Didnt realise Denman had drifted so much in the betting. As big as 9/2 now. Its hard to think that Nicholls wouldnt have him in top order for the Gold Cup.
Will top order be enough though? Itās definitely wide open alright though.
[quote=āSledgehammerā]Will top order be enough though?
[/quote]
If Denman turns up 100% its all over and we will be all kicking the shit out of ourselves for not taking 9/2 !!
Denman at even 90% is probably still good enough to beat Kauto. 9/2 does seem like too much to leave behind. Even just for a sneaky e200. I cant see him being that short on the day.
What I mean though is his ātop orderā today the same as his ātop orderā last year? It increasingly seems like last yearās performance was once in a lifetime stuff and I am not taking the 9/2 anyway.
state of play @ 66/1 to recapture his form ā¦ran a cracker 2 years ago and was right in contention before getting boxed in and had to check and go to the outside for room at a crucial stageā¦lost all momentumā¦
My favourite pony after I won a fortune on him at Aintree a few years ago. Dont think he is in the same league as Nicholls pair if they are close to there best
Ah fuckā¦Tony McCoy 5 lengths ahead to win his 3000th race and he fell at the last! Cruel.
Just won his 3000th there . congrats Tony
legend!..
Marvellous achievement from the best jockey around.
Well done A P
Fair play to him. Some pilot.
Legend, fair play to him
From skysports.com
Part-owner Harry Findlay has revealed that Sam Thomas will be back on Denman for a repeat bid in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Thomas partnered the gelding to victory last March with Ruby Walsh on runner-up Kauto Star, and it is likely to be a similar scenario this time around.
Thomas suffered several reverses on Paul Nicholls-trained horses before Christmas, leading to suggestions that the ride on Denman was up for grabs.
Walsh took over when Denman made his belated reappearance on Saturday, but the nine-year-oldās surprise defeat means the Irishman is almost certain to stick with Kauto Star, with Thomas free to return on Denman.
āIāve been away for two months, but when I went away the plan was for Ruby to ride Kauto and Sam to ride Denman,ā said Findlay. "Iāve seen nothing since that would make us change that decision.
"Sam rode five winners in two days recently and as far as Iām concerned, heāll be on Denman if he gets to the Gold Cup. Iām pretty sure thatās how it will be.
"That was how it was on Thursday night when we were in the pub and I wasnāt at Kempton.
āI havenāt heard that anything has changed since then,ā he told Racing UK.
Meanwhile, Nicholls has confirmed that Denman will not run in this yearās John Smithās Grand National.
The nine-year-old had been installed by some bookmakers as favourite for the race, but it has now been decided that he will not feature.
Paul Nichollsā charge trailed home some 20 lengths or so behind Madison Du Berlais in the Levy Board Chase on Saturday and that loss has prompted his owners to focus their attentions on preparing him for the defence of his Gold Cup crown.
āI met with Paul Barber and Harry Findlay on Sunday night and we decided not to aim Denman at the National,ā Nicholls stated.
āI want to concentrate on getting him right for the Gold Cup. I phoned Phil Smith, the handicapper, on Sunday to let him know our intentions and to give him time to adjust the National weights.ā
The weights for the world-famous handicap at Aintree are set to be unveiled in London on Tuesday.
Just saw that race there on the TV. The chap on the 2nd horse didnāt look to busy.
Congrats to McCoy. Itās a pity he couldnāt fuckin do it on saturday
[quote=āFranā].
Congrats to McCoy. Itās a pity he couldnāt fuckin do it on saturday[/quote]
Thought it was fairly apt that he did it on a shitty day during the week in some mickey mouse raceā¦Unreal jockey, just seems to be able to get every last drop of effort out of average horses and it is this thats sets him apart from the other great jockeys, he is some competitor
Congrats to AP. Would be great to see him winning the National this year to cap the year off.
And the BBC sports personality of the year also;)
I salute McCoy, but itās a pity he sold out for the JP money that time, heās missed a hell of alot of big wins over it. Made for life though now but still he could have been catapulted into the stratosphere had he just ridden the best available.
[quote=āThe Pukeā]And the BBC sports personality of the year also;)
[/quote]
McCoy is Irish so hopefully he wins the RTE award later in the year.
They tend to recognise minority sports more than the BBCā¦sure didnt munster win some team award last year or the year before ?