Dodging Bullets was greener than Kermit's middle finger on debut and although the obvious parallels are being drawn to Zarkandar it has to be said that animal looked far more the finished article in the Adonis last term. I'd be very surprised if Dodging Bullets gets near the principals in this.
DB did look good at Kempton considering he was pulled hard and was very fresh on his first run since last summer.He must improve for that outing. He seemed to see out the race well enough there but on breeding there must be a question about a fast run 2m1f in the Triumph being ideal.Liverpool,on the other hand,would look tailor made for him leaving the stable to be represented by Pearl Swan at Cheltenham. I would say good ground would be a prerequisite for him at the festival. What does everyone think?...will he stay? I don't know tbh and confess to being totally clueless about the Triumph.
I feel much the same to be honest, and that was why I was interested in him. He's a slightly left of field selection but Mr Segal has seen to the price now which is a shame. If Nicholls thinks he is ready to take his chance then he would have been worth a little support at 25/1. I'm not convinced at 14s though.
I have backed an unusual one in the Bumper, doesn't hit any trends but I backed him on debut and he was given a ride to educate behind 2 good uns! I was very surprised they did not pull the jockey in for a wee chat! Horatio Hornblower is the horse and Nick Williams the trainer Nice EW bet at 20s (got 25s after missing the 33s!!)
Decided with the market speaking so loudly (just like with Peddlers Cross) I'd take the chance with Hills on Boston Bob at 9-2 for the Albert Bartlett. Glad I did as they've now trimmed him to 3s (which is still best price available) so I'm more than happy with my 9-2 on Boston Bob for this race. Just need to hear confirmation from Willie on this then watch him scoot home to collect! I've always been of the opinion stamina is his forte and for that reason I'd near have him banker material in this, bearing in mind how highly Willie rates him... I have also hit the trends with this one as far as I can tell, though I'm not sure how relevant having the word 'Bob' in their name enhances a horse's claims in the Albert Bartlett but it certainly done Bob's Worth no harm last year
i mentioned a week or so ago the yard was sweet on steps to freedom-my friend was speaking to the owner and they reckon it's a 'good thing'-he told me to back citizenship a few weeks back at leps and that came in so i have no reason to doubt him-i reckon there will be serious money coming in for this over the next few days so i will be on it e/w whilst the price lasts
Ste - Steps to Freedom - there's been a word going round for a long time that they think he's potentially the best they've had and almost certainly the best they've had at this stage of his career. That's a big shout considering the ammunition Jessie's had in the past. Beefy - can't agree more re: Boston Bob being a banker. His kick is exceptional for a middle distance horse though. Chasing should be his game so whatever he does this Cheltenham is a huge bonus. That mix of stamina and speed at the end of 2.5mile of galloping is a serious combination. The double would pay handsomely for a few quid fun bet.
The vibes seem to be good for Steps To Freedom and it could be argued this years Supreme is a little weaker than other years. However,he must have decent ground.That caveat would preclude me from having an antepost wager,in case it came up soft,and the form of his last win is also a little sketchy imo. He is clearly thought to be better than that bare form. The trend boffins will dismiss him due to lack of a recent run,but Jesse Harrington won the Champion Bumper with Cork All Star after an almost identical layoff. Very open race and not sure which way I'll go with so many issues cuurently unresolved to my mind.
Seriously- there is a ****ing MASSIVE market plunge going down on Al Ferof at the moment. 3.65 on the exchanges and a shedload of money being exchanged. Are they taking on Sprinter?! That's amost 5/2!
Interesting stuff Toppy ...................... he's been my strong fancy for a while now, I still remember vividly how he flew up the hill last year
Toppy,he's best priced 11/4 with the conventional layers and as short as 9/4 with PP. There appears to be a deal of confidence behind him or is the market still settling from the withdrawal of PC?
11/4 top price is astounding - I've heard people saying Sprinter Sacre is the next Arkle and will be unbeaten for 5 years. I could understand them shortening everything after Peddlers defected to the Jewson but this looks like a serious plunge. Serious question, what price will they be forced to push SS out to if AF is 5/2 ? 10/11 then 5/2 isn't right....
Anyone seen the Bet365 prices? Sprinter Sacre 8/11 Al Ferof 5/2 Peddlers Cross 3/1 Cue Card 5/1 Menorah 8/1 14s bar Even without the others in the field that's a book of around 130%, not sure I've ever seen a market like that for a competitive race at a major meeting, nothing short of disgraceful...
The prices have got to ease. I suspect the best time to back them might be the morning of the race, when the bookies start competing. As it is, they're just shutting up shop until the day.
Agreed Zen. If you look at alot of the markets there doesnt seem to be any value around at all. Stingey across the board.
The Cheltenham Gold Cup rumour mill went into overdrive on Monday night and Tuesday morning as reigning champion Long Run was eased in the betting for the feature. Less than one week after Kauto Star was reportedly 50/50 for the race after a heavy fall when schooling, Long Run has now drifted on the exchanges, hitting over 3.5 (5/2) before settling at 3.1 on Betfair. Nicky Henderson was quick to deny there was anything wrong with Long Run but Sky Sports News claimed on Tuesday morning there were "unsubstantiated rumours" surrounding the market leader. Racing fans were left hoping that nothing had gone amiss with Nicky Henderson’s stable star and the trainer was quick to explain: "The horse is going out to work now. I heard last night that he was drifting. Unless someone's been in there in the middle of the night and hit him with a hammer then I don't know why. It is most annoying because it's the last thing you need. All that worries you. Nothing has happened." Long Run has now settled at 6/4 from even money with Ladbrokes and the firm’s spokesman explained to Cheltenhamfestival.net: "Yesterday we noticed the horse had begun to drift onthe exchanges and that prompted some elevated business for horses beyond the front two. Given we were going into the late night we thought the prudent thing to do would be to take a breather and see whether the story developed. "It didn't and therefore we have decided to go back up with the market with Long Run slightly pushed out to 6-4 from evens. It was entirely precautionary." In other Gold Cup news, Grand Crus drifted to an alarming 8.00 (7/1) for the RSA Chase on Monday evening which would suggest that the Pipe yard are looking to run the ultra-talented chaser against Long Run and his older rivals. Grand Crus is currently available to back at 11/2 for the Gold Cup, non-runner no bet with bet365.
Chaps i have around 12 preview nights saved from diff sources-If anyone would like me to send them onto them fell free to let me know-Most then are usual waffle but if you can get one decent snippet of info from each one then it's worthwhile reading them i reckon
