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Where to start?
The British yards no longer have the owners with deep pockets.
Nicholls is an object lesson. A lot of his big owners of 10-20 years ago have died out and not been replaced. David Johnson died, the Stewarts greatly reduced their interest, don’t think Jim Lewis has horses now, or Clive Smith. Is Graham Roach still involved? A key factor in his decline also seemed to be him stopping using Anthony Bromley, who bought most of his good horses.
It seems to me there’s little point in buying Irish stock as the locals have the inside track and the contacts. The UK trainers get what’s left. And Mullins seems to have pretty good contacts in France too.
The UK programme encourages mediocrity. Day after day of low grade handicaps. Hardly any carefully framed conditions races. Look at any Irish card and there will be non handicaps targeting decent but not top class horses.
Too much AWR. Means the decent 90-100 flat handicappers that used to go jumping just don’t anymore.
UK races are run very differently to Irish races, which tend to start slowly and wind up gradually. Maybe this bottoms the UK horses out more.
And as for the handicaps I’m at a loss as to why the UK and Irish handicaps get so out of synch.
It’s uncanny how often when one of the horses you’ve backed falls it takes out another. D’oh!
I did OK out of the race (unlike the big one the week before!) having done Seeyouatmidnight, Vyta du Roc and Midnight Prayer all ew with 5 places. Did think I was on the winner 3 out till I caught sight of Vicente swinging along. SYAM would obvs have been second if not a messy jump at the last and tbh Alvarado was near enough if good enough turning in.
Thought Pineau might have got involved if not unshipping.
And sad to lose Golden Chieftain, such an honest horse.
I tend to agree – if they sanitise Aintree much more they might as well run it as a 4.5 mile hcap over the Mildmay course – and even then horses would still fall and break legs/necks as they can in any race anywhere.
There is an onus on the jockeys to be sensible as well, and all too often in the Topham they aren’t, crowding the inside at Bechers – I suppose it’s a shorter and more frantic race and you don’t want to lose the ground. Maybe the Topham would be better run at the Becher Chase distance? As a genuine consolation for horses balloted out of the National.
I just go on the Thursday – travel by train, high quality racing, not too crowded. The other two days just look like too much hassle.
It might not be too bad. When ITV cover the cycling, they have interesting and knowledgable presenters, pundits and commentators. Granted, this is on ITV4, but I’d quite happily see the racing there if it means forsaking the celeb-based approach described above. Whichever channel it is though, please no Matt Chapman…
Quite agree, specially with their coverage of the Tour de France – Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen especially outrank Eurosport’s race commentators.
Sherwen perhaps… In the time he isn’t spending correcting Liggett!
Main antepost bet was Ballycasey – ground’s not ideal but it has been nibbled into 50s this a.m.
So Bet365 offered what is essentially the place part of ew as a free bet (good offer in my view) so today I’ve bunged a few quid ew at Unioniste, Morning Assembly and Home Farm.
Edit: Given the referendum, would a win for Unioniste be considered topical?
My main bet Ballycasey is still in although I’m surprised to see Ruby is ostensibly on Boston Bob who IMHO won’t stay. That could change though. I’ve also covered Triolo D’Alene, Morning Assembly and Midnight Prayer at this stage altho’ I don’t think the latter will get in (nor anything else on 10st 1lb.
I’ll probably have another couple on the day.
?? Nothing wrong with Nick Williams as a trainer….. I’d far rather have him train a horse than a lot of bigger yards.
Happy with 2nd and 4th from my four. Wrong Mouse Morris one though – I’d had Rogue Angel marked down for a big hcap for ages – backed him in 2014 Troytown and quite possibly in this last year – but thought he’d had his day in Sept at Listowel – interestingly that was the last time Ger Fox rode..
Done four of these as usual: Folsom Blue @ 28, Russe Blanc @ 28, Bless The Wings @ 16 and Riverside City @ 50..
I suspect I used up my luck in this race though when I had a purple patch with Hear The Echo (08), Niche Market (09) and Bluesea Cracker (10).
To be honest if Nicholls wins this year it’ll be some achievement itself given the depth of dross in the stable.
Wasn’t Pineau de Re mostly campaigned over hurdles in his GN winning season – it was his fast finish in the Pertemps Final that persuaded me to cover him.
Last year I had a bit on Ballycasey for the National at about 33-1 IIRC. He was making a perfectly satisfactory fist of the first circuit when brought down in the Balthazar King incident at the Canal Turn.
I see no reason not to reinvest at the current 80-1 NRNB (B365). This is a horse who was competitive in top 3m novice chases two years ago – 4th in the RSA and 2nd in the Punchestown version, ahead of Don Cossack. Ran a cracking trial in my view on Thursday to get 5th over too short a trip in the Plate. He now gets in the National of 147, 3lb less than last year equating to 10st 6lb.
I would not be surprised if Ruby doesn’t ride again and if so he’ll be less than half the price.
I’ve thought it was too diluted since the fourth day was introduced but we’re not going back. Too much ££££ involved.
On the subject of the Ryanair, when it was introduced it was a G2 with the G1 winners penalised – and other good horses in receipt of 7-8lb. That would be enough of a disincentive for some to duck the Gold Cup or QMCC.
I don’t see why every race at Cheltenham has to be a Championship Race.
As for the mares novice, they may as well have framed a race to benefit Willie Mullins. Not sure what that added really – would rather have had a mares bumper if there had to be another mares race.
Oh, and I preferred the X-country as a handicap. It’s just set up to create more multiple winners that Cheltenham can fetishise now.
