With the Cheltenham Festival on the doorstep it seems the time of year for Horse Racing Bullshit and the various preview evenings have been absolutely full of it this year. Here a couple of my favourite examples: "Briar Hill will win whichever of the novice hurdles he goes for" - really? So 2 miles or 2 miles 5, or 3 miles - trip makes no difference to this fella does it? Well, he has won a Grade 1 (match race v. Azorian who has since been thrashed out of sight by Vautour and Faugheen ) and a Grade 2 (a 3 runner affair against Apache Jack (winner of 2 of his 9 races to date) and Very Wood (winner of 2 from 5)). Oh dear "Kings Palace won't win the Albert Bartlett because Tom Scudamore will get the fractions wrong". Pissed myself ****ing laughing at this one. Hello? Watch his victories at Cheltenham, he is jumping for fun at his own pace, at no stage of either race is Scudamore "dictating the fractions" - he is letting the horse bowl along in front. We don't need to over-complicate this - Kings Palace bounds off, jumps for fun, anyone who tries to go with him will get outjumped and annihilated and you can forget closing on him up the hill - this is a straight replay of Brindisi Breeze vs. Boston Bob. Any more bullshit out there that people have spotted? There might be a wee one around Regal Encore in the Imperial Cup - "dogs bollocks bumper horse" (what does that make New Years Eve) who is 20lbs well in - aye, get to **** So come on folks - what other bullshit are you smelling lately?
davy 'lump on duinguib' russell has to be worse out of them 'pundits'.my fav line is'this horse can only beat himself'
just found one there said at some preview last night-'Sean Quinn-'My Tent Or Yours-'Henderson has a swimming pool for his horses which will help the horse's injury scare'
Will be interesting, with Kings Palace's style and being ridden by Scudamore, you know exactly what he is, hes not going to improve enormously on what he has already shown but what he has already shown makes him the one to beat clearly. With Briar Hill there is almost certainly a massive improvement to come form wise on what he has already shown us. A bigger field, a strong gallop and real racing ground are going to allow him to show much more than he been able to in those "races" in Ireland, he obviously has a big engine but we wont find out how big until the race. Kings Palace might have the advantage in this race on running style, but whether he has the class of Briar Hill im not sure, he might steal it, he might even turn out to be the classier horse and at the prices now, he looks just about the value all things considered. Briar Hill does most of his work off the bridle so hes going to be strong up the hill, if he has the class they think he has then he should be good enough to be within striking distance and if he manages to get to Kings Palace at any sort of reasonable distance from the line there is only one winner. It might just come down to the run of the race and whos style it plays to more. Or one might just be better than the other. Looking forward to this one.
That bloke Roger at the Betfair preview evening was full of it as well Cyc I can only aspire to your standards Boris - the much-maligned "Potato race" has not only throw up some very, very smart animals in its short history, it is also (IMHO) a real good race to watch - novice hurdlers flying along at pace for 3 miles, you really get to see how jumping mistakes take their toll. It's a race I look forward to much more than, say, the Triumph
Best bullsh-ts of the Cheltenham week.. 1.Bookies laying 11/4 about a horse that's only won two races over two mile hurdles and none of them a Group One- and some posters actually telling us he's a good thing. You might say that's an 'old one.' In fact it's 'The f-cking New One.' 2. To cap it all, four horses at 4/1 or less at ANTE-POST for the Champion Hurdle!! Never before in history have you seen that. Who are those bookies kidding?? Put a bomb up their arse and back all your horses 'on the day.' 90% will be better value SP!
I went to a preview night in 2010 and they were all asked for their lay of the festival Alan King said "lay Sizing Europe for the arkle - he's an absolute bollocaks and will never win anything there" Oh how I laughed 2 weeks later. This year it has to be all the salivating over Annie Power. When Big Buck's cruises past her going to the last I'll laugh again.
No idea mate, but he was a complete twat. If I didn't know better I'd suggest he came from Greenford It also seemed to me than Nicholls had absolutely caned the free bar during the interval loved it when he asked the obnoxious Roger "How many winners have you ridden?"
Oddy. I take it Kings Palace is your banker! I think the critique of Scu jnr possibly relates to some of his riding at past Festivals,notably 2012. That year he rode several finishes from the top of the hill and seemed to be under the impression the old "lollypop" was located just after the turn in. The most notable of these rides was on Kazlian,who would have romped the Fred Winter with a moderately competent ride,and Ballygarry in the Coral Cup (think?)...truely awful horsemanship. His ride on Gevrey Chambertin at Ascot recently was similar..went for home far too early and stopped to nil after being upsides two out before being pulled up before the last.The horse was post race normal.Pilot error. Ergo,Scu jnr can be very hit and miss imo.
