Champagne Fever running out of fans

He was unlucky there,ran a great race,who knows what would have happened ?

He was cooked when coming down...they need to stop fooking about with him and send him back down to 2 miles and let him go hard from the front.... think that walsh could have made much more use of him throughout the arkle and have the pack killed off....make more use of him over 2 miles, only way to go.

Agree duffy,imo too early to know it was cooked,but surely be better in qm,winner a good horse aswell !

I'm obviously blinkered as have backed him for the Ryanair but I just don't see the QM option here - he's just not quick enough is he? Don Cossack travelled better for most of that race, and surely, in receipt of 2lb, with the rail to run against on a turning track, Champagne Fever should have put lengths between him and the winner turning in if he had the speed for two miles?

For what it's worth, I was disappointed on all levels there, and don't really see him winning a Ryanair either. I do still think that's the only option.

Don Cossacks ain't short of speed imo,just think front running round Cheltenham right up his street !

Toomdeane who knows,they might finish 1-2 in the Ryanair,thought it was a very good race !

Thought Rich Ricci was spot on in his pre-race interview. They have asked him to run with the choke out most of his career and now asking him to settle to stay further isn't working, or going to work.

I agree, back to 2m and go quick from the front. Mind you, he has always shown his best in spring, and I still think WPM is under a cloud right now. Plenty running below par.

duffy
duffy 15 Jan 15 15:04 Joined: 28 Mar 03 | Topic/replies: 13,889 | Blogger: duffy's blog
He was cooked when coming down...they need to stop fooking about with him and send him back down to 2 miles and let him go hard from the front.... think that walsh could have made much more use of him throughout the arkle and have the pack killed off....make more use of him over 2 miles, only way to go.


Exactly. Been saying this for a while also on the other C Fever thread.

Why should he have put lengths between him turning in if he had the speed for 2 miles, it was 2 and a half today on bad ground, he was at the end of his tether when falling, it was a tired fall.

For me his strongest asset is that he is a strong galloper at 2 miles and on good ground his jumping is good too, he was a whisker away from winning the arkle and as I say I think that through the arkle walsh could have gone harder, particularly early on.

Won the 2m Bumper
Won the 2m Supreme
Beat a nose in the 2m Arkle.

Nuff said really.

don't agree he was at the end of his tether myself walsh hadn't even gone for his stick fully...think it would of been close myself...

ryannair on better ground...should be another good race between the two

Could have won a champion hurdle with him if they weren't so obsessed with hurricane fly.

I'm not sure he likes jumping.

Sure is collector,backed him for qm for the last few week,glad he got up,who knows if not falling might have  out battled dc but somehow i doubt it !

Has always been campaigned at the highest level. Should of course have won the Arkle. His performance in the Supreme was exceptional.

Spring horse? He ran terrible at Punchestown.Hes still only won 2 chases.Talented no doubt,top class probably not

didn't win the arkle because he wasn't fast enough

watched again a few times now champagne fever certainly wasn't done with imo would of been a close finish between the two

should be a great ryannair this year, one of the best in memory if they all turn up...some proper specialists at the trip

Yeah I got him at 10-1 NRNB a couple of weeks ago but I laid him today (I know aftertiming) cos it was only 3 weeks since he was knackered in a King George. Think the horse needs a break.

Mr Eboue - bang on. Beat the first 2 in the Champion Hurdle when he won the Supreme. Stable too obsessed with Hurricane Fly. He ballsed up C Fever's prep in the Arkle as well. Would it be him? Would it be Felix Yonger? Gave him 2 prep races and got found out.

He saves his best for March don't forget! Probably hasn't reached the heights he should have but not many of Willies chasers have recently
Sounds like Ricci wants him in the Champion Chase

Quick question! How many winners have came out of last years Arkle? In my opinion it was at best an average field. How many other front runners are lined up 2 run in this years Champion? Special Tiara, Uxizandre and others that will be stepping down in trip Al Ferof etc. In the Arkle he got the run of the race and still couldn't hold off a 33/1 shot! HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!

your disrespecting a top horse giggsy. beaten a grand total of 1 nostril in 3 cheltenham festivals. ur capital laters saying not good enough doesn't make you right I'm afraid. top horses don't win every race.

I'm writing it i capitals cos everyone is looking at him through rose tinted glasses! Yes he won the bumper, supreme novices and was just beat in the Arkle but were are people getting the evidence from what he's done so far over fences that he could win the Chsmpion chase?? I just don't see it! I know I'll say that people are allowed their opinion but in this case it's based on fact! HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!

Better hurdler than chaser simple really,been beat in every grade 1 race.

Who do you think can win the champion chase giggsy. The way I see it behind a returning to form Sprinter Sacre or Sire De Grugy Champagne Fever is the most likely winner. Yet you are mugging him off like he's ****

I think that you have to weigh into the equation that there may be a possibility that he only needs to be a quicker horse than DB..Uxizandre et al......and not a real top notcher.

I suppose in 2010/11 Sizing Europe was beaten over 3m in the JN Wine, then beat in his next race and then went on to win the QMCC, so it has been done.

Another similarity with CF is both loved Cheltenham, and run better on good ground.

Then again, Sizing didn't have Sprinter to contend with, who I hope smashes them on Saturday.

I've backed CF for the Ryanair but might have a little 9's NRNB for the QMCC as a saver. Agree with Duffys comments above

Stting the obvious but it could just be the case that he is shown to his best at Cheltenham in March and doesn't take too much racing at other times. Something struck me after he won the supreme. Ruby said that a couple of weeks before it was as if a switch had come on and he just blossomed and up until that point they had been worried. Maybe it is just as simple as catching him right on the day. Maybe they haven't had him properly right since that race and they may not do so in March but I do believe he does have a good performance in him which in my view could come in either race or indeed neither.

I'm not saying he's **** as u call it! I've lost money enough times following a horse off a cliff to notice what people are doing. I've made excuses for a horse getting beat that convinced me 2 back it again just for it to get beat again. I'm not trying to take away or downgrade what he's done but u'll thank me if you don't back him for the Champion and he gets stuffed. He'll get taken on for the lead by Special Tiara etc and be done coming down the hill.

Jezki or mtoy couldn't get past him coming down or up the hill!

Chief, SE was one of the best 2 milers we've seen in recent years,and classy enough to cope with iffy preps,I ain't sure CF is anywhere near his class myself. But it is still early doors fo him and who knows how good he will eventually be,and I do agree that the QM is probably the best race for him to contest this year,and if SS and SDG ain't there he would have a fair chance imo.

Just to add........his connections really need to earn their corn and stop messing about with the horse,s distance. Thought they were supposed to be top notch in their fields Mullins and Walsh!! So do yer jobs and prove you know what you are doing!!

Yeah Budd, not trying to compare the two ability wise, but both have had similar preps, and both love Cheltenham.

CF wouldn't need to be at his level though if SS doesn't turn up as Duffy says.

CF certainly saves his best performances for that hill on good ground.

Fair enough mate,yep similar prep and both love the course.And yes he could well be good enough without the stars of the last couple of years. There's certainly nothing that stands out without those two.

Knackered at the last
Totally unbalanced
Needs a break

As for the horse,he ran well.

Ah forget it! I give up! Go ahead do ur dough!

I won't be backing him anyway,but he's a chance in a weaker race than normal.if people fancy his chances without the stars I think that fair enough.Dodging bullets ain't no world beater and my fancy U xizandre did not run great the other day,then there's Balder and Tiara!! Race is wide open if the big two don't make it,and CF would be one with a chance with his liking for Cheltenham.

I won't be backing him anyway,but he's a chance in a weaker race than normal.if people fancy his chances without the stars I think that fair enough.Dodging bullets ain't no world beater and my fancy U xizandre did not run great the other day,then there's Balder and Tiara!! Race is wide open if the big two don't make it,and CF would be one with a chance with his liking for Cheltenham.

Haha. I think it comes down to Sprinter and/or SDG run = Dough Done. Both of the above missing and back to win = Decent chase of increasing dough.  Both of the above are missing and back to place = Very good chance of making a little dough. Runs in Ryanair = Dough Done.

Simples!!!!

PS I won't actually go in on QMCC after thinking of it.  All my eggs firmly in the SS camp at 4/1 and 11/4 with a little saver on Hidden Cyclone.

Done enough in this race already.

Bit of a long one, so apologies.

I fell in love with racing in 93. Before that I already had an affection with the animal.
I have read many a book on the breed and watched many a film.
The horse is a flight animal. It runs from danger in a pack. This is key to horse racing. Some of them feel safe in the front of a pack, others in the pack and some in the rear.
Champagne Fever has won twice at the festival and been beaten a balls hair from the front. This tells me this is where he is happy. Leading.
To try and change this would be crazy.
Obviously to stay further he needs to settle but horses can lead and still run within themselves. People had suggested dropping him in in the King George. When history tells us prominent horses win that race.
He is a successful horse from the front and to change that would be madness.
I thought he ran well today. If I had to have had to bet what the out come would have been before his fall I would have sided with Don Cossack.
He has won two festival races and been butted in another. A very pleasing record.
Maybe he hadn't improved as much as others. In my limited 21 years of watching racing he wouldn't be the first to not scale the heights he once promised. Saying that he hardly has been a disappointment.
I take Ricci's comments about training him to front run with a pinch of salt. He obviously doesn't know anything about the flight animal that is the horse.

I backed CF  today and he was defo cooked and beaten even if he stayed on his feet.

I immediately backed AF  for the CC after the race

U bet Al Ferof for the Champion Chase? Did you not see Sprinter Sacres Arkle win?

id imagine so as I was there,

interesting thoughts - i'm even learning about flight animals today

every day a learning day in this game for sure

brandyontherocks
15 Jan 15 22:38
Joined:
04 Dec 06
| Topic/replies: 967 | Blogger: brandyontherocks's blog
Bit of a long one, so apologies.

I fell in love with racing in 93. Before that I already had an affection with the animal.




amazing to have these thoughts even before the animal was born for sure

these are the psychics we need on the forum - take note...these psychic thoughts may just be the miracle we are all looking for, knowledge like this is invaluable imvho

Last years arkle was run 1.5 seconds quicker than the QM! Dangerous comparing times in National Hunt I know but none the less interesting given the fact that sire de grugy was ridden out to the line. There's only one time to back the fever and that's at cheltenham. Think hes a cracking price at 9/1 nrnb for the qm myself. loves the place - horses for courses and all that.

Giggly, really don't see your point re the Arkle........unless you actually think AF is gonna hit a fence again!!

Chief, Hidden Cyclone for me as well mate,him and Uxizandre my ante post bets. Will take another look on the day.

Giggly, really don't see your point re the Arkle........unless you actually think AF is gonna hit a fence again!!

Chief, Hidden Cyclone for me as well mate,him and Uxizandre my ante post bets. Will take another look on the day.

Sorry Giggsy!!

Giggly

Thank you Harry. We're always learning.

You must know about the "flight" animal.
I can still picture you when we were about 15 clinging on for dear life to that girls horse as it bolted over the school field.

Claire Jefferies.

Neither Fever nor Al Ferof are out and out 2m chasers......but (God forbid) Sprinter or Sire De Grugy don't come back as good or don't come back at all the race is wide open, we just don't have many 2m chasers these days

my reasoning for backing AF is, if either of the top 2 do not make the gig he will be the one to be on, AF runs 7 lbs better when fresh, the form of his ascot win is miles better than anything CF has produced imo of course

Just shows they can make fools of even the best. WPM said all along he was a stayer, they were going to up him in trip last year. Clearly he is not a stayer and his style of racing makes him more suited to shorter trips.

Tipptop is right in emphasising that he is a much better horse at Cheltenham than anywhere else. He might just appreciate the better ground a lot more than others.

Whether he is good enough to beat the best at 2 miles is another question but we don't know who is going to turn up, the field is usually quite small and there is prize money down to 6th. He's not for me though.....I backed him for the Arkle last year and it was a race he should have won. I'm just not convinced that he has gone on over fences as they had hoped he would.

C Fever would hose all over A Ferof in a Champion Chase imo. Cannot get the A Ferof 2m thing at all to be honest. 10yo as well. No chance.

I don,t think he would thecollector, in fact imo it would be the other way round

Last time he ran over 2m was 3 years ago. Only beat 32 lengths

aye but tbf he tried to take a fence with him and still didn't fall

Never fails to amaze me the ignorance of some on here.
To actually state a horse got beat 32 lengths, after said horse took off too early and bellied straight into a fence ending his race, as a point of backing up their opinion.

I aint convinced by any means hes a Queen Mum horse, but to use the Arkle as an argument is just plain wrong.