To win an Arkle You need to stay well over 2 miles but have plenty of speed, I think Peddlers Cross ticks both them boxes and he as a great record around Cheltenham. Sprinter Sacre faded badly in the Supreme and I don't think Cheltenham suits as much as Kempton. That said he looks to have come on loads over the Summer and is a worthy Arkle favourite. I still like the chances of Al Ferof who as already proved he likes Cheltenham and as proved he can battle to win, I wouldn't be too disheartened by Peddlers today and I still don't think the Arkle is a formality now Sprinter Sacre as put Peddlers to the sword...
I remember before Cheltenham last year connections of Sprinter Sacre were saying that he was very immature at the time but that in time he would be a serious horse, maybe he is starting to come to himself ? That said I scrub Kempton form when looking for a Cheltenham winner and I scrub Cheltenham form when looking for a Kempton winner, the tracks are chalk and cheese, I wouldn't therefore dismiss Peddlers as we know he performs at Cheltenham, nice to think he has a race now......
I'm going to do a proper write up about the Kempton action because I think there was a lot to take from the two days. As for Peddlers, I agree with what has been said. Sprinter Sacre has firmly announced himself on the scene with an immense performance yesterday. Peddlers was too bad to be true and was beaten so far out. I am 100% sure that he is far far better than that. Whether he is good enough to lower the colours of Sprinter Sacre in March is a different matter. The one huge doubt I have with the Henderson horse is how weak he was up the hill in the Supreme. He looked all over the winner at the 2nd last and the fact that he could only finish 3rd must be a concern. In contrast Peddlers will relish the hill. His jumping will need to be far better than it was yesterday but, whilst my enthusiasm is tempered somewhat, I have not written him off for the Arkle at all.
Ah so your hiding on this thread Zenyatta, avoiding the thread for the actual race, were you told me my opinion that Spriner Sacre would win easily was so ridiculous it wasn't worth a response. You can make all the excuses you wish, but even Don McCain admitted there were no excuses, that is just as good as PC is. And as for SS announcing himself, he had already announced himself as the best novice chaser at Doncaster, how anyone backed against him after that display, il never know
Not hiding at all Shergs. In fact I intend to do a full write up when I get the chance on a new thread addressing a few of the conclusions that I drew from Kempton, including from the Wayward Lad. Sprinter Sacre was very good indeed no doubt about but there is no way in hell "that is just as good as PC is". I very nearly backed Sprinter Sacre on the day but he had shortened to 11/10 by the time I reached the bookies. My thinking was that if Peddlers was to be beaten then this would be the day, and if he won then he would be a cert for the Arkle. I must admit I was not expecting him to be beaten in the manner that he was. However, I have not lost faith in him. A 3 runner race round Kempton is a far cry from the Arkle. He will be far better suited by the Cheltenham test but he will need to be because he has a lot of ground to make up.
He'll still win the Arkle. One set back against a bloody good horse in a three runner field where one of them might as well have not turned up is not conclusive evidence that PC isn't the horse we all think he could be. Kempton is too sharp for PC but played in to the hands if SS. The McCain yard are also in distinctly average form at the moment.
Ladies and Gentlemen of Not606, the news that we have long been awaiting has finally arrived this morning. The front page of today's Racing Post is blessed with this fine announcement: "Peddlers back on course for Arkle". Thank you Donald McCain. Just what I had been waiting to hear.
I think connections of Peddlers Cross seriously need to reconsider there festival target. From what I've seen from him thus far, he is along way off Arkle class. It's easy to blab on about him being runner up in a Champion Hurdle, but that doesn't give him a divine right, to be considered top class over fences. End of the day he has beaten a few donkeys in low grade affairs, and then he got his comeuppance at Kempton by a proper top class chaser. Just as I predicted he would. I'd personally be amazed if Peddlers Cross was even in the first 5 home in the Arkle, a more realistic target would be the Jewson, where he may have an outsiders chance of making the frame. If they have any desire to win a race at the festival, then the Centenary handicap would be the only realistic target. Though even then they would need the handicapper to revise his opinion, having given him a ridiculous rating of 155 at Bangor, a mark he is clearly atleast 10 pounds inferior to
What's so funny Zenyatta? Peddlers Cross went down 16 lenghs, in a slowly run affair, to the current Arkle benchmark, Sprinter Sacre. Had it been a truly run race, it could have been a distance. That sort of form is not going to be good enough, to get anywhere near the places in the Arkle
Shergs we all know that was not Peddlers' true running. I accept that Sprinter Sacre was mightily impressive but the way that Peddlers Cross has been dismissed subsequently is laughable. If Peddlers Cross runs in the Arkle then I would be absolutely astonished if he were not in the first 5, fairly amazed if he wasn't in the first 3 and a touch disappointed if he doesn't win. Edit: I should add that it's lucky that the Arkle is not a 3 runner affair round Kempton. Fortunately it's at Cheltenham which will give PC the benefit of the hill which he storms up, and that Sprinter Sacre staggered up in the Supreme. I jest. However, the race is nowhere near as cut and dried as some are making out. I still think Peddlers Cross has a major chance if he runs.
Sprinter Sacre is a year younger than Peddlers Cross, and was along way off his true potential in last years Supreme, though despite that he still ran very well, finishing 3rd, in a race won in a faster time than the Champion Hurdle. Hurdling was never going to be his game, as Nicky Henderson pointed out on many occasions last year, they were just getting some big race experience into him, before they went chasing. They never expected him to win, so 3rd place was a real bonus. Sprinter Sacre was made for the big fences, and he has shown stones of improvement since the switch, so with a years more experience under his belt, over obstacles he is far more effective over he will have no issues with the Cheltenham hill. Why do you make excuses for PC? He was beaten convincingly by a far superior horse, just as I told you he would be. Your in denial if you think PC ran below form, he just isn't good enough to live with horse's like Sprinter Sacre, even Don McCain offered no excuses afterwards
Absolutely ludicrous to disregard Peddlers Cross, I've never heard such rubbish in my life. This is an horse that as a proven record at Cheltenham and My golden rule when picking horses at the Festival is a proven festival record. He's won a Neptune as a 5 year old and I don't believe this is necessarily for horses without the speed to run in a Supreme. The likes of Istabraq/Hardy Hustace have gone on to win Champion Hurdles after this race and Peddlers finished second in a Champion Hurdle pushing Hurricane Fly very close. He clearly as the speed for an Arkle and he clearly as the stamina to win an Arkle as another golden rule is You need to stay further than 2 miles to win an Arkle. As impressive as Sprinter Sacre won against Peddlers, I don't believe that to be Peddlers true running. And Kempton is a completely different track to Cheltenham trying to pick Cheltenham winners from form around Kempton is pointless IMO. I cannot disregard how much Sprinter Sacre faded up the hill in the Supreme. I do not expect there to be 16 Lengths plus between him and Peddlers at Cheltenham and to say Peddlers won't even finish in the first 5 in the Arkle is absolutely laughable. I would not write him off at all...
it's possible that hitting the first took a lot out of him. it wasn't the true PC and come cheltenham if he's not first home he will at least be closer than 16l to the winner of the arkle imho. at this moment in time there's no other horse i'd rather be on at the prices.
Couldn't agree more Istabraq - Cheltenham form, and more so Festival form, is the single most important guide for the Festival. I don't want to be controversial but I'm hoping he bombs in his prep race which will make him even bigger value come March, and possibly even force connections to take the horse back over timber where I still believe he can win a Champion Hurdle.
Istabraq....The Neptune is a pointless race, over a pointless distance. What top races are actually contested over that distance? Maybe the Ryanair or the Aintree hurdle? Either way I have never questioned Peddlers Cross's flat speed, all I have ever questioned is his overall class. He does not have the overall game to compete with horse's of Sprinter Sacres quality. If Peddlers Cross was my horse id have him back over hurdles. He may have just been short of the very top over hurdles, but atleast he was near the top. Over fences he is a far cry from the very top. He was completely schooled by SS, a horse who is a year younger, and was making only his 2nd start over fences. In comparison Peddlers Cross was making his 3rd start under rules, having had experience in point to points aswell. When you take the experience of both horse's, going into the Kempton race, you would have to say SS has alot more scope for improvement, and by the time we get to Cheltenham, PC will be lucky to get within 30 lenghs
