Menorah 94 day absence.

Your point...!?

i think hes the winner

Wins

Perfect prep for the horse! How many days had he been laid off before winning a hugely competitive Greatwood off top weight!?

Only Granville Again in the last 23 years has had a longer lay off than 51 days (in his case 78).

Big stat to overcome.

The Arkle beckons next year, form over rated.

My idea of the winner, regardless of lay-off.

Plenty of stats like this will be broken if horses become more and more aimed at the Festival with perhaps a run or two before or around Xmas and then kept in cotton wool until March.

been the plan ever since the Bula though ain't it?

Nothing to suggest his prep has gone awry.

I'd say the more runs the better for a horse of Menorah's age. Surely it would improve with experience no?

Baracouda- am coming round to that view, but (ignoring the hunter chase and the bumper) only Cyborgo, Cap Cee Bee & Quevega have defied a longer lay off to win a Conditions race at the Festival in the last 23 years. Black Jack Ketchum was also exactly 97 days when he won the Albert Bartlett.

That said, 2 of those three were in the last 3 years, which may lend support to your 'cotton-wool' argument.

couldnt care less about the absence, hadnt run for 7 months before giving bothy 2 stone in the greatwood,
winner for me and to say form overated is ridiculous..

No-one put off by the trainer form?

Had another fav turned over this afternoon - hit the front and then found less than expected, consistent with a number of Hobbs runners in the last couple of weeks. Put me right off unfortunately - KK e/w now.

that does concern me to a degree but I'm already on.

Personally prefer Menorah's prep to,say, PCs - scrabbling around to find a race and then taking one in on desperate ground at Kelso less than four weeks before the big day - had a hard enough race and I doubt he learned that much.

I'm exaggerating to make a point - all I'm really saying is you can argue it either way.

hobbs bumper horse ran v well today

Menorah runs well extra fresh.

Surely the bet to have is an EW double Cue Card with Menorah. Both look likely to run their race, and if Cue Card bolts up surely Menorah will shorten up. 1/4 odds a place, winning bet if they both frame!

Most likely Cue Card loses, Menorah drifts but wins. Would wait until after Supreme before backing Menorah.

Still don't get people crabbing the Bula. He stalked them, then 2 out destroyed them. Even if Cue Card isn't what he is supposed to be, Menorah couldn't have excelled any better. He went with the pace and had a devastating turn of foot, thats the key.

I actually put up a thread about this earlier, i'm surprised that menorah backers are so keen to dismiss this, perhaps they are looking through rose-tinted spectacles. the idea for example that it can be viewed as a positive is just plain laughable.

I didn't give much thought to this stat until backing go native last year, that had the same stat to overcome and finished out with the washing.

Just hope the ground isnt too quick tomorrow. Menorah to show his turn of pace. Quicker ground Peddlers will be harder to peg back.

I'd be concerned he may be fresh tomorrow given the long break and (reports of his) exhilarating workouts.

reve - yes did run well but traded at 10s on and faded, as consistent theme with many Hobbs horses over the last couple of weeks since Quinz won.

There have been I think 7 losing favourites and over 25 horses beat in that time - not what I would want to see coming into the festival.

fwiw, Hobbs asserted after at least one of his victories earlier this season that Menorah will be seen to even better effect on better ground.

See the lay-off as neither negative nor positive merely highlighting that there is a difference in the Menorah scenario where the plan has always been to come straight to the Festival from the Bula and the TFR scenario where he was initially earmarked for the Argento but had to miss the race.

Probably an element of rose tinted spectacles but that would n't make me unique - or even amongst the minority - on here.

He's been away getting dope tests don't worry about it Joking of course.

Funny thing to be worried about now if you backed him already

menorahs form not backed up there.

keep the faith

i have faith in PC and HF to fight out the finish!

Couldn't back Menorah now. Form not good enough.

all quiet now the hobos!!! [;)]

Really really disappointing there, looked through his form when the ground became fast and was a little worried as he does like some gd/soft. They should keep him with a bit of cut in future however the winner a much better horse.