RSA

First Lieutennant easy

hell come good on the good ground i reckon

Have you read Pipe's comments this week? Sounds like GC will only go down the Gold Cup route if any of the principals dont make it imo.

Ya i think he'll go RSA after readin the interview

Bob's worth to turn around the form with Grand Crus,Kempton didnt suit Bob's and he loves it around chelts, 3 in 3 i think? ..

A few dark horses here I think - not least Berties Dream who was a festival winner two years ago and looks a different horse this season from last.

If i knew he were running i would back Last Instalment pretty big,but trainer undecided last i heard.
If he aint there First Lieutenant for me.

Hidden Cyclone or First Lieutenant

Berties Dream v unlikely to travel to chelt, trainer on atr last weekend

tx BJG

Any link to Pipe's comments about Grands Cru? Missed this. He's still a big price for the RSA.

Hidden Cyclone the only Irish novice chaser of note this season.

Gigginstowns are good but I don't see any superstars amongst them.

Also thought Bog Warrior was more of a Arkle horse than RSA given the way he's been campaigned.

I love this race. Loads and loads of hype horses. Always four horses that are going to win the following years' Gold Cup, and then it always turns out that none of them like it up 'em, and they all get turned over by some Irish plodder with a big heart.

SYT,What makes you say that about HC and the Gigginstown horses?

personally i was hugely impressed with Last Instalment,and to a slightly lesser extent FL.Think they are both major players myself.

I think Ace High is worth a second luck.  Not been out since winning at Chepstow in October and that race has worked out well. Looked to me that he would certainly have given Join Together a race that day if JT had not fallen and may well have beaten him.  Unsure of plans and looks well handicapped so may go down the Handicap route.  Anybody know plans?

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A few dark horses here I think - not least Berties Dream who was a festival winner two years ago and looks a different horse this season from last.

That'll be because he is now with a top trainer,imo.

Last Instalment - impressively

Anyone know if Hidden Cyclone is likely to turn up at the festival?
See they missed it out last season.

My only ante post bets all look dodgy as usual. Mr Moonshine and Golden Chieftain have both been very disappointing while Ace High has had a setback. Ace High should be back in time for Cheltenham but will lack experience at that level. If he turns up on the day he should be short enough to lay off my stake at 80. I usually get on better by laying short prices for the Festival than picking long range winners.

Thanks Sage for update on Ace High.  Is RSA the target?

Does anyone know if Hidden Cyclone has the RSA as his intended target or being saved for one of the irish festivals?

shakespears ,i think i heard something about him missing cheltenham ! but dont take that as gospel  put a ,call out to  anaglogs daughter he will get some info up on it (nap)

Thanks Foyles...heard similar too...not had any bet on him yet but would do if I thought he may run.

this is from an article after his first win (hidden cyclone):

His trainer said he could run at Fairyhouse in January before going on to better things.

"He wasn't 100 per cent and will improve a good bit. His jumping was good but Andrew[McNamara] said it would have to improve to move up to Graded class," said Hanlon.

"He'll run next in a race at Fairyhouse at the end of next month and we'll think about Cheltenham after that."

Join Together

Anyone heard anymore re Last Instalment coming over?

Will know Sunday evenin imo

Been playing this one over in my mind recently and having learnt from my mistakes the last two years,  I realise now that it pays to side with a tough battler, as opposed to a flashy sort. I may be mad thinking this, but is Grand Crus a tough enough sort to handle such a tough race??? Or will his class see him through.....in the same way everyone thought Time for Rupert's class would?!

Bobs worth is one of my fav horses in training and while I was disappointed by his run at Kempton, that was understandable as the right handed track didn't suit. It is Bob and Join Together who really appeal in this race. Bob for obvious reasons. But Join Together has been growing on me recently. Great form on last two runs at the course.

Nicholls argues he is better on the new course. But I might argue that he was better in December compared to November SIMPLY BECAUSE HE WAS BETTER THAN LAST TIME I.E. he is improving. He looks to be the tough type of horse to win this. However, Nicholls knows his horses better than I do obviously so I must take note of what he says. Moreover, he is usually decisive with where his charges will run, and he first thought Join Together would be a NH hunt chase horse. If that is the case, maybe he will lack the gears for the RSA?


Would appreciate some views on Join Together's chances

IC - I rate join together pretty highly. It was the way he won in December which impressed me. Seemed tough and nobody was able to get past him a real tough one. One by one they came to challenge and none could. Jumps great foo, especially for a novice. Really liked him and think ( and hope) he's got a good chance in the RSA.

IC - I think you sum up the horse very well. He looks good and tough. He has apparently decent course form (perhaps very good) and is improving. Yet his trainer seems to have doubts and as you say thought (thinks?) of him as more of an NH Chase type. That said, Nicholls will prep him very well if he does go for the RSA.

thanks for the thoughts. I think he rates a good eachway bet. Will do a write up on it soon, and will no doubt have changed my mind about 10 times

thanks for the thoughts. I think he rates a good eachway bet. Will do a write up on it soon, and will no doubt have changed my mind about 10 times

I don't think nicholls has any doubt which race he's going for . it was a quote made after his first Cheltenham win. From the guardian ...

Join Together
He's done really well this year and won at Cheltenham both times he's been there. He's in the RSA Chase [next month] and he's entered on Saturday at Newbury as well, again with an alternative in the Reynoldstown at Ascot the following week.
There is also a nice race at Fontwell in a few weeks' time that I won with Star De Mohaison en route to [winning] the RSA. Again all options are open with him and I don't want to give him that hard a race before Cheltenham. He goes well fresh and it wouldn't be the end of the world if he went straight there. A big galloping track like Newbury would suit him really well, and Denman won the same race en route to the RSA, but we'll just see what the opposition is and weigh it all up and see what we're going to do.
He was particularly impressive last time and I'm hoping he will progress to run in the Hennessy and the top chases next year. He's a typical [son of] Old Vic, who will just get stronger as he gets older.

Just realised that wasn't particularly clear what I was saying. After his first Cheltenham win nicholls was quoted saying that he would probably go for the 4 miler but after his win in December he's been aimed at the rsa. Pasted from the guardian was nicholls comments in paper a few days ago.

Cheers David,

sounds to me like he really has changed his tune about his chances! Very happy with that! 10/1 is still available and that would be the price I'd want to take. Might as well wait to see if he is entered tomorrow with regard to an antepost bet.  That said, I think it is fair to argue that Bobs Worth looks to be a better version of Join Together. Both tough but Bobs has more natural class

All very exciting, not long to go until the festival!!!

Silvinaco Conti for me. Got 30s, now 12s. No complaints

MikeGlos

Id maybe lay some off if I were you - not definite runner

Silviniaco Conti
He's entered in the three-mile chase at Newbury but that doesn't mean he's going to run as he's got other options. He could go for the Reynoldstown Chase [at Ascot] or the Pendil or a race at Fontwell. We haven't decided for definite if he's going to run at Cheltenham, he's in the 2½-mile [novice chase] and also the three-mile [novice chase]. He ran an absolute blinder in the Feltham [Novice Chase] at Christmas, where he beat Bobs Worth. I still don't know why Bobs Worth is a shorter price than he is [for the RSA Chase at Cheltenham next month], because he beat him fair and square.
He jumps really well and he's improving, he's strengthening up all the time but I still see him as next year's horse, hence I don't really want to do the wrong thing. I want to mind him a little bit and, if we don't go to Cheltenham, we'll go to Aintree and then we'll be looking after him because next year I can see him contesting all the top three-mile races.
If Grands Crus runs on Saturday, I don't see any reason to take him on at this stage, so we might go elsewhere, but I'm sure he's going to do really well as a chaser.

Might as well just post the link

http://m.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/feb/06/paul-nicholls-newbury-betfair-card-plans?cat=sport&type=article

I'm on the mobile but should Work

So Nicholls has entered him in the Jewson as well as the RSA, keeps telling us he will maybe wait for Aintree but cannot understand why he is a longer price in the RSA antepost market than a horse who is being aimed at the race?  Bright, huh.