Thistlecrack out of Gold Cup

THE Cheltenham Festival lost arguably its biggest star on Tuesday morning as Thistlecrack, the 7-4 favourite for the Timico Gold Cup, was ruled out for the rest of the season with a tendon injury.
Last year’s Stayers’ Hurdle winner was deemed not quite right by trainer Colin Tizzard at evening stables on Monday and a scan on Tuesday confirmed his worst fears.
“He is out of the Gold Cup and won’t run again this season,” said Tizzard. He had heat in his leg last night. The vet scanned him this morning and it's a slight tendon tear.”
Though still a novice over fences Thistlecrack took the senior chasing division by the scruff of the neck when routing his field in the King George at Kempton over Christmas, before suffering his first defeat of the season when going down narrowly to Many Clouds in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham at the end of last month.
Stablemate Native River has replaced Thistlecrack as a best-priced 3-1 market leader for chasing’s most important prize, with another Tizzard charge, Cue Card, no bigger than 4-1.

 

Is there money back for anti post bets?

 

Cyc, you'll only get your money back if you placed the bet when the "non runner, no bet" offer came into action. If you placed your bet on Thistlecrack ante post before this, you will lose your money. The dangers of ante post betting eh?
Learned my lesson a long time ago with that nonsense!!
Hope you were on NRNB.

 

Oh FFS. How unfortunate is that.

 

Could be a blessing in disguise, provided the injury is nothing serious. Running novices in championship races probably isn't the ideal recipe for long term success.

 

Cue Cards gold cup now easy

Do I get rule 4 on my 12/1 and 7/1 ante-post bets?

 

Because of his age not a typical novice though, old boy. Thistlecrack will be a 10YO come March ’18 and recent trends indicate that these days horses of that age (and older) just don’t win CGCs – no wins since 1998.

Thistlecrack may have missed his best opportunity to oblige in a CGC, methinks.

 

Ah, okay, hadn't really considered that. I suppose that's why his wise old trainer was committed to running him this year.

Still hope he can come back and do it next year though. How old was Best Mate when he won his 3rd GC? Or Kauto Star when he won his 2nd?

 

Thisltecrack
Coneygree
Don Cossack
Valseur Lido
Vautour
Many Clouds
Killtuagh Vic

Some race that would have been.

 

To contradict my above post somewhat am intrigued by what they will do tactically with Smad Palace now (also a 10YO). He’s confirmed, if sound, for the race (although I always get the impression Alan King would love to go for the Ryanair. He deffo wanted to go down that route last year but the owner said no – she also won’t have him entered for the Grand National).

You could say he’s vulnerable if sent out in front and vulnerable if ridden from both mid division and the rear but because of the, in the main, lack of class, among the opposition, this time around could he bully the opposition, into total submission, like he did in the ’15 Hennessy?!?

Smad Place has a poor record in Grade 1's (0/11) but a huge positive is that he has been placed at the Festival on 3 occasions – all at the highest level. Plus, he hasn’t got much to find with the current fave, Native River, on their Hennessy form – Native won by 9.75 lengths but Smad was giving him 11 lbs. If everything falls into place for him you would imagine he could outrun odds of 66/1. There are, at any case, certainly worse horses than him currently quoted at that figure.

 

Both 9YOs.

 

the festival has now lost so many of its big stars this year I haven got my usual enthusiasm for it I'm afraid.

 

It's ante-post so of course not, your terms remain the same!

 

Rubbish

 

Twat.

 

Hahahaha

 

* Is Archers talking rubbish ?
* Is Nass a twat ?

11/10 yes/yes
2/1 no/yes
4/1 yes/no
33/1 no/no

Note that I've taken out a very reasonable overround of 4% here, since I regard it as a matter of public interest.
Result to be settled by the verdict, posted on this thread, of The High Sparrow (Stick).

 

Yes/yes

How can a horse being injured be a blessing in disguise? The horse is injured for crying out loud!!!

 

Whilst not wishing to ruin the betting market on this the second part is surely a yes lol