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just cannot agree. most of the novices that look good now wont go on and make the grade at the higher level happens every season. it looks a strong novice race but thats it. don cosscak, cue card, johns spirit (maybe) and balder can all run to 160+ the novices have a long way to go yet
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I'm in the Champagne Fever for the Ryanair camp and am hoping that all is not lost. Apart from the fact that I don't fancy him at all in a QM, even those who do would surely admit this has been the strangest prep for a two-miler... If he runs at Ascot or Gowran, that'll be the fourth race of the year at 2m4f or more!
To be honest, I suspect that Mullins and/or Ruby is desperate to run in the Ryanair but Ricci clearly wants him in the QM if his post-race comments last time are any guide. |
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I'm on Don Cossack and I've also played Ballynagour 33/1 for D.Pipe. If any of you have forgot just watch last years Byrne Group Plate over 2m4f and tell me it's not impressive. Yes it was the hcp and this is Grade 1, but 33/1 with great course form is not a bad EW option and I don't think there is that much depth to this race. I'm as sure as I can be that he'll run especially now that Pipe has lost Dynaste for this. Just my left field opinion.
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I think 33s looks big, too, although I can't quite see him winning it somehow. Nice EW voucher to have in your pocket though!
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Yes Tom 33/1 suggests he won't and I wouldn't swap him for Don Cossack, but there's enough doubts about others to make it worthwhile. Same build up really as last year, in that he's had 1 poor run in November then fresh straight to the festival. The Byrne Plate though was mighty impressive.
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It was really good and I think he can be forgiven his Hennessy run as he was never going to get home there and it was a really good race anyway. On decent ground I think he'll give you a good run for your cash in what is fast becoming a winnable race.
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Wicketd 11 Feb 15 08:57 Joined: 11 May 09 | Topic/replies: 1,025 | Blogger: Wicketd's blog
The Ryanair easier than the JLT now! Cry How CV? I just think Vautour, Valseur Lido, Apache Stronghold, Ptit Zig are as good a crop or better than the Ryanair. If Ptit Zig wins the Ascot Chase against Ballycasey & Balder Succes then he'd would have been worth going to the Ryanair (though he's not entered) Think when I look at the Ryanair field, I see Cue Card maybe not the horse he was pre injury. Don Cossack form not really that strong this season is it? Ruby said Champ Fever never carried him and his wins before that are just ok form. Johns Spirit has no graded form, Ma Filleule the same. Taquin has had a poor season and needs to bounce back. |
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johns spirit for me, not a race to play heavily in (alcohol permitting), but his run in the king george was a fine pointer for the ryanair imo
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CONFIDENCE remains high in the Cue Card camp the 2013 Ryanair Chase winner can return to his best at Cheltenham next month and regain his festival crown.
Despite three defeats since returning from injury this season, trainer Colin Tizzard thinks a return to 2m5f for the Ryanair will show his stable star in a much brighter light and that he has a major chance of registering a third festival success, five years on from his Champion Bumper win. "He's been doing fast work this week so he's bang on course for the Ryanair," said Tizzard. "He had a significant cut to the back of his fetlock in the King George and needed quite a few stitches. It was nothing more than a big flap of skin but if it hadn't healed as we'd hoped, we'd have struggled. But it actually healed better than we could have ever hoped. "The break won't have been lost on him and he's full of it at the moment. It's onwards and upwards - let's hope we can get the wheels back on at Cheltenham." As short as 5-1 second favourite for the Ryanair, Cue Card is a best price 7-1 with Paddy Power. In the absence of last year's injured winner Dynaste, Don Cossack heads the market at a general 4-1. Connections had been looking forward to a tilt at the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup this time last year before a stress fracture of the pelvis ruled him out of the 2014 festival. He returned from an 11-month absence to finish fourth in the Haldon Gold Cup in November, before filling the same spot in the Betfair Chase and tiring into fifth in the King George VI Chase over Christmas. Tizzard said: "He did land second at the second-last in the King George but didn't get home, so he's going to have a major chance in the Ryanair. "To win a Gold Cup you need to stay three and a half and he doesn't quite get there. To win a Ryanair you need to stay three going championship pace. That's why he's won a Ryanair and it's become obvious that's his distance." Maintaining his belief that Bob and Jean Bishop's nine-year-old remains the force of old, Tizzard added: "I don't see anything different and there is no reason why he shouldn't be just as good as he was, but he's got to do it on the track. He's won it before and I still think he's right bang there." |
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Ryanair has a history of handicappers progressing to win so you cannot rule out Johns Spirit, Ma Filleue.
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It's looking a poor quality race to me,can easily see a progressive handicapper prevailing. To be honest I ain't in the least bit interested in the race till the day.
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Fever surely goes here now,Ballycasey not good enough.
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Fever 13 on here
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I should get on Boston Bob if you want to be with Mullins, Stevo
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Couldn't back Boston Bob over 4 miles delsie,have Fever to win any race,think Ryanair would give him better chance of winning imo.
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ryanair's 2m5f Stevo
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Was tongue in cheek Delsie,have had nibble on Hendersons mare
in race 12/1. |
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with the stable horses running well i wonder if eduard of nicky richards might turn up in this,looked like winning the peterborough till a sloppy jump at the last, is he entered elsewhere 25,s nrnb for ryanair
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yep 1st timer nicky Richards said last week eduard is going for the Ryanair, I think 25s is a cracking e/w price.
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thanks i,m in at 25,s ew nrnb
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Wish I had backed Balder for this at start of season instead of the Champion Chase!!
Impressed yesterday, the step up to 2 and a half has made a big difference to this horse. |
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Re. Eduard - I dont think the campaign has gone as planned.
I also like the horse a lot and will have him onside but connections may be going down for a day out. Reading between the lines I am inclined to keep a few quid back for Aintree. This ryanair run may but him spot on for a more realistic pot in the north |
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*put
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The two that I really like in this won't be running - Champagne Fever and Djakadam. I think this would be a much easier race to win than the QMCC and the Gold Cup.
One at a price for me would be Wonderful Charm at 80's on here. Beaten by the Don this year, but I think on his day, he is a very good horse. He doesn't have too many of those days, but you never know, he could have one on 12th March. I really fancied him for the Jewson last year but disappointed. I'd consider dropping First Lieutenant back in trip for this as well, as he clearly isn't good enough over 3m+. His last race at this distance he was a credible second to Cue Card in the Ryanair. |
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I like Eduard too. He is lightly raced and still unexposed. His form stacks up really well and although the lack of a recent run is a concern, he has ran well a few times previously off a break. Think he'll be one to back on the day as he is unlikely to shorten too much given he is not from one of the big stables.
Re Balder Succes, you'd have to be a bit worried about his Cheltenham record, especially as they skipped the festival last year. If he were mine, I'd go straight to the Melling Chase. |
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Balder also likes small fields,as in last 2 runs.
Think runner up yesterday will turn form round next month. |
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If ground is better agree, good chance.
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Interesting comments re Boston Bob
Rarely do you see a horse at the festival in a grade 1, who looks like he,s there for the day out.Watching the replay of last years renewal it was noticeable how well Boston Bob travelled in the rear,and how with minimal assistance he stayed on never nearer 6th.Looked through his record at the time and he seems to come alive in spring time,2nd in the 3 mile novice 2012,and falling at the last when in front rsa 2013. Trained as a potential gold cup horse, I think they realized he might be worth trying over shorter,and duly obliged at aintree over 2m 4f on good ground,next run after ryanair 2014. This season has followed a similar pattern in terms of distance,3 out of 4 runs over 3 miles,the last two of which he again, in my opininion,has not been fully asked until the race is over.Good ground,shorter than 3 miles,decent pace are the ideal conditions for this horse,his jumping has improved with age. At 10 he may not have the scope of some,yet he has very few miles on the clock,loves the course,and remains unexposed at the distance.Whether this is his target we will not know til the day, here or aintree worth a second look,his last run eyecatching. Currently around 25/1,I will be waiting for nrnb and entries of stablemates. |
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Yes Noc - I agree. As I said somewhere on here, Boston is looking like Ruby's ride in this after their 'sighter' with Ballycasey yesterday. With races like the Ryanair in mind, Mullins very rarely sends his fancied ones over here - normally a yardstick by which he can judge the form. He and Ruby will be putting their heads together to hatch a plan now. If Ruby is going to ride Djak in the GC, he will be keen to steer Boston toward this race. I think I heard Graham Wylie say that he was pleased with his performance last time out as he was still building up his fitness. BB is a spring horse and has had plenty of experience of Cheltenham now. If WPM can get him to his peak a week or two earlier than last year, 25/1 could be a great price. I think this is his race.
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if Djakadam in the Hennessy, Champagne Fever in the King George and Ballycasey yesterday (just three examples of the top of my head) are all unfancied sighters then why are they invariably well found by the market and why does Ruby keep coming over to ride them?
He could've stayed at home and won on Champaqgne Fever yesterday. Or are they only called 'sighters' after they're beaten out of sight. Insufferable arrogance to call them sighters imo - does that mean they're not really bothered about winning? I think it's simple. He has an embarrassment of riches, there are n't enough races in Ireland for all of them so he sends some over here. Some win (mostly over hurdles), some don't (mostly over fences). |
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^ plus does n't Ricci live in Kent? So it's hardly surprising that he wants some runners at tracks in the south of England of a weekend to keep him entertained. Does n't strike me as the type of chap who wants to go to Ascot and watch a 'sighter' tootle around and get beat by 26 plus lengths.
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ballycasey was fancied by few on here for Ryanair as well,not good enough on run yesterday.
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I suspect WPM does send some of his novice hurdlers over for a sighter but agree that they very much fancied Ballycasey yesterday (it was a grade 1 worth quite a bit of money).
I doubt they will have learnt anything yesterday from Ballycasey's run, other than that he is probably not as good as they thought he was! |
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I agree, they could've swapped races and sent Champagne Fever to Ascot yesterday but possibly thought that was unfair on the horse given that he was asked to travel at Christmas and will do so again in a few weeks time (Ballycasey might also travel to Cheltenham of course).
I sometimes think the impact of the travelling on performance might be understimated and I wonder whether that might have affected Djakadam in the Hennessy amongst others(though it was a big ask anyway). |
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They have learnt that they need to have something better than Ballycasey to win a Ryanair - they didn't send CF because he's going to run in the QM. Ruby keeps coming over here because he is the vital cog in the wheel for the team - his opinion of how a race rode and what is needed to improve their chances is key to the whole operation. Races like the Hennessey and the KG are a completely different thing - they are big races that of course they want to win but more often than not his horses are not at concert pitch at that time of year as they are being trained for the spring. Still, sorry to have mentioned it reaseheath - just an opinion.
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mullins adameant he left djakadam under cooked in the hennesy and he needed the run,cant really see the point in trying to 2nd guess the mullins horses unless your in the know,there either to short or vastly overated, at a price the only one i,m interested in is tell us more,12,14,s for the neptune,if his shorties go in fair do,s and good luck to anyone piling in
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a bit like the Henderson horses then? And the O'Neill horses?
Not as big operations I grant you but their horses have not been at concert pitch all year either and are being trained for the spring. They're all trained for the spring these days are n't they? (except Nicholls perhaps...) |
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I guess so - but I have the feeling that Henderson and Jonjo have had pretty serious problems this year, don't you? Don't know much about their operations but surely they've been disappointed with their seasons - moreso Henderson who normally bangs in winner after winner from November onwards. Can't ever remember so many of his fancied ones getting beat. Didn't he have a disappointing Festival last year?
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Think the main problem was inexperience. The hustle and bustle of a big race around there was a bit daunting. I think he was pretty fit. Truth is, he was really all they had for the race and Ricci wanted a runner as you aluded to earlier. I think the fact he came over and the profile of hisw connections made him a false price - went off 5/1 fav on the back of falling at Cheltenham in a 2 and a half mile race 8 months earlier
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