Cheltenham Festival
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Horse looks made for this race and looks good e/w value to me,made a solid start to season at ascot giving loads of weight to William Wishes an then ran a cracker in king george for long way before not staying out the trip, loves chelt an is deff one of the best jumpers in the field surely going to go close an with lots of horses enterd in other races im gonna snap up the 10s cause i can only see him getting shorter now.
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Gut feeling is that you've got the ryanair packed full of the types below top class (plus some that are and should be aiming higher) and I think he is a step down from that again, think 10's is really skinny.
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The one thing you have in his favour however is that it is surely going to be the race he goes for - loads of question marks on the others.
FWIW I'd love to see First Lieutenant in this race |
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Yea thats why i think its value gonna be a few at top of the betting going for other races e.g flemenstar,sizing europe imo will deff be in other races i couldnt back finians rainbow untill hes had another run as his first start this year was shocking even if he hated the ground, agree with what u say about FL but surely if ground is better he will go gold cup route as he isnt far behind bobs worth an is very consitent horse an great jumper compared to a few in gold cup
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Gigginstown have Sir Des and probably Last Installment for GC. The owner will have a serious interest in winning the Ryanair too so would not be surprised if FL goes the Ryanair route. That said, champion court traveled better than anything for 2m 4 in the King George. Must have a good chance.
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I'd say Last Installment will run here, FL and SDC go gold cup.
I'm a big Champ Court fan. |
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Huge run from Champion Court in the King George, wonder how much that has taken out of him
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Any chance of them going the handicap route? Would obviously be top weight.
Just can't see it being quite good enough to figure in the Ryanair - and certainly not at the current price. |
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I'm a huge fan of this fella and this is certainly pocket-talking, but I'm gonna swim against the tide and argue that he should go for the Gold Cup.
It's hard to make a case for any horse not staying based upon running on that ground at Kempton. He has never looked like stopping in any of his races at the end of 2m5f and galloped all the way to the line in the Jewson last year. With SDC still second fav for the CGC, people obviously think that the form of that race is half decent. I'm also not sure that he has the speed to beat a Cue Card or Finians Rainbow over the shorter trip - for a tough old boot like him the CGC might take less winning (Bobsworth and the inconsistent Long Run aside there seems little else to fear). I know connections have made it pretty clear that he'll be going the Ryanair route, but there is still time for a re-think. Wherever he lines up on the day, no doubt I'll have an interest. |
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he's my idea of the winner
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Champion court has run over 3 miles on 4 occasions and each time has patently not got home, he may in time but not this early in his career and not against the very best at 3.2....he absolutely doesn't stay 3 miles. IMO.
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I might have to go against the flow and say he might have been flattered by his King George run.
I see him as a 2.5 miler, so after about 2 miles would you not be expecting him to be travelling better than Long Run and Captain Chris anyway? Him and Cue Card ran very similar races, in that they both travelled very well up to a certain point, but you'd expect that against out and out stayers like Long Run, Captain Chris and The Giant Bolster. Not saying that he won't win the Ryanair, but I think 10/1 is a very skinny price. It would be a great price if there was no Sizing, Finians, Flemenstar etc; but at the moment if 2 out of those 3 ran in it, I'd expect both of them to beat Champion Court. |
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Champion Court has an each way chance but don't really see him as a Grade 1 winner at the Festival. The 2 I like are First Lieutenant, who's crying out to be drppped to the distance of his Neptune victory over Rock On Ruby and Menorah, who looked like a horse who was finding his true form over fences in the Peterborough Chase last time. That's not Grade 1 form but he has won a Supreme, finished 5th in a Champion Hurdle and 3rd in an Arkle so potentially up to this class. Will also be better on better ground than at Kempton but won pretty much as he pleased and would have been better with a lead further into the race.
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Menorah won the Supreme and came 3rd in the Neptune? Some horse that!
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That's not what was said bbf - Menorah is the 2nd horse booster likes for the Ryanair
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Misread it apologies!
Back to the Ryanair, this could be (again) one of the best races of the festival; does anyone give For Non Stop a squeak? |
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I'll try and punctuate future postings more correctly.
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I'm on baord the Champion Court Ryanair train - been nibbling away for a couple of months.
Love the fact he is such a straightforward and honest type and he loves Cheltenham - reminds me a lot of Fondmort.  |
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Champion Court got a good chance but this race is going to be the most competitive of the non-handicaps at the festival I think. Lots of horses in with a chance.
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It looks competitive at the moment but quite a few at the top of the market will not run. Champion Court a good chance,I like Menorah if the jumping holds up,two against the field for me.
Good Luck with your bets |
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BBF, I'd give For Non Stop a squeak but has got ground to make up with Champion Court based on their Jewson run.
His Aintree performance was fantastic, but I think he might struggle to repeat that. I thought it was a good run against Captain Chris giving 6lbs on ground he hated, but that doesn't excuse his last run at Kempton. I was glad they bypassed the King George, but he was no match for Menorah on that ground. I think if he gets his good ground, I'd give him a shout at placing. For Champion Court, he always runs with admiration, and is a tough and consistent performer, but he doesn't win enough for me; he often runs well in defeat. I'd expect him to run into a couple too good, but I've been wrong many times before. |
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I am a big Champion Court fan, I think he has a brilliant chance in the Ryanair. He has not had many attempts at what is his trip, 2.5 miles. His form figures around this trip since going chasing are U,1,2,1,2 only being beaten when completing by Grands Crus (giving him a few pounds) and Sir Des Champs. If he gets there he won't be out of the first 3 and I think he'll win but I am biased!
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As ever a few varied opinions, as the above poster suggests his form over distance is solid and we know he jumps like a stag, could be that one or two do him for an extra gear coming home but certainly a lot worse 10-1 shots out there although certainly gonna be one of the hottest races of the meet.
Hopefully Kempton hasn't left a mark. |
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Oh well - another one bites the dust.
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He went quicker over 3 miles in softer ground in King G. Not over yet...
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No excuse that I can see today - had over a stone in hand and couldn't win. Hope I'm wrong as I have a load of antepost tickets with him on, but after that he has no chance in a very high class Ryanair.
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The winner got a good ride to be fair. Champion Court was having a blow afterwards and Cawley said he never felt right, hope it was just rustiness and nothing worse
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Not sure i would back anything at the festival that ran in the KG.
Maybe Long Run if it came up soft,nothing else though. |
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buddeliea
08 Feb 13 18:07 Joined: 19 Mar 04 | Topic/replies: 8,059 | Blogger: buddeliea's blog Not sure i would back anything at the festival that ran in the KG. Maybe Long Run if it came up soft,nothing else though. Spot on. Champion Court probably ran as well as it could have today. The King George takes its toll. The trainer doesn't seem to understand that though and wants the horse checking out. I rate Kemptons 3 miles as one of the hardest distances for any horse in the UK. The inclination that Kempton is an easy track is a misnomer......easy, yes...easy to wreck a horse a horse on. The nature of the track lends itself to leading you to the assumption that a horse is likely to see out 3miles at Kempton better than anywhere else, and the jockeys ride on this belief too. Take Grands Crus. Ran well enough in December but the tank emptied...yet the previous year he got home. Huge speed figure in the Feltham to boot. Looked how GC fared after that race.....breathing problems or bottomed by the Feltham? How about Barbers Shop.....another gallant runner in the King George? I'd be steering clear of Champion Court from now on (backed him in the KG, even though I had stamina reservations).......trainers don't seem to understand that its pointless dropping a knackered horse in distance...you'll still get beaten. Evidence of that today. Champion Court beaten by a 9yo 138 mare who's never clocked a topspeed figure greater than 121 And the RP comment on Cue Card for the King George "..finished tired". 2nd fav for the Ryanair! Flemenstar anyone? the trainer seems quite keen on burning this fella out doesn't he. |
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But the last 5 winners of the Ryanair all ran in the King George that season which somewhat undermines your theory.
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uncle, the reference is to this years KG.
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Can see why Henderson going straight to Cheltenham with Long Run.I do like CC but probably thats him done for the season now.
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It was a prep run. Disappointing Yes, but still a prep. He will come on massively IMO. However, If Flemenstar turns up then they're all running for places. 14/1 represents decent value though when you look at the decs as most will run in different races. Last 2 festivals have been CC best run of the season and no reason to think otherwise.
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Shock,
That was an awful race mate,even if its a prep he should still have p1ssed that. No way can he be backed after watching that. |
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Not arguing Bud about it being a poor run and should have won, but 3 runner races are funny. My Tent or Yours got beat by Chatterbox, but still p1ssed home yesterday. Don't give me chatterbox won yesterday argument. we'll see in 4 weeks.
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Shock,CC got beat by a rag,maybe finishing second to SDC last year has flattered him.
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I've backed him for the Ryanair. I wasn't totally disappointed by his run. I don't think he set a strong enough pace. He rallied well and is still very much in the mix imo.
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but would you back him after that yesterday fb?
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I am thinking of having more on,budd as he's drifted(I backed hin @10/1).The thing is most of the horses at the top of the market have other potential targets.Captain Conan will probably run but I'm far from convinced 2m 5f is his trip.
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Blimey
 ,i wish you luck mate. |