If we have sufficient interest this year, I am happy to pull together our annual "Preview Evening" thread. In order to make this managable, I will limit it to 8 entrants (i.e. me plus 7) and will be looking for short, concise summaries - not War and Peace please. Timescales - all input to be sent to me by PM no later that 12.00 midday on Sunday 10th March. Proposal for races to be previewed (a bit of a mix each day): Tuesday - Supreme, Arkle, Champion Hurdle, Close Brothers Handicap Chase Wednesday - Ballymore, RSA, Champion Chase, Fred Winter Thursday - JLT, Pertemps Final, Ryanair, Stayers Hurdle Friday - Triumph, Albert Bartlett, Gold Cup, Grand Annual Here is a link to the 2016 preview evening to give a feel for what is required (please ignore my comments on Annie Power in the Champion Hurdle): https://www.not606.com/threads/the-2016-not-606-cheltenham-preview-evening.325193/ Anyone interested in contributing please let me know on this thread.
(NB) Tombstone is the call for me in a very competitive looking Supreme Novices Hurdle. The Rationale being that he has looked really interesting over longer trips and the drop down to two miles on spring ground with a fast pace looks set to suit him and I think he will improve massively for a proper pace being set in the race. I think Altior and Min are both good horses, but I am nervous that they seem to be supporting Yorkhill over Min and Buveur D'Air is being nibbled at from the same yard as Altior. The field might not have a horse of Douvan's class this year..... With that I’m ruling myself out this year!! Just wanted to say that it’s great you are doing this and look forward to reading it again
Yes, I’ll contribute. To use that well known military expression, ‘we can’t have the regular readers going into battle without me in their trench’. In all seriousness this is actually the Cheltenham Festival that I’ve most looked forward to for several years and hope to have a few winners along the way as well (although the reality could be very, very different).
I'd love to have a go at doing one Oddy if I can pluck up enough courage to do it... Always love reading them, so I suppose it should be right I put forward my thoughts on a race then... I'll pm you a message...
Looks like Beefy, Boston Bob and Toppy have all left the nest now.Some good calls on that 2016 preview!I was also against AP that year Oddy
Was I the only one for Annie? I know I was very sweet on her from very early. Also been sweet on Apple's Jade for some time this year; not to the same extent but nevertheless sweet. I doubt I'm up to doing previews but I may have a go at a couple of races even if they are most unlikely to be used
Oddy I don't mind contributing although not the Pertemps final ( wouldn't have a bloody clue) or the Close Brothers handicap.. I can also include some insight in to the 'each way special' for said race..
That's fine Captain - we don't need everyone doing a write up on every race - just do what you feel like / what you can manage
Been a part of one every year since we started the NOT606 and I plan to continue that trend. I’m in!!
I won't be able to unfortunately mate, new little nipper on my hands so won't have the time to put in the proper form study thats needed for this!Hopefully you will get the numbers and some of the wise old heads will come forward to save the day
So to date we have: Odddog Sir Barney Chuckles redcgull CaptainPops woolcombefolly-007 (plus Ron for a couple - more than welcome) Happy to adjust races / format if desired - just let me know. Come on folks, don't be shy. Let's try and get to 8.
Those 2 races are so appealing to me – the real nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more…events of the Festival. The ‘Pertemps Final’ has always been like that (‘more plots than an Agatha Christie novel’ and all that) and since they changed that novice handicap chase to a 0-145 (from a 0-140) you can say the same about that. When it became a 0-145 what has happened is that horses who were borderline Arkle/JLT class were rerouted and connections have started hiding their light under a bushel so to speak – trying to make 150-155 horses handicapped 145 or less.
Interesting. So we could be looking for horses that have run to 155 or thereabouts in the past, are still young enough to still (potentially) be progressing but have been nursed round to get their handicap down. If we can spot any such horses a look at their races (videos) might be revealing. And market moves could be a further clue
Ron, they will all be novices who have had, in the main, 3-5 runs over fences so it will be horses who have either only just obtained a handicap mark over fences or only had one for a run or two over the big ‘uns. Of these most will always have been around the 140-145 mark whilst a few will have built up a mark from a much lower base up to the magical mark of 145. I don’t think there will be anything falling from the 150’s into the required 140-145 mark. By making the race a 0-145 what it has done has steered horses who were borderline JLT / Arkle animals (and in effect running for place money) into a race that they have a genuine chance to win. However, to get a run connections have to do a bit of, how shall we say, ‘manoeuvring’ to ensure their horse gets handicapped, at the required time, in the 140-145 range.
A quick "bump" to see if we have any more interested contributors out there. You can´access this thread from a link in the stickied Cheltenham Index thread.
I don't tend to post on here much these days (don't really get time with work) but I still regularly check in and would be happy to contribute some thoughts if you are still looking for people!
