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Cheltenham Festival
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These 206 comments are related to the topic:
Simonsig Targets
Simonsig Targets
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Replies: 206
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i just want simonsig to get out and win on his chasing debut ASAP so we can stop this debate about weather he stays over hurdles this season or not.
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Giggsy if and when he does (perhaps hoses up) the debate will then switch to which distance does he go for (another two months). And then if he does not win his chosen race we will have at least ten months debate on whether it was too short/long etc. I suppose it is what makes racing/Cheltenham. They say patience is a virtue - of course those virtuous things have always been in short supply.
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looking back on Simonsig's form he has never raced on worse ground than gd/sft.With the weather as it is he will be lucky to get decent ground for a few weeks(assuming it stops raining!) or he will race on ground he may not like..
Does anyone have a view whether 2miles is his optimum distance over fences bearing in mind his hurdle form is over further? |
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trainer said that he would have won whatever race he ran in at cheltenham. he also said that if he kept him over hurdles he has no doubt he would have been a champion hurdle horse because he has so much speed and that simonsig and sprinter sacre are the two best young work horses in the yard. that along with the way he travels through his races points to him being very well suited to 2m.
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I think a stiff, galloping 2m will be perfect at the moment. I would not be surprised if he started further to take the fizz out, I am not sure he would want the fences flying at him to start.
Regarding the ground, I think it rode a bit softer than the description at Sandown and I think he possibly got a little stuck in it, FWIW. |
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I think a Champion Hurdle campaign is what he needs ;)
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BLUEBIRDFAN. how do u know what he needs? no more comments pleaae.
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I agree with Bluebird, and why shouldn't he be allowed an opinion?
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The horse was a poor jumper in points and no matter what is being said about schooling he has plenty to prove in that department.
Champion hurdle is precisely where he should be aimed. |
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i'd back this horse no matter whatrace he went for but because i have backed him at 7/1 for the arkle i just want him to get started over fences.
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Bassanio, did you see his points? (genuine question, not an attempt to be clever). I have seen footage of 1 and know someone who saw another and the view formed from that is that his jumping was far from a calamity.
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No
Going by what I heard from others that were at the first 2 of them. |
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http://www.p2ptv.ie/?tube=102
There ya go,See what you think of his fencing.. |
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Should definitely stick to hurdles then...
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I noticed a comment from Mr Henderson in the RP today that Captain Conan was going to take Overturn on at Sandown on saturday.. Interesting!..Surely that race would be a good place for Simonsig to start?
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That the Scilly Isles teaspoon? Think Hendo will look for an easier opening than that for a debut!
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Just Captain Conan for Henderson in the Henry VIII chase on Saturday, taking on Overturn.
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Some options before Christmas (not all possible / some not at all likely) that I can see: 12.12 Hexham (2m), 12.12 Leic (2m4), 14.12 Bangor (2), 14.12 Cheltenham (2m5), 16.12 Carlisle (2m5), 17.12 Ffos Las (2m5), 17.12 Plumpton (2m), 20.12 Exter (2m), 21.12 (Ascot (2m3), 22.12 Ascot (2m5).
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Had already picked out the Ascot one on Friday 21st as his likely starting point - right trip, is worth winning as it is a Grade 2 but generally a pretty weak one, good starting point then put him away til new year with the job done. If none of those happen I reckon last chance for starting a chase campaign would be the race at Kempton on 27th December where Sprinter Sacre beat Peddlers Cross last year. If he hits January without a run I would have him as odds-on to stay hurdling this season.
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If he is ready to run - not seen any announcement on this - then the track will probably be ground dependent.
He might well run out of time though I think Tuitchev had only run twice over fences before winning his Arkle. |
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And (as someone said above) I think Well Chief only ran once, in Feb, at Taunton (though that option here must be 999-1 given these connection).
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but dont forget as regards Well Chief he did run in 2 class 1 hurdle races in the November before the arkle .Simonsig has not run yet this season so either Mr henderson is supremly confident of his ability (although even the great Sprinter Sacre had run by this time last year) or maybe just maybe things are not going to plan? ..I still think he is far too short price wise
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I agree with the latter - the trainer has even indicated he would have been out earlier but for the splint problem they have disclosed.
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Simonsig latest
Barry Geraghty was due to school the Racing Post Arkle favourite this morning and he could feature among the entries for Bangor's novice chase on Friday. Those entries will be out later today. ( 1 hour ago) |
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he also said that if he doesnt run in that Bangor race he will get an entry in the 2m 3f novice chase at ascot. just glad that they are really trying to get this horse started over fences.
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Entered Friday
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Simonsig is set to make his much-anticipated debut over fences at Ascot on December 22 as Nicky Henderson weighs up his team of novice chasers.
The victory of Captain Conan at Sandown on Saturday led the trainer to describe the winner as "a real Arkle Chase horse" but he admitted that stablemate Simonsig was also clearly in the reckoning for the same race. "We had a good morning with him this morning anyway and the plan is for him to run in a fortnight's time over two miles and three," Henderson told Racing UK. "I didn't really want to wait until the Wayward Lad (at Kempton on December 27) with him. I want to get on with it and get an idea as to where we sit." |
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does anyone think they may train simonsig for one of the longer races at cheltenham??
not saying they would but any views or is it certain he will be an arkle horse? |
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Sounds as thoughh he doesn't know what to do with him.
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agree... strange start point for henderson a bangor novice chase
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Overturn's entered in the Bangor race too - Hendo will be on the blower to Donald to find out what his plans are.
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...and Punjuabi entered in same race.
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^Punjabi even
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I doubt if Bangor will be on as heavy frost forecast Mon tues and wed nights
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So he starts at Ascot. Will be hilarious if he ends up running in the Jewson after people have been lumping on for the Arkle all year, good old chemical Nicky
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Won't run in arkle can't jump at pace. Will go back over hurdles after it whacks a few on its debut over fences.
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Says who?^
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Says who indeed?!
Entries are all about giving options, so Bangor was fine as an entry, there are so few options for novice chasers, I did not read that as uncertainty. Imagine he made no entries other than Ascot, but Ascot was off. Multiple entries quite normal and fine. Ascot will be interesting. NJH has never done anything at all to suggest the horse was anything other than an Arkle horse IMO, but we will see how he jumps and travels at Ascot. He looks the real deal and is built for fences so we shall see. In the best few novices I have ever seen. I hope he can jump because if he can he has a chance to show his full potential and, in that scenario, we are potentially looking at (for want of a better phrase) a superstar. |
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I really hope this beast can jump a fence. If he can jump as well as Captain Conan did at Sandown, then with his engine, he'll be a real beast.
Have a nagging doubt however (and this may be because I saw his PTP race posted up here by someone), that we might end up disappointed for one reason or a another. Really hope I'm wrong on that though. |