Long Run still leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

improving 5yo, just turned 6 - handicap was over 2m 5f - not optimum distance for him, given his engine. Jumping improved with experience and schooling (still room for improvement there).

Not dissimilar to Big Bucks, Long Run's jumping has improved, Big Bucks did n't.

Would there have been a sour taste if Big Bucks had gone on to win Gold Cup in 2009 after unseating in 2008 Hennessy?

The horse won easily over 2 miles in April, so should really have been capable of winning off 153 over 2m5f

Seems he wasn't right that day though

lol Tucho Mark is f**ked now for next season

203? What do you rate what a friend....

loool

A "sour taste"...?

Not me baby.

Just prior to last Christmas and the King George I spotted one boookie offered 50s (50s!) on a Long Run double of King George V Chase and Gold Cup. I'm assuming the same bookie felt Kauto was a shoe in to win the Kempton event. I laid Kauto and got on the double at 50s. I decided (just to keep up the interest you see in an event where Kauto had won the King George) to back Long Run at 20s for the Gold Cup. He duly won the re-arranged King George and his Gold Cup odds plummetted. I still went on to back him at 7s and 13/2. With the 50/1 backed I could lay substantially him in here and did small bets on Kauto + Denman. At the final fence all my 'hopes' were running in a line. I've taken home a gross figure just short of five figures less my Betfair lays.

Nice. 50/1 was madness.

I backed Kauto after he lost the King George and had set up in running lays almost all of which matched. I backed Long Run at 11/2 after I found out he was wrong in the Paddy Power.

I love when things work out.

God there's some awful sh1t here

I would guess that WAF ran a personal best with blinkers and better ground. He ran a stormer. The form is as solid as it gets.

When Denman was in his pomp he beat What A Friend by about 25lbs.

I doubt WAF has suddemly improved 10lbs today. He is 8yo and has consistently been a 160 horse.

Its hard to rate todays higher than 172/173 on paper.

Both KS and Denman ratings wise are below their brilliant best and WAF highlights that

still a great race to watch.

Midnight Chase a rock solid yardstick rated 163 making What a Friend 171 along with Kauto, Denman 175 and winner 182+ Add a bit more for his tender age and fairly easy win and 185+ looks possible next year.

WAF hasn's suddenly improved imo. The course record is irrelevant and tells you more about how quick the ground is.

If you want to use the clock as a form of backing up the form then you could use the foxhunters which was about 7.5 seconds slower, which would be about 38lbs.  The winner of that race is likely to be something like a 135 horse at most. This would make the GC about a 173 timefigure.  That would also be a similar figure using WAF as a form guide.