Uk Trained Bumper Horses

[bernardo]

The Irish challenge has certainly been seen with excellent performances from Ballytrim and Equus Maximus from the Willie Mullins stable recently. I hear that Scotsirish could also be very good.

The best IMO that we have seen over here have been Roll Along from Mark Pitman who will probably not go to Cheltenham and Kicks for Free which won a good race run at a decent pace recently without needing to be let down. I believe both of these are better than Wichita Lineman of JJ's that won an earlier Newbury bumper.

If racing goes ahead at Newbury tomorrow Roll Along takes on another impressive Paul Nicholls horse in Pepperoni Pete and there are others in the race that could also come through as candidates.

Only 3 of the 13 championship bumpers have been won by horses trained in the UK. I do think that Kicks for Free could be as special potentially as Paul's other good novice Denman.

The one thing for sure is that the bumper this year will be well worth watching.

I am off to Naas tomorrow where last year we saw Missed That win the bumper, it looks a small field for an Irish bumper tomorrow, on Sunday I shall be at Leopardstown where traditionally good bumper horses with Cheltenahm in mind run.

[LUKE]

Leading Contender might have a squeak on good ground and he is already a course and distance winner.

[Irish Stamp]

My favourite is Alberta Run but that's not judge on ability.

Kicks For Free looked good and Leading Contender did Talking Horses no favours in the Paddy Power competition

[krizon]

Ah, good, a Bumper section! I've meant to ask for some time a question I really ought to know the answer to: may a horse run all its life in Bumpers, or is it mandatory at some time that it enters a hurdle or chase? I see most current chasers have run in around three, four Bumpers, then gone over obstacles. Just wondered that if you had an excellent Bumper horse, but it had shown little talent at home over jumps, you could just carry on entering it up in Bumpers?

[Irish Stamp]

They probably could technically Kri but bumpers are usually specified with age restrictions ie. 4, 5 and 6yos.

[Melendez]

As far as I know he can keep on running in them forever so long as he doesn't win too many. I think the most you can win is 4, and the fourth must be a grade 1(?) as you aren't allowed enter other bumpers with more than 2 wins.

Bit of guesswork there, I'm sure others will correct me if I'm wrong.

[rorydelargy]

There's also a restriction on the maximum number of runs, I think. In Ireland, but not in Britain, there are Bumper races open to horses who have already run over timber. This is how Brave Inca got his education, not to mention his wonderfully lenient handicap mark a couple of seasons back. I might be wrong on either or both those points. I'm feeling vague.

[rumoursabound]

One Cool Lady ran in a Bumper Yesterday having already run over Hurdles last week.

[uncle goober]

You can also go back to flat racing after you have used your bumper runs, if you wish.

A good example , but aaages ago, is MELLOTTIE , who won bumpers. Then, after a win and a defeat over hurdles, connections decided on a flat career and won a cambridgeshire and other listed races !

[Grey]

When Beef or Salmon defeated Kickham in a 2m flat race at The Curragh in August 2003 he was reversing the result of a Fairyhouse bumper the previous year.

[Bobbyjo]

Wichita looked pretty impressive at the time, but the form of that race has worked out terribly

[Melendez]

The last time I looked on Betfair Wichita Lineman had gone for a bit of a walk in the market.

[Garney]

Collier Hill, won an Irish classic after running in bumpers. I think.

[BrianH]

Bumpers are for 4, 5 and 6 year olds who have not run under any recognised rules of racing except in previous bumpers. In Ireland, not unusually, the rules are different in that you can revert to bumpers after running over timber.

You are allowed to run in a maximum of four bumpers plus Grade 1 bumpers (if qualified).

In the UK bumpers are designed to introduce young horses to racing and the hurly burly of the racecourse without them having to concentrate on jumping over obstacles. In Ireland bumpers are designed to remove money from the bookmakers' satchels.

[krizon]

Thank you, Brian! I was beginning to feel just a wee bit by then...

[Melendez]

You can run in bumpers in Ireland over the age of 6 and certainly more than 4 times.

[BrianH]

As I said, the rules are different in foreign parts - but not if they want to run in the top Grade bumpers

[krizon]

So, when your British horse is 6 y.o., you can pop him across the briny to continue to bump along in Ireland, regardless of whether he's won the Pole Bending and Sack Race in the meantime?

[jairducochetfan]

Alfie Flits is well regarded and has been most impressive in his three bumpers to date, defying the double penalty last time. Travels really well, has a mature attitiude and really asserts his authority when asked to go and win his race. They want to send him on the flat but he fully deserves to take his chance in the Champion and I hope he does as I'm on to small money @ 95 on BF.

[krizon]

He was indeed very impressive, though I think he's too big-actioned to take the Bending Race, myself.