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Blythe Knight has always run well fresh, indeed won the Lincoln first time up, so can’t see there being that much to work on. The way he travelled and then folded up suggests once again that stamina was his problem.
Take nothing away from the pint-size Katchit’s bravery, but that was nothing like a Championship performance imo, and there will be much classier contestants against him next time he runs.last time he ran in a big field with a true pace (Triumph Hurdle) he found improvement of 15+lb on his previous best…
if he did that this year…?.
he loves big fields, wants a true test and loves Cheltenham – what’s not to fancy?
I do think Katchit deserves alot of credit for the run yesterday. Blythe Knight is a classy horse, & you could agrue he had close to his optimum conditions yesterday. At a few stages BK looked to be going much better, but he couldn’t handle Katchit over the last couple of furlongs. That was a good run.
I’d love to see Katchit win the CH, for the connections on here & Alan King. I think he’ll run very well and very honestly, but sadly, I still believe a couple will have a bit too much class for him. In the CH, if they go on early with Katchit, you could see him leading around the home turn & start to tow them up the hill…but I think that will just tee up the race for the likes of Sublimity, Sizing Europe, & dare I say Harchibald! You could argue that a Katchit is just the sort of target horse Harchibald needs. Sublimity seems to be the forgotton horse at the moment.
Tell you what all these 160’s and 170’s dont mean didly **** to me. I watched the race again and that was an brilliant performance……….excluding Sizing Europe the best so far this season. Blythe Knight comes there at the right time, he’s settled well enough unlike the stupid commentator said who obviously doesn’t know the horse……..everything has gone his way yet he can’t get a blow in with Katchit………In that type of race Blythe Knight can be almost unbeatable as he possesses a helluva turn of foot………..to leave him standing and put 5 lengths between him and yourself takes some doing. More than it does to pass a bunch of horses dead on their feet that’s for sure.
You could argue Osana beat Katchit early on but that Katchit was not the same Katchit we saw yesterday in no shape or form…….and that could be said about half the field that day……..I’d have Katchit well before him at Chelters no matter how many 160’s or 170’s people want to put about to try and get their point over……..totally meaneingless exercise to me and I don’t need them to read a race thankyou
everyone to their own guys don’t be taking it to heart you sumsters 
.and would have beaten Katchit (if not Osana in many an opinion) in December had he not turned up to the Bula looking like a darts player
How on earth can we judge that?
Sublimity is one to really avoid i believe. However clever the trainer is supposed to be, one run like that in a year before the big race is ahuge negative
The judgment of Katchits run yesterday can only revolve around Blythe Knight’s performance of course and we cannot be sure quite what that represented. Hes hardly a solid yardstick and could even have run his best race over hurdles ( although agree that he might not have stayed). Taking ratings from those well beaten doesnt interest me
last time he ran in a big field with a true pace (Triumph Hurdle) he found improvement of 15+lb on his previous best…
if he did that this year…?.
he loves big fields, wants a true test and loves Cheltenham – what’s not to fancy?
em……….he is simply not good enough! CH is staying in ireland this methinks
I wouldn’t touch Sublimity with a barge pole even if I knew he was exactly the same horse as he was last year. He simply isn’t good enough in my eyes and needs to improve more than 7lbs to even be involved in the finish. Plus I simply don’t like the horse and think he is grossly overrated
He won’t be getting a "just follow us down the hill and you can pass us at the last this year". There was no Osana or Katchit in the race last year, one of which are sure to take off like a rocket from the third last or before………be nothing coming there on the bridle and having it handed to him on a plate this year.
Sizing Europe is a different class of horse than Sublimity IMO he has a huge stride qand plenty speed when he gets going which will help him peg back the aforementioned and will be very hard to fend off. Sublimity looks like a Blythe Knight type horse that when he gets the sting taken out of his tail will find absolutely zero……..nothing about him says he a battler.
I wouldn’t touch Sublimity with a barge pole even if I knew he was exactly the same horse as he was last year. He simply isn’t good enough in my eyes and needs to improve more than 7lbs to even be involved in the finish. Plus I simply don’t like the horse and think he is grossly overrated
He won’t be getting a "just follow us down the hill and you can pass us at the last this year". There was no Osana or Katchit in the race last year, one of which are sure to take off like a rocket from the third last or before………be nothing coming there on the bridle and having it handed to him on a plate this year.
Sizing Europe is a different class of horse than Sublimity IMO he has a huge stride qand plenty speed when he gets going which will help him peg back the aforementioned and will be very hard to fend off. Sublimity looks like a Blythe Knight type horse that when he gets the sting taken out of his tail will find absolutely zero……..nothing about him says he a battler.
How does sublimity have to improve to be involved, if he is exactly the same horse as last year? He was very impressive in a strong CH last yr.
Yes there was no osana/katchit, but there was brave inca, macs joy, iktitaf, hardy eaustace and detroit city. ALL of which i believe are superior animals to the aforementioned two.
I dont believe sublimity will win (personally fancy harchibald nd sizing looks special) but he will definetly be involved in the finish
Without question, Sublimity will be involved in the finish. The horse has been kept fresh (he also only had the one race prior to last year) and trained specifically for this race, which is always a distinct advantage at this time of year.
Last years renewal was far superior and he will take some beating. Personally, I think he’ll win and rate Katchit the main danger.
What’s the price on last years champions – Sublimity, Voy Por Ustedes, Inglis Drever and Kauto Star – all successfully defending their titles? Worth a small wager…
but there was brave inca, macs joy, iktitaf, hardy eaustace and detroit city. ALL of which i believe are superior animals to the aforementioned two.
Why?
We still dont really know how good Osana and Katchit will prove to be. Could be argued that Brave inca (always a bit of an overrated animal i felt) and Hardy were on a downward drift. The others just didnt go on the day…for various reasons (and so sad that none of them are with us now)
I would tend towards being a bit more open minded and it could be with sizing, Osana and so on, that this could be a stronger generation of hurdlers. Take a line through Hardy…and that could crtainly be argued
and would have beaten Katchit (if not Osana in many an opinion) in December had he not turned up to the Bula looking like a darts player
How on earth can we judge that?
I’m basing it on his CH run, when he ran very similarly to the Bula without blowing up approaching the last because he was fit.
My main worry for Sublimity is the lack of a run since. He was nowhere near 100% that day, can John Carr get him championship race-fit without the aid of another spin? It will be a very good training performance if he can.
Harchibald seems to be the forgotten horse in the CH and, with Noel Meade back in the winners enclosure again, at 9/1 I think he’s an E/W bet to nothing.
Meade will have him tuned up for the race with racecoure gallops and if the ground is too soft in Ireland then he now has the option of using the all weather at Dundalk to get him spot on.
If he is back to his best, like he was in the Fighting Fifth last December (I was there and he was the winner a long way from home) with the guaranteed fast gallop that you get in the CH, he’ll be travelling the best due to his excellent jumping and will be swinging all over them two out. It will then just be a case of whether Carberry can time it to perfection so that he doesn’t get Harchibald to the front too early as we all know he doesn’t do a tap once hitting the front!
Katchit was a good juvenile and may be the one next year but you can’t get away from the stat of how many (nearly 70 I believe) 5 year olds have been beaten in the Champion Hurdle since See You Then won in 1985.
How does sublimity have to improve to be involved, if he is exactly the same horse as last year? He was very impressive in a strong CH last yr.
I dont believe sublimity will win (personally fancy harchibald nd sizing looks special) but he will definetly be involved in the finish
You don’t believe Sublimity will win but you think I am wrong whe I say he needs to improve.?
Go back and watch the last 3 champion hurdles and watch Hardy Eustace and wghen he came under presssure in each race. Then come back and tell me last years CH was a good race………Sublimity doesn’t have the pace to pass horses full of running..he simply doesn’t have the class or the turn of foot…HE was dead on his feet last year…..go back and watch Sublimitey against Noland…..very one paced……he was flattered last year because nothing else ran any sort of race and won’t be at the races this year IMO
I would not be so quick to write off Sublimity as being some sort of no hoper. He absolutely laughed at his rivals last year. IF he turns up in the same form this year then I would not want to back against him.
Its quite possible that he isnt the same horse this year although I wouldnt take that for granted. To say that his performance last year was rubbish is laughable, it was the most visually impressive performance of the festival for me (although I am most likely blinkered as he was my best winner of the festival). Some horses peak at certain times of the year, it could well be that Sublimity is a horse who natuarlly peaks in March, if that is the case then the rest of the field had better watch out.
Sizing Europe’s form can be crabbed, Hardy Eustace and Al Eile are both probably better over further nowadays. Lounaos keeps the form down but the way SE won was very impressive. Doubt if any of the other contenders could’ve won in that manner.
Ginge
Value Is EverythingOsana is the horse I fear the most and nobody seems to be interested in this horse (that said must be plenty interested in him for him to be trading at around 5/1).
Kwai,
Took 4/1 immediately after the race SE, imo current price is fair without being backable.Have got over 40/1 Osana too, taken just before the Boylesports.
Sorry about the classic aftertiming, have backed 5 all told.
Afsoun, Punjabi and Iktitaf my other bets.Sizing Europe and Osana I believe are far more likely to improve again than any of the others.
Value Is Everything
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