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Well some of the above mentioned already had their careers going for some time in France. Like Long Run, Voy Por Ustedes and of course Master Minded and Kauto Superstar.
But as you can easily see there are very few BRITISH or IRISH breds among them. A few german bred horses can be found and a minimum of roughly 90% of them is French bred.
This shows quite the impact the French have on British and Irish NH racing. And lets not forget that these "new" French bred horses are build to last compared to the French bred in the 90’s.The form that counts most come the Festival is the stable form. If the stable goes trough a lean spell at that time, then there is nothing you can do about it. WInners don’t just come like that.
I think that Coneygree is a sound horse at the very best racing age of 8 years. So therefore if connections decide to run him it would be great for the sport and absolutely thrillig to watch. By the way I was almost spot on with my rating of 165, he got 166.
However I would still take the easier route in the RSA. With a false favourite in the race rated about 10 lbs inferior to him, he almost would only have to stay on his feet to collect.He was matched at around 60-1 and 70-1 on Betfair and was otherwise generally at 33-1 to 50-1 available. That still is his true price. Anything around 4-1 or 5-1 is just something for mugs….
Where is Ruby Walsh in this list? Oh, he is the even money favourite. At least he should be.
So how harsh was his punishment exactly? Did he get 3 or 5 days? A proper ban for such an offense would be 28 days or so. It is a lot worse than just dropping his hands.
Well, Denman was the highest rated steeple chaser at that time and not trainer by a bloke who has two winners in five years. So they both knew what the horse was able to achieve. And sitting motionless on a horse throughout the race and doing nothing when in front is simply a schooling session on a racecourse.
What a disgraceful sight to see poor On The Vine being driven right at the back of the field already being about 100 yards or more behind. He was clearly injured yet the jockey kept driving him. I bet he will get away with that. Looked bloody awful and irresponsible to me. Poor horse, first time out on a racecourse and BOOOMMMM here comes the bullet straight into your head
I am suggesting that in other countries, like Hong Kong, the procedures would be a lot different. They gave their horses race course gallops within a race. And no matter how fit a horse is or not you would expect a jockey to push it out a bit rather than to sit motionless on it.
Remember Ruby Walsh on Denman at Kempton???
First time out after his heart op??? Now that was proper riding, pushing out the horse to the line despite being some 20+ lengths back. That was correct and decent. That is also something I liked so much about Ruby Walsh.What I’m saying is just to eliminate the possibility of people to be cheating with a horse. This idea also would apply instead of a proper ban for a previous non-trier. The horse shouldn’t be banned from racing since the horse itself has done nothing wrong. Just don’t give connections the chance to have an inside advantage.
Well,I thought he gave Nicholas Canyon a great ride from the front PLUS his pre-race talking about Alvisio Ville. I guess he knew that NC was the better horse and even if he doesn’t get the McManus rides he made us believe that AV was the better horse. Maybe I’m just guessing…. But nevertheless a true genius and master of his profession
Considering the fact that both DK Weld runners were held up and started to come into contention when some of the opposition started to get tired, you still have to give them some credit. But the runner up simply isn’t a Grade 1 horse and his handicap mark would make it for him impossible to land a proper one. Silver Concorde might not be a jumper after all and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him being aimed at the top staying races on the Flat.
I don’t know what to say, but I had the impression that DK’s string was a bit behind and out of form around the Christmas period. So that is why I’m willing to forgive him that rather poor performance when 2nd in a maiden hurdle at Leopardstown.
However Ruby Walsh surely is an excellent judge of horses, maybe the best of all jockeys, and I think he knows what Alvisio Ville is capable to deliver over hurdles or even has already delivered at home.Well done Triptych!!!! Your three picks plus my three subs and my nap that also won would have made us really rich today. But well done to you! I will start following you from next Saturday on.
I think that Houblon des Obeaux is a solid yardstick and so is Unioniste. But I would rate them both at least 25-1 or even 33-1 chances for the GC. If I would have to rate Coneygree’s performance today I would give him something around 165. But the rating would be based a lot on the track which is a easier one than Cheltenham. Though his jumping today was quite impressive. But as mentioned in my previous post, things won’t go his way at Cheltenham and his jumping will be a lot more under pressure on faster ground and in a bigger field.
It’s a tough call the connections of SDG would have to make. The way he ran and especially jumped today suggest that he isn’t anywhere near his best form. If you rule him out for the season you should consider that he will be 10 next season, not necessarly the ideal age for a 2 mile Grade 1 chaser given the fact that the 2 mile department is always a strong one.
Since 1986 only three QM CC winners were aged 10 years or older: the remarkable Moscow Flyer, One Man and Martha’s Son. The last two won rather poor renewals of the Champion Chase and as mentioned before the 2 mile department will be a even stronger one next year once Willie Mullins decides which two "sprinters" he will put in the race.
The only alternative for SDG would be the Mumm Melling Chase at Aintree and the Celebration Chase (a race he won last year for the 2nd time in a row) at Sandown.
In the post race interview after the Betfair Hurdle Gary Moore didn’t seem that relieved about winning the race. It seemed to me as if he was thinking about SDG’s performance today. He knows that he has plenty of work to do or even making a tough decision regarding SDG’s participation at the Festival.
I would love to see the all lining up at Cheltenham this March, but only if they are 100% fit. But there is still some four and a half weeks left.
