The 32Red Winter Festival Kempton Park Wed 26 Dec & Thurs 27 Dec 2018

[Desert Orchid]

Yes indeed! They, the ITV staff, are just 'in the face' of everyone ALL the time. Saddling,in the paddock, in the stands, the SECOND the horses pull up, on the way in, in the winners, as they walk out of the winners......it's too much plus the calibre of most of them, the presenters, is just woeful.

Yes and no.

Watching RUK, the one thing I miss compared with ITV is the immediate post-race reaction of jockeys and trainers, occasionally owners. In the euphoria of a win in a big race they often reveal more than they really should but that has to be good for punters and viewers.

On the other hand, they really need to get the interviewers to ask better questions.

"Put into words ... " - FFS, what did you expect them to do, fuckin charades?

"How great does that feel?" - Don't put words into their mouth. Duh. (Persad is the worst for that.)

What's so hard about simply inviting them to talk, eg, "Talk us through how the race unfolded for you." Let the jockey or trainer say what's on his mind at that point.

A slightly pointed question might be appropriate, eg, "Was that as easy as it looked?"

[Danny]

River has run a blinder as he was off the bridle going to post

Literally crying, that's tickled me

As for the race I haven't really had chance to review it yet but I will do. I personally wouldn't be so quick to rule Might Bite out on winning a Gold Cup. The likes of looks like trouble and imperial commander flopped here before winning Gold Cups it's very early days to be saying the horse is finished. Glad for the Nicholls team that CDO won but it'll certainly be a challenge to get CDO to do anything like that left handed.


I'll have a proper look at the race at some point and see what I can make of it.

[reet hard]

On the drying ground, I'd want to be against Dynamite Dollars in the Wayward Lad. Exposed his jumping frailties on decent ground when turned over by Lalor at Cheltenham, and it was proper soft ground when he reversed that result at Sandown.
He'll have to jump better to take on Maria's Benefit, who jumped for fun and set a solid pace when comfortably holding Jester Jet at Bangor.
Of course, the spectre of Kalashnikov looms large, but, - at a general 9/2 the selection - ther's plenty of room for a beefy f/c bet to cover that eventuality.

[reet hard]

Literally crying, that's tickled me

As for the race I haven't really had chance to review it yet but I will do. I personally wouldn't be so quick to rule Might Bite out on winning a Gold Cup. The likes of looks like trouble and imperial commander flopped here before winning Gold Cups it's very early days to be saying the horse is finished. Glad for the Nicholls team that CDO won but it'll certainly be a challenge to get CDO to do anything like that left handed.


I'll have a proper look at the race at some point and see what I can make of it.

Imho, MB wouldn't stay the Gold Cup trip in a horsebox.

[Desert Orchid]

Imho, MB wouldn't stay the Gold Cup trip in a horsebox.

Agree. As I have said before, he reminds me of Wayward Lad and the only reason Dessie won the Gold Cup was because he was two stone better than the only mudlover in the race and he only beat him very narrowly.

Between the weather and questionable course management, last season's Gold Cup was a bit of a non-event. I can't check my ratings but I reckon they'd say that Native River is no better than the likes of Synchronised or Cool Dawn. I'll see what I have on my computer files.

[Desert Orchid]

Native River 168
Sizing John 169p
Don Cossack 178?
Coneygree 174+
Bobs Worth 179
Synchronised 173p
Long Run 180

For some reason I don't have Lord Windermere's figure on file. From memory it was pretty low, something like 164.

It looks like I did Synchronised a bit of a disservice earlier.

[Danny]

Imho, MB wouldn't stay the Gold Cup trip in a horsebox.

Well whilst I sort of understand what you mean Reet if you look at it from the view that the Gold Cup is the absolute pinnacle of staying chases then Might Bite stayed the trip better than every single horse in the world last year bar one and that was Native River. One of your older members once taught me that all horses stay the trip to a certain extent a gypsies cart horse will stay the Gold Cup trip he would just do so in his own time. To say that Might Bite wouldn't get the trip in the Gold cup are you in effect saying he's better over a shorter trip or on an easier track ? Can you honestly say Reet that any of his form over lesser trips or on easier tracks is better ? I mean he flopped massively yesterday right ? But In real terms its amazing that the likes of Tea for two and Double shuffle who he just about saw off last year have flopped to more or less the exact same standard yesterday as well basically you could of thrown a blanket out of them ? I might not be prepared to take that literally but when he beat the shuffler last year on all other known form the Shuffler is a 150 handicapper and where would you expect that a 150 handicapper should finish in a decent King George? Like I say I haven't had time to go over the times and how the race has unfolded yet but I certainly won't be jumping to any conclusions. As far as I can tell the very best Might Bite has ever been was in last years Gold cup and prior to that probably his RSA performance bar the wobble. When you say he didn't get the trip, neck and neck with Native river at the bottom of the hill on soft ground, you tell me another horse that could win that battle ? I'd take Native river from that position against any horse in training and I wouldn't be claiming that who ever he beat didn't stay. Good ground Might Bite at his best I believe would win the Gold Cup on decent ground against any horse I've seen. Will he get decent ground are there underlying problems ? I don't know but I certainly wouldn't write him off bouncing back in the spring and if he was whatever the current best odds ? 16/1 ? on the day on good ground, I'd be prepared to have a few sheckels at that.

Clan Des Obeaux is now a shorter price and I'd be massively amazed if he could even make the first 3 unless Nicholls can find a way to straighten him out, Cheltenham of all tracks is not the place to lean right.

[Desert Orchid]

Can you honestly say Reet that any of his form over lesser trips or on easier tracks is better ?

I won't speak for Reet but Might Bite (on my ratings) was well below his best in the Gold Cup.

Native River is a decent enough sort but a moderate Gold Cup winner in the big scheme of things.

Might Bite's rating for his RSA was 169+ (he threw away ten lengths - say 7lbs - after the last).
Native River couldn't even win the NH Chase, his rating for which was just 159. He improved the following year but wasn't good enough to beat Sizing John in the Gold Cup.

[Tanlic]

Altior scared them all away for another easy win.. but you have to wonder what PN has in mind for Diego Du Charmil..........Certainly wasn't to give Altior anything to think about... Our 'Arry never moved a muscle all the way up the straight

[reet hard]

On the drying ground, I'd want to be against Dynamite Dollars in the Wayward Lad. Exposed his jumping frailties on decent ground when turned over by Lalor at Cheltenham, and it was proper soft ground when he reversed that result at Sandown.
He'll have to jump better to take on Maria's Benefit, who jumped for fun and set a solid pace when comfortably holding Jester Jet at Bangor.
Of course, the spectre of Kalashnikov looms large, but, - at a general 9/2 the selection - ther's plenty of room for a beefy f/c bet to cover that eventuality.

Couldn't have got that more wrong - compounded by watching the empty horse appearing from the fog!

[G-G]

Yes and no.

Watching RUK, the one thing I miss compared with ITV is the immediate post-race reaction of jockeys and trainers, occasionally owners. In the euphoria of a win in a big race they often reveal more than they really should but that has to be good for punters and viewers.

On the other hand, they really need to get the interviewers to ask better questions.

"Put into words ... " - FFS, what did you expect them to do, fuckin charades?

"How great does that feel?" - Don't put words into their mouth. Duh. (Persad is the worst for that.)

What's so hard about simply inviting them to talk, eg, "Talk us through how the race unfolded for you." Let the jockey or trainer say what's on his mind at that point.

A slightly pointed question might be appropriate, eg, "Was that as easy as it looked?"

I don't watch RUK but that aside, watching races from the past where the horses just pulled up and came in is far more enjoyable, plus when actual attending meetings being covered by ITV, the winners take FOREVER to come in, so this impacts on the length of time the horses for the next race are in the paddock when you are trying to look at him, And as for the ridiculous 'heartbeat' noise and overblown fanfare music when they come in........

[Perpetual]

Was at Kempton yesterday and the low-light was Chapman doing the King George presentation announcements, which he made sound like a Boxing match introduction ("the amazing, fantastic, champion in waiting.... Harrrryyyyy Cobbbbbdennnnn"

I thought it was woeful and all my non-racing relatives suggested he sounded like a knob. I couldn't defend him...

[Desert Orchid]

Was at Kempton yesterday and the low-light was Chapman doing the King George presentation announcements, which he made sound like a Boxing match introduction ("the amazing, fantastic, champion in waiting.... Harrrryyyyy Cobbbbbdennnnn"

I thought it was woeful and all my non-racing relatives suggested he sounded like a knob. I couldn't defend him...

I caught the post-race prize ceremony on ITV and thought exactly the same thing. (It's catching. Snooker does it too. Puts me off watching the prize ceremonies.)

[Frankel]

Literally crying, that's tickled me

As for the race I haven't really had chance to review it yet but I will do. I personally wouldn't be so quick to rule Might Bite out on winning a Gold Cup. The likes of looks like trouble and imperial commander flopped here before winning Gold Cups it's very early days to be saying the horse is finished. Glad for the Nicholls team that CDO won but it'll certainly be a challenge to get CDO to do anything like that left handed.


I'll have a proper look at the race at some point and see what I can make of it.

I was against Might Bite in the Gold Cup last year though he would have proven me wrong on better ground.
I do think that was his chance on that day. Even on better ground this time around I would be against him. That would still have been the case even if he had run better than he has this season.

How Native River comes out of this will be interesting as this really was the wrong race for him. It's to his credit he finished where he did.

[granger]

Native River must be getting the worst campaign imaginable

[jinnyj]

MB I am more convinced it's wind related.

Glad to see Hendo is reading my posts and taking my advice! 😙