Cheltenham Festival
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Al Ferof
Al Ferof
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Positive words from his trainer yesterday.Well pleased with him and never had him looking as strong as he is now.
Amlin chase at Ascot later this month and all being well the KG next. Still has to prove he stays but is bred to. |
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we were very nice to each other budd!! not sure how nice i was about the grey but nothing new there
 very difficult to find a wager in this george but we are forced to have a wager on him at 14...he was running off 159 in the paddy power last year and was giving walkon 16lbs and won quite easy imo i just hope my first thoughts were wrong about the horse and a step up in trip will be the making of him lots of iffs and hands pots and pans about a lot of the runners in the george... at least we know he will be a runner and is being trained for the race barring injury of course |
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im with budd and a huge AF fan and have backed him for both and will be piling in on saturday
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I'm not major confident about Saturday,especially if Captain Chris runs who loves Ascot.
As long as he runs well and proves hes back from his injury,i will be happy. |
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Barring Captain Chris who concedes AF 4lb it looks a weak race. Captain Conan is in too but I don't really rate him tbh. Could be wrong!
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It would be good to see him back with a bang. Nicholls could do with him fit and firing.
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yeh sint,i would not be happy if hee aint at least in the first 2,dont think Captain Conan is a 2 and a half miler.
If he wins or just loses out to Captain Chris that's fine. |
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Off to Ascot today,shame so few runners in the 2 big races, but at least I get to see Al Ferof again which I am very much looking forward to......just hope he runs well and shows hes fine and keeps me believing for the KG and ultimately the GC. Good to see Annie Power as well,shes an exciting horse.
Will be glued to the big screen at 3pm for Tidal bay and co....what a race that will be!! |
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captain chris out , looks a penalty kick for AF now
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ffs,do you know why?
have a nice price for him for the kg |
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What a farce.
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indeed,was bad enough with what looked a match,now it is indeed a farce.
not sure what sort of race Alf will get now!! |
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and wheres all the decent 2 - 2 and a half milers???
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As a racing fan, what was a bit of a joke race, is definitely now a joke.
However, as an Al Ferof King George backer, it will hopefully be a nice introduction back to the track and will have him spot on for Kempton, without having too hard a race today. |
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Still not a penalty kick, as French Opera is a decent enough yardstick.
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True JOCI, and I think French Opera is a good Grade 2 horse, but even though Al Ferof has been out for a while, if he is as good as we hope he is, I'd expect him to dispatch French Opera quite easily.
Main concern for me is that it could become a bit of a joke race, and could turn into a 3 furlong sprint at the end. Hopefully they'll be positive on Al Ferof and force the pace. |
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Welcome back my grey friend
 fantastic leaper |
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King george here we come
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Cue Card franks Al Ferof
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Maybe
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Thought that was a decent effort. 10/1 looks a fair eachway price for Kempton.
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Yep,that was good enough for a 1st run back after a long lay off and injury.
Should be spot on for Kempton now,and will need to be from what I saw at Haydock. Him and Cue Card renewing rivalry is exciting....cant wait. He looked really well yesterday close up,such a different horse to when I saw him in his novice chase at Sandown. |
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He attacked the fences with relish and clearly enjoyed being back doing what he does best. There aren't that many tracks left where the fences are stiff but Ascot is still a good test and he handles it well.
Really looking forward to Boxing Day now for what should be a vintage KG, assuming they all turn up! My main problem will be getting rid of the family during the afternoon!  |
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Only slight concern re King George was that he tended to jump slightly to the left, but nothing major.
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After Saturday, the KG must be Dynastes very best chance for the season, couldn't have him now for the gold cup, it was a brilliant run from him the other day and I must believe that he would have to have been pretty much spot on for the day, he came there looking like the winner for me, but after the last the petrol gauge was emptying and I can't believe that the stiffer track and further distance will help him reverse placings with CC in the gold cup, he'll have his best chance on boxing day though.
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Paul Nicholls has confirmed Daryl Jacob will partner Al Ferof in the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day with Noel Fehily set to continue his association aboard Silviniaco Conti.
The trainer talked down the prospect of Ruby Walsh making another appearance in the race aboard one of his runners, despite his phenomenal five victories with Kauto Star. Nicholls finds his pair hard to split, with Al Ferof making a pleasing comeback from a year off the track by sauntering clear of French Opera in a match at Ascot. Silviniaco Conti lost his Betfair Chase crown at Haydock but still finished a respectable third, and will be again taking on the pair that were ahead of him, Cue Card and Dynaste. Nicholls said: "Daryl will definitely ride Al Ferof, that's what he went to Ascot for, to ride him, and I said to him a while back to do that and stick with him in the King George. "Ruby is in a different job now. With the lads who own Silviniaco Conti, I could say to them Ruby is there if you want him but Noel rode him at Haydock with a view to riding him in the King George and possibly staying on him for the season so I suspect that if Noel is available he'll probably ride him." Referring to Al Ferof, Nicholls said: "He had a school round the other day but that was just what we wanted. He's done a lot of work since then, schooled every week and is a lot fitter. He's in really good order." And of Silviniaco Conti: "I don't know why but we're all finding it awfully hard to get them fit first-time-out this year. "In the paddock at Haydock he looked too heavy really and he ran like that, travelled well from two out looking dangerous, blew up and then stayed on strongly. "Joe (Tizzard) rode a brilliant race on Cue Card, he got a very soft lead, dictated the race from the front, very much like Ruby did the year before. It's a great front-runner's track but I can't see that happening in the King George. "I think Cue Card has had a run, and Conti will definitely be a lot fitter. Last year he'd had a run in the Charlie Hall and some of those horses will improve from that run. "It's a really interesting race and my view is that the winner will come from those four." Tom Scudamore, jockey of the David Pipe-trained Dynaste, agreed Cue Card's prior appearance in the Haldon Gold Cup could have given him a vital edge. The grey, who took last year's Feltham Novices' Chase over the course and distance, was tackling the major names for the first time and was ultimately beaten just four and a half lengths by Cue Card. Scudamore said: "We set our stall out - Dynaste was as fit as David could get him, he looked fantastic and he'd had a very clear run, but I think there's a difference between that and actual race-hard fitness. "With Cue Card, he had had obviously improved from the Haldon Gold Cup to the Betfair and we're hoping we'll be able to do the same, but hoping and actually doing it are different things." Starting to get more confident of his chances come boxing day, his price is shortening all the time. |
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That's good news that DJ stays on board,i don't say it means hes the No1,but its good that someone whose rode him is on top.
IS, Thanks for posting that,very interesting. |
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I think if you missed the 14/1 pre Ascot price, I wouldn't be lumping on at the general 5/1 that he is now.
10's was freely available after his Ascot race, so I don't know what he has done in the time since to warrant being half of that price now? Still, I think there are quite a few of us who are all aboard the Al Ferof Express, so no complaints from me  |
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Nearly fav for the KG
 I had a little bit at 12/1 but was hoping for 6/1 come boxing day, that would had paid for christmas and money to back oscars rock in the challow. I expect PN to say afterwards, he was always our no1 |
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Loving this rain
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Yep,he wont mind the rain, just hope it don't get so bad that it hinders him seeing the 3m out!! he is unproven at the distance after all. I do think he will be ok whatever the ground, but I do worry!!!
Long Run,although out of form, will certainly relish it if it becomes a slog.Dynaste won on heavy last year on the day as well,and Captain Chris nearly did!! |
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The more rain the better for AF,He'll stay 4 miles!!
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Merry Christmas Alf
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Well,this is it,the time has come for Alf to show us exactly how good he is or can be.
Going looks to be soft but not heavy,so no excuses about staying the trip as far as grounds concerned. Just hope he runs his race,jumps as well as he normally does and gets the 3m well. Does all them 3,he gives himself every chance of running a big race for sure. Whether he wins the race is another matter,hes up against some real exciting chasers who imo could go all the way to the top at this distance. Good luck Alf ,run your race,and win or lose your supporters will be proud. Be nice to silence your critics though!!. |
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Ive been thinking all along that ALf is a Cheltenham horse,and after watching that today I am even more convinced that he needs left handed to produce his best.It was my main fear for this race,and a fair few fences jumping slightly to his left seems to confirm that.
No excuses as far as the race is concerned he was clearly not as good as the front 2 and was also not as good as MB who chucked his race away at the fences again. He stayed on ok though and the way he jumped the last suggested the tank still had plenty,and I think he will be much better suited by the extra distance of the Gold Cup and the track. Hes a lively outsider for the Gold cup imo. Sconti will take some beating though!! |
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Did well to finish 3rd budd. Outpaced down the back when Joe Hazzard turned the heat up and jumped out to the left a bit too. Doing his best work at the end of the race. First proper contest for over a year too. Why not the Gold Cup?
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Yeh mate,quiet agree, he will be a better horse at a track that suits him.
Why not indeed. |
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Sorry lads, but has to be Ryanair for me after that.
I think a very strongly run race of 2.5 at his fav track would suit him down to the ground. I admit he stayed on well, but it was more pluggin on at one pace ahead of with Mt Benbulben and Long Run, who I class well below Gold Cup form. His two best chase performances have been over 2.5, so to me, it is his best chance at the festival. |
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No chance of beating Silviniaco Conti never mind Bobs Worth, Sir Des Champs etc so why bother wasting a Cheltenham entry?
Will run in Ryanair but Cue Card is a better horse. |
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Disagree, I know it's flaky logic as they weren't racing over the trip , but with another couple of furlongs and another fence he would have been a darn sight closer still, he looked to me a stayer in the making...I couldn't step him back in trip on the back of that...I think he's a fascinating prospect for the GC...20/1..great....before the race every other thread was about how he's bred to stay, well he's just proved it for me, and the further the better.
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