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No reason for despondency. He’s not a GC horse and had too much weight on Saturday. His true rating is between 155-160 and he’ll be competitive in staying chases off that, though he has a tendency to have off days. In terms of the Stayers hurdle., I think Dan should target it with the Lion next season and he’ll hose up, though Johnnys Jury, Jasmin de Vaux and Wade Out will be interesting contenders if they stay over hurdles.
Aside from the poor start he had, one could also argue that the trip at Aintree may have also been an issue – the Irish and Welsh Nationals are 3m5f and 3m6½F so we are talking about another 4½F to 5F further, so he still has that stamina angle to prove but I personally don’t think the weight was an issue, as he carried 3lbs more when winning the Welsh National off 11-13.
That being said, he was coming off a Gold Cup campaign and I truly believe this was an after thought to go to Aintree especially off a hard race in the Gold Cup (a lot of those that ran well at Cheltenham went on to run flat at Aintree). So that could be a major factor in his poor run and as such you could give him the benefit of the doubt.
So if they gear a campaign specifically around Aintree with a maximum of three runs beforehand (rather than Aintree being his 6th run of the season like it was this time), then I think he would be a major contender to add to his National hauls.
He’s capable of winning graded races in the right conditions , Jesus people are acting as if he’s pulling up after being flogged for a circuit , I’d love to own him …
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
The Gold Cup and Stayers Hurdles are both Grade 1s and at the moment I would argue his best chance of landing a Grade 1 is in the latter. I certainly believe he has the ability to win one.
Loads of options for him still, and I think we are a long way from the stage where veterans’ chases are his best hope.
Haiti Couleurs is graded class when he gets his conditions. He reminds me of Royal Pagaille who was also a stamina-laden chaser who fell slightly short of the very best, but that did not prevent him from having a long and fruitful career.
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