Stole my thunder a tad ron loll but we are all taking bout 3/4 horse who we all think cud win, but have we forgotten Our Connor, personally dont think he will win but surely will be in better form come march and if BC is back on board he stands a small chance. Then we have the muliins second string Un DE Sceaux an unbeaten french import who ruby said will take a fair horse to get past him when he bolts in front which eill duit the Fly and Annie power surely the next queen of hurdling once Quevega retires or willwe be all left with eggs on our faces when a 50/1 Rolling Star or a 40/1 melodic Rendezvous ins by a short head coz of traffic problems the others faced!
I am with you Ron on MTOY looking like he is the race horse who will develop more for March. I also agree with one of the earlier posts in which the market may suggest that MTOY might not have been fully tuned up. This horse needs a strong pace (he ll get it in the Champion), good to soft ground hopefully and I really think he will settle better this time at Cheltenham. He is the one for me. But in my view it is gonna be close. HF is still doing the business...I see a Ruby/McCoy classic finish to this race....
Just hope AP rides his own race and not try and copy what Walsh does on Hurricane. I know completely differnt horse but binocluar 2012 AP gave him the worst possible ride vere!!
Have you seen the hype yet Master, and it's not just one Pegasus we're witnessing it's two! This 'he's never faced anything like this before' argument is played out every time Hurricane Fly faces a new rival. Nothing new here, always the same outcome. Menorah, Go Native, Medermit, Binocular, Granduoet, Zarkander, Peddler's Cross, the list is as long as you want it to be In respect to the above Peddler's Cross, there was a poorly constructed argument earlier, often repeated in the build up to last year's Festival by 'experts', that this form is now worthless as Peddler's Cross is suddenly now a woof woof. If people really think the 'pre-Hurricane Fly' Peddler's Cross is the same as the broken horse the Fly left him they really are having a laugh! (Messing with Hurricane Fly perhaps should carry a health warning looking at the broken Rock on Ruby we've seen this year too?) Peddler's Cross went into the Champion an unbeaten hurdler, multiple Graded winner and the previous season's top novice. Similar to the horse we're told is 'on a completely different level' is also a Neptune winner, albeit a much better renewal than last years with a subsequent Ascot Gold Cup winner back in third and a certain Reve de Sivola in second. This horse also has 'interesting' formlines with The New One when we consider how he made At Fishers Cross look like something from Blackpool beach the last day. Yet this very same horse has defeated The New One (according to some Pegasus mk ii). I really do not get what makes people so '****ing' sure that The New One is so much superior to some of the above named? He's been beaten three times. He's hardly unbeatable. In fact to suggest he's completely different level borders on libellous. It's breaching on delusional to suggest anything that strong yet. He's not even close. Hurricane Fly came out on Sunday and simply schooled two Irish upstarts coming to knock him off his perch. Phil Smith, the senior handicapper, described him as 'by far the best horse in the race.' Willie Mullins is a freaking genius of a trainer, and an absolute gentleman to boot, and he tells us the Fly has a few more lbs left to work with. That must be very, very worrying for people opposing him. I frankly don't worry what 'Pegasus' a trainer likes to think they have in their yard, a Hurricane Fly near the very peak of his powers is going to be extremely, extremely hard to beat. Many have came and talked the talk but few have walked the walked. The way it works for some is that until Hurricane Fly dispatches a horse they then become 'average' and then the form becomes questionable! If you ever want a laugh listen to some of the Cheltenham preview nights from last year on You Tube, Hurricane Fly, was never winning last year either! You could even justifiably suggest The New One (and to a lesser extent the Tent) should be flattered to even be in the 'debate' with such a truly great horse based on their respective achievements. I've stuck to facts during this, not opinion. These are the facts, the whole facts and nothing but the facts, your Honour. We've been here before with these big white hopes coming to knock Hurricane Fly off the top of the tree where's he sat so long its almost hurting people. (You Tube the preview nights: brilliant!) What I would say is it must be a very expensive hobby opposing this superstar legend of a racehorse throughout his illustrious career. Personally I think the 4-1 on offer after Sunday's race is a huge, huge price. Write Hurricane Fly off at your '****ing' peril. And I can also '****ing' assure you that Hurricane Fly is on a completely, completely different level to anything The New One has met before, believe me
Beefy - libellous?? You are having a laugh.. OK I like the tongue and cheek humour here but lets not forget that Hurricane Fly lost out to Rock on Ruby and Overturn in the 2012 Champion Hurdle. For whatever reason he was below par that day (apparently) so we are led to believe. Also I agree with some on here - some of his grade wins over in Ireland have been easy pickings (i mean come on beating Thousand Stars is hardly earth shattering)!. Not his fault but a horse you expect him to beat all the time. A lot can happen between now and Cheltenham in March but I expect My Tent or Yours to improve and strengthen and I believe he will beat the Fly come March!
After further extensive research and analysis I have concluded that there can be only one winner of the 2014 Champion Hurdle.
I opposed Hurricane Fly once with Go Native, because I loved Go Native and Hurricane hadnt shown his full hand yet as a novice, the performance that day was the best ive ever seen from a novice in Ireland because I knew how good Go Native was. I was on at 11/2 for his first Champion Hurdle, I was on at 11/4 for his second and I was on when he got beat the year in between too. Ive been in absolutely no doubt he was the Champion since that day and until Aintree last season ive never came across a horse who made me even consider opposing him. The Fly is my horse as much as it is any of yours, he owes me nothing, and maybe ive jumped off the bus a stop early, but dont lump me in with the idiots who have been taking him on with every new horse that comes along, I didnt know they existed but apparently they do. He has never been his invincible self at Cheltenham for my money, and Darlan may have given him something to think about last year, but I have been waiting for a serious contender for a while and perhaps like buses, two have come along at the same time in the shape of TNO and My Tent. Maybe im wrong, maybe they are just like those who have came, tried and failed before, or maybe im right, time will tell. [video=youtube;hr8Wn1Mwwwk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr8Wn1Mwwwk[/video]
Be interesting to see how Annie Power v Zarkandar pans out today. Whatever you think of his defeat by The New One in the International, the trip was clearly on the sharp side for him and he should be seen in a better light today at what is probably his optimum trip. Annie Power is 5lbs worse off than in the Coral Hurdle and she will need to produce a career-best performance to beat Zarkander at this trip. Either way, I can't see either of them running in the Champion Hurdle.
What price Annie Power for the Champion if the Fly is pulled out for any reason? Might be worth having 2 points on the Fly at 4/1 and cover the risk of him not running by having a point on Annie at 12/1.
One would think Oddy but if the Fly is pulled for any reason there could be a re-think, in which case I would imagine Annie's price would tumble.
I haven't Wooly! Mind you, he is carrying a few of the Reebok roubles, so I'm pretty much hoping that he was nowhere near 100% LTO and can find the necessary improvement! I was impressed by Annie Power yesterday, beating one of my favs, Zarkandar so easily, over what I consider his best trip. I agree with others that World Hurdle will probably be this one's target, and at 12-1 if I can get NRNB or NRFB I'll take her to lower Quevega's colours for the first time. Fanciful maybe, but the great mare has to be toppled sometime, and the new AP looks a serious threat. EDIT: I'd forgotten that Quevega is in the same stable Wonder what they will do with AP then? Can't see her going to the Supreme, although if conditions were soggy, she wouldn't have the worst chance.
Bloody hell Reebs if she was in the supreme the words jail and case would be used by a fair few of us.
I reckon she will go for the World Hurdle although as its Mullins we will have absolutely no idea until a few days before the start of the festival no doubt! Lets hope she gets soundly beaten by Big Bucks or At Fishers Cross if that is the route they take! It will serve them right for not trying the Champion or Mares race which seem the more logical races to go for...
I hear you both Odd Bob A bit of brain slippage there! Mullins will never run her against Quevega, and I can't see him pitching her against the Fly, so World Hurdle is probably the one. I can't see he has a viable candidate if he doesn't go for it with AP?
