[Kauto Kid]

Well, i am only 23 and done some bizarre big bets in my time in racing

Frist mistake was putting £110 on Dunguib at 10/11 in the supreme novices ( one fifth of my betting money for the festival), bit of a wake up call when he got turned over….

managed to have a great festival until i stuck £4,000 on Kauto Star at 4/5 when he fell in the Gold Cup, i almost puked my heart out of my head…

Biggest single bets ever – £25,000 on both Quevega in the 2011 David Nicholson, and Big Bucks 2011 World Hurdle… heart in mouth stuff, but had every confidence, and luckily a change of shorts.

[Kauto Kid]

Second Season chasers i will be following closely will be Quito De La Rocque, Finians Rainbow, Time For Rupert and Aiteen Thirtyfree.

An interesting one who i feel has the class, but not realised potential yet is Quel Esprit.

Supreme Novices is anybodys guess at this stage, but if he goes the novice hurdle route – Keys it the one for me.

Court in Motion FYI – Is out injured all season, shame, because on soft ground hes a good horse over 3m

[Kauto Kid]

I think this is a very exciting prospect of a race.

We know we are almost certain to see

Peddler’s Cross

,

Sprinter Sacre

,

Cue Card

,

Al Ferof

, M

enorah

in this race next year…

It’s rumoured

Punjabi

, S

olwhit

,

Getmeoutofhere

,

Spirit Son

will also be in the race … maybe

Sam Winner

, depending if

Nicholls

prefers the 3m route as he seems a bit more like a stayer?

Good luck picking a winner from this lot?

What do we know now?

–

Peddler’s Cross

can get up the hill, stays 2 and a half and has the pace to make a quick 2m at Cheltenham

–

Sprinter Sacre

couldn’t get up the hill in the Supreme Novice’s

–

Al Ferof

bolts up the hill and so does Menorah

–

Getmeoutofhere

has placed at last 2 festivals so cannot be ruled out

–

Cue Card

has the frame for a chaser and is a festival winner

Favourites have been turned over in recent years in the Arkle –

Tatenen

,

Medermit

,

Captain Ceebee

..

If i was to pick one right now – it would be

Al Ferof

[Kauto Kid]

On current form,

Hurricane Fly

is the big dog and cannot be beaten, he travels so well and his speed is scary.

I have not been impressed with the new breed of hurdlers coming through via the juveniles, only

Zarkandar

stands out, but i do not think he could beat

Hurricane Fly

.

From the open division,

Spirit Son

and

Al Ferof

look about the best, but i have a feeling

Al Ferof

will go chasing over 2m net season as

Nicholls

sees

Zarkandar

and

Sam Winner

as his next big hurdlers in the 2m division.

A lot can happen in a year, and only 1 of the field from the previous Champion Hurdle returned this year, in K

hyber Kim

, which shows we cannot second guess what will be back this next year? Maybe

Binocular

, who on his best day is the only known horse i believe is capable of matching

Hurricane Fly

.
If i was to do a forecast now, my top 2 would be

Hurricane Fly

and

Spirit Son

[Kauto Kid]

Looking at the disapointment of Long Run in the 2010 RSA Chase … i think it just goes to show what a year in racing can do, when Long Run won the 2011 Gold Cup.

The 2010 RSA has been some what of a grave yard, with Weapon’s Amnesty, Burton Port, Diamond Harry all scheduled for the 2011 Gold Cup, but pulling out injured half way through the season…

If they were there and accounted for and had raced, i could have seen the older less profiled horses such as Neptunes Collonges, Tidal Bay not running. It just shows that this years Gold Cup was pretty weak, as all the best novices IMO fromt he previous season were not there, excluding Long Run.

Next season, with the 3 i have mentioned most likely returning to run in the Gold Cup, and on top some of the best novices from this season,,, such as Quito De La Roque, Time For Rupert, Boston’s Angel i can see it being a fresh wide open race…

This is how i would guess at the moment who would be running in the race.:

Long Run
Imperial Commander
Denman
Quel Esprit
Burton Port
Weapon’s Amnesty
Diamond Harry
Midnight Chase
Bostons Angel
Time For Rupert
What A Friend
Quito De La Roque

Possibles – Captain Chris, Masterminded, Carruthers, Pandorama, kempes

[Kauto Kid]

I find this post rather shocking and an insult.

Putting

Big Bucks

and

Hurricane Fly

in between their respected distances, which they are both, without doubt, the undisputed champions… just to produce an ultimate showdown is very disrespectful.

Its like producing a boxing match between

Manny Pacquaio

and

Wladimir Klitschko

…. but telling them, they both have to be at Middleweight level for it to happen

This match up should be left alone and these Champions should not be even considered to come up against each other, unless one or the other purposely target the other ones respected division.

Hurricane Fly and Big Bucks are both superstars, and it does not matter what type of race they faced each other in, if there happened to be a winner, it would not prove whos better…. it would just be an insult to their achievements.

They are both National Hunt icons and belong apart to race against their respected opponents

[Kauto Kid]

There is not such thing for me, as 3 favourite things in racing, because to me all of it is the best,,, it is like love … you cnnot explain it, it just means everything to me… jump racing in my case..

My 3 favourtie horses in training –

Big Bucks, Quevega, Finian’s Rainbow

..

I suppose the anticipation, the things you do to search high and low, as evidence to back up your bet selections are part of what makes racing exciting for punters..

Pure passion for cheltenham festival for me… if its the gold cup or the county hurdle, every race holds a special place in my heart, and walking around the paddock in my suit and hat make me the proudest 22 year old in the world, as i am part of the national hunt horse racing family

[Kauto Kid]

day 1 selections

1.30 Cue Card – 200 Points Win
2.05 Rock Noir – 50 Points E/W
2.40 Reve De Sivola – 50 Points E/W
3.20 Menorah – 100 Points Win
4.00 King John’s Castle – 50 Points E/W
4.40 Quevega – 300 Points Win (BANKER)
5.15 Nadiya De La Vega – 50 Points E/W

day 2 selections

1.30 Chicago Grey – 100 Points E/W (BANKER)
2.05 So Young – 100 Points Win
2.40 Time For Rupert – 200 Points win
3.20 Sizing Europe – 100 Points E/W
4.00 Notus de La Tour – 50 Points E/W
4.40 Beyond – 50 Points E/W
5.15 Knight’s Pass – 100 Points Win

day 3 selections

1.30 Captain Chris 100 Points Win
2.05 Knockara Beau – 50 Points E/W
2.40 Kalahari King – 100 Points win
3.20 Grands Crus – 500 Points win (BANKER)
4.00 Tatenen – 50 Points E/W
4.40 Galant Nuit – 50 Points E/W

day 4 selections

1.30 Sam Winner – 100 Points E/W (BANKER)
2.05 Alarazi – 100 Points Win
2.40 Court In Motion – 100 Points Win
3.20 Midnight Chase – 150 Points E/W
4.00 Baby Run – 100 Points Win
4.40 Cucumber Run – 50 Points E/W
5.15 Oh Crick – 50 points E/w

[Kauto Kid]

Champion Hurdle

1st – Menorah
2nd – Peddler’s Cross
3rd – Hurricane Fly
4th – Binocular

Champion Chase

1st – Master Minded
2nd – Big Zeb
3rd – Somersby
4th – Sizing Europe

World Hurdle

1st – Grands Crus
2nd – Big Bucks
3rd – Fiveforthree
4th – Mourad

Gold Cup

1st – Long Run
2nd – Imperial Commander
3rd – Kauto Star
4th – Midnight Chase

KK

[Kauto Kid]

I am very puzzled about this race… i have been tossing and turning and swaying for weeks, nearly months on the winner of this race.

Hurricane Fly

, for me is a class act, i have watched his runs in Ireland, and to be honest hes only beat

Solwhit

who is definately not a 2m hurdler, his trainer

Charles Byrne

has just realised this and has decided to put him over 3m, stayers hurdle division for the festival.
When it comes to the CH, i think it is hard to say how he will perform as he has not raced at

Cheltenham

before, against UK opposition. Technically brilliant, but mentally, we will not know if he can do it until the day, very much in the dark over him.

Peddlers Cross

is undefeated over hurdles since he began his career. I think a big plus will be having

Jason Maguire

in the saddle. Without him i think the horse would have struggled, but beating

Binocular

this season already is a huge plus to the camp and he is a big danger in the race. Only thing we have not seen him do is bolt clear by a massive margin, if he does this turn of foot he should win, and maybe comfortably.

Binocular

– The defending champion, obviously very talented. He has come 2nd in the 08 Supreme, 3rd in the 09 CH, and winner last year. Each time in this race he has had his ground, good to soft… if the ground is heavy i see him struggling.
Last seasons CH he beat an out of form

Punjabi

, a

Celestial Halo

who was already beaten by

Khyber Kim

in the

Xmas Hurdle

and

Zaynar

, who to be fair hadn’t had the best of seasons leading towards when being beaten at 1/14 at

Kelso

.

Khyber Kim

early season is poor as history says, he gets better towards the end of the season, and that is about the best he has beaten all season in this years

Xmas Hurdle

.
This year’s race will be too strong for him i fancy.

Menorah

– Last years’s

Supreme

winner, un beaten this season is the main horse in this race … showed an unbelievable turn of foot in the

International hurdle,

destroying the field, although

Cue Card

is still a novice, he made him look very ordinary.

Hobbs’

yard is in great form and i cannot see past him, even if he has a bad run or a poor position 3 – 4 out, his jumping and acceleration will get him out of trouble. A clear peach of a ride he will hack up.

My Prediction:

1st

Menorah

2nd

Peddler’s Cross

3rd

Oscar Whisky

4th

Dunguib

[Kauto Kid]

Like many other punters, i am a huge Big Bucks fan, but all season i have been following Grands Crus and have been nothing short of bedazzled with this horses performances.

I noticed in my 2/1 win yesterday on the Cleeve Hurdle that Grands Crus was under restraint early on , but kept the head low and bobbing away just like Big Bucks does.

Picking his way through the field easily and beating some good horses like Bensalem, Spirit River and Restless Harry is no easy feat.

He ran an identical race to how Big Bucks runs normally, apart from the turn of speed two to one out … Big Bucks good night,,, all you Big Bucks ante post kings, lay right now

Grands Crus the main horse of the meeting and quite possibly the new star of national hunt racing this time next year

[Kauto Kid]

he was travelling really well and i think he would have won if not for that costly error

[Kauto Kid]

Yesterday was the first time ever before a race that i knew

Kauto Star

was not going to win.
when a horse turns 11 i think this is the age its time to retire, only a few horses of this recent generation have been able to go close or on to win grade ones such as

Mister McGoldrick

and

Monet’s Garden

.

With the state of

Monet’s Garden

at the moment, surely this should be a wake up call to all older horses.

At top level physical sport such as racing, age proves to be a major factor.

The signs point towards Kauto Star having to be retired, after bleeding after yesterday’s race.

My favourite horse of all time will go for his 3rd

Cheltenham Gold Cup

but with younger, fresher and fitter horses in the field, surely Kauto cannot do it again, it was proved yesterday that he no longer has that extra half yard of turn of foot.

The only thing that could save him, is if

Ruby Walsh

comes back to nurse him for one last race.

Fingers crossed, that in March, that he comes home safe before anything.

[Kauto Kid]

much appreciated

[Kauto Kid]

Gold Cup –

Imperial Commander

9/2 res –

Kauto Star

9/2

Champion Hurdle –

Peddlers Cross

11/2 res –

Khyber Kim

16/1

Champion Chase –

Master Minded

6/4 res –

Captain Cee Bee

9/1

World Hurdle –

Big Buck’s

4/5 Res –

Zaynar

16/1

Arkle Chase –

Medermit

14/1 res –

Ghizao

– 12/1

RSA Chase –

Time For Rupert

7/2 Res –

Mikael D’Haguenet

7/1

Triumph Hurdle –

Sam Winner

4/1 res –

Brampour

14/1

Supreme Novices Hurdle –

Cue Card

11/4 Res –

Shot From The Hip

20/1

Ryanair Chase –

Tranquil Sea

8/1 res –

Somersby

10/1

David Nicholson Mares Hurdle –

Quevega

5/4 res –

L’Accordioniste

10/1

[Kauto Kid]

i appreciate the comment on Burton Port, but what about dh?

[Kauto Kid]

Count this guy in thanks

[Author]

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