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None of which should be taken to dismiss Sprinter Sacre outright, and I did mention earlier that the Doncaster debut left a major impression on me. The Nicholls gelding just strikes me as having been campaigned the more bravely of the trio so far, however, and has done so early enough in the winter that connections can now keep him under wraps until March safe in the knowledge of what they’ve got – a genuine Arkle aspirant proven in some of the Arkle trials that bear closest topographical (as well as qualitative) similarity to the real thing. At the current prices, I’d want Al Ferof over Sprinter Sacre, definitely.
gc
Very true. As I don’t do ante-post betting, though, I can dream irrationally about seeing a wonder horse in March
I see McCain has said that Peddlars is "subdued" although so far tested clear, and he will go left-handed next time.
I was at Kempton for both days, found my self making some sort of exclamation at every jump, he is SO good.
He is one of the best jumpers i’ve ever seen, so quick over a fence and away from them. He got in VERY close to a few at Kempton, but you woudn’t know from the way he landed.
One to get very, very excited about indeed.
I watched his Donny race in the Arkle Bar at Cheltenham and it was like being at a fireworks display. All you could hear was people going "oohh!" and "ahhhhh" (and the sharp intake of breath when he was a bit hairy at an early one). I don’t often watch a race from there but when I have previously I can’t remember it being that quiet or that many people genuinely rapt.
I am looking for holes in him (like the Cheltenham hill thing) but that’s more because he excites me so much I’m trying to avoid it ruining the whole Festival for me if he flops….
RSA is just as hard a race – a lot of winners of the rsa dont fulfill their potential (the list over the years is endless) so I really see the advantage.
Agree, the RSA is a race I don’t like much. However I wouldn’t go Gold Cup either, for reasons indicated elsewhere. Could try the Jewson or, if he were mine.. just skip the Festival altogether.
I think that the only reason people thought this season would be more competitive is because noone expected Kauto Star to return in such blazing form. Had Long Run won his last two races things would have been much closer but there is £400k between them and I think that’s too much to make up. Henderson would have to win all 3 main Championship races just to get a lead I think?
Burton Port and Riverside Theatre will be coming back from long injury problems so you can’t count them as big guns at this point. Master of the Hall likes small fields and I don’t think Festival races suit him.
Also, Nicholls is more inclined it seems to put horses in races as substitutes – like Kauto Stone for Tataniano – whereas Henderson didn’t consider (for example) entering French Opera as a back up for Finian’s Rainbow.
When it comes down to it, I think Nicholls is prepared to fight harder.
He’s a really gorgeous horse and his jumping is just breathtaking, so I hope he will take high rank.
A question mark over him is can he handle Cheltenham? Last year he was travelling like the winner in the Supreme and then wilted faced with the hill – he did hit the last but that was because he was already feeling the pressure. Granted, he’s a year older and he certainly looks much stronger than when I saw him last year, but unlike Al Ferof (and Peddlers) he’s got to prove he can get home up the hill. I also wonder what will happen if something gets him off the bridle.
He certainly covers the ground and makes it at a fence, his Donny time was quick considering he was doing his own thing up front and he was 8s quicker than Finian’s Rainbow here, again pretty much running on his own. What do people think to the times today?
I thought he’d always been a bit quirky about going to the start, and it’s just developed. He got a "mulish" at Fakenham before the MR effort.
I was actually surprised he was still permitted to race after RR 3 times in a row – on the flat wouldn’t he have have been barred for a time?
I hope he does have a good retirement – he’s a lovely looking horse and he made me smile, even being a mule – he certainly looked very full of himself last time as he came back up the horsewalk…
No sooner do I write that than a Seven Barrows stable tour video appears on Racing Post! Not back yet, still at Hemmings stud – its about 7 minutes in.
Should have been 8 years.
Well yes; without wanting to open the whole whip debate down here, pushing on an exhausted horse (I understand this was reported by officials at the fence) has long been my biggest welfare issue. For him to get less than McMahon did, when his horse finished in one piece, is completely wrong.
I was on an Elite Racing stable visit to Seven Barrows a couple of weeks ago and Burton Port was not back in yet. I think Henderson said he was due to return in the next few weeks and was doing walking work at Hemmings’ stud; based on that I doubt he’ll be seen before Christmas.
Oh, just a thought does this only apply to ‘Credit Accounts’?
Well mine were deposit accounts.
I closed the WH account as soon as I got the notification from them and I’ve just checked my Ladbrokes account and I haven’t used it since October last year. So I’ve emailed them and told them I want to close the account because of the inactive account payment (although they haven’t emailed me about it yet).
Roseblossom
: when you have an entire colt who’s proved himself a good Group 2 animal, and not far off Group 1 standard on firm ground in the
Japan Cup
, the idea of risking his legs around the undulations of somewhere like Cheltenham appals me for one. At least there’s no plan to geld
Dandino
: that’s the one saving grace to this (in my opinion) singularly quixotic plan!
I’d rather Cheltenham than Epsom, which he seemed to handle just fine.
I’m afraid I must have missed the bit in the BHA owner guidelines that say only the lowliest horses can go jumping. However, having had this debate previously, I’m not interested in doing it again. I’m glad he’s going jumping and unlike the naysayers hoping for disaster, I’ll be hoping he does it well or shows quickly that he won’t be high in the pecking order of his schooling mates.
Quite right,
Roseblossom
. I only wish we could say the same for the hurdling rumours about
Dandino
, which turn out to be true. Worst management decision from Elite in a long while, in my opinion… he’s not been well campaigned this year, but this takes the biscuit. Doesn’t stay, hates soft ground, so send him hurdling!
Not going to agree with you there I’m afraid, thrilled to bits with the news. Not worried about staying, plenty of horses successfully switch codes despite not getting further than 12f on the flat, ground, yes a bit concerned, but he has won on soft and they’ve said he won’t race over the winter. It’s also been made clear if they don’t think he’s any good at it, he won’t carry on. Been very disappointed by some members who almost seem to be wanting something to happen to him so they can say they were right all along.
I rarely agree with management decisions but this one makes a great deal more sense than the suggestion that Border Patrol might go hurdling.
I’m pretty sure this is has come from some comments on twitter a few weeks ago when a couple of people were debating SNA and someone suggested he go hurdling… it took less than 24 hours for people to be reacting to it as if it were a true story rather than someone’s joke/dream.
I wouldn’t care if they presented it in togas during an orgy AS LONG AS THEY JUST TALK ABOUT THE BLOODY RACES!!
