some of the views seem to be  based purely on the fact of AP bets!...An independent view by BHA rates peddlers 7Lb + higher than al ferof after they have both run twice over fences ..i will be interested to know how highly BHA rate SS first run.... Cant wait for March it looks a cracking race already

agree with Budd it must ddo

finians was rated 145 over hurdles...quite high....and geraghty was having an orgasm every time he talked about him prior to going over fences....tbh that's why i was on him at 25's myuself...plus the way he travelled over 2 miles in his hurdles races....going into their respective festival hurdles races....finians was rated higher than al ferof.

buddeliea
Date Joined: 19 Mar 04
Add contact | Send message When: 09 Dec 11 21:11 Joined: Date Joined: 19 Mar 04 | Topic/replies: 4,539 | Blogger: buddeliea's blog
I wont use Hurdles ratings to decide chase races,i never have.Just my feeling on how they will get on over fences,and then watching them jump them.
I'm fine with that.

That's it Budd.

this is the race I am looking forward to most and I haven't invested a penny yet lol

The way he got up the hill in the Supreme impressed me and that was a hurdle race,so that was noted.But not the reason to back him for the Arkle.That was my gut feeling that he would make a good chaser and that he looked a proper Cheltenham horse,and i liked the price for the Arkle.
So far hes proved me right.

I've bet peddlers at 6 but u can't help but be impressed with sprinter sacre! Alright it was against nobody but he was very impressive jumping wise, I think SS and peddlers will be fighting out the finish come March, I think al ferot will struggle.

I think the 7 about SS is pretty big even tho I've already bet peddlers

Big Bucks,
Al Ferof has won 2 graded races and jumped really well at two tough tracks,one being Cheltenham.Hes proved he gets home really well at the course,and you think he will struggle!!
Dont see that at all,but there yer go.

We should know a bit more after the 27th December when SS is due to contest a much better race at Kempton though I suspect he will frighten most of the opposition off. NH's post race comment was illuminating - 'I hate to say it's what I expected but from what I've seen at home he's frightening, seriously good'.

For a man who has been in the game a lifetime and trained a host of top class horses, he isn't one to get carried away.

Dont think a supreme winner that jumps fences and travels like he does will be too slow,but i do realise he did get outpaced coming down the hill in the supreme,then again so did Captain Chris in last seasons Arkle.
Will he do the same in the Arkle and get outpaced at some stage?,possible,but if he comes home as strong as i suspect he will the others best be a fair way ahead!!

Comparisms with Noland could be a tad unfair i feel as that one had his problems between his Supreme and his Arkle,missed a year if i remember correctly.

Not read all the posts so appologies if repeating.
From what I saw with SS, it was only as impressive as it deserved to be, as has Peddlers Cross. On the Supreme running, why should SS beat AF? I cant get out of my mind how well SS was travelling yet emptied on the climb to the line. I was not overly impressed with AF lto either. Was only workmanlike to see off a handicapper, albeit a decent one but only rated 140. I much prefer Peddlers Cross. Has the best hurdles form, has winning form at the festival, like AF, and was a superb 2nd in the Champion Hurdle with a 5L gap back to a decent sort in Oscar Whisky.
There will however be plenty of improvement and mistakes before the Arkle. Looks like it could be the race of the festival. Can't wait

yeh,its hard to find fault with PC,thats for sure.
Hes a great chaser in the making.
Not frightened to back another though,this is at the end of the day a race for Nov Chasers,and we have at least 3 that could win the race,and at least 3 that will keep improving throughout the season i imagine.

It will be just our luck that all 3 principals get injured.........

I haven't looked forward to a race at the Festival as much as this for a very long time. Frankly, I suspect (and hope) all 3 will go there unbeaten this season and any one of them can win. Unless the Irish come up with a hotpot, I can't see anything else getting near them.

im with festivalfanatic

Don't fancy Peddlars Cross at all - no specific reason, just a gut feeling that he won't translate his Champion Hurdle form to fences. Might place lay him nearer the time if he goes very short.

Was all over Sprinter Sacre for the Supreme last year and was gutted when Gerraghty got on Spirit Son, and even more gutted when they booked McCoy - haven't been so depressed since Paul Carberry got injured and McCoy got the ride on Aran Concerto.

Sprinter is a bit like Finians last year - very flamboyant, keen traveller, capable of a huge jump, but can he fiddle when required, especially at speed. I'd have really fancied him for the Champion Hurdle had they aimed at it (more so than Spirit Son).

Al Ferof is very solid and has good course form and will have Ruby on board which has to be a big plus.

Just wish they had gone chasing with Oscars Well as he was my idea of the Arkle winner straight after the festival last year.

Blimey, he earns his money doesn't he, tipping a once raced novice at 7/1, 3 months before the race.

Next week - Big Bucks, World Hurdle.

I agree Budd, Al F's capacity to stay is useful, he appeared outpaced to me even down the back last yr. But as you say, staying won it for Captain Chris. All things being equal though, I think Peddlars would stay the best of the 3. As i said above, I thought Sprinter arguably travelled like the best horse in the race last yr. I believe he was beaten because he pulled too hard early, and maybe he got racing too early in the race, leaving little left for when the chips were down. He has also had a wind op since, who knows whether it will work, but the way he flattened out last yr (admittedly after pulling) was suggestive of a possible wind issue.

R Carver, pretty much agree with that, respect. Ref your pulling/not getting up the hill point. I wonder if Hendo will try a cross noseband? Peddlers wears one.

After Sprinter's debut getting beat by Frascati I've said he'd win next years Arkle, and have bet accordingly. Took 25's before the Supreme after requesting a price, and have included him in some cracking doubles and trebles over the summer. (Believe it or not one is a 1000/1 treble with the first two already won) I know most of you won't but I actually posted the best on another forum before they both won...not that i'm bothered what anyone would think (spend less time on here as there seems to be more childish people here). Not that I have seen any on this thread yet, good work lads.

Anyway, just a few intersting points.

Someone said Sprinter is very similar size to Finians, I think they are comparing his running style to Finians. I was at Donny the other day and I was quite suprised he wasn't a bit bigger. Finians is rather bigger and longer?

Someone also hinted that as Alf beat him 5 lengths over hurdles it would be the same over fences. Sprinter has always been going to improve for fences, was much more inexperienced in the Supreme as well. Alf has already ran in a championship race and a grade 1 over hurdles.

I certainly wouldn't swop Sprinter for one of the others, but it does look like a hell of a race already.

In addition these 3 horses are trained by the 3 best trainers who all know a thing about horses!..Peddlers to run next saturday at haydock

Very interesting point by Rhinestone about SS's size. He is a lightly framed horse and last season was quite narrow. I had a good look at him in the pre-parade ring at Cheltenham and could see why NH didn't want to run.....still a bit weak.

However, if I had to side with one at the moment, it would be him for the following reasons:-

He's a year younger than PC and AF and logically will have made more physical progress over the summer.

He's much less exposed in public and should have more scope for improvement.

NH has always said that jumping fences would be his game.

He rarely gets excited about a horse in his care but he can't contain himself with this one.

All reasons I would agree for the hype. I suspect he will probably only have one, or at most two more runs before the Arkle because keeping condition on him probably isn't easy. Anyone wanting to back him AP should do so before the Kempton race on the 27th, assuming that is where he goes next. He will go as short as PC if he dots up in a better race.

Still a fantastic Arkle in prospect and not one on which I'd be prepared to have a serious bet.