Charles Byrnes has a nice problem - what to do with Arnaud if Trifolium goes in the Arkle. Both have form at the track
Arnauds loss at weekend surely decides that no?
Just going through some of last yearās races. Is there a better handicapped horse in the UK or Ireland than Edeymi for Tony Martin, surely a right bet for whatever race he turns up for, presumably the conditionals handicap?
Donāt agree. Heās beaten nothing and has never been taken on. If he was that good Willie wouldnāt be entering him in shite races where he knows heāll scare everyone off.
Still has to find a slot for him, could be kept nice and fresh for half-decent ground at Punchestown
What do you expect Willie to do? Enter him in the Irish Champion and defeat Hurricane Fly? Heās got a situation where he has the greatest hurdler of all time going for his 3rd Champion Hurdle and his 20th Grade 1 in March, itās an absolute fairytale, thatās why Annie Power will not run and instead contest the stayers and thatās why he is resisting the temptation of running UDS in top company. Heās only 6 and he could well skip this year and win the next two champions. The yard know he can mix it at the top level.
Personally I think UDS is very ground dependent. I also think that a horse that runs that free cant win a genuine Grade 1 race, especially the Champion Hurdle. You need to be able to get the fractions bang on to win a CH as a frontrunner and a horse that runs free wont allow his pilot to do that.
He can set a relentless gallop but I suspect there is no change of gear at the end. If UDS ran in a Champion Hurdle it would play to the strengths of TNO, MTOY and OC. These three have an unbelievably high cruising speed and would relish the pace UDS would set.
UDS wont be seen to his best until he goes over fences IMHO. They may be the making of him.
That has nothing to do with my post. Any number of decent graded hurdles he could have run in rather than the egg and spoon races heās won.
I tend to agree with fp logic re not running him this year , it would really play to the strength of the other principles . TTK if you know Annie power is going for the 3m ill take a pm 
No thereās not, if Willie enters him in better races then he has no option but to go for the Champion, by running him in the races he has, he leaves an element of doubt in peoples minds. You can be sure heās filling Eamon OāConnell with bullshit like, heāll be better next year, heās too young for top company yet etc.
Fenway - Iād agree in part that the others would love a gallop, but a gallop of something that will stop. This fellow is a freak. He sets serious fractions and can keep that gallop up, he has plenty of gears also. For the fear of sounding pathetic here he reminds me of a NH version of Frankel. He also needs better ground to be seen to maximum effect heāll be a far better horse at Cheltenham than anywhere else.
Arnaud was pretty leg less at the end of that race sat . The other lad was a very unlucky supreme 2nd 2 years ago
Re going over fences and seeing the best of them - thatās Annie power for me, I think UDS is agile enough for the sticks and he goes so quick he stays low over them
Ricci wants her to go for the Champion and then the Gold Cup but Willie and Ruby are adamant that she goes for the World Hurdle and thereās only one pair of winners in that argument! Boston Bob running so badly will make them even more keen to have her for the stayers and her run at Doncaster over 2m should not be read in to as they wanted another outing for her. Unless Hurricane Fly misses the festival, sheāll line up on the Thursday.
We had this conversation last yearā¦itāll be the longest wait in history if heās stopped him for this lengthā¦gnd didnāt suit last year I guess
[quote=āThe Tipping King, post: 893865, member: 681ā]No thereās not, if Willie enters him in better races then he has no option but to go for the Champion, by running him in the races he has, he leaves an element of doubt in peoples minds. You can be sure heās filling Eamon OāConnell with bullshit like, heāll be better next year, heās too young for top company yet etc.
Fenway - Iād agree in part that the others would love a gallop, but a gallop of something that will stop. This fellow is a freak. He sets serious fractions and can keep that gallop up, he has plenty of gears also. For the fear of sounding pathetic here he reminds me of a NH version of Frankel. He also needs better ground to be seen to maximum effect heāll be a far better horse at Cheltenham than anywhere else.[/quote]
TTK,
There is no evidence at this point in time that UDS will be better at Cheltenham (all runs have been righthanded bar last) and that he will be more effective on a decent surface.
Yeah heās been very quiet, maybe doesnāt want to ruin his mark? A spin around Dundalk before a crack at the festival under Shane Shortall or something?
[quote=āfenwaypark, post: 893875, member: 276ā]TTK,
There is no evidence at this point in time that UDS will be better at Cheltenham (all runs have been righthanded bar last) and that he will be more effective on a decent surface.[/quote]
Yes I realise the first point there, a lot is taken on faith with the track but I believe heās a creep of a racehorse. Mullins has stated heās better on better ground as have his former French connections.
Fingal bay reappears sat
[quote=āThe Tipping King, post: 893865, member: 681ā]No thereās not, if Willie enters him in better races then he has no option but to go for the Champion, by running him in the races he has, he leaves an element of doubt in peoples minds. You can be sure heās filling Eamon OāConnell with bullshit like, heāll be better next year, heās too young for top company yet etc.
Fenway - Iād agree in part that the others would love a gallop, but a gallop of something that will stop. This fellow is a freak. He sets serious fractions and can keep that gallop up, he has plenty of gears also. For the fear of sounding pathetic here he reminds me of a NH version of Frankel. He also needs better ground to be seen to maximum effect heāll be a far better horse at Cheltenham than anywhere else.[/quote]
Can you give some further details on these serious fractions please?
As visually impressive as UDS is and all that, would be some achievement to win a CH from a point where 6 weeks before the race the two highest rated horses he has beaten are Waheeb and Foildubh.
Neither of whom has a CH entry.
All potential at the minute and I wouldnāt be backing him, but nothing would surprise me with Mullins.