View Poll Results: Who will win the 2018 CH

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  • Buveur D'Air

    17 54.84%
  • Faugheen

    10 32.26%
  • Other

    4 12.90%
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Thread: The Road To The 2018 Champion Hurdle

  1. #81
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    Campeador won't be 25/1 for the Champion Hurdle after he wins that
    Alcohol, because no good story ever started with "I was eating this salad..."

  2. #82
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    Faugheen will go odds on when he strips fit and Ruby opens him up
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  3. #83
    Senior Member Grasshopper's Avatar
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    Defi not declared for the Mastersons Hurdle at Cheltenham tomorrow.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  4. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grasshopper View Post
    Defi not declared for the Mastersons Hurdle at Cheltenham tomorrow.
    Must be keeping him fresh for the big battle with TNO at the BULA
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  5. #85
    Senior Member Grasshopper's Avatar
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    If he has to battle against TNO, I will be devastated. He should canter all over him.

    Bula and Fighting Fifth both under consideration as alternatives, apparently.
    Last edited by Grasshopper; 27th October 2017 at 12:11 PM.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  6. #86
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    If they take in both the Cheltenham races, would he go Cheltenham in March fresh or is there anything possible for him in JAN/Feb?
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  7. #87
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    Hobbs previously sent Foghorn Leghorn and Detroit City to the old Afga Hurdle (Contenders now?) at Sandown in February, ahead of the Festival.

    I think Defi thrives on racing - he wont want to wrap him up at Xmas to keep him fresh for the Festival, I don't reckon.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  8. #88
    Senior Member Euronymous's Avatar
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    I backed Melon for this just after the last Festival - before Hayes and Blake tipped him up (25s)

  9. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by Euronymous View Post
    I backed Melon for this just after the last Festival - before Hayes and Blake tipped him up (25s)
    Nice docket to have

    Interesting to see how he is campaigned with other stable horses in mind
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  10. #90
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    Still 20/1 available about Melon with Bet365 if that tickles anyone's fancy....

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  11. #91
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    What is so impressive about Melon to take a chance on him @ anything at or below 25/1? Without being confirmed for the race & even winning a major race as a novice? Apart from the inside reports I mean

  12. #92
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    Stays hurdling, top yard, big price, 2nd in supreme on 2nd start

    25/1...
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  13. #93
    Senior Member Kauto Abu's Avatar
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    Melon, Defi, Faugheen!!! What are you lads on?

    Melon has only got a maiden hurdle win to his name around these shores. Difi carries that Triumph form that year on year gets put out with the trash every December...Katchit apart in recent years.

    And Faugheen, well he’s got to get there first. We heard all the positive sound bites before!! And as a 10 year old by next March he’ll more than likely be more interested in collecting his pension than lining up on March 13.

    Do yourselves a favour lads. There’s still some 4s available on the Buv. Invest... I’ve been topping up all summer.

    PS. Thank God the jumps are back.


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  14. #94
    Senior Member Euronymous's Avatar
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    Not interested in anything at under 10/1 at this stage.

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    Will get 4s on the day. Not tying it up until then

    Faugheen will show you
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  16. #96
    Senior Member Kauto Abu's Avatar
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    The Road To The 2018 Champion Hurdle

    It will be the training performance of all time to win a champion hurdle with Faugheen.

    Lets face it, as a 10 year old racing in next years champion hurdle, providing he even gets there, there is no improvement possible. There is however lots of improvement in the Buv who took care of the opposition quite cosily at both Cheltenham & Aintree.

    Honestly, I see Buveur D’Air dominating the hurdling ranks for the next year or two. There’s nothing coming through to worry him and the likes of My tent and Faugheen are past it in my opinion.

    BD won his champion hurdle with the strangest prep I have seen for the race but it’s a testament to the horse and his trainer to bring him back to win a champion hurdle on only his second start out of novice company. He still had loads left in the locker at both Cheltenham & Aintree so there will be tons of improvement to come this year.....when he actually gets to practice jumping those hurdles before the big one.


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    Last edited by Kauto Abu; 28th October 2017 at 9:15 AM.

  17. #97
    Senior Member Grasshopper's Avatar
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    I know you love the horse, KA, and you may well be right about him.

    However, the ease of his victory could just as easily be down to it being one of the poorest CH fields compiled in many a year. When a boat like Yanworth goes off fave, it basically tells you all you need to know about the quality.

    Faugheen actually has very few miles on the clock, and whilst the likelihood of improvement is remote, I agree, he would not need to improve an ounce, to be competitive. In fact, if he returned within a half-stone of his very best, he would win the Champion Hurdle with his head in his chest. If he is a stone below his very best, he’d still be capable of giving Buveur D’Air a race (imho).

    All that said, you’re on the right horse as things stand, and pretty-much everything else needs to improve considerably, to take his crown.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  18. The Following User Says Thank You to Grasshopper For This Useful Post:

    Kauto Abu (28th October 2017)

  19. #98
    Senior Member Kauto Abu's Avatar
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    The Road To The 2018 Champion Hurdle

    Quote Originally Posted by Grasshopper View Post
    I know you love the horse, KA, and you may well be right about him.

    However, the ease of his victory could just as easily be down to it being one of the poorest CH fields compiled in many a year. When a boat like Yanworth goes off fave, it basically tells you all you need to know about the quality.

    Faugheen actually has very few miles on the clock, and whilst the likelihood of improvement is remote, I agree, he would not need to improve an ounce, to be competitive. In fact, if he returned within a half-stone of his very best, he would win the Champion Hurdle with his head in his chest. If he is a stone below his very best, he’d still be capable of giving Buveur D’Air a race (imho).

    All that said, you’re on the right horse as things stand, and pretty-much everything else needs to improve considerably, to take his crown.
    Agree with most of that Grass except the notion of last year been one of the poorest fields assembled in a while. Was it any poorer than when Annie Power beat My Tent the previous year by the exact same distance that Buv beat her? Annie then went on to beat Tent at Aintree as did BD last year too. Annie was heralded as a superstar and remember she was getting 7lbs.

    Faugheen beat TNO by 8L in his champion hurdle, BD beat him by 11 so the yardsticks are all there to suggest it wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be!


    As for Yanworth. How he went off fav is beyond me. Crazy stuff but sure it made Buv even more attractive on top ups that day.

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    Last edited by Kauto Abu; 28th October 2017 at 9:55 AM.

  20. #99
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    MTOY was returning from a long absence behind Annie, whereas he was race-fit behind Buveur, so not sure the comparison is entirely valid, and not sure the TNO comparison is entirely valid either, given he’s looked like wanting further the older he gets.

    I’m quibbling anyway. Buveur an entirely representative CH winner in anyone’s book, I’d say, and definitely the one they all have to beat.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  21. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kauto Abu View Post
    It will be the training performance of all time to win a champion hurdle with Faugheen.
    So you'll attribute Faugheen's potential win to his trainer?? Thats hilarious considering he's the one who got him beat by giving him a hard prep with few days before an official race and without realizing the horse fitness at the start of the season when just the previous season he had Skelton telling him he hadn't seen a horse with so much weight going into a race. Mullins already made the performance of all time getting Faugheen beat. I won't attribute anything to him in case he does get to the race and wins by a short neck, its all about the horse.

    I agree BDair shouldn't be thought of as an winner in a poor year, just like you said he beat MTOY the same amount of lengths like the superstar Annie but he wasn't giving away any weight. Yanworth we now know he was drugged and cannot possibly take his performance seriously. However, lets not compare TNO of `14, `15 with what he performed in the past year. Faugheen beat 2 previous champions that day, one of which was in the form of his life even at 10, and the other killed his chances trying to take Faugheen on so early(McCoy words immediately after the race). He also came in without a prep-run, and thats huge for him because all of his best performance came after he had more races under his belt, P'town `14, `15, Leop `16, when he came in after a long break he always underperformed by 1-2 stones.. apparently Mullins finally realized that now and had him in training all summer so I'll give him credit for that.

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