"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill." -- Muhammad Ali The day we've all waited for gents. 1.30 Supreme Novices Steps To Freedom. Form of last win has not worked out well but I am a believer that this horse is a potential top notcher. 7/1 2.05 Arkle Sprinter Sacre - I've been against him all season but I think Al Ferof wants 3miles and the rest aren't good enough. If there had been 8 I'd be on Blackstairmountain each way. 3.20 Champion Hurdle Hurricane Fly - Need I say more? Zaidpour each way at 16's in the w/o the Fly market. 4.40 Mares Hurdle - Quevega - Need I say more? 5.15 Pulteney Novices Handicap Chase - Triolo D'Alene - Very positive vibes coming from the stable. Fits enough of the trends and will have the expert hands of Barry Geraghty stoking him up. An open race but 7/1 each way is very appealing. Don't go broke on day one lads. Let's go to war!
Good luck all Overturn for me EW and without the Fly Al Ferof in the PP bet Stay Frosty Fingers Crossed
Fancy Trifolium and Allure of Illusion in the Supreme. Very happy with the two jockey bookings with Davy Russell choosing Trifolium over Midnight Game and Davy Condon, who was on board Ebizayan when winning at 40/1 back in 2007 for Mullins, on Allure of Illusion and I'm confident both will run very good races. I've done a long preview for this race which was posted earlier on the forum and as opposed to taking up a large part of the thread with it it can be found here if anyone wants to read it. http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/129817-Supreme-Novices-Preview
My chances of winning the Supreme are rankly laughable. I've had a good chuckle today- I backed Simenon at around 60s on the exchanges some time after he got smashed by Trifolium. He's available at 140s on Betfair with a guranteed run! If you didn't laugh you'd cry! Just had a chat with my brother about the Supreme and I bet we've just picked 12 horses between us.
I made it to Birmingham, here's my 6 for glory (not in the x-country): Tetlami Al Ferof Hold On Julio Hurricane Fly Quevega Bless The Wings yippppeeeeeeeeeee
The Cheltenham Preview show on ATR was very interesting on ATR tonight. Asking two professional gamblers what their best bet of Cheltenham is must go down as a total waste of time though.
1.30 A very competitive race to start the day as you would expect and good cases can be made for several. It’s a race that has served the Irish well in the past and I like Galileos Choice of their entrants. It does seem though that I like him more than his handler as he seems to be of the view that he is a bit too inexperienced. Steps To Freedom is another raider with plenty going for him but the fact that he and Prospect Wells are very close on form is offputting as I don’t rate that ones chances. Darlan is an obvious favourite as he was running a fine race when falling in Zarkandar’s Newbury race. Cinders And Ashes has progressed nicely over hurdles but his piece of Festival form is hardly encouraging. Many with chances but the horse that I think could have the most scope is MONTBAZON. His demolition of Vulcanite on his latest run showed what an upward curve he is on. The yard have hit a purple patch just at the right time and hopefully he can kick the Brits off with a winner. 2.05 A small but select field and little between most of them. However SPRINTER SACRE has looked in a different league since taking to fences. His defeat of some much more experienced rivals at Newbury was sublime. His Festival defeat last year is my only nagging doubt but I am confident he can erase that memory tomorrow. 2.40 I know that Zarrafakt and Fruity O’Rooney are fancied by connections and will both run well. The favourite Hold On Julio could be anything but he could equally be flattered by his Sandown form. My biggest worry is that he has missed his prep. Nearer the bottom of the handicap is BAILE ANRAI who went into my notebook when falling at Ascot behind Invictus. He was going particularly well that day and that form stands out here in my opinion. Provided his jumping doesn’t let him down again I think he could be a very tasty bet at 14-1. 3.20 Is this simple. HURRICANE FLY is the best 2m hurdler in training by a street. He will not get beaten. This from a man who has 20-1 about Zarkandar! 4.00 If only the January race had reached a satisfactory conclusion we would have a better idea on the form of several of these. Wedger Pardy was in front that day and I think he was still going well enough to hold on. Of those in behind my old favourite A NEW STORY was going as well as any. I had him at 40-1 when he took this a couple of years ago and he is still spritely enough to go very close off his current mark again. He has race form of 3413 which is pretty exceptional. 4.40 Its all about QUEVEGA and hopefully many satchels will be emptied on the opening day good thing treble. In opposition there are two mares very close to my heart in Kentford Grey Lady and Swincombe Flame, if either win I will be a very happy man but head over heart means it simply has to be the Irish mare. 5.15 The fact is that TRIOLO D’ALENE has not run for 52 days purely to protect his handicap mark for this race. I am that confident that Henderson knows exactly what he has in hand that I have not even bothered looking at most of the others. Hunt Ball is an absolute credit to his connections and his Kempton performance suggested the handicapper hasn’t got his number yet but giving seven pounds to Henderson’s youngster will surely prove too much.
We'd never have been up for Cheltenham if we'd have ended up in some of the bars down there. Guiness and conversation about horse racing a-plenty and bam, before you know its 6am and you're KOd until the afternoon Decent game so far mate! You headin to Chelts from Birmingham on the train tomorrow then mate?
Supreme - Cinders And Ashes Arkle -Menorah (yes I know, I know - old habits and all that) Champion hurdle - the one the only Bino... nah Hurricane Fly X country - Double Dizzy (e/w) Mares - Violin Davis each way Good luck everyone.
Midnight Game Al Ferof Magnanimity Hurricane Fly Uncle Junior Kentford Grey Lady Battle Group Views on blog
Can you imagine the carnage if Quevega, Hurricane Fly and Sprinter Sacre all lost tomorrow? I'm not going to bullshit. I'd have to stop betting in the festival.
Stick - what does the yard really thinnk of KGL? Are they thinking she's got 10+ pounds left to improve for racing against better opposition?
Hi all. Going to Cheltenham on wednesday in the club enclosure. Never been before....was just wondering if anyone had been in this enclosure before and what the dress code is. Could i get away with jeans and a shirt or is it a full suit n tie job?
I hate Stan Collymore's attitude. He lives in a dream world where he was a deadly striker and was a dominant player in the 90's, which, coincidentally, he seems to think was a golden age for football.
Quel; As I have told anyone that would listen from Day One they love this mare. She is still inexperienced and still improving. They were very dissapointed that they didnt beat Violin Davis at Ascot but they think Cheltenham's stiff finish will suit her down to the ground. They dont tilt at windmills Quel and she certainly isnt here to make up the numbers.
