Cheltenham Festival
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10 Mar 12
19:22
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05 Jan 10
By Stuart Riley 6:04PM 10 MAR 2012 RACINGPOST.COM
ALAN KING has decided to target the Ryanair Chase rather than the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup with Haldon Gold Cup winner Medermit.
Despite leaving the horse among the 19 acceptors on Saturday for the Gold Cup, King said at Sandown on Saturday: "Unless something goes wrong with one of the big ones - and heaven forbid it does - I'd say he would go for the Ryanair.
"He's 7-1 for one and 33-1 for the other. I'm dying to go three miles with him, but three and a quarter in the Gold Cup is asking a lot of him and there's plenty of time for that."
Front-runner Midnight Chase is a likely participant and is all set to play his part in what is could be a frantically run Gold Cup. Trainer Neil Mulholland said: "Midnight Chase worked this [Saturday] morning and we are very happy with him at the moment. He's in great form and we are obviously looking forward to running him on Friday.
"It was only his second season chasing last year and he's stronger now. He was only beaten 19 lengths in last year's race, when Tom Scudamore rode him because Dougie Costello got injured on the day before the festival. Hopefully, Dougie can stay in one piece this time. We are hoping for a place and anything else would be a bonus."
Simon Claisse will complete his final cycle of watering on Sunday evening, putting the finishing touches to preparations for the festival. But with warm and dry weather expected during festival week, Claisse said he is planning to water the New Course on Wednesday evening before the switch.
"We've been watering today," he said on Saturday. "We're halfway through a cycle which will put on eight millimetres and expect to finish tea-time tomorrow. I'm leaving the going at good, good to soft in places but expect we will slip over to good to soft, good in places by the time we finish, weather depending."
"If the forecast remains as it is we'll water next week on Wednesday night. It will be warm next week - it was 17C here today."
On Betfair's official going market on Saturday evening good to soft ground was the clear 1.7 favourite against 2.26 for good. The two eventualities were sharing favouritism on Friday
ALAN KING has decided to target the Ryanair Chase rather than the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup with Haldon Gold Cup winner Medermit.
Despite leaving the horse among the 19 acceptors on Saturday for the Gold Cup, King said at Sandown on Saturday: "Unless something goes wrong with one of the big ones - and heaven forbid it does - I'd say he would go for the Ryanair.
"He's 7-1 for one and 33-1 for the other. I'm dying to go three miles with him, but three and a quarter in the Gold Cup is asking a lot of him and there's plenty of time for that."
Front-runner Midnight Chase is a likely participant and is all set to play his part in what is could be a frantically run Gold Cup. Trainer Neil Mulholland said: "Midnight Chase worked this [Saturday] morning and we are very happy with him at the moment. He's in great form and we are obviously looking forward to running him on Friday.
"It was only his second season chasing last year and he's stronger now. He was only beaten 19 lengths in last year's race, when Tom Scudamore rode him because Dougie Costello got injured on the day before the festival. Hopefully, Dougie can stay in one piece this time. We are hoping for a place and anything else would be a bonus."
Simon Claisse will complete his final cycle of watering on Sunday evening, putting the finishing touches to preparations for the festival. But with warm and dry weather expected during festival week, Claisse said he is planning to water the New Course on Wednesday evening before the switch.
"We've been watering today," he said on Saturday. "We're halfway through a cycle which will put on eight millimetres and expect to finish tea-time tomorrow. I'm leaving the going at good, good to soft in places but expect we will slip over to good to soft, good in places by the time we finish, weather depending."
"If the forecast remains as it is we'll water next week on Wednesday night. It will be warm next week - it was 17C here today."
On Betfair's official going market on Saturday evening good to soft ground was the clear 1.7 favourite against 2.26 for good. The two eventualities were sharing favouritism on Friday
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Thats the right decision for Medermit will have a great chance in the Ryanair
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lovely news, fast ground will be handy too for both GE and Medermit
Midnight Chase in the Gold Cup? might get 4th if he's lucky |
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The owners wanted to tun him in the GC,i guess Kingy pulled rank here!
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I predicted on one of the other many Medermit threads that they will go:
Ryan Air Betfair Bowl (3 miles) Punchestown (unless roughed off) Charlie Hall/Betfair Chase King George Aon Gold Cup 2013 I hope they do |
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judorick
10 Mar 12 18:39 Joined: 27 Nov 11 | Topic/replies: 3,983 | Blogger: judorick's blog I predicted on one of the other many Medermit threads that they will go: Ryan Air Betfair Bowl (3 miles) Punchestown (unless roughed off) Charlie Hall/Betfair Chase King George Aon Gold Cup 2013 I hope they do |