Under The Spotlight: 'Episode 6': Master Minded | Horse Racing

Another fine article


I hope MM can run a big race. Well first and foremost I hope he runs a good race, jumping and travelling well so we can assess him properly. I'm sure he will as this has always been his target. I think he can stay, whoever rides will hopefully send him to the front 4-5f out and then really test the rest of the field. That said, in my head I can see Long Run staying on past him to the line - and maybe one or two others as well. I really hope something emerges from this race, be it MM or Capt. Chris ect because, imho, Long Run has already proven this season he has most of the GC contenders well held LTO depsite probably not being entirely fit! For my money we could see the same 3 first home for the GC again this year which, emotional as it is to see KS and Denman in with a chance 2 out (and I'd love to see that again!) is a worry because these two will not be around for much longer. Ergo, if we can throw MM or maybe another, younger pretender such as Capt.Chris then all the better but even if MM does stay here the GC is further still anyway so the debate will continue to rage. .

 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I firmly believe that Master Minded’s victory in the 2008 Champion Chase was the best performance that I have ever seen in the old NH sphere. It was simply awesome the way that he jumped, travelled and then quickened that day. Took the old Chuckle breath away I must admit. Meanwhile, the fact that Master Minded is still at the ‘top table’ almost 4 years later is huge testament to the training skills of Mr Nicholls.

I do though really worry about them running him in the old King George VI on St Stephen’s Day as to me the horse is just not a 3 miler and to ask him to be so at such an advanced stage in his career could be a big mistake. I still maintain that the race ruined by old fave Azertyioup and hope history won’t do the same with Master Minded. If Master Minded was mine I’d campaign him thus for the rest of the term – Game Spirit, Ryanair Chase (although I still think connections will run Kauto Star in this race) and then the 2 and a half miler at Aintree.

Meanwhile, how can anyone critise Long Run. He’s only 6 years old and has already won vintage renewals of both the King George VI and CGC. He has been superbly handled by Mr Henderson and I would expect him to be so for several seasons to come. I certainly wouldn’t want to wager against Long Run winning both races again this term as (a) he has improved and (b) his opposition seems to have deteriorated. On both St Stephen’s Day and in March 2012 I can only envisage the forum once more cheering Long Run and Mr Henderson into the winner’s enclosure.

 

And ever since he won the race in 2003, the idea that the King George suits 2 milers has gathered momentum. It's a myth imo, and it's worth recalling that Henrietta Knight's charge went off at 25/1 that day, in a racev that historically favours favourites.

3m round Kempton takes plenty of getting imo.

 

I dont think Master Minded will sta, for the sentiment i would love a Kauto Star victory but at this time i still think Long Run is the horse to be with and i'm sure i will still think this on the day. I will, however, be cheering on Kauto Star.

On another note, Barney, why on earth do you think Kauto Star will be aimed at the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham. This is the most lunatical comment i have seen on a racing forum for ages, what possible reason could you have to form that idea? Complete lunacy in my opinion.

 

Excellent article as ever TopClass.

I think this seasons renewal of the King George has the potential to be an excellent race, and also a worrying chance of going the other way entirely. At the moment if Long Run, Kauto Star, Master Minded and Captain Chris turn up then it will be a good deal better than many previous renewals. Equally well, both Kauto Star and Captain Chris are doubts to a certain extent. Their absence would detract from the race greatly. For the sakes of optimism I will assume that all the main protagonists will take their chance.

The King George is not an easy 3m and in fact often turns into a war of attrition. The winner is often the last horse standing because of the frenetic pace right from the off. It might not be the punishing stamina test that is the Gold Cup, but the ability to stay the trip is of paramount importance.

I have always been of the opinion that Master Minded is not a staying chaser in the making. My feeling is that, because Kauto Star was supposedly on the downgrade, and Master Minded could no longer win a Champion Chase, Nicholls felt that there was little to be lost by training Master Minded for the King George. If he actually thought that he was a potential stayer then I'm sure he would have taken this route earlier. People say that he was kept apart from Kauto but the fact is that he has always been a specialist 2m who doesn't stay any further, but all of a sudden after winning the Melling Chase round a sharp 2m4f he is a King George contender. The long and short of it is that he is no longer competitive in the Champion Chase, there are few top class opportunities around 2m4f so there is little to be lost by having a crack at the King George, especially when the stable had no other serious contender (before Kauto announced his return in the Betfair).

Whilst Nicholls is obviously bullish about Master Minded's prospects of staying the trip and fail to see the evidence to support the theory. To my eye he has looked to be approaching his limit in his runs over further than 2m. The possible exception is the Melling Chase at Aintree this year. However, his win at Ascot this season was a prime example. He took up the running easy enough and put distance between himself and Somersby, and yet it is apparent that his stride is shortening at the line as Somersby closes despite not being ridden out. He looked very much like a fast run 3m will be beyond him. Even in the same race 12 months ago when he won by 16 lengths after the horrendous fall of Albertas Run he looked to be running on fumes. There is no doubt that his ability to travel and jump will stand him in good stead but I cannot have him staying a truly run 3m at all.

If I were Ruby there is absolutely no doubt that I would choose Kauto Star over Master Minded in the King George. Kauto Star will stay, he loves the track and the nature of the race. I really believe that if he can reproduce his Betfair form (which I think is a little underrated because the race was rated through Weird Al who was ridden to place) then he can win, or at least go very close indeed. I would be disappointed if he wasn't in front of his stablemate on the day.

The favourite, and a worthy one after a King George and Gold Cup double at 6, is Long Run but ever since his Gold Cup victory I have thought him worth taking on in the King George. He won a pretty weak renewal of the King George last year, with Riverside Theatre (still somewhat unproven) in 2nd and a substantially below par Kauto Star still able to finish 3rd, albeit well adrift of the winner. In the Gold Cup he looked very much the out and out stayer, and was outpaced at the top of the hill before staying on powerfully up the straight. This led me to conclude that he would be vulnerable in the King George with a greater emphasis on speed. This view appeared confirmed in the Betfair Chase where he looked tapped for toe down the back straight before staying on to take second up the home straight. Furthermore his tendency towards jumping errors may prove very costly indeed. It is not so much the errors themselves but the fact that he doesn't have the necessary pace to get himself back into the race afterwards. There are a lot of pacy horses in the race this year (Master Minded, Kauto Star and Captain Chris) and I fancy that he might find the going tough when the pace quickens. You can be guaranteed that he will be staying on at the death but will it be enough to catch the pacier types?

I'm not sure there is a great deal that can be said about King Kauto. This is his race and if he is in as good a form as he was for the Betfair then I think he will take all the beating. He was so obviously below par last season that it was remarkable he managed to finish 3rd.

The one that I have been interested in for the King George is Captain Chris. I must admit that his preparation has slightly tempered my enthusiasm. In contrast to Master Minded, Captain Chris has always looked like a staying chaser running over 2m. He was readily outpaced in the Arkle but stayed on best of all for a comfortable victory. I think it is testament to his ability that he was able to win at all. I know Wishfull Thinking has done little this season but he was rated 164 last year and the Hobbs team are confident that Captain Chris is significantly better. I have heard that he is stones better on the gallops. If he turns up on the day then I think he is a stonking EW bet. My one concern with him is his preparation. I think he is a horse who would benefit from a recent run so going to the King George without a prep is hardly ideal. However, he has plenty of pace, has an excellent record at the track and I would be pretty confident that he will stay. If he puts it together on the day then I think he can really shake up the market leaders. He is currently rated 164 and I am confident that there is at least a stone of improvement in him. We haven't seen anything like the best of this horse yet and he would be my selection EW if he runs. I have already backed him at 9/1 just after the Haldon Gold Cup. He was going to win that day despite the inadequate trip and a very poor ride from Richard Johnson. He was really motoring between the last two and that will stand him in good stead at Kempton.

So to conclude:

Long Run - Worthy favourite but might be worth taking on a shortish price.
Kauto Star - Huge chance if he runs to his Betfair form.
Master Minded - Won't stay for me.
Captain Chris - Big shout if he runs but preparation is a concern.

 

King Shergy we'll agree to disagree over the superiority of Long Run and Kauto Star I think for the sake of the thread! All I'll say is I'd take the big horse (KS) until Long Run rewrites the history books Kauto has written for himself which I think is a very long shot.

Whilst I take onboard the scepticism off Master Minded staying 3 miles, (I agree it's no certainty he will) I have a very strong feeling he will. Call it a hunch guys but I do look forward to saying I told you so come Boxing Day I also like Captain Chris but as stated above his prep looks a bit dodgy now. I'd love to see Kauto Star do it and it's not impossible but as in the Betfair I'll let him run without the burden of my money on his back!

 

Wishfull Thinking and Kauto Stone were among half a dozen defectors from the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Fifteen now remain in the Christmas feature, with the sponsors quoting the reigning champion Long Run as 6-4 favourite.

Nicky Henderson's gelding is joined by the likes of Paul Nicholls' four-time winner Kauto Star and his stablemate Master Minded.

Nicholls is likely to give Kauto Stone more time to recover after his second-placed finish in last weekend's Tingle Creek, while Wishfull Thinking is under a cloud after he weakened dramatically to finish a distant fifth in the two-mile contest.

His trainer Philip Hobbs still has the smart Captain Chris in the field, while the others to drop out were Midnight Chase, Quinz, Roberto Goldback and Wayward Prince.

http://www.attheraces.com/article.a...frame&ref=atrPA Racing Feed&nav=&sub=&day=Tue

 

That was certainly my impression at Haydock, though I must stress I thought he would benefit from the run enormously. (Taking nothing away from Kauto though, to beat him and some other young pretenders at his age was simply outstanding.)

He is certainly bigger and he was far less nimble at his fences than he was in the GC and KG last season. In saying that, he was there with Kauto at the last despite errors and clearly has that great engine. If he jumps cleanly at Kempton he'll be hard to beat. I just suspect a brilliant performance will come from somewhere which means it will not be the easy victory that some might think.


I hope Nicholls knows exactly how Kauto is before deciding to run. He needs to be firing on all cylinders.


As I said earlier in the thread, this is the acid test for Long Run for this season- if he strips fitter and jumps with accuracy, he will have no excuses so hopefully we'll just have a cracking race.

 

Here's another interesting take to consider from last season regarding the King George:

Arkle winner Captain Chris could join Menorah at Punchestown and Hobbs said: "I'm struggling a little bit because he'd rather go right-handed, though he went left-handed at Cheltenham.

"We're probably going to have to wait for Punchestown. There's a valuable two mile chase there, though I'd rather go two miles four furlongs."



Hobbs feels the King's Theatre gelding's long-term targets will be stamina rather than speed contests. "We'd be hoping the Gold Cup would be more likely [than the Champion Chase]. The King George would suit him, because that's right-handed andhe's run well at Kempton.

"I don't think we'd go straight to three and a quarter miles so would not be thinking of the Hennessy Gold Cup, but he could run in it."


He was unlucky on reappearance- is there any news on his fitness, is everything sound as far as we know?

He'd have a good chance of making the frame for me.

 

I would be very bullish about his chances had his preparation been slightly smoother. He has a bit to find on the bare form but to me there is every chance that he can bridge the gap with the step up in trip seemingly sure to suit. He has always been regarded as a staying chaser in the making and think he will be a threat to all if he turns up on the day in good form.

I think the latest on his fitness is that he has had a 'cold' but is still expected to make the line-up.

I have already backed him at 9/1 but would be disinclined to get involved at the moment given the doubt surrounding his participation. Really hope he is there because I think he has an outstanding chance of being in the shake-up.

 

I'd really like Captain Chris too if I was more confident on his well being. Wishfull Thinking's two runs this year haven't enhanced my opinion on that much either. Are all Hobbs big guns firing? Menorah will be interesting to watch on Saturday.

 

I think the Wishfull Thinking 'problem' is a separate issue. If Hobbs' horses are under a cloud then Fingal Bay must be one hell of an animal!

 

He will be one hell of an animal- Hobbs predicts big things for this young horse!

 

Captain Chris will be intresting to watch, but I think Kauto and Long Run if firing on all cylinders! will have to much for him and MM

 

Master Minded's form noq called into question after Somersby disappointed today.


His tongue was lolling out all over the place though and he seemed to be a little outpaced before staying on way too late. I wonder if a tongue tie would improve him.



You might think I'm mad but provided they keep him in the King George, I think Somersby will run a good race.


But back on topic- where does this leave Master Minded and what price would you want on him compared to the 4 and 5/1 currently available? What would be a fair price?

 

I agree - this race looks to be one of the best renewals in a long time.

I'm going to jump right in there, and put Somersby and Master Minded in the 'can not win' bucket - Somersby isn't up to scratch in my humble opinion (sorry TopClass, have to disagree, especially after todays race - although I do rate Gauvain) and Master Minded doesn't stay (haha - how many times has that argument been had?).

With that in mind, I was previously pretty excited about Captain Chris, but as Zenyatta says, the build up has not been great, and even if he does go, I think he maybe hasn't had the start to the season required to really look good in the running.

Weird Al for me is just not up to it - if you watch the Betfair he never looked like challenging an out-of-sorts Long Run, never mind Kauto. With that in mind, he has to go in the bucket as well....

Which really only leaves Kauto and Long Run. I've tried and tried to come up with a reason that Long Run won't win again, but I'm afraid to confess I really can't see it not being another Long Run win.

Probably not a betting race for me, as I think it all lies in the few at the top of the market (although, and I might come to regret this, but I might lay Master Minded for the place...). But it will be a watcher, and I can't wait. Probably one to remember this, whichever way it goes - it's either the decisive win of a new true great (LR), a resplendent win for the old king (KS) or an exciting win for a horse waiting to be confirmed as a truly 'top table' horse (CC or MM - although arguably MM is already there).

As I say, can't wait.

 

Somersby hasn't won for over two years...bad placing by Hen?

The fact that he has run in six G1's and never looked like winning one speaks volumes to me.

It is all about opinions though and we doubters could all be wrong about Somersby...unlikely on all available evidence however.

 

Regarding MM's 2008 win, has anyone got a link to a replay of it? I have tried hard to find one but it seems nigh-impossible.

Thanks.

 

And incidentally, off of Twitter:

Somersby trainer Henrietta Knight: I don't think he ran a bad race. He's now more of a 3-mile[r]; we'll look at the King George