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grand crus a fabulous horse and deserves to take his chance in the world hurdle. i cant see him beating big bucks though but he will come second for forecast backers. big bucks clocked a lot faster time on the same going at 3 mile on the same cheltenham track and has a wide margin in hand on the clock, theres no horse could improve that much to beat big bucks times. for those of you that say you cant go on times then think again, true run races that show fast times on any ground is the real deal? horses can only run at a certain speed , some are just streets ahead in the shape of big bucks.
Now we’re getting near the off time Bucks is firming up and Grand Crus easing. Not surprising.
Big Bucks banker of the meeting IMHO. History here he comes.
EVNS bet of the century?
Zip
If the right Zaynar comes along he can put up a big race. Ground will ride quick tomorrow which will help, just he has been way too quirky since CH, he was mad mad keen when they put blinkers on him and blew up a mile out. Think 3m will be no problem, can give good account of himself if of course he is in the right mental mind.
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Doubtful he’ll beat Big Bucks, but Celestial Halo (33/1) might not be a forlorn hope for a place, if HS can settle him.
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i thought that too reet hard, celestial halo is worth backing for a place
i thought that too reet hard, celestial halo is worth backing for a place
CH is a non-runner
All aboard Ashkazar for a bit of e/w thieving, I’m thinking there’s not a lot between him and Grand Crus yet the prices are vastly different. Should be 3rd fav at least in my jumbled opinion.
Seriously tho, his first run over 3 miles on new years day, carrying top weight, was very impressive considering how fast they went. He might improve for that first crack at the trip and seems to be better in the spring. There’s a lot worse 33/1 shots than this fella.
Just having a look at the winning times of previous years, I noticed that the attheraces website have Big Bucks winning last year in a time of 4m49secs, a minute too fast.
Hope Grands Crus wins for me and JJM @ 20’s.
However, the ground looks to have gone against him. Suspect it will ride a bit faster than yesterday, Grands Crus has a round action. Having said that, 4/1 or 9/2 does seem an over-reaction.
My bet is each way, but he’s not a good each way bet today, could run poorly on this surface. Also worried "pacemaker" Celestial Halo is a non-runner. In a truly run race it looks between the two, so it’s in almost every other horses interest to have a steadily run race; particularly with Grands Crus being a strong puller early.Just hope the Big two run their races. BB always wins his races with a bit in hand and Grands Crus is one that could make BB finally show how good he really is.
Value Is Everything- Total Posts 17716
Restless Harry and Berties Dream should at least keep the pace honest; if they do, there’s no guarantee Grand Crus will last home, imo, regardless of the ground. The horse travels well over shorter, and had both his (slowly run) 3m races won well before stamina became an issue.
World Hurdles aren’t run at a dawdle, and I’d look for something else to stick in my forecast for 2nd, behind the undoubted King of the staying division, (probably Fiveforthree.No big write-up for this race – just get on Big Buck’s at even money (or greater) if you can!
Grands Crus is improving all the time, but were his handicap victories any more impressive than Ashkazar’s monster weight-carrying course and distance triumph on New Years Day?
He gave 23lb to Kim Muir favourite Junior and 20lb to Pertemps favourite Chartreux. He stayed on really well from looked an impossible position and won a shade cosily.
From a tactical perspective,
Ashkazar
has the same style as Big Buck’s and you can be sure that Timmy Murphy will shadow his every move.
Ashkazar is unexposed over this trip and the majority of his victories have come on good / good to soft ground and he does possess plenty of flat speed.
33/1 in most places is rather generous.
The formidable Willie Mullins has travelled over with a strong duo in the shape Fiveforthree and Mourad. The former won the Ballymore Properties back in 2008, while Mourad finished a respectable third behind Zaynar in the 2009 Triumph Hurdle.
Mourad is most consistent. In twenty starts on the flat and over timber, he has only ever been out of the first four once.
Big Buck’s should bag the hat-trick, but there are plenty of interesting challengers lurking on this occasion.
1 BIG BUCK’S
2 ASHKAZAR
3 MOURADYour basically taking 7/2 about a horse with a stamina question against the greatest stayer of modern times, who has done it on the ground, at the track, and at a searching pace. The Cleeve was an egg and spoon race.
Grand Crus may become a man today but at the prices Big Bucks all the way.
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I’ve backed Grand Crus each way. I just hope they all run to form cause if they do it’ll be good. If Big Bucks wins I’ll be happy as long as a race is made of it. As someone said Ashkazar is a good each way bet, if Big Bucks and Grand Crus are fighting it out I can see Ashkazar coming late and stealing it.
Looking forward to it.
Race of the meeting for me.
Lived up to the billing, great performance from the second but the winner is an absolute monster.
Lee
- Total Posts 17716
Great race. Like Noble Prince earlier in the day and Big Bucks Grand Crus should’ve been handier but he would never have beat the champ and I’m ashamed to have not been on Big Bucks at odds against this week.
I never back ante post this early but after Tom’s comments I’m waiting for a 2012 RSA quote for Grands Crus.
Pity the pace wasn’t good, always going to be a probability. As said, it was in all the others best interests to have a slowly run race. Tom Scu still did the right thing anchoring Grands Crus out the back, needs to settle. May be could have got in to the race a little earlier, but had he done so probably would’ve needed to go wide; and in a slowly run race, that’s not ideal. So again, in the circumstances did the right thing. Would’ve liked him to come wide of Bib Buck’s in the straight, in the hope Big Buck’s would idle. Walsh was at pains to keep him close to Grands Crus.
Would Grands Crus have done better on soft? We’ll never know. But Big Buck’s won with a little in hand, rider dropped whip between the last two flights, which for an idling horse is a sin. Yet did the biz. BB and GC desrve to be rated on that run. Although With the pace being slow, I think the other horses were flattered in getting so close.Brilliant race, two of the very best; probably THE best staying hurdlers of all time. Enjoy.
Value Is Everything
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