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If he hasn’t learned to settle by now, what’s to be lost in giving him his head and letting him get on with it? It’s worth a try.
Sounds reasonable doesn’t it? And while they are at it how about trying a new jockey?
Unfortunately, out of all the thousands of horses that JP has owned how many have made their name front running? The man is about as one-dimensional as you can get. Imagine if he had owned Desert Orchid?
When Brave Inca was pipped in his first attempt at the Champion Hurdle it was suggested on that weekend’s Morning Line that he go chasing. The next year he wins the Champion.
I see no reason why MTOY can’t improve the couple of pounds he needs to overturn the form with Jezki. It’s not to say he will but he should be given the chance.
As for Ayr well this was the right time for Nicky Henderson to try the hood and new bridle as this race was an afterthought. Now we know it doesn’t work. And MTOY is hardly the first horse to disappoint in his first run after the festival.
I think MTOY is a pretty good jumper over all, can just hit the odd one. If most horses pulled the way he does then they’re going to struggle to "stay" two miles. No doubt he’d stay two miles if settling better; that remains the biggest problem and after so many runs it seems doubtful MTOY will ever settle, if anything it’s getting worse.
Value Is EverythingBut whatever you think of MTOY, punters that were happy to back him at Ayr were effectively saying that they knew much better than the official handicapper what he was capable of, and were taking a very short price about their opinion.
Quite.
But anyway, didn’t he run pretty much up to form? It was a really solid weight-carrying performance in my view. This thread’s making him sound like Mad Moose!
Mike
He probably did run up to his mark. But many believe that mark should be greater if he would settle. Many thought the hood would help but obviously it didn’t.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of My Tent Or Yours until this season, but I think there are some massive knee-jerk reactions in this thread.
He clearly isn’t an easy ride, but it’s hard to deny that he is the fastest hurdler in training. Even The New One at full stretch in the Christmas Hurdle struggled to get him off the bridle.
I didn’t think My Tent Or Yours could battle until watching the Champion Hurdle. Here, McCoy was probably at fault on the home turn. If you watch the replay, you’ll see him decide to tuck in behind Jezki and the weakening Captain Cee Bee and Hurricane Fly instead of seizing the gap that opened on the outside. As a result, My Tent Or Yours lost momentum and had to delay his challenge. Stumbling into the final flight further punished McCoy’s gamble, but then My Tent Or Yours proved that he had some fight.
In spite of conceding first run and momentum, he doggedly clawed back Jezki all the way to the line with his head down. All that was in spite of pulling like a train throughout the race.
Although he has had a light season compared to the likes of Sire De Grugy, I think it is fair to mark down the weekend’s run as something a little short of the horse’s best. He reefs so hard in the early stages of every race that he must take so much more out of himself than the average horse. It was still a good effort to give chunks of weight to all but two of the field on their ideal conditions.
For the future, I haven’t seen anything that would dissuade me from backing MTOY in the Champion Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle. Since he’s such a huge monster, it would be great to see him chasing though. His hurdling is only adequate, but in the same way Denman didn’t respect them, so chasing could be his best game.
But whatever you think of MTOY, punters that were happy to back him at Ayr were effectively saying that they knew much better than the official handicapper what he was capable of, and were taking a very short price about their opinion.
Quite.
But anyway, didn’t he run pretty much up to form? It was a really solid weight-carrying performance in my view. This thread’s making him sound like Mad Moose!
Mike
You’re right Mike, Ayr wasn’t a bad run at all on
form
, suspect just a little below MTOY’s best; solid form. But it was disappointing he didn’t settle and that must be an important part to his future prospects. I wouldn’t have made MTOY "value" in the Ayr race; but did think a hood and ear plugs would help and called for them to be used after Cheltenham. But it didn’t work. IMO MTOY currently has THE most ability of any hurdler in GB or I; but does not show it due to too much enthusiasm. Wanting to get on with things a little too much.
Value Is Everything
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