But if you really insist on having a horse named...Annie Power

Did that statement emanate from the bottom of a glass?

Just trying to wind that d1ck ballydoyle up,he poo poos everyone else's opinion up,don't know about Annie power,still think big bucks held up will win

Bally SON

You can have as many reasons as you THINK, but you have only come up with one horse to beat him and shes not even a definite runner.
So your reasons could be valid-fair enough- but still he could be good enough to beat the opposition that lines up.
He beats all the field Saturday at levels, and one can presume he will strip fitter in March.

Cufncoc1

How you gettin on with getting AP to ride Jezki by the way?

How many world hurdle winners have there been at 11yo incidentally?

It's Monday morning after the Cleeve and PFN stated yesterday that Big Bucks legs were cold and no problems.  I am still thrilled with my 3/1 NRNB I got on Saturday night and nobody will put me off.  He's still the one to beat and Annie Power will run in the Champion.  Wish I could be at Cheltenham on the Thursday to hear the reception he will get.

Quite a few in your list went over fences or didn't get the chance through injury.  Big Bucks 4 wins already would have been difficult to achieve as an 11 year old as he wasn't that old.  Seriously these lists do my head in.  Show me a list of horses who had a realistic chance of winning at 11 but failed.  How many single figure priced horses at 11 have run in the race over the last 20 years?

Big Buck's can win as an 11-year-old, certainly. But the question was: how many have?

It is not a reason to rule out Big Buck's or any other old-timer, but it is a reason to examine more carefully his claims and weigh them against those of younger competitors.

How many single figure priced horses at 11 have run in the race over the last 20 years?

From 1996 on, not many.

14/03/96	Better Times Ahead	10	11/2
13/03/97	Trainglot	10	7/1
13/03/03	Limestone Lad	11	9/4
17/03/05	Baracouda	10	6/5F
16/03/06	Baracouda	11	9/2

Thanks for your effort Ramruma in digging up the info.  It shows to me (I'm trying to pick holes) that only twice in the last 20 years has an 11 year old with a chance actually turned up.  Limestone Lad beaten by a great Baracouda in 2003, but Limestone had won 35 races and only 1 was on good going, therefore btn on good by Baracouda can be forgiven.  Baracouda I will concede was past his best at 11 and was being beaten regularly by then.

How many horses have won a World Hurdle having not won a race that season?
How many horses have won a World Hurdle with only one run that season?

Is there a way to check this out?

BIG BUCK'S remains the one to beat in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, according to trainer Paul Nicholls, who likened the return of his star staying hurdler to the reappearance of stablemate Silviniaco Conti - who improved from third in the Betfair Chase to overturn form with Cue Card in the King George.

Nicholls also absolved the 11-year-old's first-time rider Sam Twiston-Davies of any responsibility for the ending of an unbeaten sequence that had lasted for five years after Big Buck's suffered his first defeat over hurdles in 19 starts in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Nicholls revealed the four-time Ladbrokes World Hurdle winner had returned with no physical issues after finishing just over three-quarters of a length third to Knockara Beau and At Fishers Cross, and said his only shortcoming at Cheltenham was lack of race fitness. Big Buck's, who was overhauled in the final 50 yards having led three out, had been out of action since December 2012 because of a tendon injury.

"My view is he travelled well, jumped well, quickened well into the last and got tired halfway up the run-in on what was the worst ground on the track, which he was entitled to," said Nicholls.

"He ran just how he did against Voler La Vedette in the last World Hurdle he won, admittedly on better ground. That day he was race-fit and he galloped to the line. Saturday he looked like he was going to but he got tired.

"Sam rode him as we discussed. We thought Reve De Sivola might make it and I said if there was no pace don't be afraid to bowl along. We had made all on him at Newbury [in December 2012].

"No matter how much you do at home with them, just to get them to run at that level is a positive. We almost expect too much of them nowadays after they've been off a while."

Interesting the post-race quotes as these were the pre-race quotes on his betfair column the day before...


After almost 14 months off the track with a tendon injury Big Buck's returns to action in the Cleeve Hurdle on Saturday, and Betfair Ambassador Paul Nicholls believes the record-breaking hurdler is the one they all have to beat...

It has been a long road back from injury for Big Buck's - for those not aware he had a problem with his near-fore tendon, which was line-fired and needed rest - and tomorrow will tell us whether he still has the brilliance of old.

Rose Loxton, who rides him out every day, tells me he feels no different than before.

And I'll be honest. I hope and think that he will win Saturday's Cleeve Hurdle.

But don't get me wrong, he will improve for the run, win lose or draw.

Training horses as they recover from injury is a bit different from professional athletes and footballers easing their way back from a spell on the sidelines.

Horses don't get the chance to have a run-out in the reserves, and 45 minutes back in the first-team. They have to be pretty much straight on their return, as if they are not fit enough they could do themselves more harm than good.

And ever since Big Buck's came back in on September 1, this has been his target. And he has done loads of work.

He has done one racecourse gallop - ideally I would like to have had another but the ground ruled that out - and some serious graft.

Very few horses have done four successive canters up the hill here, but Big Buck's must have done a dozen of them now, every Wednesday and Saturday.

In fact, the only other horse that I can recall doing four is Taranis, who won the Argento first time up after an absence of over two years, though come to think of it Venn Ottery ended up doing four a day before he won on his first start for us at Leicester - and he struggled to do one canter when he first came to us!

So Big Buck's is fit and well, and has done everything that we have asked of him, though he has never been the flashiest of workers and the type to get you going "Wow" in the mornings. Hopefully, you will have seen his comeback for yourselves in our regular video updates, and Sam has got on well with the horse.

There is always an obvious concern when horses do make their comeback after such lengthy absences. But in my book, the opposition have more to worry about on Saturday, even if they do have race fitness on their side.

On his last start before the injury he gave multiple Grade 1 winner Reve De Sivola 8lb and a 9 length beating at Newbury, and he now faces that horse off level weights.

At Fishers Cross has plenty to prove, and if anything I think Boston Bob could give us most to do.

But if he is the Big Buck's of old, then history and the form book tells us what the result will be. And then we can all breathe a little easier.

It's not boring at all. It's part of what makes the festival so special. All season the back and forth eventually answered one way or the other.

Sorry Budd I misinterpreted what you said.

On very soft ground a case can now be made for At Fisher's Cross who has tended to improve as the season has gone on and was ridden quite conservatively with a couple of novicey jumps thrown in on Saturday. You'd probably be mad to think it but the book certainly isn't closed on Reve De Sivola on that ground either. On his day he is very good and Saturday doesn't reflect his best level of form for whatever reason.

On better ground you'd give Annie Power a good chance of staying 3 miles and she has the class. With that one you'd like to know which race she goes for as the complexion of any race she runs in will change just because of her presence.

The other one I have been sweet on since his cosy victory over Salubrious (who partially franked that form was then running a very nice race in the Long Walk) is More Of That. All seems to have gone quiet with that one and I was a little surprised to see that they didn't put him into the Cleeve.

Like I said, that's the beauty of Saturday's race in that it sets things up nicely for March because there was just enough encouragement for everyone.

banter Budd...you know me...you know i am on salubrious as well mate

Mullins can do that to people!!

indeed

as it stands right here right now...

Be lucky to win Supreme.
Probably win neptune
Cant see one of his winning Potato
made an arse of the Arkle
made an arse of the Jewson
his main contender for RSa has had one run in a diddy race
If he isnt sure Annie Power isnt a Champion or World horse by now then hes takin the piss out the owner

I'm gutted that Solwhit is out but that's done now...on Saturday BB's ran a very good race IMO......I think 5/2 is quite generous tbh, no need to rush in though as I think the general consensus by the books will be to want to get him and he could well be bigger on the day, to that end I really hope AP runs in it to help push his price out.

Could easily have ran the horse yesterday instead of against the diddy mares at Doncaster. Same with Un De Sceaux "don't know how good he is"...thats cos you put him in egg n spoon races ya tw@t