[Katchit]

hello all, what a great thread to read, although please bear in mind I’m quite drunk!

There are only a few members of this forum who genuinely believed that K could win the CH – let me name them as FOF, naps and MickyMo – thanks for your support

He was awesome today but I can’t describe how it as watching the race – I’ll do it another day whwn the emotiions have settled

We love him -he’ll come back next year but now he’s earned a rest!

[Katchit]

For me there are two chains of thought here. The old and the new.

In one camp you have Sublimity and Afsoun and the other camp you have SE Katchit Osana and it’s a case of chosing which camp your in.

In between we have Mr Lonely………Harchibald No Friends….he would travel with the best of any generation whether it be hardy Eusatace or Persian War he’s got one of the highest cruising speed I ever saw in a hurdler……unfortunately for him a Bridle Horse has never won a CH

I have to say that I think Fist is right but am inclined to think that all three places will be filled by the new and the lonely…

Can’t have Afsoun (regardless of profile) looked massively outclassed in the Boylesports as did Straw Bear… Osana or SE whichever is best will be in the three with Katchit and Harchibald – can’t guess the order though

[Katchit]

I can’t have that Blythe Knight needed the run and we didn’t… if BK was going to beat Katchit anywhere it would’ve been at Wincanton where his flat speed will have been a massive advantage for him

I watched Katchit on his final workout yesterday and he looks fabulous – the yard think he’s in better shape than he was for the Kingwell and he was much better then than earlier in the season. Alan King felt the ground was good to firm when he walked it and that’s a bid relief cos we don’t wnat it getting soft tomorrow

Im not convinced that SE was any more impressive in the AIG than the other key protaganists have shown this year and it looks very open…

Here’s what I hope….

Sizing Europe’s jumping is bad
Osana’s easy lead in the Bula did flatter him
Sublimity wasn’t fat at the Bula and that was as good as he is
Harchibald won’t get the hill
the ground stays good
… and Katchit improves 10lbs and wins easily

Not much to hope for

I do think the winner will come from these 5, I think we have a bigger chance than perhaps we’re being given and yet like everyone else fear there may be one too good on the day (but that’s what we thought going in to the Triumph last year)

[Katchit]

Well, we’ll find out in just a few days

We know that Katchit has to improve on his previous runs this season but see no reason why he can’t.

If the field stays largely unaltered (ie big) and the weather doesn’t go against us we should be guaranteed a strong pace which will suit us, hopefully we’ll get a lead into the home stretch at speed and he can go on from there… at both Newcastle and Wincanton Katchit had to make it himself from a long way out (and off a slow pace at Newcastle that set the race up for Harchibald). Stats and opinion are against us… but it seems that there would be few more popular winners…

I’m into hoping mode… wanting to hear the same as last year from the commentator…"look at Katchit… Robert Thornton full of horse.."

This is going to be the longest weekend ever!!!!

[Katchit]

Harchibald finds zilch.

Katchit doesn’t find enough.

You find that you’ve mistaken Sizing Europe for Osana.

Hmmm… that wasn’t supposed to be the first response

Osana may be overrrated… enough said about easy lead in Bula

Any future comments please restrict to versions where Katchit wins please!!!

[Katchit]

But Kachit has never put up a performance good enough to win a Champion Hurdle. Needs to improve.

Sorry but Katchit is consistent, consistently short of Champion class.

Ginge

Quite agree! We’ll see next week

Don’t think he needs to find much though – as far as I can tell the rating system is more than a little flawed.

As I said, if they all run to their best marks we’ll be behind but I’d take your money that not all three will be ahead!

[Katchit]

Not sure what everyone expects just before the festival!

Good to see Trouble at Bay do so well though… franks the form of SE and Osana for CH (based on the Greatwood) – by the way, I’m kidding!

[Katchit]

No opinion on my last opinion????

[Katchit]

Louanos needs soft ground. Didnt really have that at Cheltenham

And probably over the top as well for the season. She is pretty good and her run in the Irish champion for me was expected. To be honest, I cant find too many holes in the race apart from the fact that the winner won too easily really especailly given how hard he seemed to be pulling and how high his jumping was. Its just the doubting thomas in all of us that wants to see the trick a few times before we call it a miracle.

Strictly speaking, if he is as good as he looked last day, he should devastate most of these. If only tipping were that simple though.

What????

Lounaos got a rating from the AIG last year that put her 14lb ahead of anything else in the Triumph and found nothing when it got hot… she’s done nothing since apart from in the AIG when it’s lauded as a great run and now we’re finding excuses for her most recent run and that last year???

Sizing Europe may well be the one to beat, but has it to prove having only run a CH winning rating once. Sublimity may well have been "as big as a house" when at the Bula (although I was there and he looked fine to me, if not a bit slow once he’d tried to pass Katchit)…

Sublimity, Sizing Europe and Osana have all got to prove that they can repeat once only form… if they do that they’ll contest the CH

Harchibald and Katchit for me!

[Katchit]

all getting quite heated in here this evening

so I think it’s going to go like this…

Osana sets off like he did in the Bula (Boylesports) but doesn’t get a breather and tires as they turn for home… Straw Bear, Catch Me and Afsoun already behind…
Katchit aims to repeat Triumph and goes for home…
Sublimity, Sizing Europe and Harchibald cruising behind… sublimity first off the bridle and finds little…
Approaching the last Katchit, Sizing Europe and Harchibald pretty level – all I can’t figure out is who finds what after the last

[Katchit]

It speaks volumes for the robustness of jockeys that he even tried to get fit for Cheltenham… it scares me how tough jockeys are (comparison to footballers is begging to be made)

Thought we were going to have a repeat on Saturday when Ruby got his kick!

[Katchit]

I’m sure you’re all done with this discussion but here’s my opinion anyway…

Lounaos was the talking horse of the juveniles last season – she’d posted a rating in the AIG dramatically higher than anything Katchit, Punjbai, Degas Art or Liberate had done… I think we went into the race with the "experts" opining that we needed to improve 14bs to get near to her… I think she was 30l behind with no excuses (although we did improve)

Could it be that she’s been massively overrated again? (with the associated reflection on Sizing Europe)

Katchit seems to have been running consistently this season according to ratings yet that’s not what we think, he’s been short of fitness until Wincanton and seems to have come on again (but not in rating terms)

… but basically I though Sizing Europe ran somewhere between 150-155 in the greatwood, and then improved on that to be somewhere near the 170 mark, which without insulting you seems to be closer to the mark of respected judges than your figure of 163+.

I think the Greatwood rating is shaky… lets continue the argument of using fourth (sorry that’s coincidence not an actual plan)… Trouble at Bay has been beaten 5 lengths in receipt of 3lbs – now Trouble at Bay’s a nice horse but not currently running up to mid-late 140s is he?

I think FWIW that whether it will be a top quality renewal or not, it looks close. Everyone has form that can be questioned… Sizing Europe just happens to have won his races (which helps)

[Katchit]

…………….Alan King can say what he wants about running in the Triumph but of JP decides differently after tomorrow then he will not be asked he willl be told………….quote]

You may be right but one thing I do know is that Alan doesn’t really get told… I’m sure that JP has slightly more clout than us but the route he wants to take Francheok is the Triumph and that is where I think he’ll go

[Katchit]

Don’t worry, I’m not going to press my argument in favour of Katchit but there is a great article on At The Races.com doing just that… go and have a look at the Champion Hurdle article by Gary Nutting in the Cheltenham countdown section… seriously supportive of our boy and one of the most positive articles I’ve read since the Triumph

[Katchit]

Katchit’s gonna win! (I really want him to!)

[Katchit]

In my opinion you should look for general condition of a horse… acknowledge that flat is different from NH but I personality dictates too much beyond this…

Obviously you want to avoid a horse that exerts too much energy or gets too excited by the crowd… but take Katchit (sorry to bore), who’s normally tiny in comparison to his peers and shows no sign of race appetite – but gets stuck in and runs for fun – I’m worried when he’s not settled before a race

Know your horse!

[Katchit]

Hey, don’t knock Tommo!

I’ve been in receipt of the "how does it feel" question when Katchit won the Triumph last year – very appropriate question and enjoyable

He’s even given great commentary on Zilcash winning crap hurdles at Aintree in May… what’s not to like?

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