Un de Sceaux goes to the Arkle unless as TC says he fluffs his lines next weekend. They'll not live with him in the Arkle, he'll win half the track. Clarcam might be the one to chase him home. Going through the race all I can add is the English should just sit this one out! There's probably few better sights in racing than a blazing frontrunner going hell for leather upfront and I think it'll be some spectacle. Sprinter Sacre will be punching his last ticket this year once this lad steps up to open company next season. The more I look at the Festival the more the JLT is becoming a race I'm absolutely LOVING the look of...Look at the possibles. Vautour should potentially improve for the step up. Valseur Lido has probably shown the best form this season of any novice chaser. Gilgamboa jumped and travelled last time like few novices I've seen. Apache Stronghold is tailor made for this race, he won't run in the RSA. No shame in getting beat by the 2016 Gold Cup last time out either. Ptit Zig has looked very decent in England so isn't totally out of it either. This race could be one of the best novice races ever seen at the Festival if they all make it. Ignore Boris Wooly, he's loading up on these horses but he'll hardly admit it, that just doesn't suit his agenda! He's simply doing a Nicholls, putting the punters on here away
Good man beefy thanks I take it with a pinch lol just can't believe some one like Boris who has a lot of knowledge thinks something like that oh well we all have 30 second of madness
Looking forward to the Arkle I must admit. Un De Sceaux has a lot of potential for the spectacular but equally he hasn't raced a rival in his career so far so on that basis, he is way, way too short and will be even shorter if he does as expected in the Irish Arkle. It would be wonderful if Sprinter can get back to his fit, healthy self and then take on this fellow next year. However, I have big reservations about him and THE hill...time will tell.
Call me mad but the best 2 mile jumper so far in my eyes is Vilbrato Valtat, i dont mean he is the best horse but i dont think iv ever seen him make a mistake in 4 chase starts so far, travels well off a good pace and thats just what he will get with UDS. Happy with my 25/1
Totally agree tward, ive backed him ew, did he win the willie hill novice race, the same sprinter and simonsig won
Not sure exactly what is afoot but it doesn't look like Al Ferof is going to the Champion Chase. out to 19 on Betfair and not a penny waiting to back him
I've not seen him quoted for any of the novice races just yet, but I was quite taken by Colin Tizzard's Thistlecrack at Wincanton last week and his is entered in the Grade 2 Neptune trial at Cheltenham on Saturday. I assume he was injured after his first bumper run because he missed most of last season, but he won a bumper last April and was then pitched in to the listed bumper at Ascot just before Christmas which was won by Supasundae from Yanworth - he ran a nice race to finish 5th. He turned his hurdles debut at Wincanton last Thursday (on heavy ground) into a procession and his entry in the Grade 2 on Saturday shows he is well thought of, but I'm not sure whether he'll run or not. He was put up by Tizzard back in September as one of 3 horses from his yard to follow this season and I wonder whether he might be aimed at the festival?
With around 7 weeks to go to the festival, can anyone ever remember so many short-priced favourites at this stage of proceedings? I think the bookmakers are taking the piss even more than usual this year. If we draw a line at a price of 5/1 or below, we can see that 14 of the 27 races have an ante post favourite that falls into this category - that's more than HALF of the races. To put this into perspective, at the 2014 festival there were only 7 winners whose SP was 5/1 or lower, including the 3 Mullins "good things" of Vautour, Quevega and Faugheen and the well-backed Balthazar King, Sire De Grugy, Fingal Bay and Dynaste. The markets on day 1 look absolutely ridiculous - Douvan (9/4), Un De Sceaux (9/4), Faugheen (5/4), Annie Power (5/4), Don Poli (7/2). Mullins to equal his best-ever festival haul of 5 winners on the first day? Quite ridiculous.
Annie Power looks good value if you compare her price (with no genuine competition) and Faugheen's price. Ante post is a poor do this season. Faugheen was 12/1 until Christmas time and reasonable prices until February a year ago. Compare that with Douvan et al and you've got to have your head read to be heavily invested this time.
Has to be a worry with Annie Power though Bob - she hasn't been out yet this season and has had an injury to get over. Should she really be that short? She might not even make the race. If you think back to Quevega, she was usually somewhere between 6/4 and EVS ante post and everyone knew she would go straight to the festival. Annie Power has had well documented problems andI think she has the same sort of risk attached as Sprinter Sacre - she may not come back the same animal.
Completely ridiculous prices, but surely if you aren't already on at the tasty prices then no-one of a sane mind would take them now?! Why would you, when the world and its dog knows the way the bookies work now is you'll get better prices on the day with enhancements and what not?! Remember reading on here before the Derby people getting awfully upset about Australias price at odds-on then on the day what do we get... 2/1 on the morning readily available... BOOM! Lock and load time for us! And it'll be the same again, guaranteed, especially moreso with it being Day 1. Simply wait to the day is my advise, problem solved The exception to the above could be UDS but that would depend on Sunday. If he easily duffs up his main rivals in the Irish Arkle, I think its reasonable to accept those lovely bookie chaps to cut him, and in that case their obviously 100% right to do so. Of course you'd then reasonably expect movements in the opposite direction for the beaten horses, but sadly they rarely seem to do that as well...
Agree with you bob, Annie power won't have to be 100% to win the mares race there is nothing really that could come out and beat her the next best in the market Aurora D'estraval got found out by the boys compared that with Annie Powers form beating Zarkandar quite easily by 8 lengths (who isa good yardstick) there isn't really a lot that pops out that can beat her
