Cheltenham Festival
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Fingal Bay
Fingal Bay
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Well he proved he can jump ok,which is the main thing in his 1st race over fences.
Whether he is actually good enough to challenge in the top novice chases i aint sure,next couple of races will tell us. I would not be backing him,but those that are should be fairly pleased with that i would think. |
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Looked a promising run for a relatively unfit horse. Jumped well enough after settling down. More to come.
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Could not in a million yrs back this horse at Wincanton - he needs a big, galloping track IMO, with wide open spaces. I thought yesterday was satisfactory. Hobbs rarely has his runners undercooked FTO but for a debut over an inadequate trip I thought it was good enough and he should continue to improve quite a bit IMO. Long tern -pure speculation- I think he will lack a change of gear, he looks a grinder, a lazy one too, and something with more class might end up chinning him, but this was a satisfactory start.
Fwiw, on an unrelated point, the year Katchit won his Triumph, his Triumph run was his 16 in 12 months, and his 7th over hurdles (I think Countrywide had 14 races altogether in the same period). Katchit started off over hurdles at the Sept Market Rasen meeting. |
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think thats a harsh assessment tbh..didnt look lazy when slamming simonsig and barbatos...grinder...well if he is then id say hes got more class than one knight [won rsa for hobbsy]
Bloody good horse imo |
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I agree with him being clasier than One Knight (I loved him - but was the worst jumper in yrs!). I think he did outstay, on soft ground, up the hill, over 2 and half, Simonsig and I think that form is rock solid but stop the race 2 out and Simonsig (pulling double) would have been long odds on. I did not mean to be disparaging, I really love the horse, but i think he may just lack a gear in top, top company when the ground is decent. I also think he does next to nothing in front (which is probably what i meant when I described him as being lazy).
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Yeah over 2 and a half he will get outpaced, the way Hobbs is talking I still think the Aintree race is in the back of his mind, when saying "He'll get 3 in time" He needs 3 miles this year at the Festival. He defo idles in front, will be better with a proper pace and a lead
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Trained by Philip Hobbs, the six-year-old met defeat only once over hurdles, in a Grade One event at Aintree, and was always expected to be a better chaser.
The race lost much of its lustre when Poungach, trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Ruby Walsh, fell at the first fence. That left Fingal Bay out on his own in front and while he jumped well, if a little big, he appeared to be idling after the last, which enabled Tiger O'Toole to throw down a challenge. Profiles P J Hobbs Fingal Bay (IRE) R Johnson Once Richard Johnson got stuck into him, Fingal Bay (8-13 favourite) responded to win by a length and a half. Johnson told At The Races: "He jumped really well - he's a very good horse. "Obviously the job was made a lot easier with Paul Nicholls' horse crumpling at the first - he was a bit unlucky. "He's had a nice time, he's enjoyed himself, and hasn't had a hard time. "I'm sure there'll be harder tests in the future but it's the perfect start. "I always knew he'd respond when I needed him to and the runner-up is a fair horse. "It probably suited him with us not going very quick." Hobbs said: "He was foot-perfect, which was great. There was a little bit of a scare after the last but he was good. "They didn't go quick enough - a faster pace will help - and I'm pleased he jumped well. He's always looked as though he'll be a better chaser but time will tell. "He definitely won't go less than two and a half miles and he might go up to three. "I'd imagine he'll go for the Future Stars Novices' Chase at Wincanton or to the Paddy Power meeting for the two-mile-five-race there." |
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He jumped very high over some of his first few fences but then got more effective over them as the race went on. It was a shame Poungach didn't give him a race but it was certainly a promising start. Still can't see him winning the RSA though
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I was totally against Fingal yesterday because i thought the trip was on the short side and Hobb's horses usually come on a bundle for there first outing of the year. Also i heard Hobb's giving a interview after Menorah first run over fences last year and he said that he does'nt tend to over school them(granted certain horses may be different) at home before there first run as he likes his horses to progress with there fitness and learn how to jump properly as the season progress's. Once they are jumping adequately after a few schools over the larger obstacles at home Phillip tends to send them to the track. With this in mind i could,nt have been more impressed by Fingal Bay yesterday and after predictably being awkward and a wee bit wayward over the first few fences i thought he got into a lovely rhythm and comfortably held off a race fit talented individual in the shape of Tiger O'Toole. Granted Fingal Bay was receiving weight and also the Nicholls horse departing early was a big help but the manner of Fingals victory(to my eye anyway)was hugely impressive and i expect him to take very high rank in the novice staying division and maybe dipping his toe in against the big boys at some stage of the season. Gold
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I was totally against Fingal yesterday because i thought the trip was on the short side and Hobb's horses usually come on a bundle for there first outing of the year. Also i heard Hobb's giving a interview after Menorah first run over fences last year and he said that he does'nt tend to over school them(granted certain horses may be different) at home before there first run as he likes his horses to progress with there fitness and learn how to jump properly as the season progress's. Once they are jumping adequately after a few schools over the larger obstacles at home Phillip tends to send them to the track. With this in mind i could,nt have been more impressed by Fingal Bay yesterday and after predictably being awkward and a wee bit wayward over the first few fences i thought he got into a lovely rhythm and comfortably held off a race fit talented individual in the shape of Tiger O'Toole. Granted Fingal Bay was receiving weight and also the Nicholls horse departing early was a big help but the manner of Fingals victory(to my eye anyway)was hugely impressive and i expect him to take very high rank in the novice staying division and maybe dipping his toe in against the big boys at some stage of the season. Gold
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Gold Cup talk might be a bit premature but i would'nt be shocked if he were to keep going the right way to see him lining up.
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gold cup....no chance whatsoever of even being given an entry.
sdc,bobs worth,long run,fl,last instalment,flemenstar etc.. while he may give them a race next year that would be madness to contemplate it agree with everything else you posted,i thought it was a very decent performance |
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Gold Cup talk ffs.
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Think that effort suggests he's good but no superstar
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Fine effort over a trip too short. When a horse jumps the first three that well please don t keep disapointing him and drop him back inlet him get on with it
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Giving Dynaste weight might prove a decent performance but I though the winner had plenty in hand. Don't very often see young Scu motionless turning in but he knew he had the race won. Fingal Bay reached his peak beating Simonsig at Sandown last year. He nearly dogged it on the run in in the Challow and looked to be doing the same against Tiger O'Toole at Chepstow.
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Dont think he dogged it at all. Just one paced at the trip, people went overboard saying he didnt stay 3 after the Lovcen defeat but think we will see the best of him over that trip. I'll wait till the Feltham before writing him off
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needs cut too
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Big fan of Fingal Bay and won plenty on him last season, im starting to think he hasnt progressed since beating Simonsig.
His challow performance was well below par (virtually heavy ground) but the aintree race can be forgiven as he was returning after a small injury. Still reckon he is a top horse but i will wait and see how he performs when he gets his soft ground as todays going was way too quick for him. |
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soft ground and a lead from some decent runners
convinced sitting prominently is no good |
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I think when he looked best visually was round Cheltenham on good ground beating Barbatos. Ground was reported as tacky today by a few trainers
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After the 1st three today Johnson should of let him go on instead he kept disapointing the horse and was a sitting target for Dynaste
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Agree sj, Barbatos was a decent yardstick (rip)
Today wasnt all about winning, a 5 runners novice race means very little at the end of the day. The good thing is FB jumped very well even with his pilot. |
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The first two look really nice prospects. Don't think Fingal By did anything wrong at all, and once we could see that Dynaste was a good jumper, he was always likely to win getting 5 lb over that trip.
I suspect connections of the pair would be very happy. Personally think Dynaste is probably best over this sort of trip, too, whereas Fingal will likely want further. As someone who just watched the race without a financial interest, I thought it was great to see such good horses all jump so well as novices. |
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I just wonder whether the Lovcen defeat has played on their mind a bit too much. End of the day the two came well clear and now and then you get beat.
Since then they dont want to hit the fron,t and seem to wonder whether they stay 3 miles. I think they should let him bowl along at a decent clip in the Feltham if they means being in front then so be it don t keep disapointing the horse |
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I agree ^. Also think he might not have quite got home at Aintree because he was coming back from a break and a little injury, and you might hope he would stay a bit better with another few months on his back anyway. I think he'll definitely stay three miles very well.
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I was also impressed by Unioniste - he jumped beautifully and being only 4 may improve quite a lot (though probably not to top class). It seemed a high class race today, in terms of the jumping at least. As for Fingal Bay, my regualr readers will know I'm not surprised he got beat....
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Both the front two ran very good races, the winner jumped well on debut and produced a turn of foot at the end,the 2nd jumped well and considering he gave weight to the winner and the pace was too slow for him i wouldn't be worried at all at getting beat today, i'd be firmly in the fingal bay camp if it came to the rsa, wouldn't be surprised if dynaste proves to be quite similar to grands crus in more ways than one, fingal looks the real stayer out of the two to me.
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For all that Fingal Bay's battling qualities appeared fantastic when beating Simonsig - Simonsig was not right that day. Had he been i have no doubt he would have ended up the winner.
Having said that i really like Fingal and have in him many of my TTF entries. I think it's possible that he himself might have had something minor wrong today - didn't seem to run up the hill at all as would have been expected |
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I think FB ran a perfectly respectable race. Jumped much better than he had at Chepstow and was just outpaced by a classier horse. Dynaste is in many lists of horses to follow and yesterday, he showed why. Jumped well and was given a very confident rise by Tom Scudamore, who never picked up the stick once.
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Johnson said: "Obviously something is not right. He was jumping to his left at almost every fence and I probably should have pulled him up."
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whats going on with Mr Hobbs?
Thats Menorah,Wishful Thinking,Captain Chris and now Fingal Bay. His best horses all had problems in their own way. |
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Giving Dynaste weight might prove a decent performance but I though the winner had plenty in hand. Don't very often see young Scu motionless turning in but he knew he had the race won. Fingal Bay reached his peak beating Simonsig at Sandown last year. He nearly dogged it on the run in in the Challow and looked to be doing the same against Tiger O'Toole at Chepstow.
This. He is increasingly quirky and has regressed big time. |
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Get him back over hurdles
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Out for the Season
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The six year old hadn't finished out of the first two in eight career starts before his disastous run at Exeter where he jumped left throughout before running out just before a fence in the home straight.
Philip Hobbs' charge had chased home Dynaste on his previous start at Cheltenham but he won't be seen again this campaign. "He sustained a minor tendon injury but that wasn't the reason he was jumping so much to the left," Hobbs told At The Races. "Unfortunately he's out for the season. Next season he'll have to run in conditions races with little experience which isn't ideal." |