Ten to follow format

[BennyB]

I’ve started thinking about this year’s effort.

For me one of the more difficult aspects is the format (or formation I suppose) of one’s ten. Do you go for a balance between chasers/hurdlers, novices/experience, class horses/handicappers or weight towards one or the other. Last year I went for:

3 experienced 3m chasers (the two obvious ones plus My Way de Solzen)
1 novice chaser (Tidal Bay)
1 two mile chaser (Twist Magic)
1 Irish chaser (Mansony)
2 staying hurdlers (Inglis Drever and Blazing Bailey)
1 champion hurdle horse (bad mistake to sub out Katchit and put in Sublimity – what was I thinking?)
1 handicap chaser, aiming to win the Paddy Power (L’Antartique)

My strategy is broadly to try to win the Paddy Power, and beyond that just stick a load of class horses in. I think it’s important to include at least one horse to mop up in Ireland before Cheltenham (might have two this year), and one novice chaser (though now the Arkle is a bonus race it might be worth having two). I usually steer clear of novice hurdlers – a bit difficult to pick this early I always think.

Just wondered if anyone had any different ideas on the blend required to be successful?

P.S. For what it’s worth, the above entry finished in position 1646 last year.

[carvillshill]

Don’t know if you kept it, but there was an excellent article by a previous winner in the Post last year (Barry Fitzgibbon) with some good pointers on strategy- you might be able to find it in the cuttings library. When I realised the sheer amount of work the bloke had done my interest waned!

[David.C.]

Very true carvillshill. If my memory serves me, Barry Fitzgibbon won the competition and also took the runners up and third place as well!

He went into some detail as to how he came to manage the almost impossible.What he said in the Racing Post last year seemed to make a lot of sense for anyone interested in trying to win the competition. Though, I really don’t know off the top of my head if he said how many attempts he actually took in gaining his success. As I recall he was going to write a book about his strategies.

[davidbrady]

Here’s the article

He’s basically copied what I do except he seems to have had more success with his selections!

http://midas.picdar.co.uk/cgi-bin/RP?Ma … searchid=1

[seabird]

Thanks for that link, David.

Colin

[BennyB]

Thanks David. What an excellent article – exactly the sort of info I was looking for when I posted the topic, and the informed and considered response sums up why this forum is the best of its kind.

Thanks again.

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