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Couldn’t find a thread for this one so I’ll start the ball rolling.
It’s hard to see by VROUM VROUM MAG who’s won 8 on the bounce, by a total distance
of 81 lengths. I know distances relate to what you’re running against, but she’s never
looked remotely like getting beaten. She’s only crossed the water once, where she won
the Mares Hurdle Race at Ascot. It’s hard to find any chink in her armour, I suppose if
I’m looking at ways for her to get beat, it’s that she has no experience of Cheltenham,
and as we all know not all horses take to it. I think of the Mullins brigade on the first
day she is the one I’d be more inclined to take on. I think that around evens, that’s pretty skinny.POLLY PEACHUM is definitely one of interest. She has course form, going down a head in this
last year to Glens Melody, although it should have been beaten 10 lengths and a head after
the shocker at the last with Annie Power. She’s won 2 of her 3 races since, and a decent 2nd
in between at Kempton when the front 2 pulled 17lengths clear. Her last race is the telling one
to me in the Mares Race at Sandown in January. She won, but was being cut down at the end by
THE GOVANESS, who was held up and just failed to get up by a head.So that brings me onto my bet in this. THE GOVANESS looked like a decent horse when wining
at Cheltenham last April in the Mares Hurdle over 2m5f. The course suits her and with the pace
that this will be run at, being able to win over a couple of extra furlongs, could be important
here. She was back at Cheltenham last December in another Mares Race, and was running a good
race, tracking the leaders when she fell. That’s the only time she’s fallen so hopefully that
was just a one off.As mentioned above, she was just beaten by Polly Peacham, and in another stride would have won.
Her last race was at Vroum Vroum Mag’s race at Ascot, where she was right there until she nearly
landed on her nose at the 2nd last. Momentum was gone and perhaps she was getting tired. That
was over 2m7f, so again I’ll say that 2m3f here will play to her strengths. Will Kennedy has
been doing the steering lately, but I think it’s eye-catching that Dr Richard Newlands has
managed to get the services of Richard Johnson. At 16/1 I think this is one of the best bets
on the 1st day.BITOFAPUZZLE and TARA POINT (if fit after 441 days off) are also players in this, and FLUTE BOWL
at a generous 33/1 for Gary Moore is not out of it.Plenty to make a case for here, but I think THE GOVANESS looks like the right horse for this.
Unfortunately for your good self BigG I’m really sweet on The Govaness EW here. I’d agree the 20 yard short of 2m4f distance will be ideal and any further drying of the ground won’t inconvenience either. At 16/1 a cracking EW bet. The other I will risk at small stakes is Stephanie Frances who hasn’t had the greatest introduction to fences and so is back over the smaller obstacles. Won really well over the course last April and with the ground on the hurdles course purportedly to be good to soft might sneak a place at 33/1
Good luck all
Vroom vroom mag wins this very easily IMO ..improving mare will be rode the same as Ascot out the back and pick them off late on.With the fine turn off foot she has
Big G Sorry to tell you I am on The Govaness too!!
To be honest I have backed three in the race all AP and they all have turned up so that is a miracle in itself.
I am on The Govaness Polly Peachum and Keppols Queen so that is three you can discard !!
Polly Peachum a much better horse on decent ground in my view and she has half my stake. The other half has gone on Aurore D’Estruval – largely on the basis of her good form at Wetherby and Newcastle when trained by John Quinn. There aren’t many in this field that would aspire to being second in a Fighting Fifth. Now with Reb Curtis, whose season has been rather stop-start but she’s had a few winners lately and I’m hopeful Aurore will be back to something approaching her best. Her 9th behind VVM at Ascot was when the stable couldn’t buy a winner and I think she’ll go better here.
VVM is far too short in my view – I don’t think she’s an Annie Power, may be more of a Glen’s Melody and if that’s the case she’s beatable – something will surely do her for toe.
Ruby on Vroum Vroum Mag went right around the houses last time and still won very easily as she has done every time. Possibly not quite a Quevega or Annie Power but I’d have her a fair bit ahead of Glens Melody and I’ll be disappointed if she doesn’t win today.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
The fact is we just don’t know how good VVM is, my gut feeling is she is some way superior to this lot and maybe time will tell that she is even in the same league as Annie & the mighty Q – the one thing that may be of a little concern is the big field size, remember even Q had a troubled run in several renewals and that is something VVM would not have encountered before.
With the better ground I would also imagine that Ruby would not want to have her too far back as the leaders might not come back quite as easily as they would on the ground she has been used to running on all winter.
Annie Power winning so easily today proves this race should not exist.
Value Is EverythingAnnie Power winning so easily today proves this race should not exist.
I think all the other horses that get to run in it would disagree – maybe they should think about adding a new stipulation that bars any Mullins horses from being able to enter.
Annie Power winning so easily today proves this race should not exist.
I think all the other horses that get to run in it would disagree – maybe they should think about adding a new stipulation that bars any Mullins horses from being able to enter.
Nothing to do with Mullins winning.
It would be the same whoever won. Fact is there are so few mares good enough for a race like this; makes the race uncompetitive and other races less competitive. Stops the top class mares from running in the Champion Hurdle and World Hurdle or Ryanair, which in turn cuts down on the quality and competitiveness of the Champion Hurdle etc.If you had your way LD, Dawn Run would not be remembered for the Champion Hurdle Gold Cup double and Flakey Dove would not have won the Champion Hurdle. I am delighted Annie Power had the opportunity of showing everyone just how good she is. Aren’t you LD?
Had Faugheen not been injured Annie Power would’ve gone for the Mares, denied the opportunity of stardom in the Champion… And Vroum Vroum Mag would’ve been a good second fav for the World Hurdle – without her Thistlecrack is very short – or might have run in the Ryanair and been one of the favourites for that. Quevega would’ve been a good second favourite in the World Hurdle, without her Big Buck’s had it to himself. Year after year the also rans are not of high enough quality to enhance a Cheltenham Festival, placed horses are not good enough to enhance a “Grade 1” event at the Cheltenham Festival and could enhance handicaps. Whilst winners would’ve greatly enhanced other races…
And now we’ve got a “mare’s novice hurdle”.
Just hope they allow Annie Power to take on Faugheen next year, imo she deserves the chance to defend her title.
I am not against Mullins winning races, am just against dilution of the Festival
Value Is EverythingAnnie Power winning so easily today proves this race should not exist.
I think all the other horses that get to run in it would disagree – maybe they should think about adding a new stipulation that bars any Mullins horses from being able to enter.
Nothing to do with Mullins winning.
It would be the same whoever won. Fact is there are so few mares good enough for a race like this; makes the race uncompetitive and other races less competitive. Stops the top class mares from running in the Champion Hurdle and World Hurdle or Ryanair, which in turn cuts down on the quality and competitiveness of the Champion Hurdle etc.If you had your way LD, Dawn Run would not be remembered for the Champion Hurdle Gold Cup double and Flakey Dove would not have won the Champion Hurdle. I am delighted Annie Power had the opportunity of showing everyone just how good she is. Aren’t you LD?
Had Faugheen not been injured Annie Power would’ve gone for the Mares, denied the opportunity of stardom in the Champion… And Vroum Vroum Mag would’ve been a good second fav for the World Hurdle – without her Thistlecrack is very short – or might have run in the Ryanair and been one of the favourites for that. Quevega would’ve been a good second favourite in the World Hurdle, without her Big Buck’s had it to himself. Year after year the also rans are not of high enough quality to enhance a Cheltenham Festival, placed horses are not good enough to enhance a “Grade 1″ event at the Cheltenham Festival and could enhance handicaps. Whilst winners would’ve greatly enhanced other races…
And now we’ve got a “mare’s novice hurdle”.
Just hope they allow Annie Power to take on Faugheen next year, imo she deserves the chance to defend her title.
I am not against Mullins winning races, am just against dilution of the Festival
It shouldn’t have G1 status (but then that is because of Q winning it 6 times) but I do think there is a place for it but the race conditions need altering (as regardless of it attracting a stand out mare) it does always guarantee a large field size every year.
I always thought that AP should have run 2 yrs ago so the fact that she joins Dawn Run & Flakey Dove (who was another great favourite of mine) on its roll of honour is brilliant and very apt but it also proves that great race mares are very few and far between and it is slightly unfortunate that three of the best we have seen (Q, AP and VVM) have all come along in roughly the same period under the care of the same trainer.
I am of the firm opinion that the additional day has badly diluted the Festival but we are where we are and all the while Mullins powerful owners are able to buy the raw stock for him to mould into these superstars and the races are made available for them to dodge these head to heads that is what will happen – Mullins job is to win as many of the big races for his owners as he can and he can’t do that if they are all in the same race.
Fingers crossed that UDS wins tomorrow as with him being in a different ownership we are much more likely to see Douvan v UDS in 2017 QMCC than Douvan v Vautour in the 2017 Ryanair. AP v Faugheen, I just don’t see ever happening and the only way AP defends her title is if The Machine doesn’t make it for any reason, I could even envisage a scenario where she misses the festival altogether and waits for the Aintree Hurdle (assuming VVM also makes it next year for the Mares race).
Personally I would like to see VVM go back over fences but unless they invent a graded mares chase they will turn her into another Q and farm the mares race.
It would be the same whoever won. Fact is there are so few mares good enough for a race like this; makes the race uncompetitive and other races less competitive. Stops the top class mares from running in the Champion Hurdle and World Hurdle or Ryanair, which in turn cuts down on the quality and competitiveness of the Champion Hurdle etc.
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