I backed Kings Palace with Quevega in a wee double there a couple of weeks ago for around the 8/1 mark. Think his biggest danger is Mr Scudamore setting the fractions right in front, that's actually a big worry The form of those he's beaten hasn't worked out either. I will be playing Briars Hill on the day though, saying my KP win bet will be 8/1. BH is a lazy so and so but Mullins Jnr give him a big shout at a preview night last week, citing him as his favourite novice hurdler there sending over. He's an unbeaten, festival winner so KP is no shoo-in that's for sure.
This has got to have been the worst jumps season since the foot and mouth epidemic. I feel we have been thoroughly spoilt in recent years both on the flat and over jumps but this year over the sticks is just hard to get enthusiastic about. I just read your comment about Bobs worth Oddie and looked up the ante post market only to find the Cue Card is third favourite, how desperate does that show the bookies to be in searching around for a meaningful market? The horse clearly will not stay the gold cup distance. It seems like a match bet with Bobs and Silviniaco with Captain Chris as the wild card. When you add this to the fact that Sprinter Sacre, the Frankel of the jumps has been beaten and will not now run again this year, Big Bucks has returned and been beaten and in general all racing since October has taken place in a mud bath it just feels very disappointing. If trying to find some positives we do have the emergence of Annie Power at the top table and the champion hurdle looks to be a real spectacle of brilliant Champion defending his crown against decent newcomers, whilst Irving also made a huge impression at the weekend.
Agree with a lot of that bluesky but when writing up my Cheltenham preview today there really are some moth watering races to look forward to at the Festival. They do seem to be predominately the hurdle races though with the Gold Cup and Champion Chase having very little lustre. The Champion Hurdle is possibly the best for ten years and with novices like Faugheen, Vautour, Irving, Red Sherlock and Kings Palace to look forward to I think it still has plenty to offer. (that novice list could be three times as long btw)
I agree with that Stick the Champion Hurdle is a very decent race and there are as always some good novices to look forward to. I also think Cheltenham aside its just been so poor due to the ground that every race appears a war of attrition at the moment and that just takes away the spectacle. I have no doubt however that Cheltenham will serve up its heroes as it does every year as that is the big stage and when the best turn up even in a bad year we will have a great weeks racing to watch.
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I totally disagree about the Champion Hurdle being some sort of ‘super race’. As I’ve said before this is something that I just can’t buy into and there seems to be a media led PR campaign to brainwash people into thinking so. In summary the race is basically the aging champion against a bunch of second season novices. If you look at Hurricane Fly’s form this term against Marito and twice (not once but twice) against the 13YO Captain Cee Bee it is a good stone below his best whilst as for Jeski, Our Connor and The New One they have had 7 races in ‘open’ Grade 1’s between them and the combined total of wins stands at 1 (and that was a contest very, very weak for the grade as Jeski beat Zaidpiour by 1.75 lengths)! That’s hardly ‘reincarnation of Pegasus’ form. I believe that Mr Henderson’s My Tent will oblige but would suggest that he is quite a bit removed from his recent hurdling stars such as Binocular and Darlan. Look I think its a good race but outstanding...no, troops.
RUK guest presenter before the Catterick bumper today stating that the John Ferguson runner must be unfancied as Denis O'Regan had gone to Leicester to ride rather than go to Catterick so Jack Quinlan takes the ride. The race was called the "We Race Here Again On March 5th Maiden NH Flat Race (for conditional and amateur jockeys FFS
That picture reminds me of an old joke but i'm not sure how tolerant the moderators would by of a bit of racism....
Talking of Americanisms (a few posts ago) some more that get up my goat ........... UK abbreviation for Mathematics is Maths, in the US it is Math, yet I notice this insidious dropping of the innocuous letter "s" is creeping in over here. You twats! Numbers ..... UK version for example "two thousand and fourteen" the US say "two thousand fourteen" and now our TV presenters have picked up on this and are starting to use this form. The twats! Other US based based, but emerging UK usages are - "down to the wire" "step up to the plate" and eating with just a fork, leaving your free hand to do what? Twats!
I bet you moaned when people started eating Risotto and other fancy dan foreign foods in restaurants in the UK too!!!! Doths tin hat.
As long as it's Ambrosia Creamed Rice Reebs. Haven't had any for ages but I do remember it tasting good.