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My first was that the best irish hurdler might have been at Ascot yesterday and that Detroit City supporters willbe quite happy.
Brave inca is often not at his best first time of course, but i still thought it was an ordinary performance. Has his time passed now?
My first impression centred on my ante-post bet on Newmill for the Champion Chase. He has had physical problems in the past and although the trainer stated he needed the run, he dropped out very tamely. I wouldn’t be at all keen to take a short price about him in something like the Tingle Creek next.
Brave Inca will have needed the race and I would not write him off yet. Asian Maze will also have needed the run and stayed on at the finish. Trainer says her best trip is over 2 and a half miles so I don’t know which Cheltenham race they will go for – the stiff 2 mile champion hurdle run at a fast pace may suit her and that’s where she ran last season but fell early on.
The surprise for me was that Iktitaf did not seem to find as much as expected at the finish – only horse in the race that was fully fit.<br>Future races will make a clearer picture imo. ÂÂÂ
(Edited by SwallowCottage at 3:50 pm on Nov. 19, 2006)
Am two miles away from the track and cannot state enough how bad a day and weekend it has been here. p**s
ing rain nearly continuously since Thursday and its been blowing a gale all morning.Iktitaf did that well considering he is all speed and that ground would not have suited, Asian Maze battled on well and the Hattons Grace looked made for her while Brave Inca ran a stuffy race. But like I said hard to draw any firm conclusions from it as conditions were so poor.
my initial thoughts were to ignore brave incas run but also confirmed my thoughts on having serious reservations about him in the future unless AP is riding.
Also after watching it a couple of times i’m very impressed with the winner who although has plenty of form on soft, i’m sure with his daisy cutter action will prove even better on good going.
I agree DJ having also backed Newmill for the CC and having it in my ten to follow :( .
I’m still not convinced about Brave Inca and will continue to lay it in future.
1st impression . i’ve never seen Brave Inca run so poorly, it were shagged at half way
2nd impression is, i wouldn’t trust the form at all
<br>Although it does handle ground, 2nd’s best form is over 20f+ on better ground, 3rd, as above+FTO and Newmill also FTO, seemed to go off at a daft gallop for which it paid for
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(Edited by empty wallet at 5:59 pm on Nov. 19, 2006)
Have only seen the race twice and it’s a tricky one to weigh up. Good ‘stepping up’ performance from Iktitaf, who had race fitness on his side.
Very good to see Asian Maze running so well after her disappointment in France end last term. Still think she’s more of a staying type rather than a Champion Hurdler, but might well be proven wrong in the long term.
Disagree with DJ and FSL regarding Newmill’s performance. He was never here to win this race and I thought he ran well for a long way and then the jockey patently gave up on him and let him jog home. There’ll be much better to come when he goes for his real tragets.
Think I’d have expected a bit more from the Champion Hurlder Brave Inca, but connections seem to be satisfied enough with the run, given it was first time out, McCoy wasn’t in the driving seat, the ground was terrible and the real target lies in March.
So, we only really have Macs Joy to play his hand in Ireland, and maybe Straw Bear in England before we can start to form opinions about the Champion Hurdle pecking order.
I’m in the Detroit City camp so far…but I’ve been known to switch allegiances in the past.
On a different note, having made a lot of money backing Sky’s The Limit at Cheltenham, have been disappointed to see him run poorly over fences thus far.
On a different note, having made a lot of money backing Sky’s The Limit at Cheltenham, have been disappointed to see him run poorly over fences thus far.
I think he is a prime example of getting to excited by a handicap performance. Had done nothing before or since to suggest he is the class animal his Coral win suggested he might.
Quote: from The Wizard on 6:12 pm on Nov. 19, 2006[br]Have only seen the race twice and it’s a tricky one to weigh up. Good ‘stepping up’ performance from Iktitaf, who had race fitness on his side.
Very good to see Asian Maze running so well after her disappointment in France end last term. Still think she’s more of a staying type rather than a Champion Hurdler, but might well be proven wrong in the long term.
Disagree with DJ and FSL regarding Newmill’s performance. He was never here to win this race and I thought he ran well for a long way and then the jockey patently gave up on him and let him jog home. There’ll be much better to come when he goes for his real tragets.
Think I’d have expected a bit more from the Champion Hurlder Brave Inca, but connections seem to be satisfied enough with the run, given it was first time out, McCoy wasn’t in the driving seat, the ground was terrible and the real target lies in March.
So, we only really have Macs Joy to play his hand in Ireland, and maybe Straw Bear in England before we can start to form opinions about the Champion Hurdle pecking order.
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<br>Pretty fair summary IMO.<br>Given the vigorous riding that he seems to require, BI will "be gone at the game" at some point but it remains to be seen when that is (2 undistinguished runs last two)
Aidan – backing Sky’s The Limit at Cheltenham was based solely on what I saw in a gallop after racing at one of the Irish tracks where he galloped all over one of the fancied novices. Haven’t backed him since, but would have expected him to take high order as a novice chaser this term. Also, didn’t The Rooster win the Champion on the back of winning the County Hurdle?
Just goes to show how fences are the making of some horses whereas they may not suit others.
I thought it was a nothing race in that Iktitaf really should’ve won on the day and did, just without being particularly impresseive.
Brave Inca clearly wasn’t fit we’d heard that before hand. Newmill is a chaser and better on faster ground and Asian Maze needs at least another half a mile to be seen at her best IMO. I thought Asian Maze was the horse to take out of the race, a very good effort considering the trip. The others – ordinary nothing more but to be fair nothing more really expected.
Quote: from Grasshopper on 10:05 pm on Nov. 19, 2006[br]Ordinary, TMM? Are you sure?
Iktitaf might have had the benefit of race fitness today, but he is only just out of novice company, and he did beat the Champion Hurdler, the Champion Chaser and another multiple Grade 1 winning hurdler today.
If thats ‘ordinary’ then what’s ‘decent’ or ‘smart’?
<br>In terms of the form working out I think it was an ordinary race. I take Newmill out of the equation as he couldn’t have won today IMO. He’s a chaser now.
So of Iktitaf’s opponents one was unfit the other needs way further.
If anything I would’ve expected Iktitaf to win a bit easier than he did.
I thought that in the build up to the race the BI connections had him down as being "fitter than this time last year"
<br>and last year he won it….
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Thats true clivex. After the race it turned in to "well he’s a year older and a bit stuffier, so he probabley needed the race".
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