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I found today’s race very weird. Either Lord Windermere was a poor Gold Cup winner or he wasn’t trained for today’s race, I think that both are possibly true. Bob’s Worth was also given an odd ride and in my view could arguably be called a non-trier.
I’m sure both trainers will use the same old argument that both horses will come on for their runs…
I found today’s race very weird. Either Lord Windermere was a poor Gold Cup winner or he wasn’t trained for today’s race, I think that both are possibly true. Bob’s Worth was also given an odd ride and in my view could arguably be called a non-trier.
I’m sure both trainers will use the same old argument that both horses will come on for their runs…
Lord Windermere wants good ground and an end to end gallop. Probably wanted the race too, but you’re right; no better than an average Gold Cup winner.
Bob’s Worth did run an odd race; he might come on for it, but equally an increasing body of evidence suggests Henderson isn’t a patch on Nicholls and Pipe at keeping top chasers sweet and healthy. Maybe his hard race in the Gold Cup this year has left a mark.
Grey Doplhin I find your comment that Lord Windermere wants good ground rather bizarre.
Four of its 6 career wins have come on soft/heavy going, one on good to soft and last years Gold Cup on good.
I just think it was an odd race todayFound it strange that both former Gold Cup winners were out the back unsighted, has winning the GC bottomed out both of them ?
Not Bobs Worth who has won Grade 1,s since his win. Lord Windamere is just a strange one, I’m afraid you have to wonder what on earth the trainer is doing 51 out of 52 weeks.
Not Bobs Worth who has won Grade 1,s since his win. Lord Windamere is just a strange one, I’m afraid
you have to wonder what on earth the trainer is doing 51 out of 52 weeks.
Doing an incredible job to get the horse to win a Gold Cup on the 52nd week is the most likely answer looking at its historic form
Grey Doplhin I find your comment that Lord Windermere wants good ground rather bizarre.
Four of its 6 career wins have come on soft/heavy going, one on good to soft and last years Gold Cup on good.
I just think it was an odd race todayPurely because the ground in Ireland is usually on the soft, and he’s done most of his racing there. He handles it OK…
But both his best runs have been at Cheltenham in March with a strong pace on decentish ground.
Not Bobs Worth who has won Grade 1,s since his win. Lord Windamere is just a strange one, I’m afraid
you have to wonder what on earth the trainer is doing 51 out of 52 weeks.
Doing an incredible job to get the horse to win a Gold Cup on the 52nd week is the most likely answer looking at its historic form
Not everyone thinks the wonderful sport of National Hunt Racing revolves entirely around a few days in March.
Give me a Beef or Salmon giving it his all throughout the season any day of the week over a horse, and connections, that you have to guess will even be bothering to attempt troubling the judge.
It was an ‘odd race’, imo, in that there was a difference of opinion among the jocks on how long the pace would last.
Bobs Worth was certainly trying, otherwise he’d have been pulled up so poorly was he going for a long time.
Lord Windermere’s a bit of a mystery. His trainer might never get one like him again, so everything will be aimed at Cheltenham. If any race was an odd one, regarding form, it was the Gold Cup this year.
Another ridiculous, impossible to make any sense of race rather like the 2014 Gold Cup and I expect the 2015 version will be equally mysterious.
How anyone can prefer jumping to the flat I honestly can’t get my head round.
* Small field Grade 1’s with only one (or if we’re lucky two) decent horse(s).
* a festival in March which dominates to the extent that trainers like Henderson, O’Neill and Crowley can barely be bothered with any other event.
* Half the fences missing when the sun shines.
On Monday we have something to look forward to – Hurricane Fly vs Jezki part 155. No wonder the Fly has won about 80 Grade 1’s, constantly beating up Jezki and Solwhit. Boring!
At least the Challow hurdle looks reasonably interesting.
The
lexus
has to be the worst grade 1 chase I have ever seen run on time, since I have have been compiling speed figures.
So bad was the time of the race I thought that the
Racing Post
had made a mistake, which they frequently do, so I had to double check the race time.
For a race of this quality, I would have expected a speed figure up around the
150
mark, so what did I end up with, a very slow figure of
44
.
I did like the over the top race course notes:
ROAD TO RICHES came into this race as the top-rated chaser in Ireland but probably still slightly underestimated. He shouldn´t be now. He set out to make the running but so quick did they go that Bryan Cooper was happy to take a lead, and he ended up losing his place when the race started to develop after the third-last. Cooper was patient though and while he was stoking his mount up he never really had to go for him until before the last fence. The way he stayed from there was really taking and was the most convincing case yet for his staying the Gold Cup trip; horses that see out 3m around here will get further. This was a coming-of-age performance from this horse and better may yet be to come.
The part about "
so quick did they go
", did he mean "
so slow did they go
", the time was (slow by
51.90s
)
Talk about waxing lryical
Mike.
"Peruvian Chief":v0qykd5c wrote:
Not everyone thinks the wonderful sport of National Hunt Racing revolves entirely around a few days in March.
Give me a Beef or Salmon giving it his all throughout the season any day of the week over a horse, and connections, that you have to guess will even be bothering to attempt troubling the judge.
I agree entirely and I will be disappointed if Lord Windermere wins again in March
It looks like need to source another beef or salmon who runs within standard time for everybody to be happy with this race
I think I have been underestimating RTR like a few people. If he does win the GC in March and he has a live chance, I think many again will write off the race like last year. Think probably BW did need the run but it looks like a worringly tame effort. I’m beginning to wonder if Geraghty may do a Ruby and come back to ride in Ireland full time although not sure if there are any jobs up for grabs
Interesting times, TBB. And it shows how the eye can be deceived by ‘relativity’. After the field jumped the first, there looks to be 20 to 25 lengths first to last. The camera shots early make it look as though the leaders are going a fair clip, especially when jumping, but the eye of the Racing Post analyst, was indeed deceived (as mine was).
In a crude attempt at analysing the times, I used the on-screen clock at ATR and have the following:
First circuit
1st to winning post – 2 mins 24 seconds
1st to last – 2 mins 2 secs
Second circuit
1st to winning post – 2 mins 18 seconds
1st to last – 1 min 57 secs
1st on circuit 1 is 7 out on circuit 2. Times based on leader landing.
So, on 2nd circuit, they ran those sections faster by 6 seconds (to post), and 5 seconds to last.
Now, the above makes it look as though those in the pack simply misjudged the pace on circuit one, and let the leaders get into a good rhythm. And i wrote it and was about to post it before it occurred to me to take a look at last year’s race.
In the 2013 running – on yielding to soft (2014 soft to heavy), where there was never more than 8 lengths 1st to last on circuit 1, they ran those sections only 3 seconds faster (first fence to the post), and 1 second (first fence to last).
TBB might be able to comment on what would have been expected on the two different surfaces, but that 1 second difference over the first seven fences, between 2013 and 2014, suggests that the 2014 race
was
run at a comparatively hot pace early.
For the record, the 2nd circuit figures for 2013 versus the 1st circuit show differences of:
14 seconds faster to the post
11 seconds faster to the last
More than twice the difference in each compared with 2014.
Maybe sectionals are a good idea after all.
Interesting times, TBB. And it shows how the eye can be deceived by ‘relativity’. After the field jumped the first, there looks to be 20 to 25 lengths first to last. The camera shots early make it look as though the leaders are going a fair clip, especially when jumping, but the eye of the Racing Post analyst, was indeed deceived (as mine was).
In a crude attempt at analysing the times, I used the on-screen clock at ATR and have the following:
First circuit
1st to winning post – 2 mins 24 seconds
1st to last – 2 mins 2 secs
Second circuit
1st to winning post – 2 mins 18 seconds
1st to last – 1 min 57 secs
1st on circuit 1 is 7 out on circuit 2. Times based on leader landing.
So, on 2nd circuit, they ran those sections faster by 6 seconds (to post), and 5 seconds to last.
Now, the above makes it look as though those in the pack simply misjudged the pace on circuit one, and let the leaders get into a good rhythm. And i wrote it and was about to post it before it occurred to me to take a look at last year’s race.
In the 2013 running – on yielding to soft (2014 soft to heavy), where there was never more than 8 lengths 1st to last on circuit 1, they ran those sections only 3 seconds faster (first fence to the post), and 1 second (first fence to last).
TBB might be able to comment on what would have been expected on the two different surfaces, but that 1 second difference over the first seven fences, between 2013 and 2014, suggests that the 2014 race
was
run at a comparatively hot pace early.
For the record, the 2nd circuit figures for 2013 versus the 1st circuit show differences of:
14 seconds faster to the post
11 seconds faster to the last
More than twice the difference in each compared with 2014.
Maybe sectionals are a good idea after all.
What was your going allowance for the race, this year and last?
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