What’s a plot horse? Does it write a premise of the race or something?
Funny but these are all horses that interest me too, adding Captain Chris to that…
Forget about Imperial Chabra, Mac, he has three stone to find on the whole field and shouldn’t be running. I think Peddler’s will win and I am assured he’s in top form despite the seemingly accepted belief now abroad that he’s not right.
Thousand Stars is put up by Pricewise tomorrow which is interesting.
Ah here
Who else has Pricewise put up by the way SS?
Sizing Europe was ROBBED yesterday. You could see from the stands the shambles unfold right in front, the put the signs up and immidiatly took them right back down again. Everyone could sense something stupid was about to unfold and was calling the race a farce after. Fair play to Finians who ran a cracker but he didn’t have his head nearly pulled right off to get round the fence. That would kill any horses chances and the Cheltenham stewards owe connections of SE an apology to say the least. Utter incometence from the officials on the biggest stage of all.
I will be concentrating on Peddlars Cross and Riverside Theatre today, both a notch above their respective field imho. Riverside would be a big win for me and have me well back in clover for the week so fingers crossed. Also be having wee interests in Divers and Oscar Whiskey.
Got a good word too for My Flora in the Foxhunters, any opinions on this one?
The mare is considered best pointer in England. I have watched a couple of her races, she can be very keen. If she settles she has a decent chance.
Agreed. Having a man hiding under a railing waving a flag was a joke. How many times a year are fences succesfully by passed without incident? You can see Lynch clearly asks Sizing for it going into the 2nd last (last) fence and drives away from it for a few strides, which is SE’s forte, before having to pull the neck off the horse to get him around the last fence. SE is all about jumping and momentum. He’s one of the best horses your ever likely to see to bowl along at speed. What’s worse then is that they have the cheek to hit Andrew Lynch with a 6 day ban. Jokers.
Has Zaynar an outside chance in the Jewson, 25/1.
No.
With regards to the Foxhunters it’s a bit of a puzzle.
I had liked Merchant Royal, but his form isn’t holding up the best, his beating of Viking Splash isn’t looking as impressive now due to the later having disappointing on his two subsequent starts. That said, he won a novice chase on good ground last April and was obviously put away with this race in mind, he has won his only two starts in this sphere and is fairly unexposed for an 8 year old.
Salsify is a proven good ground performer having won the Punchestown equivalent last year, he won also won the big hunters chase in Leopardstown in Feb. Reading Derek O’C in the P2P section of the RP yesterday though he said winners of that race have a very poor record in Cheltenham and he has doubts as to whether Salsify would get up the hill. He went for Boxer George himself as his pick, but didn’t really qualify it with much of an explanation beyond young Mullins telling him at a preview that the horse was “going very well at home”. He has one nice bit of form behind Baby Run though, only going down a couple of lenghts to him at Aintree last year.
I think forum favourite Count Salazar can be discounted given the going conditions as he has looked to me like a horse who needs a bit of a cut in the ground.
On The Fringe had a very nice pipe opener behind Salsify in Feb and the trainer obviously knows his apples but he’s too short for me at the head of the market.
Don’t know much about the English challengers beyond the big ex track stars like Chapoturgeon and Barber Shop (bit of a farce that a horse who has run in a Grade 1 is eligible for this race). Chapoturgeon is probably the most likely winner, but I’m just hoping a proper Irish pointer can spring from the field to win. I’d probably back Merchant Royal e/w.
Thinking of having a decent sized bet on Peddlers Cross. If he loses then I might leave it well alone for the rest of the day as I am struggling to find anything that stands out. Might have a small e.w lucky 15 of Rubi Light, Thousand Stars, Faasel & Fine Parchment
I backed SE, re watching the race, I dont think he lost any momemtum or distance.
You could make the argument that he’d have out jumped FR and gone up a 1/2 L if the last fence was there, but SE had clipped the 3rd last and they pretty much jumped the 2nd last together so its largely guesswork. Very unsatisfactory but i have the feeling Finians was cherry ripe and in the end he simply out battled SE…kudos to NJH
Pineau De Re connections confident he’ll be in the first 5 in Pertemps…
Imperial Shabra a non runner - devastated 
you were the one who told us he needed a wind op?
Having backed him for the arkle, its hard to go back in again now…
Anybody ever get a proper feel for what happened v SS at xmass?
One of the Rubi Light backers, a tweet from Jonathan Mullin
Some jockeys this morning described the ground at Cheltenham as “soggy” in places, course could ride softer than expected today
soggy…FFS…
Money down
1.30 Champion Court e/w @ 12’s, Peddlers to win @ 10/3
2.05 Thehillofuisneach e/w @ 16’s
2.40 Rubi Light e/w @ 10’s, Blazing Tempo e/w @ 20’s (may throw a sentimental few quid on Fpdep @ 40’s if I win a bit on the first 2)
3.20 Oscar Whisky e/w @ 10’s, So Young @ 15/2 w/o Big Bucks
4.00 Fingeronthepulse e/w @ 40’s
4.40 Adams Island ew @ 20s
Happy punting one and all.
Soggy me arse. I actually walked the inner course yesterday morning in my shoes and only had to wipe the grass off afterwards. No mud or water puddles whatsoever.
The champion chase was a jokefest, if it happened in Ireland the English press would be laughing. Accidents can happen and they need to be prepared for it, it was very poor attempt to wave them round the last.
and in the next race they called in McCain about the improvement in form on his winner (0000), the announcement was “the stewards noted the trainers explanation that the horse runs better on good ground”. FFS **
** Of course the fact that New Years Eve and Sizing cost me big time has to be taken into account