Re: Menorah, think back to Finians Rainbow last year! Everyone was saying talented horse but can't win the Arkle because he can't jump...jumped beautifully on the day, just didn't stay the two miles well enough to get home! The pace they go at in the Arkle staying is all important!

Heard an interesting story last night; Caroline Mould (the owner of Sprinter Sacre) doesn't have the best relationship with the Henderson stable & they're sh*t scared she'll take him out the yard, as she did with Khyber Kim! Could explain all this 'second coming' nonsense Henderson & Geraghty want us to believe!

I've always been told by a few people who work closely with horses that there's no such thing as a bad jumper, and it's purely a confidence thing! If Menorah get's into a rhythm, pings the first few off a stride as he's proved he can do, then I truly believe he can put in a clear round and if doing so he won't be far away! People talk about Sprinter Sacre travelling, which he does fantastically well, but neither Johnson or O'Brien have had to move on Menorah yet - if you're taking him on then you're hoping he falls because if not he'll be right up there clearing the last, and on his day he can make the hill look flat as a fart!

dwm767     26 Feb 12 19:04 
I don't think anyone's knocking what Sprinter Sacre has achieved - it's just some of us haven't got our dicks in our hand, furiously pumping away at what he's done so far!He's got big questions to answer at Cheltenham, the field will be out to beat him, he won't get the race run to suit and all in all he's well worth taking on! If backing Novice chasers on their 4th start and first true test at 5/4 is your game then crack on!

Nice one dwm,first part cracked me up

Rest of it all very true.

sintonian     25 Feb 12 21:36 
The more you see him jump and destroy the opposition the less doubts there are about Cheltenham,imo. Even Stevie Wonder can see he finishes his races with much left in the tank that an uphill finish is hardly likely to be his undoing.

this is the point, we can see he is finishing his races with apparent more in the locker, but the point is, when/if the jockey has to bring him under proper pressure can he turn the apparent "loads left" into the real thing...all these horses that travel and then empty look like they've loads left...feck me even stevie wonder could see that harchibald had loads left turning in against hardy...but some can't go any quicker than the high cruising pace they show through the race....also, lets not pre-empt the miracle of the breathing operations success because we won't know that until he is brought under proper pressure as that's when they feel the problem .

My thoughts too Tom. A fast run race will suit (likewise PC and AF). I assume people think it will expose stamina / hill concerns. I do not.

They haven't been successful in getting him to settle properly in his races, geraghty tried to get him to take a lead last time and the horse was not having it, so we have to acknowledge that the quicker they go, the quicker he may go in order to have his own way and this could lead to him burning himself out.

At the end of the day it is quite reasonable to speculate on what he will find late on in his races as we have witnessed a failing in the past, wind ops, maturing, stronger, fences, his impressive displays this year...none of these prove he is over the failing from last year and until he proves it under the conditions that replicate what he experienced last year, we should be sceptical.

I can't agree he doesn't settle. If a horse tears off in the Arkle he will tuck in for a bit but it really isn't going to take him long to jump to the front. The reason Barry had to take a tug at Newbury was just because he had jumped himself to near on the front after a couple of fences. If a horse tears off in front I think it will suit him down to the ground. He will have a nice lead for part of the race and the field will get strung out a bit giving him plenty of space. In all seriousness my biggest concern is something like Cue Card or Menorah falling & bringing him down.

Interesting point Judo because it's not an unlikley scenario.

I try to imagine everything if I can think of it

unless Tizzard does as he promises they could all be looking at each other seeing who wants to lead for the first couple of fences so for that I hope Tizzard does make it a proper gallop

thing is he might have the luxury of just lobbing along whist the others are being wound up for their charge at the end of the race so the longer he can wind him up for one big burst while remaining on the bridle the more likely he is to quicken clear... and the later he does that the less likely that will be able to catch him

fascinating process trying to visualise what will happen - I keep seeing him jumping the last 5 lengths clear and just trotting up the run in with the others legless and strung out all over Prestbury

He didn't at Newbury - he tugged his way to the front round about the corss fence which is about 6 f out.

Looking back at the newbury race again he pulls for the whole race doesn't he, i don't think that a fast pace will have him settled in behind, the horse won't have it simple as that, he doesn't drop the bridle at all...if cue card goes hell for leather, SS will go hell for leather too....it's a worry i would have thought.

Like every year it'll be won by a stayer, not a speed horse! Al Ferof, Menorah, Cue Card, winner comes from those three!

why should he not be 5 clear jumping the last? because you say he can't?

It's the race i'm most looking forward to on the first day of the festival, i hope the 5 principals all turn up so there's no excuses and imo al ferof (who champion trainer pn thought was good enough to run in champion chase and has tried in open grade 1 company running very respectably in being beaten less than half a dozen lengths by 2 genuine g1 performers) will outstay all his rivals under a ruby master ride from behind being delivered after all the others have played their hands. culminating in comparisons to azertyuiop (fantastic champion of old).

Massive overcomplication from people here (in my opinion of course).

I think Cue Card sets a good pace, Sprinter tracks him until moving on after the third last. Barry presses the button turning in, he shoots five or six clear and passes the post the same distance ahead of the chasers.

If I have one worry, and it is only a small one, it is that Barry waits too long to go for home and allows the likes of Peddlers to gain momentum and attack the hill. I must have said this a million times but am convinced Finian's Rainbow would have won the Arkle last year with more positive tactics, but Barry let the chasers get back at him before the second last and that was his undoing. Public opinion means the only real worry now for Sprinter is whether he stays strongly up the hill. I just hope it doesn't eat away at Barry's mind beforehand because if he's cantering all over them after the third last I'd much rather he went for home and built up a winning lead in case the hill eats at his stamina.

For me, the cardinal sin in racing is sitting too long on a traveller - it usually just allows those under the pump to stick closer and ultimately gain a little momentum before the finish plays itself out.

hey tom good to know someone else  has faith in finians ! was begining to think i was the only one on here whos backed it .

QUOTE - Barry presses the button turning in, he shoots five or six clear and passes the post the same distance ahead of the chasers.

If the opponents have enough pace which is especially true in good Arkle races (and in this one we have two ex-champion hurdlers) it is almost impossible to slip away like you say.

May I caution SSacre backers and suggest they look at past  results for this race. I get it - visually he looks good, but haven't we seen this all before going into the festival?

These runners are novices - and that includes SSacre - there are some assumptions that he will jump very well and the others won't - I suggest they all can improve their jumping and anyone of them can put in a race ending blunder.

It all might look very obvious after the event - SS jumps the last and gets beat on the run in (ah man, we KNEW that would happen again!)or he takes 2 lengths out of them at each of the last two fences and holds on (ah man, we KNEW that would happen!).

ming you put that really well, im interested in taking arklebolt on so the PP offer looks tempting, its a win win situation and if we have the next superstar at least i get my stake back

You probably did Frank. Nothing ever surprises me any more.