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Is global warming the actual real biggest threat to Jumps racing? it seems to be a yearly thing now that we head into these months dry and it can sometimes still be causing issues right into xmas and new year schedule.
Its one of the very most depressing aspects of the state of racing at the moment. I know the ground is a contributing factor, but there’s only 4 entered in a the very prestigious £40’000 added Novice chase at Exeter today.
An improvement on last years walkover, granted, but still pretty poor.
Ground is good, and there is lots of rain forecast before racing so it will end up a lot softer.
I always come back to Hendo, and i feel bad, but i am a Hendo fanboy so i am always looking to see what he has entered up. Answer is always the same, nothing. Last year he had this mighty platoon of novice chasers on his hands according to his stable tour, this year the same and yet he can never find a novice chase for them. Before you know it, he has ran out of time to get races into them and its back to handicap hurdling, if your lucky.
I go to this meeting every year and it always looks good at this stage and then cuts right up by the day (the field not the going).
That said i am missing it this year so it will probably be belter. Wouldnt argue with Hewick if he turns up but would fancy The real whacker again if he doesnt
Gladiateur – i should have said British. I dont think either would be good enough though. Who knows though, cant imagine many thought syncronised (or even native river) would turn into Gold cup horses as novices.
Patrick just wants a horse to ride in the GC! He knows he isnt getting on GDS.
I think Inothewayurthinkin could be the type to not win a race all year and still win the GC.
I really wish we could just throw one decent english horse into the equation.
9 going on 10. I think this season was going to be hard enough without any setbacks, no matter how small. Its amazing how quickly these horses go from the exuberant new kids on the block to veteran stage.
Retaining the Gold Cup will be super difficult, younger legs always seem to prevail, but he’ll still be good enough to pick up his two mid season Leopardstown G1s.
It could be a positive if it was done correctly. I do find the fact that everyone is at work does make it harder for me and my friends to get together to watch the festival.
If it isn’t on ITV1 then it should be a non starter. It should only be done if it remains fully backed as the flagship of the week.
Gold Cup day needs to be better. Apart from the Gold Cup its the worst day for me. The Albert Bartlett is dreadful and the Triumph, generally, is equally so. Less said about the hunter chase the better.
You could get clubs and pubs chokka to watch the festival on a saturday. I know it will have to compete with the footie, but i think they could sit side by side. I dunno, might be worth giving it a go and can always revert back if it doesnt work.
Not sure if Gaelic Warrior is that easy to train. When he is right he is very good, however the King George does look tailor made for Fact to File. Its a terrible race if no irish come over.
I thought they might have had a crack with Jonbon this year but its the tried and tested route. We know he stays 2.1/2 mile so he could potentially go straight up to 3 Mile but the tingle creek is way to close, 2-3 week turnaround, cant see Hendo going for that. Jango Baie is king george bound, not sure he’ll be quite up to this level.
Sorry Mike, You’re right, the New Lion is of course going Champion Hurdle Route and always was – no idea why i included him in that bunch. He’d obviously be the top novice going into open company ahead of Irancy.
We wont know how good last seasons Novices were until they step into open company.
This time last year i thought Mystical Power looked a proper CH horse but, like the rest of the 2024 novices (particularly the supreme), he turned out to be sub standard.
Kopek, New Lion and final demand all going chasing – Irancy could be best of the rest.
I still think Sir Gino will end up in the CH. Just cant see Henderson sending him to the champion chase with at best 3 chase runs in his career but more likely just the 2.
Sir Gino, who i cant actually find a price for, will get rerouted here once the Hill is confirmed as finished, and would win it for me.
Take no chances at 33/1 looks good e/w. Super consistent in very good company with some decent horses behind her in the Mares hurdle.
Taking a punt that the claimer is competent, if he is that’s a handy 7lbs.
Probably look for something to double up with in the Native River. Light N Strike and Il de Jersey shortlist.
Since Constitution Hill won the Supreme in 2022 Henderson has had one runner in the race and that was pulled up.
The trainers championship is always a boring side note for me. Be chuffed if Nicky was to ever win it again but he is hugely down on Quantity and Quality, he’d need a miracle to crack the top 3 again.
I do wonder where he will go with Sir Gino this year. Wont run till after xmas. Surely not Champion Chase then, so i can only imagine he’d be campaigned as a champion hurdler but theres not much around between xmas and new year for g1 Hurdlers.
Realistically Willie could probably so for a clean sweep of British grade 1s if he wanted.
Officially good (good to firm) so maybe not that surprising the fields were small.
But how long do trainers wait for some ‘soft’ in the ground. There is none around and it seems to be the way of things now that, probably barring the tingle creek, there is little soft or heavy going this side of new year.
Look at the last 3 or 4 renewals of fighting fifth, Newcastle last week in Nov all good ground. Cant remember a soft ground King George for years. Even the betfair chase has been coming up soft (good to soft) at worse or good to soft.
Lots of trainers don’t exactly take advantage either, of course thinking primarily Nicky, but its always either too firm or too soft, rarely do we get the optimum it seems.
Yes, just two go to post in the Novice chase. The often lamented novice chase programme which has many a trainer complaining about the lack of opportunities. And yet everyday, up and down the country almost every NH meet has at least one Novice Chase, where anything over 3 runners could be classed as a deep field.
I still think it was a very good Gold Cup that IC won, but agree both beat him in their prime. Not sure Cue Card would have won that GC, but its guesswork really. I say that with Cue Card being very much my favourite horse i have seen live – being at Wetherby and Haydock in 2015 and following him to win both and the 2015 King George.
Imperial Commander did win a gold cup! In the Kauto and Denman era nonetheless. Absolute certain CC doesn’t beat either and he never go to prove he stayed the 3.2m around Cheltenham.
Allaho and Vautour both stayed the 3 Mile trip pretty well. Vautour probably a little unlucky not to win a King George (paddy brennan!). Allaho won a very good Punchestown Gold cup.
Around Cheltenham i think the 2.4+ was the optimum for both Allaho and Vautor, but I think both could have been competitive or even won a Champion chase, but perhaps not vintage renewals. If Dodging Bullets, Put the kettle on, Special Tiara could do it, then so could these.
Both could have won a King George. Certain Vautour would have went on to win one, and Allaho would have been made for it in his prime, Mullins waited too long.
