GRAND CRU GOLD CUP

rsa ruins more horses

i wouldn't have thought that gloria victis had any bearing on it whatsoever...unless of course you think that a novice stepping up to the top table immediately can actually have that effect on horse more so than sheer bad luck......if he ran i'd have him 2nd fav. right now.

Crazy talk at this stage. Who was the last Gold Cup winner to have run in less than half a dozen chases?

I'll tell you - the last was Dawn Run and before that Mill House - i.e. all time greats, and only done twice in 50 years.

Not on the back of one chase run, no. And  not when something like Denman is available at 25.

11.Nov 2011 16:19 BetFred Gold Cup Outright Ante Post, Grands Crus, 50/1 Open   
  im happy enugh at d mo

to be fair it's one thing considering a novice to be out of his depth against the big boys....but then deciding what price you'd happily lay a horse of grands crus stature is another thing altogether imo.....will he prove to be as good as his 170 hurdling rating? how long will it take for him to be able to produce it....he settled far far better in the first race over fences than in his hurdles career......they were contemplating running him in the betfair chase weren't they....are connection phucking mad......i wouldn't rule out a gold cup run....and i don't think it would be one of the biggest surprises if he ran a massive race.

i also reckon that saturdays race would only serve to encourage them further.

Sure, and that could be very high class form. If it comes off it's one you'll still be talking about in 20 years and that makes it worth the money

Duffy, I wouldn't lay him, not least because it's a very hard one to weigh up. However, I think he's about 4/1 to get a run, then he'll have to be something very (very) special to win in 2012. If the GC were tomorrow and he'd been declared against Denman, Kauto, Long Run etc I'd be looking for 40ish to back. He's got about 2 stone to find on ratings. But who knows what will happen between now and March, both to him and the competition? He might even get beat at Newbury this week! Just too many unknowns after one chase.

i agree....the people calling time for rupert as a gold cup winner last year were jokers......i wonder where grands crus would have finished on saturday....and i wonder what possessed connections to even contemplate running it...perhaps they're a bunch of jokers too!!

If I had such a horse as Grand Crus I would take my time. I know Long Run is similar age but he had a different training regime as a youngster. Have a feeling that GC will have a more measured racing career.

No chance. Novice races are there for a reason.

The mention of Dunguib earlier led me to wonder what the news was with him. Back to training on 1 July 2012, apparently. Possibly being aimed at a chasing career.

I think Dunguib is out for the season, Baracouda.

No doubt in my mind that Grands Crus should run in the RSA but must admit I think those stating he has next to no chance in the Gold Cup are being a bit over the top. I'm not advocating him running in that (I'm really not) but his fencing looks a lot better than Long Run's for example, so it's a bit of a red herring to use his lack of chasing experience as a reason that he couldn't win. I'm aware that he has of course only had the one run and he could get beaten this week, but it's not often you see a horse fence as naturally as he did the other day only to lose that later in the season.

50-1 is a tempting price to me for that reason - if something happened to Long Run and Kauto and Denman are the best around come March, it could yet be hard for connections to pass up the opportunity.

Yes, Dunguib out for the season. Back in training on 1st July, as my post states!!

14-1 according to oddschecker for next years Gold Cup

Tom D - that 50 is long gone, 20 on here and 16 on the high street.

I agree GC fenced well in his one run, but he made the running in a small field novice chase. He'd be put under massively more pressure in a Gold Cup. As I said above, in the last 50 years only the greats Dawn Run and Mill House have won the Gold cup with fewer than 6 chase starts. Experience is critical.

I note though that GC has been declared for the 3 m novice chase at Newbury tomorrow, having been entered in the 2.5 m as well, so apprently they've decided to go down the staying route.

i think 50/1 is about right. i wouldnt back him at that though

for fear of stating the obvious....what his hurdles rating has to do with it is it shows what a high quality horse he is to start with....and it shows what he can achieve providing he takes to fences....which he has made a good start at.

Hurricane fly might be the best hurdler.

Grand Crus to win on the bridle by 20 lengths today then if its a Gold Cup horse?