Home › Forums › Horse Racing › National Hunt – can it come soon enough?
- This topic has 78 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 8 months ago by
thisthatandtother.
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- August 26, 2011 at 19:17 #369284
Back in Focus looks a Welsh National type to me. Horse of potential though.
One who won at the last Welsh National meeting and looked potentially interesting was Our Father. Could pick up a decent handicap hurdle this season.
August 26, 2011 at 20:07 #369289No, it can’t. Want to see Burton Port, back again and Rigour Back Bob, the sooner the better. Does anyone know where Back in focus has gone after Howard Johnson? Is it Ian Ferguson? If so, there’s another one to look forward to.
Willie Mullins!
http://www.setanta.com/ien/Articles/201 … id-104724/
Chases in the Irish mud ahoy!
BlueSky @pghenn.bsky.social
So don't run, just like the others always do
August 27, 2011 at 15:53 #369361Thanks fivelongdays – that’s very good news!
August 28, 2011 at 19:37 #369404I don’t believe you about others not finding it difficult. The majority of punters kid themselves rotten. I don’t doubt you have beaten the bookie in the beetle-browed manner of the obsessive anorak. But OH if the office for national statistics could tell us the truth about punters!
My belief about this game is the same as my belief about the pub game: it has a veneer of respectability but makes its bread and butter money from hopelessly addicted losers.
I will not stop pointing out that flat racing is too difficult to win at. It is a fact. It is by its nature difficult but that difficulty is made deliberately worse by the vested interests of the sport. Sport/business/racket/game, I forget what it is sometimes.
The reason I point it out is because it is in full scale decline and we are bombarded daily with journalism that whines about this and asks why. The answer is very very simple but i have never seen it in print.This is going around in circles.
Most, the
vast majority
of punters find making a profit on either code (Flat or Jumps) "
too dificult
". And some of those are addicts. But some
serious punters
willing to put the work in (call them "
anoraks
" if it makes you feel better about yourself) do make a consistent profit. "
Difficulty
" is in the eye of the beholder. Those who find it
impossible
will obviuosly call it "
difficult
" or even "
too difficult
", but
profit makers probably would not call it "difficult"
.
Besides, it is simple for any punter to make a profit. All they have to do is follow my free tips!
Not difficult at all.You call it a "
fact
", but it is just your
opinion
. And Flat racing is not in "
full scale decline
" either. Of course there are some problems with the sport, but nothing insurmountable.
Flat racing is a brilliant sport, so too is Natioanal Hunt racing.
Sit back and enjoy the difference
.
Value Is EverythingAugust 28, 2011 at 20:48 #369409
AnonymousInactive- Total Posts 17716
Back in focus does have potential and may well clean up the irish novices run in a bog. Where does he go from there though? Certainly not cheltenham or aintree. Its early days, but the little evidence we have at the moment suggests that he’s a massive hype horse based on a slamming of court in motion (another overly hyped horse) run in a bog at Haydock. Plenty more with the same potential over fences but with form in the book already.
August 28, 2011 at 23:57 #369417He’s a huge staying horse – without wanting to turn him into a 4 legged cliche anything he did over hurdles was a bonus.
He took 2 or 3 runs to come to himself over in Ireland and I was surprised they risked him at Aintree, he’ll be better in Ireland over fences and races like the Drinmore, Moriarty etc will surely be on the agenda, and IMO are there for the taking with the right trainer handling him too.
Looking forward to it already – the only more exciting horse in the UK and Ireland in the various novice ranks is with Elliott
August 29, 2011 at 09:46 #369431almost time to come out of hibernation
August 29, 2011 at 18:28 #369482
AnonymousInactive- Total Posts 17716
He’s a huge staying horse – without wanting to turn him into a 4 legged cliche anything he did over hurdles was a bonus.
He took 2 or 3 runs to come to himself over in Ireland and I was surprised they risked him at Aintree, he’ll be better in Ireland over fences and races like the Drinmore, Moriarty etc will surely be on the agenda, and IMO are there for the taking with the right trainer handling him too.
Looking forward to it already – the only more exciting horse in the UK and Ireland in the various novice ranks is with Elliott

What exactly did BIF do over hurdles?? No bonuses that I saw. A grade 2 at Haydock on terrible ground. Hardly warrants all this attention. Just because ‘hes huge’ doesnt mean anything. Worse thing is, nows hes gone to mullins the hype will only get worse. We certainly wont get any info/plans/targets about him. Think that run at aintree said everything about him. No excuses afterwards – needs soft ground at best.
August 29, 2011 at 18:53 #369487It’d be interesting to see stats on how many horses win first time out in Graded company under rules – I’d be willing to bet there’s less than 10 in the past 10 seasons.
He was clearly a late maturer hence he didn’t see a racecourse of any description until he was 5 (fell at the first) and was carrying plenty of condition for his P2P return when 2nd at Dromahane, he absolutely cantered all over a very good yardstick next time out (since been sold to race under rules) and form that ties in very favourably with the past two winners of Punchestown’s Champion Hunter Chase.
Those he beat at Haydock weren’t that bad either – I mean Court In Motion had won a Grade 2 Novices by 21 lengths on his previous start, the third Neptune Equuester is an out and out stayer, the 4th Carpincho had previously taken two novice hurdles whilst Rose Of The Moon had decent early season form.
There’s no hype around Back In Focus – unlike some other horses I’m sure we’ll see this coming season and as for targets I’d be surprised if it was anything other than domestic 2m 4f-3m Chases with the Drinmore, Moriarty and the big one at Leopardstown over Christmas on the agenda prior to a run at Cheltenham. As for the bonus comment, I’d have thought that any owner of a future chaser would be quite happy with a Grade 2 Hurdles victory.
August 29, 2011 at 23:56 #369508Repeat: I don’t think it is ‘so bent’. I said, and stand by it, it is too hard to win to make a wide appeal. It is alienating and in many cases is an insult to the intelligence as a betting medium. And if you do start winning the bookies get arsy about taking the bets. This game is not all sweetness and light.
You are crazy man! Its a 1m3f Class 6 handicap with 13 runners. Mug punters race because all the horses are mugs and anyone betting on them is also a mug.
To answer the OP, I’m looking forward to the jumps season like everyone else but I’m in flat mode right now and struggle to remember what happened last jumps season in any real detail. After the Arc I will really start thinking about it.
September 2, 2011 at 20:08 #369712That’s nonsense about hype about Back in Focus. He’s a Bob Back and they are well known for guts and will to win. He ran a cracker to beat Court in Motion and showed loads on the p2p in Ireland, and that’s difficult, to say the least. More worried about him going to Willie Mullins whose set up is run like a factory ….. Didn’t know this until a few days ago when I was talking to a trainer that enlightened me as to what goes on in his stables. Couldn’t believe it, but remember Cousin Vinny?
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