Maybe I'm just losing interest in the sport in general. I used to be like a kid before Christmas a couple of weeks before Cheltenham but this year its like "hope Constitution Hill smashes the Champion Hurdle up" and that's about it. Probably won't even watch all races (depends how busy I am at work). I used to like the discussion on here too but it has just waned to nothing. I guess most are discussing elsewhere or just not interested.
Echoes my views, and it’s getting worse. Just look at the farce of racing this week and then the new whip bans.
Even worse the difficulty in placing a bet. I used to fly over to the UK and spend the week with my dad, we would place our bets at the local Ladbrokes and enjoy the racing on TV at home with a few beers. The Ladbrokes is gone and opening online accounts with affordability checks seems next to impossible. I might get a bet on a German bookmakers site I have found (with 10% tax on the stake) but who' knows I haven't really followed the whip issue but have seen many respected figures in racing questioning both the new legislation and the timing. I love the sight of the Champion Hurdle field jumping the hurdles low and slick; I love the Champion chasers jumping with breathtaking speed and accuracy; I love the Gold Cup finish up that punishing hill; I loved the sight of Brian O'Connell sitting motionless on Dunguib as he coasted past future Ascot Gold Cup winner Rite Of Passage and breezed clear to demolish the Champion Bumper field; Or McCoy on Unsinkable Boxer; Or Brian Cooper on Our Conor in the Triumph; Ruby on so many - Geraghty too. I just can't help feeling racing has changed too much and such scenes belong to the past and not to the future. I hope I am wrong, I really do.
I really fancy Marie's Rock for the Mares if she ends up running (most likely). 7/2 is fair enough as well, I think she will win it. Can see Honeysuckle being in the places and retried thereafter. Also in the Hunters Chase, Ferns Lock is a nice price at 5/1. His trainer also has current fave Vaucelet in the race but I think if both end up running that Ferns Lock won't be that price near post time. I've done a double on that pair.
I refuse to believe a horse is a cert for Cheltenham and they 'choose' not to run. Why would they do that? It's nonsense IMO .... the kind of thing you know you can say when a horse won't run.... Like, when I used to back Un De Sceaux NRNB for the QMCC, when he was going for the Ryanair.... "well if it rains, he's a good thing in heavy".... .and at least my point had logic behind it?
Can I ask what makes you feel this way? I'm not saying I disagree, I am not as excited this year as other years without a doubt.... but I think it's worth probing
Might end up with your stake back! Hope you're right with Marie's Rock, I'm reading Stayers is favoured for now
Yeah I had read that they are bullish enough about going to the Stayers aslo. Wouldn't be a bad idea with the allowance and it looks no more competitive than the Mares race really, which has Honeysuckle and the likes of Epatante so it could be much of a muchness and that allowance could help no end if they think she'll be even better when her stamina is drawn out.
Trainer believes that the horse is too young and that they have a horse to run in higher class races. The plan is going to Gowran and then maybe go to Aintree. He would only run at Cheltenham in case Vaucelet is unable to do so. Winged Leader is not going to run either. These are the plans at the moment, we know they can change from one day to the next.
I think horse racing in general is losing many of its passionate fans. It has become staid with NH racing becoming more and more dominated by the money men and 2 or 3 trainers in Ireland (I have no beef with the Irish btw, it just so happens they are the dominant force right now). British racing (and especially pattern races) is becoming increasingly frustrating with small, uncompetitive fields.
I continue to absolutely love Cheltenham. For me the month leading up to the event feels special. All the little bets since Christmas hoping for a win to boost the coffers. The next couple of weeks listening to the previews and trying to read the non verbals of the so called experts who try and be cagey on their choices and tips knowing well that they will have other information that they aren't going to share with us!! It all leads up to a crescendo of excitement and the roar when the Supreme tape goes up. I genuinely love reading the words of wisdom on this forum and whether it's personal views or whispers it offers us the chance to look at the horses put forward and we then make our own choice. The things that we can not control such as the weather and trainer decisions of which horse runs where add to the apprehension and excitement. Travelling down from Derbyshire on both Wednesday and Thursday this year and hoping to have enough for a meal on the journey home. Facile Vega to win that first race to set the festival off. Keep on posting your thoughts and hopes as this group is all part of the great commeraderie and love of the sport that we all enjoy.
His dam is a daughter of, the great mare, Refinement, which makes Letsbeclearaboutit very closely related to my old fave, Walking On Air. The family could have a couple of Cheltenham winners in the space of a few races - Pertemps Final & Albert Bartlett. The thing that just holds me back somewhat about Letsbeclearaboutit though is his age. At 8 he's somewhat old for a novice hurdler. Am also a fan of Stay Away Fay in this although you do have to wonder if he will turn up given the 6YOs relative inexperience - just 2 runs over hurdles.
Off almost two years and only nine races, this is the first year he has been racing regularly. Something to find with FDC and HL, but it's a race that the favourites don't usually win.
What ruins Cheltenham for myself and why i dont back any till the day you havnt a clue in some races where the horse is running in which race .So if you bet antipost you could end up losing your hard earned money . The irish are the worse
Oddy, you were just unlucky to be born in the wrong decade. Both Flat and NH Racing in the sixties was the crème de la crème. It’s deteriorated progressively in every decade since- a bit like government and the way of life.
Can you bottle that enthusiasm and send me a truck load? Most on here know that I am a massive fan of Cheltenham and attend every meeting as I am fortunately quite close to the course. Yet I feel really down about the racing this season, and that might be down to personal experiences with our horse, but I don't think it is just that. We now have a festival that is overly expensive, relatively uncompetitive and we are not seeing the development of much ability within the sport, both equine and human. UK racing for me is at an all time low, we barely have any up and coming trainers or jockeys, barring perhaps Harry Derham. We also have the same picture with the equine stars, we simply do not have them coming through, bar the select few at Nicky Henderson's yard. I truly hope we see something special with Constitution Hill, because UK racing certainly needs that true generational superstar. I dislike the endless commentary that runs up to the festival, especially when the racing is pretty mundane, it has hardly got anything that we haven't already seen at the Dublin Racing Festival. I mean, what races in the week are truly worth listening to discussions about? I struggle to think of one race that truly has talking points that are worth hearing about. The handicaps are just handicaps, the novice races look to be dominated by the Irish super yards, and the championship races look pretty mundane, bar Constitution Hill and possibly Gallopin Des Champs. I am looking forward to the festival, but in hope of something to cheer, rather than expectation, which is something very odd for me. My other issue is the rise of Non Runner No Bet antepost betting. It has killed antepost betting, and it makes the build up even more pointless, prices are probably going to be more competitive on the day than they are now, and every time one of the "pundits" tips up a horse or even mentions it, the odds shorten a point. I mean Rouge Vif has gone from 25/1 to 16/1!!! Rouge bloody Vif.
Yes, there has to be a case for saying punting-wise the Albert Bartlett is the most difficult of the entire Festival - 8 out of the last 9 winners were returned at double figure prices (including two at 33/1 and a 50/1 shot).
Some interesting points made regarding the appeal of THE festival. My last attendance was the super spreader festival of 2020. Up to that point had not missed one for over 20 years. I’m just not arsed with it these days. Too much to get in (Club enclosure plus Pipe tent = £150) and the additions to the card have just diluted fields. The Mares Hurdle looks like being a good example this year where at least 3 champion hurdle contenders (and 2 former champions) have opted out. From my perspective there are 3 blue riband races at the festival (CH, CC and GC). The rest are just fillers. If I owned any of those 3 mares they’d be running in the champion hurdle.
