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What’s the most overhyped horse that you can remember? I know every trainer has a talking horse every season, and 9 times out of 10 it fails to deliver…, but which ‘world beaters’ that turned out to be ‘selling platers’ do you remember most??? I’ll start with 2 by my favourite trainer, (Sir) Henry Cecil, in Killer Instinct and Vacamonte….
Killer Instinct was one wasn’t he!
Would you include Carvills Hill as being over-hyped?
There must be a few Irish Cheltenham contenders that were the ‘next Arkle’ that failed to deliver?
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Anything trained by Clive Brittain!
The somewhat eccentric Mr Brittain aside, I think Aidan O’Brien has a monopoly on this – One Cool Cat, Rip Van Winkle, St Nicholas Abbey…I’m sure there are more.
Much better was also expected of Sweet Gale and Aran Concerto.
Forest Tiger. I remember Mohammed Moubarak saying live on Channel 4 following his debut win at Doncaster " This horse will never be beaten". He only ever beat one horse home in his three subsequent starts.
Would you include Carvills Hill as being over-hyped?
No. Over-rate a bit maybe but I don’t think thats the same as being over-hyped.
I remember two Vincent O’Brien trained, undeated 2 year olds of the early 80s; Storm Bird and Danzatore; both of whom didn’t train on after very good first seasons. Great things were expected of them as 3 year olds and were being hailed as the next big thing. Danzatore won his first race as 3 year old before being withdrawn from the 2,000 Gns due to poor home workouts. He raced once more (defeated) before being retired.
Storm Bird was sent to stud after racing one more time and finishing unplaced.
I’m sure everyone also knows of the Sheik Mohammad $10.2 yearling purchase, the much vaunted Snaafi Dancer. Sent to John Dunlop, he proved a total dud. Rumours have it that he was slower than the trainer’s hack. He never set foot on a racecourse.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
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Killer Instinct was one wasn’t he!
Would you include Carvills Hill as being over-hyped?
There must be a few Irish Cheltenham contenders that were the ‘next Arkle’ that failed to deliver?
Cousin Vinny.
Re Carvills Hill
In my opinion , a truly unfulfilled superstar.
Massive gelding in need of proper jumping ground.
Probably like most sporting superstars , with foibles / weaknesses.
We all know what may have deprived him of his greatest day, it may have been the tactics used in certain races against him
I say no more , RIPWould you include Carvills Hill as being over-hyped?
Definitely not.
I think he won two out three bumpers, was a champion novice hurdler/chaser and arguably progressed to be the best chaser in England/Ireland. Unfortunately, some people just concentrate on the two runs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Would we be knocking Desert Orchid if he hadn’t won the Gold Cup?
I concur Stilvi
Just look at his performances , I think it was in the Welsh National, horses beaten include Cool Ground by miles, he was a star in the making. Those involved in his demise should hang their heades in shame, in my opinionDunguib is the most obvious recent example. He was fantastically impressive in winning the Festival Bumper but it was a huge step to be talking about winning a Champion Hurdle. Cue Card won the Bumper at least as impressively but there has been little or no speculation as to what he might achieve despite being a couple of years younger.
Merdeka – better than Kicking King apparently!
Feckin hound fell while running loose at Clonmel one day.
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Carvill’s Hill had a tremendous engine, but was never a great lepper, and while Martin Pipe was brilliant at getting horses fit, he never was famous for gettting them to jump fluently.
Even in Carvill’s finest hour (the Welsh National) I recall him landing on all fours at at least 2 of the fences, and Jenny Pitman only exacerbated his problems in a Gold Cup he probably wouldn’t have won anyway.
Imo, natch.- Total Posts 102
Leonardo Da Vinci was hyped, Pat Eddery got off it and said it was the greatest he’s ever ridden
Black Jack Ketchum must have cost his faithful supporters a few quid as well
Saison wins the prize for me, went off fav for the 1980 1000 guineas after a maiden win in a slow time after burning up the cecil gallops.
never won again if my memory is correct
This is obviously a thread that needs a little thought but the most over-hyped horse I can think of is probably Nick Dundee purely because he owes everything to a perception as to how he was travelling in a race rather than anything he actually achieved. Even before Looks Like Trouble went on to win the Gold Cup I felt that he would have exposed Nick Dundee as a non-stayer. Horses can go from cantering to nothing at Cheltenham in a matter of strides. Nick Dundee might have gone on to be very useful at two and a half miles but I doubt that he would ever have become or indeed have been trained as a Gold Cup contender.
One Cool Cat
is defineately the most over hyped horse i have ever come across and even when he failed on the numerous occassions he ran, Aidan would still maintain he was a machine and i would fall for it!He cost me a 4 figure victory in the 2000 gns!
There are certainly times whem Aidan has got it wrong,his worst bit of training was that of The Duke of Marmalade,had he targeted the Arc after the King George he would have won it,the horse was a spent force! - Total Posts 17716
The Green Monkey is another to add to Coolmore’s private leaderboard; bought for $16 million, raced and beaten three times, and now standing at just $5,000 per covering.
There are certainly times whem Aidan has got it wrong,his worst bit of training was that of The Duke of Marmalade,had he targeted the Arc after the King George he would have won it,the horse was a spent force! - You must be logged in to reply to this topic.