Tom Scu. Legend
Tom Scu. Legend
Alcohol, because no good story ever started with "I was eating this salad..."
Fair play to Tom Scu - gave it a peach.
"Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".
SlimChance, March 2018
Was on the ground at the back of the last for 15 minutes after the RSA last year. Good to be alive, but I'm guessing out of love with the game. Both Mister Malarkey and himself looked hugely promising at one stage. Tizzards are struggling.
Was Cloth Cap in the TTF list?
"Beat the price and lose. It's what we do".
SlimChance, March 2018
Easy as you like. Well done to Cloth Cap backers.
Maxbet (28th November 2020)
Great ride on the winner. And they were spot on about Vinndications Jumping.
tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito
Vinndication wants a right handed track, but if he's not King George standard, where exactly are they supposed to run him?
Or just go to the King George for a day out and a picnic...and hope for the best.....owners have done worse...
Last edited by Marb; 28th November 2020 at 4:36 PM.
Grasshopper (28th November 2020)
Well done, Cloth Cap backers.
I haven't actually seen the race all the way through yet.
But, as I said before, I'm a fan of Tom Scu as a tactician.
The form with The Conditional and Beware The Bear has me thinking the ones I felt would make the most improvement as second-season chasers haven't delivered but it was probably a hotter race than last year's given both TC and BTB were still improving on my figures for them and I still reckon TOTG would have won.
I don't plan to give up on the ones I did back.
As for Cloth Cap, those with long enough memories will remember I was all over this like a rash at 20/1 at the 5-day stage when it ran second in the Scottish National and expected it to go on better last season than it did. I now have to wonder if a two-year plot for the 2021 National was hatched after Ayr. He'll go up somewhere around 10lbs for today so will now be sure to make the cut in April. Today was Many Clouds-esque.
Bastert
Illegitimi non carborundum
Just watched the full race for the first time.
You have to say it was a brilliant ride by Scu on the winner who never put a foot wrong the whole way, bagging the fresh ground early and giving it up to no one.
Right now, though, I'm actually tempted to go low with the form, which was the last thing on my mind on first viewing as I'm such a fan of the race.
However, The first three home were the bottom three in my table of ratings for the race so I thought I'd look at how they performed in order from the top down:
Ardlethen - ridden negatively early, nice progress to challenge two out weakened.
Beware The Bear - Ridden to pick up some place scraps, presumably with the National in mind.
Potterman - getting into a challenging position when UR.
Regal Encore - ridden wide and struggling halfway
Black Op - prominent but too many sticky jumps, weakened from 2 out.
La Bague - never dangerous, in decline?
Mister Malarkey - UR
Two For Gold - non-stayer.
Cloth Cap - won
Ballyoptic - ridden rear and wide, trying to get lower for National?
Secret Investor - good position first circuit, looked dangerous 4 out, not stay? Lost shoe.
Copperhead - never really travelling, PU.
Danny Whizzbang - ditto.
Vinndication - fell
Kildisart - not handicapped to win, never dangerous.
Aye Right - always prominent, jumped well, stayed on, ran well.
The Hollow Ginge - ridden to pick up place scraps, did so.
The Conditional - expected to improve again into this season, raced in leading pack, ran well.
It wasn't unlike the National itself, in that often it's whatever takes to the race, gets into a rhythm and stays on that wins. In the National many good horses don't stay or don't take to the challenge and I wonder if that's what has happened here.
I'll be rating the race as positively as I dare but probably not as highly as I thought watching Cloth Cap pass the post.
Illegitimi non carborundum
I've had a look at the meeting via the clock.
It pretty much backs up what my form figures are telling me.
Cloth Cap's was the best comparative time on the day. He has burned off most of the chasing pack and the minor placings went to hold-up horses who stayed on past tiring rivals. Credit goes to Tom Scu for getting the fractions spot on although I would love to see a sectional analysis to know what his finishing percentage was.
I have Flash Of Steel putting up a very smart performance in the middle-distance hcap hurdle and a 5lbs rise might look lenient the next time they target a race. Skelton admitted he'd laid this one out for Cheltenham but he never really got competitive on the day. Maybe he needs a flat track. I reckon the form of this race will work out well.
Illegitimi non carborundum