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It probably would but he beat horses coming back from injuries and dodging bullets who is just totally regressing.
I’d win the arkle and then plan for next year first. Probably a 172 performance there todayDouvan’s only chance to beat him, would be, if some other jockey would replace Ruby before jumping the last
Before today, I heard Henderson would go for the Champion Chase this season only if Douvan didn’t make it there. Must now be a greater chance of running in the Champion than this morning. However, Arkle is still most likely.
Altior could well get a Timeform rating higher than Sprinter Sacre did as a novice (175p).
Value Is EverythingI think Altior is around 3/1 now NRNB. So that’s quite generous in my opinion. Personally I would make him 2/1 and Douvan 8/11. The rest really doesn’t count at all. And if he runs then he should be a shorter price than Thistlecrack is in the GC. Altior is a far better jumper, has only 12 fences to jump and only one horse to beat. There are no stamina doubts when running up the hill after 2 miles. Native River will ensure a proper test in the GC and there will be others that will put pressure on him. Yet he is a much shorter price in the GC. People should lump on the 3/1 NRNB about Altior.
Have you got the 3/1 Ruby?
Seems to me the ones @ 3/1 NRNB haven’t altered their prices yet.Value Is EverythingI got 6/1 for next year
5/2 now, shorter than what Douvan was this time last year at 3/1Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
If I was filthy rich, like Sheikh M rich, I’d pay Altior’s owners to take on Douvan. I’m convinced he’d beat him up.
What concerns me with absolute monsters like Altior is how much it takes out of them when everything, visually, seems so easy for them. You may not get much shelf life with equine athletes like him, so I see no reason to hang about
Racebets still go 11/4 NRNB. And Coral have him at 5/1, but there is no refund if he doesn’t run. I can’t look into Nicky’s head, though he might be tempted to have a go at Douvan this year.
Henderson told ITV Racing: “That was great. I was very nervous about the ground. We tried to keep him out of it like we tried to protect Sprinter Sacre in those days.
“We’ll try to win the Arkle first. He’s been on exactly the same route. It’s the way we came in with Sprinter as a novice. OK, we’ve got this far now.
“The thing we all miss this year is Sprinter not being able to have a game with Douvan. If everything goes right and we’re all here in a year’s time, maybe Altior and Douvan can meet then. It would be great.”
“If everything goes right and we’re all here in a year’s time, maybe Altior and Douvan can meet then. It would be great.”
The chances of the next thirteen months going without a hitch would be odds against.
IIRC, Sprinter Sacre was six when he won his Arkle and seven when he took his first Champion Chase. Altior is seven and while he’s never been over the Cheltenham fences, he’s performed at the festival so I’d sooner he took his place in an uncompetitive renewal. That said, has a novice ever won the race?
Let’s suppose that everything goes to according to plan for Mullins/Ricci and Douvan is the next horse to miss his intended Festival target. Would you still go for the Arkle or try your luck against horses rated almost inferior to your horse?
In my opinion Henderson will take the more cautious route via the Arkle, and quite rightly so. I cannot understand why so many people want novices to take part in championship races against their more experienced rivals before they have to do so. Why risk the chances of putting them on the floor or worse ?
Not often that I agree with Nick Luck but I would also suspect that the vast majority of people who don’t have an Arkle voucher would want to see him take on Douvan.
I would have his Supreme win and today’s romp well ahead of anything Douvan has ever produced.
If Altior did take on Douvan I think that the Irish horse is the one most likely to end up on the floor. Quite often, even under no pressure, he has little margin for error. Altior is the better jumper and Douvan would need a miracle to match his change of pace.
Coggy, whatever puts Altior on the floor it won’t be his own jumping. After a cautious approach in his first two races he’s developed into a fine athletic confident jumper. He’d have more chance of an accident in The Arkle than in a virtual match with Douvan. I’d happily bet him anytime and anywhere to beat the Irish horse.
Nicky ought to consider his own heartbreaks and the huge setbacks Mullins has faced this season. When you have the horse, you ought to go for the best race because you might never have him in that shape again.
He has ballsed it up once already. Had he left him hurdling he’d have the odds on fav for the Champion Hurdle. He ought to try to take some compensation in the QM
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