OSCAR WHISKEY OVERHYPED

Did you see him in the Champion Hurdle last season?

yes but over 2 miles no proof he will stay for me as he wins steadily run races over 2 1/2

I suspect the Fly wasn't 100% last year, which of course fits in with my agenda that PC and OW are not as good as widely thought.

I have suggested on here that OW hasn't beaten much, which of course is often levelled against Bucksy.

That is true, but it wasn't against trees or inferior opposition. And you are right that people do look for something to beat Big Buck's - but that's the point of racing.

The way Oscar W stays over 21 f strongly suggests he'll get 24 f - watch his race on New Years Day where he beat soem fair sorts hard on the bridle.

I don't think he'll beat Big Buck's but I expect him to finish second.

where is this hype? who is doing the hyping? I live and breathe racing full time and I don't see this happening... what, is it in the Sun or something?

Did you see him at Aintree last year another yard and he was beat - on an easy track.  Every year bookies fimd something for the public to back against BB. Same this year.

Arkle - that was against a very good horse who had the Aintree race and the French CH in June as his main targets whereas OW's main target was the Champion Hurdle.

i aint trying to knock the horse but dont see him serving it up to big bucks imo. regarding the race on new years day he was very good but again they didnt go a great gallop i think ruby will send big bucks home early this year and really test oscars stamina

I think you are correct if it's a slowly run race.

Get Me Out Of Here didn't do his form any harm in the Betfair did he tbf. Big Buck's will probably outstay him but Oscar Whisky is a good horse. Don't see any hype behind him tbh but he's the most likely horse to come 2nd. Who knows he may relish 3 miles and beat him. I've followed Big Buck's since he went back over hurdles and has won me plenty but someone will beat him one day. Not saying it will be tis year and hope not as I've backed him but you shouldn't just ridicule challengers to Big Buck's.

i have supreme confidence in ruby walsh.

as soon as he says 'go on son, win your race' and shakes him up he'll street fight anything that comes at him up that hill.

hopefully will make it to aintree too, where he beat grands crus even more convincingly than at cheltenham. i'll never forget already counting my winnings as he approached the last hurdle hard on the bridle with tom scu throwing the kitchen sink at him. 'he appears to be laughing at them' were the words of the commentator.

no idea who will give him a race this year though, as oscar and thousand stars look set to go for the aintree  hurdle.

A lot will depend on whether Thousand Stars turns up as well.

On RPTV Willie Mullins said he will be entered into the Champion and World Hurdle and a decision will be made at the last minute; but he was leaning towards the Champion because he has so many others for the World.

Seems strange though that he is out to 70 for the Champion and 27 for the World, which suggests he may miss the Festival all together because surely he'd be shorter than that in both races based on his ability alone?

In terms of Oscar Whisky it doesn't look like he has been stopping in any of his races.  Before he fell, he was putting it up to Overturn over 2m4f when giving him 8lbs, who then went on to win a Grade 1 hurdle.

LISTEN HERE! THERE IS NO NEED TO WRITE ON POINTLESS THREADS. IF OSCAR WHISKY OVERRATED?... WHO CARES!

THE ONLY THING THAT MATTER IS THE ANSWER TO TO WORLD HURDLE.

BIG BUCKS IS THE ANSWER. HE WILL WIN. I TELL YOU NOW LIKE I ALWAYS DO. BIG BUCKS IS TOOOOOOOO GOOD!!

BRING THEM ON BABY! £600 WIN A 2/1, 5/4 AND EVS :-)

Seems strange though that he is out to 70 for the Champion and 27 for the World, which suggests he may miss the Festival all together because surely he'd be shorter than that in both races based on his ability alone?

At one of the Irish preview nights Shark Hanlon said his mole in Mullins camp says Thousand Stars 'gone sour in recent weeks'.

Don't know if he's serious or just taking the mick, but the horse did run in the 3 major srping festivals last season, ran twice in France in the summer, and then only had a few months off before coming back to the top level last November. Maybe needs a break?

wellchief, yeah overturn did win a g1 after that but would hardly call the fighting fifth a true form race. binocular is never at his best for that race and mccoy was hands and heels with him as soon as it was evident he needed the run. overturn had been in a decent prep race a few weeks earlier as well as hit fitness being kept up over the summer months, so was probably more or less A1 on that day.

Any horse that's good enough to be 3rd in a Champion Hurdle has to be taken seriously when dropping in class to the slowcoach division.  We have to remember that it is really still the Stayers Hurdle, however much they have tried to hype it up with the name change.  It is still just a race for those not fast enough to be champions over hurdles and not good enough to succeed over fences.

WPM stable tour on Racing Post site - he as good as ruled out the WH, sounded like Champion if anythin for Thousand Stars

Re the op - maybe he wont beat BB (I think he is te e/w bet of the century!), maybe he is not a 180+ horse, but overhyped?

Beaten 3 times in his life - in the Supreme (when inexperienced, having only had 2 hurdles runs), beaten 6l in a red-hot champion (probably over too short a trip) by the horse many people see as the heir to Istabraq, and beaten when falling at the last neck and neck trying to give 8lbs on seasonal reappearence to race-fit rock solid mid 160s Overturn (surely no better form guide) who NTO up won the Fighting Fifth and beforehand had won the summer Champion easily, a Chester Cup, Scots Champion, Galway Hurdle, Northumblerland Plate and been placed in Christmas Hurdles...

Oscar overhyped? I would say the reverse is true.

still no supporting evidence for starting this thread

where is the hype? can you show an example? how do you know its hype? why haven't I seen it?

are you just using hyperbole to make the simple point that you don't think OW can ever beat big Bucks?

Andrew, Overturn did win the Fighting Fifth only 7 days after his hard race with Oscar Whisky, so it was a bit of an after thought because the ground remained good.  Celestial Halo winning a handicap off 160 also boosted the Fighting Fifth form.

I'm not taking the form 100% literally, but Overturn is a very good mid 160 horse imo, so for Oscar Whisky to race him so close giving 8lbs was a top class performance.

Because Overturn is so consistent I think he is always a good benchmark to use.  I can forgive him his Christmas Hurdle run behind Binocular because it was his fourth run in five weeks, which is a very tough ask by anyones standards.

the fact that there are people questioning the fact is more than enough the fact a lot of people believe he will beat big bucks and the fact a lot of people believe he is a bet to nothing e/w. Pay your money take your choice lets see what happens come march 16

Judo - as ever, harsh but probably fair (!).

march 15

was only asking questions R Carver

The stayers is the 15th March Layhemall - can I get a price for Oscar from you on the 16th? Only kidding mate!

Judo - I know, just playing!

I doubt very much that Oscar Whiskey can beat the fav either

fail to see the hype that the OP claims surround the horse

so can you point out some articles, stories or anything that is actually hyping the horse?

or is it just a few comments on forums by fans?

lol im balls deep already in the race but dont lay horses anyhow prefer to cheer a horse on than hope it gets beat think it should be a lot bigger than 4/1 mind. if oscar wins then fair play just feel he needs to proof he stays 3 miles at a end to end gallop and theres the small task of outstaying big bucks

but what about the hype mate? are you just saying the price is the hype? i mean you think the price should be bigger so the fact that it is shorter = hype?

still don't get it

but dont lay horses anyhow prefer to cheer a horse on

What's your username?

judorick to be fair it is people i know and on forums but either way if its in a article or someones opinion on here its still people hyping the horse which is fine i aint out to start a argument on the matter just seeing peoples opinion that he is in my opinion way under priced considering he hasnt ran in a fast run race over further than 2 miles but we will see pal

I have spent the last 8 weeks doing nothing but preparing for the Festival, reading, watching, re-watching, studying ratings and everything... and I have not spotted much hype for the horse so interested why you think he has been

lol yes lay every bloody horse i back lol i only enjoy 1 week a year and thats normally cheltenham i bloody hope so this year as im pretty deep this year

Lay, not true that OW has never been in a fast run race over further than 2m!  OW has won in very fast times over 2m 4f, was 7s faster than Spirit Son's race on same card when winning the Grade 1 Hurdle that I still want to call the Templegate and was an even faster time when slaughtering Any Given Day, Celestial Halo and Karabak at Cheltenham last winter.

Feb 27, 2012 -- 7:23PM, thieveslikeus wrote:

Any horse that's good enough to be 3rd in a Champion Hurdle has to be taken seriously when dropping in class to the slowcoach division.

Really? Which Champion Hurdle contenders have won a world/stayers hurdle recently?

That was my point that seemingly didnt come through with the quote

Not many have tried while still in their prime.  Not since Nomadic Way anyway.  I suppose Inglis Drever would have gone quite close based on his trials wins if he hadn't gone the slow horses route.   Which slow horses have reverted to 2 miles and beaten CH contenders?  Not that they could.  It is a championship race in name only.

Likewise the Gold Cup presumably - I really like the Stayers and consider it a specialist event

Nomadic way is probably be the last - which suggests it cannot be automatic that a classy 2 miler will be a classy 3 miler.

However, I think that's academic as regrds OW because he's a classy 2 1/2 miler.

OW is better over further yet had the class to place in a CH.  It will happen again that a horse steps up in trip to the weaker division, same as Inglis did although he didn't compete in a CH. 

demps,  you selectively quote my post and miss out the second half that explains why it is an inferior race.  Chelt Gold Cup is THE championship race for steeplechasers as the Champion Hurdle is for hurdlers.  Champion Chase is next best as it is a quality steeplechase for speed horses.  The "World" Hurdle (it's very name makes me laugh, it's akin to the superbowl being a "world championship") is, as i said below but you failed to quote, a mish mash of horses too slow to be Champions and/or too poor at jumping to compete over fences.

re well chief, fair play, i respect what youre saying. its always nice to have a constructive debate on here as opposed to the dozens of armchair jockeys, pocket talkers and general 'experts'.

What?No Brigust defending Oscar Whiskey on this thread?
or have i missed something?

Thieves I am not disagreeing with the main point you are making but I sometimes wonder if we are fooling ourselves when we say that the GC is THE championship race. Write down the names of the GC winners since 1990 and then write down the ccorresponding years champion chase winners beside them. God there has been quite a number of terrible GC winners in that time.

grand crus is a better horse than oscar whisky so i dont see why theres so much hype around him tbh. wont stay 3 miles either, no chance of beating big bucks imo, none!

I blame Adam Kondrat for the quality of some of the winners in the 90's Arklearkle! 

Keepwavingatbuses, on what basis is GC better than OW?  Because he managed to beat Knockara Beau once?

I blamed poor Mark Pitman for one of them (pocket) but to be fair his horse was certainly no world beater either.

on the basis of how close he ran big bucks at the festival. hes unbeaten over fences.

oscar whisky hasnt a prayer against big bucks, nothing has. it not inconceiveable that he wont even place in the world hurdle.

what has OW ever done to justify this hype? he wins weak races. his best performance was in the champion where he was 3rd.

peddlers/binocular obv didnt run their races at aintree. in his last 3 races he beat gmooh, pougnach and sir harry ormasher

on that note, sleep tight!