Hobbs alluded to more than once in the trade press ahead of yesterday’s race, that Snap Tie had to put in a big performance for the trainer to regard him still as a Champion Hurdle aspirant. Everything within his power will have been done to have got the gelding to Sunbury yesterday in A1 nick.
Katchit, conversely, was still regarded as very much a work in progress ahead of the race, and that it would only really be in the Boylesports International that we’d see the very best of him for the first time this campaign.
As such, the 14lb gap between them on Official Ratings certainly had a less insurmountable look to it than would have been the case ordinarily.
The King camp has the most to cheer from the race. Even without Katchit being fully wound up for this, and away from his beloved Cheltenham, their charge has only had to concede defeat inside the last 50-100 yards.
After King, the next cheeriest people are those who spotted HIlls’ immediate overreaction to the defeat and pushed out Katchit from 5s to 8s for the Champion Hurdle, whereas all other high street firms have pushed him out no further than 6s where they have pushed him out at all.
Away from the actuality of the what the first two home did or didn’t achieve, wasn’t it wonderful to see a proper Champion Hurdle trial being run at a proper pace, rather than the dirge into which too many of these contests can descend. There were no confirmed tyros in the line-up, so I’ve genuinely no idea whether;
– Paul Nicholls thought Sporazene could steal the race by front-running, or
– he instructed the grey to be sent out like that in order to make the race a proper examination for Katchit, as a favour to his good friend Alan King.Either way, to this untrained eye it looked like one of several pretty satisfactorily-run contests during the course of the afternoon.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Very good post Jeremy, and 100% correct i think.
Mr King wont be disappointed by that run, you have got it absolutely spot on when you say that Snap Tie was 100% and Katchit wasn’t, that is very true, Alan has even said that Katchit isnt near race fit yet, it was a pipe-opener, nothing more really.
He will come on so much for that run.
Katchit ran Ok but in all honesty he should’ve beaten that field comfortably enough 100% fit or not he is the reigning Champion Hurdler don’t forget, should be streets ahead of these.
Truth is once Sizing Europe went wrong it turned into a distinctly average, some might say poor Champion Hurdle last season and Katchit isn’t a good Champion Hurdler IMO. I can’t see him winning another Champion Hurdle. Personally I don’t think he’ll see which way Binocular (for one) goes.
Judging by many of the above posts was yesterday another striking exampleof how NH is far too revolved around Cheltenam? I am aware punters should be factoring (or attempting to factor as most is pure guesswork with the odd half-quote form a trainer thrown in) such things in to our betting, but its a bit of a poor show when the reigning champ gets turned over at odds on and most people just shrug and say "he’ll come on for it".
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Alan King has said himself that he was slightly disappointed, though satisfied, with Katchit’s performance, so I wouldn’t be overly quick to make excuses for him. He was conceding 3lb to the winner, but King rarely has a problem introducing sufficiently fit animals first time out and I would be surprised if Snap Tie doesn’t improve for the run.
Even allowing for Katchit not being at his best, Alph and Katies Tutor (well regarded, but over-rated on 152) don’t give the form an overly solid look. That said, the ground may not have been ideal and he wasn’t racing at Cheltenham.
Shifts in the Champion Hurdle market may have been somewhat premature, but I wouldn’t be rushing to back him even at 8/1.
Neither would i because he’ll struggle all season in small field trials and probably be bigger on the day, similar to last season. I think Katchit will only ever get his ideal conditions in the Champion Hurdle, so he’s a complete ante-post no-no for me whether you fancy him or not.
"There was too much emphasis on speed today"
Not really sure what Alan King meant by this.
I’ve read similar quotes when races have been slowly run and developed into a sprint; but that wasn’t the case in the race at Kempton yesterday was it?
Judging by many of the above posts was yesterday another striking example of how NH is far too revolved around Cheltenam?
In so far as so many of yesterday’s main players have the Festival as their ultimate aim, the tone of these posts is unavoidable to an extent.
But it’s not all about four days in a field in Gloucestershire five months hence by any means. I thought Cortinas advertised his claims as a solid flat course, good ground, speedy 2m chaser in the making, who barring a prohibitive mark already looks like a viable Red Rum Chase candidate to me. Having just read his stable tour in the Post over lunch, I’m delighted to learn that appears to be Charlie Mann’s thinking as well.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
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