Page 3 of 35 FirstFirst 1234567813 ... LastLast
Results 41 to 60 of 700

Thread: The Road To The 2021 Cheltenham Gold Cup

  1. #41
    Senior Member Grasshopper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    16,018
    Thanks
    1,467
    Thanked 1,553 Times in 1,112 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    Quote Originally Posted by granger View Post
    Fakir looks to need Winter ground. I'll have to see him again to see how he has matured

    Defi - I can't see the case for him being top class
    I'm not drinking the Fakir Kool-Aid myself.

    Dunno what it is. Maybe a bit of the Back In Front about this one.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  2. #42
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    The Shire
    Posts
    4,749
    Thanks
    262
    Thanked 930 Times in 580 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by littlelad View Post
    FYI real steel has moved to Paul Nicholls

    Sent from my SM-J415FN using Tapatalk
    Yes of course he has. I knew there was a reason I backed him for the King George!

  3. #43
    Senior Member granger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Moscow Flyer Stables
    Posts
    18,886
    Thanks
    831
    Thanked 1,025 Times in 735 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Grasshopper View Post
    I'm not drinking the Fakir Kool-Aid myself.

    Dunno what it is. Maybe a bit of the Back In Front about this one.
    What about Defi?
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  4. #44
    Senior Member Grasshopper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    16,018
    Thanks
    1,467
    Thanked 1,553 Times in 1,112 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    Quote Originally Posted by granger View Post
    What about Defi?
    Tripless. Couldn’t have him in a Gold Cup.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  5. #45
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    The Shire
    Posts
    4,749
    Thanks
    262
    Thanked 930 Times in 580 Posts
    I like Fakir particularly, and I'd be heavily into him for the Ryanair if I were confident he was heading that way.

  6. #46
    Senior Member granger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Moscow Flyer Stables
    Posts
    18,886
    Thanks
    831
    Thanked 1,025 Times in 735 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Grasshopper View Post
    Tripless. Couldn’t have him in a Gold Cup.
    I couldn't remember if you were still a fanboy or that was just his juvi campaign
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  7. #47
    Senior Member Grasshopper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    16,018
    Thanks
    1,467
    Thanked 1,553 Times in 1,112 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    I like the horse, but he's going to be hard to place, I think. Great juvenile though.
    "Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".

    SlimChance, March 2018

  8. #48
    Senior Member Euronymous's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Leyland
    Posts
    18,859
    Thanks
    336
    Thanked 833 Times in 691 Posts
    I'm gonna forgive the horse one bad run given how good he looked at Ascot and Sandown.
    I've taken 16s about him for the Ryanair.

  9. #49
    Senior Member granger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Moscow Flyer Stables
    Posts
    18,886
    Thanks
    831
    Thanked 1,025 Times in 735 Posts
    Faugheen stays in training
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  10. #50
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Waterford
    Posts
    8,252
    Thanks
    264
    Thanked 317 Times in 251 Posts
    For what it’s worth-I had a 20 minute chat with HdB about a month ago-I have a theory that Minella Indo is a spring horse and asked him what his opinion was.aHis reply was that he doesn’t think he is a spring horse but It takes a lot of work to get him fit.He also said he was going to give it a right lash to get him ready for Christmas -he didn’t say Kempton or Leopardstown.
    Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.

  11. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to LUKE For This Useful Post:

    luckyme (26th October 2020), redundant pal (26th October 2020)

  12. #51
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Posts
    244
    Thanks
    49
    Thanked 41 Times in 36 Posts
    Good luck with the project Luke. I think Hdb didn’t get a clear run with him last year given the shape of the novice programme. Where next on the back of a win today will be interesting as more experience between now and Christmas will be on the agenda.

  13. #52
    Senior Member Euronymous's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Leyland
    Posts
    18,859
    Thanks
    336
    Thanked 833 Times in 691 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by LUKE View Post
    Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.

    I rewatched the Festival last week to refresh my memory and the RSA still hurt. I'm already heavily invested in the horse for next March (mainly due to an Arc/GC double with Sottsass) so hopefully we'll have plenty to celebrate.

  14. #53
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    7,401
    Thanks
    1,350
    Thanked 1,133 Times in 1,015 Posts
    Blog Entries
    110
    Quote Originally Posted by LUKE View Post
    For what it’s worth-I had a 20 minute chat with HdB about a month ago-I have a theory that Minella Indo is a spring horse and asked him what his opinion was.aHis reply was that he doesn’t think he is a spring horse but It takes a lot of work to get him fit.He also said he was going to give it a right lash to get him ready for Christmas -he didn’t say Kempton or Leopardstown.
    Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.
    Good to see you still about, Luke. Good luck with that.

    I'm quite intrigued by Kim Bailey's comments that he thinks Vinndication will improve again this season and could improve the "10 pounds or so" he needs to find to be a contender.

    Like Luke, I am trying to think a bit laterally or outside the box on feasible targets, and given Vinndications best performances have come right handed, I am considering an anti post bet on the horse for the King George, which he is currently priced at 33/1.

    There's little doubt he'll run before Christmas, in something like the Betfair Chase, so a good placed effort would see him shorten for the King George, around a right handed track like Kempton that he might just favour. It's plausible.
    Last edited by Marb; 26th October 2020 at 1:49 PM.

  15. #54
    Senior Member Desert Orchid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    23,659
    Thanks
    2,930
    Thanked 3,482 Times in 2,742 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Euronymous View Post
    I rewatched the Festival last week to refresh my memory and the RSA still hurt. I'm already heavily invested in the horse for next March (mainly due to an Arc/GC double with Sottsass) so hopefully we'll have plenty to celebrate.
    This prompted me to check back my own brief review of the RSA, probably written the week after the meeting:

    RSA- I watched it again this morning. I think Champ is far superior to the other two, who I think are pretty high class. Not a lot went right for Champ through the race, imo. He appeared to fiddle quite a number of fences while Allaho in particular looked very fluent. I backed Allaho ante-post and thought he was a good thing, to be honest, but the ew steal on Champ was sound insurance. I did think wherever MI finished Allaho would be in front but suspected Champ could surprise on a going day. I think the sectionals show (it's a few days since I read them) that the front two died up the hill and Champ merely stayed on. It reminded me of Synchronized's Gold Cup. The problem with Champ is whether he will properly take to jumping. I think the other two will be serious Gold Cup contenders.
    Last edited by Desert Orchid; 26th October 2020 at 1:39 PM.
    Illegitimi non carborundum


  16. #55
    Senior Member Euronymous's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Leyland
    Posts
    18,859
    Thanks
    336
    Thanked 833 Times in 691 Posts
    The last two RSA's have been similar in that up to three out the fields were bunched up and then the class horses asserted.
    With Champ you have to worry about the extra jumping in a Gold Cup. How many extra fences is it?

  17. #56
    Senior Member granger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Moscow Flyer Stables
    Posts
    18,886
    Thanks
    831
    Thanked 1,025 Times in 735 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by LUKE View Post
    For what it’s worth-I had a 20 minute chat with HdB about a month ago-I have a theory that Minella Indo is a spring horse and asked him what his opinion was.aHis reply was that he doesn’t think he is a spring horse but It takes a lot of work to get him fit.He also said he was going to give it a right lash to get him ready for Christmas -he didn’t say Kempton or Leopardstown.
    Two things 1-I will be backing Minella for the Gold Cup to pay for my daughters first year in University 2)I wouldn’t be backing him today -obviously as a potential Gold Cup winner he will be trying but we are 18 weeks away from the big day.

    Did he say they would keep the mare to mares events come March?
    Some people say he’s the best since Arkle and that’s certainly true when you look at what he’s done

  18. #57
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Waterford
    Posts
    8,252
    Thanks
    264
    Thanked 317 Times in 251 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by redundant pal View Post
    Good luck with the project Luke. I think Hdb didn’t get a clear run with him last year given the shape of the novice programme. Where next on the back of a win today will be interesting as more experience between now and Christmas will be on the agenda.

  19. #58
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Waterford
    Posts
    8,252
    Thanks
    264
    Thanked 317 Times in 251 Posts
    Redundant Pal —in my opinion Minella and A Plus Tard might have been slightly undercooked at this year’s festival -I think they would make a nice little each way double for 2021.Also if Minella is being primed for Christmas there is a good chance Monalee will go to Kempton.

  20. The Following User Says Thank You to LUKE For This Useful Post:

    redundant pal (26th October 2020)

  21. #59
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Waterford
    Posts
    8,252
    Thanks
    264
    Thanked 317 Times in 251 Posts
    Granger -only so much you can fit into a 20 minute conversation-I did say to him that getting Put The Kettle on to win at Cheltenham last November was the training performance of the decade. Didn’t quiz him about targets for this year.
    He thinks that Monalee was the second best horse in this years Hold Cup -very strong opinion.

  22. #60
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    7,401
    Thanks
    1,350
    Thanked 1,133 Times in 1,015 Posts
    Blog Entries
    110
    Vinndication entered at Ascot this Saturday in the Sodexo handicap chase and in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby.
    Last edited by Marb; 26th October 2020 at 5:23 PM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •