Cheltenham Festival
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zarkandar ........2013 champyon hurdle .............
zarkandar ........2013 champyon hurdle .............
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Replies: 200
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Ruby will pick H Fly that's for sure
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SNO2 i have a funny feeling Ruby wont be making that choice as i can see The Fly not turning up !
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Only just had chance to see this race. I just love the way this horse battles, normally when you see a horse come off the bridle you know you've done your money, however Zarkandar just keeps finding.
It's possible (and I'm only guessing here as I'm no expert on pedigrees etc.) but being by Azamour he might actually be the one who suffered most from the going yesterday - though I don't think any of them would have liked it that much. There seem to be a number who think that better ground and the fact he was receiving weight means this form could be reversed. For me I think a fast run Champion Hurdle on decent ground will be right up his street and can see them forging on a fair way out trying to outbattle anything that tries to take him on up the hill. I'm still very happy with my bet on this one (the same can't be said about my antepost on Don Cossack.....) |
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The people on Grand are 3-0 down but keep saying Next time the weight/Ground /other course/ sun /fit / not fit / will change the places !!
 I myself would pick Zark over Grand for the champion and on good jumping ground i see ROR Zark then Grand |
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yes resner he has a great attitude ,and p. nicholls said he thinks he could have massive improvement ,read somewhere that zarkandar is a half brother or brother ? to a half decent french filly who won a few few fair races on the flat ............zarkarva ! .....any truth in that ?
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Absolutely right foyles. Most of the bloodlines from that family will mean that they usually stay well in flat terms.
However Zarkandar's half sister was also very fast and so that not convinced at all that Zarkandar actually wants to go too much farther - simply think he's quite a lazy horse and he really suits a strong pace. As I said on the Grandouet thread I think, if the jock can keep him interested up to the final hurdle, nothing will finish better. He seems to absolutely love the hill |
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yeah when p. nicholls said he would need the race at wincanton it was because zarkandar doesnt show them a lot at home ! as you say lazy and only just does enough ! which is not a bad thing at all as he saves it for the racecourse , it was nicholls noteable bullishness for the horse that made me sit up and take notice .
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I would also be amazed if Ruby does not pick The Fly.
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Has anyone seen a better jumper of a hurdle than Zarkandar? So slick and will win the 2013 champion hurdle if turning up fit and well.
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looks a penalty kick in the Kingwell on Saturday meaning he will go into the CH unbeaten this season
has to be a major player |
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slow race at Winc today just enough to put him right for the big day
needs to step up to win and the question is of course, will he? |
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anything can happen on the day ! did it well really, nothing flashy and others will be going better in the champion but with this one you know he will keep finding !
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yes Foyles, I'm on and it's a free bet because I have backed him, well, virtually every time he has run... owes me nothing but still be nice to see him collect
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visually to me it was workman like, you could tell he was no where near his peak, but even that was good enough.
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Doesn't do much in front imo, has never won by far.
Got a great attitude though and I think he's a transformed horse from last year. |
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This horse will not win a Champion,a place at best is his best hope imo.It just goes to highlight my frustration with Nicky Henderson. Put it this way,if Oscar whisky was in that race today i would have totally lumped on and would now still be counting. Like a lot of people i believe Henderson got it wrong last year,and is about to repeat the dose by not running him in the CH.I believe Hurricane Fly is the one to beat, but any other trainer would send OW straight to the CH. Oscar was second in the Cleeve through class not staying ability,and although i have a little bit of cover on the race, i cannot see him winning the WH. Apart from another deluge or 2 before the day, my only hope is the imfamous Binocular saga of 2010, or to lump on Grandouet bearing in mind Barry has always ridden Oscar in his races and would have his own ideas.
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suprised he's still 6/1 tbh, got to be a nice each way bet, or are the bookies dangling a nice little worm setting a trap for mugs like me
 hurricane fly - horses don't tend to come back and reclaim their crown after they've lost it, but he scares me, he's capable of doing it grandouet - classy but can't have him on my mind after such an interrupted career, he's had 1 run in well over a year now, don't you need a better prep than that to win the champion hurdle? rock on ruby - was about to be put in his place by darlan, just got the feeling he stole the race last year with an excellent tactical ride, he and overturn had it all their own way and nothing went with them, not sure if anybody will give him such an easy time of it this year. what else is there, countrywide flame, binocular, cinders and ashes? no thanks for various reasons wasn't a fan of zarkandar at all until recently, but he looks the most obvious bet in the race now |
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looked hard work today and never quickened away from a very average field (especially after thornton gave raya star one of his special rides!) - how much fitter can it possibly be in 23 days time?? the form of the cheltenham trial race is very uncertain, darlan was going to beat ROR and grandouet may be the best out of that race come the champion hurdle but there's only one winner for me - the fly!!
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Only the staunchest of supporters can take todays race and view it as a pointer to winning a champion hurdle, again today and against sub-standard opposition he didn't travel well and but for KK making a horlicks of the last wouldn't have been a great deal ahead of him, nothing is suggesting that come the big day he won't once again suffer getting badly out-paced.
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For me the CH has really turned into a 4 horse race this year. I like zarkandar but you cannot have been impressed with him today. Grandouet was going to be my saver but you can't be confident with a one race prep having been off for over a year. I'm a HF can so I'm maybe blinkered, though do recognise darlan would have been most likely winner, but I have to feel that 2/1 is really good value.ROR could come alive at Cheltenham and is the danger.
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I'm a fly fan, and was impressed with ROR with the way he travelled in the bula, for me though he never went on from there in the ill-fated darlan race, so I've gone cold on him, so I'm left thinking that it's the flys to lose with the only possible hurdle to that being the participation of MTOY's who I'd make 2nd best with a big plus sign next to his name, as the trials have progressed through-out the winter, the other contenders are looking, well, less so.
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I haven't backed Zarkandar for the champion but if I had I wouldn't be at all downcast about that performance. A flat track without the guts being dragged out of them at champion pace won't have played to his strengths but he still got the job done well enough and Nicholls will have left a bit to work on.
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eet
could nt agree more, this was a prep run,he was not fully tuned up, he is a lazy work horse as weve been told many times. This will go some way to putting him spot on for the 'big day'. For those who dont think horses can improve from their prep runs my question is how many of Mr Hendersons 7 festival winners last year got beat and underperformed in their preps? Lets not forget this horse did WIN yesterday, he is also one of only 3 or 4 who have any chance of winning a CH |
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Yep,last 2 posts sum up my thoughts entirely,no more to add really.
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Got a feeling Zarkander idles in front so he will never flatter but when something gets upsides him he finds more. He has the right profile and the only negatives are that Ruby thinks more of HF and he lacks tactical pace. I would like to see him prominently ridden to give him a chance.
-HF : His rating is too high, he is not that far in front of the others as it seems but what else has been as consistant? so he is a worthy if not vulnerable fav. -Grandouet : Fragile, doesn't race in the highest grade but on a strict line through Zarkander he has a form chance and he is at an age where more improvement may come. -Countrywide Flame : I was taken with his Triumph win and he has won a grade 1 as a 4 and 5yo and is another at an age where more improvement may come.... it needs to. -ROR : he won't be getting an easy 'lead' this year and the race could well have a different make up to last year but is rightly fancied. An ex-Neptune runner who won last year - the best race is the Neptune for finding future winners IMO and this bring me to. -Cotton Mill : he would have to improve heaps but is no forlorn hope either. -Cinders - not up to it so far and Supreme champs don't do that well the year after for some reason.. could improve of course but he is way off it at the mo'. I am at the stage where I fancy nothing  - but I do have a AP bet on CFlame at 25's, it could be down to the one who hits a purple patch of home form on the week of the race like Sublimity did. I have said for a while they are all much of a muchness and the absence of that bit of spice which was Darlan is a pity to say the least. |
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From and ante post perspective, this race is done and dusted, all the value has been taken and imo (and that of most others on here) its down to the top four in the betting.
I think the champion hurdle will be more heavily influenced by ground conditions than most other races this year. If conditions remain on the soft side then its between HF and Zarkander with HF coming out on top; if the ground dries out a bit (as expected?) its between Grandouet and ROR. I for one hope the ground dries up a little as have nailed my colours firmly to the Grandouet mast! |
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^^^^ can't have that champion hurdle analogy
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Hurricane Fly wins this eased down to a staying on Binocular, Zarkandar will be powering on up the hill and nothing will get by it, but he'll be in about sixth himself :)
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Gone right off Grandouet now,his preps not good,and he keeps getting beat by Zarkandar as well.
HF,ROR and Zark will fight it out imo,and maybe Binocular. If its soft or worse and connections decide to put OW in,hes a big chance. Want ROR,my main bet,but gut feeling is Zarkandar. Thats it for me. |
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Anyone with Zarkandar as their main bet might want to invest in a pair of rosary beads after yesterday. He won't be winning any champion hurdle.
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why?
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With respect care should be taken Greame on taking form too literally a month before the festival.
Rock on Ruby / Finians Rainbow / Countrywide Flame just from last year.... |
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he beat a horse 17lengths giving him 4lb,and that horse got beat by Darlan by 4l at levels.
yes i know Raya Star made a mistake,but even so thats a heck of a difference. And that in a race and on a track that could not have suited Zarkandar any less. The Ch will suit him much better,and we all know,or should do by now,exactly how Nicholls campaigns his Cheltenham runners.He would have left something,be sure about that. |
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Why ?......well for starters people keep on saying he flew up the hill last year, without mentioning he didn't have to jump the last hurdle because it had already been knocked down, so that certainly helped. Someone then thought it was a good idea for a good gamble to take place in the International hurdle, giving Ruby a good old excuse to give one of Hurricane Fly's rivals a tough race. He certainly knew he was in a race, whilst Grandouet and ROR enjoyed the scenery. Yesterday he just didn't look that impressive, regardless of what has been left to work on. He doesn't strike me as being as athletic as the others, and i'd say he was more of a World Hurdle type.
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Fine,thats how you see him,no worries.
Personally i would find it very dangerous to say he wont be wiining a Churdle on what weve seen this season. Hes unbeaten,and we know March is when he will be spot on. |
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totally agree bud,clearly ruby must fear him if hes over working him too!!!!
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Did what was needed yesterday, still think he's a great e/w bet
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Graeme83 17 Feb 13 10:37 Joined: 21 Sep 07 | Topic/replies: 7,637 | Blogger: Graeme83's blog
Anyone with Zarkandar as their main bet might want to invest in a pair of rosary beads after yesterday. He won't be winning any champion hurdle. 1. You're a very foolish man to dismiss outright what is to many the leading English challenger. 2. I find you're comments re: rosary beads offensive & typical of the kind of comment that I've seen from u on here. |
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grahme has this horse ever looked impressive in any of its races ,it is never impressive at home thats why they dont know if he will need the race 1st time out , lazy at home ,only does enough , dont think they know how good he is yet ! may not be good enough but has a 1st rate chance
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He has only had 9 hurdle starts in his life and won 7 of them, all of which have been Graded races which is some kind of achievement. He's a Cheltenham Festival winner and has won 3 key trials races this season so anyone thinking he 'can't win' really ought to be rethinking how they approach working out finite probability.
As has been said many times, the horse had problems in the 2011/12 season which was evident in the fact that he did not even reappear until the Betfair Hurdle in February. PFN reported the horse was sick following that race and no one would have been surprised that he got beat in the Champion Hurdle anyway as he was a 5 year old. In fact, it would have been extremely surprising had he won. Many observers may not been impressed by his racing style but there is no denying he is a slick jumper of a hurdle and he will be spot on on the day. He is a danger to every one and is one of just 3 or 4 horses that can win the race. Whether he takes his chance remains to be seen but dismissing him is clearly foolish and will remain so even if he does not win in the end |