how many runners do people think there will be in the arkle now?? wouldn't surprise me if only half a dozen turn up

Not a crap day if you like watching good horses jump hurdles/fences..........watching Douvan, Faugheen and hopefully Annie Power in Festival Championship races is what the games is all about for me. Plenty of other races in the week to lose money on !!!

On that we do agree stevo. Less competitive than we hoped for that is for sure. Rally thought Ar Mad might be the one novice who could take on Douvan over 2miles and I did hope Nichola Canyon was going to be the real deal that was capable to get Faugheen "at it". No bet races now but great to watch.

Yeh,I thought Ar Mad could serve it up to Douvan. Maybe Vaniteux can,not much between him and Ar Mad on form.
Could still be an interesting race.

it's moot cos he's out injured but Ar Mad has much better chase form than Western Warhorse had - he's won a Grade 1 and a Grade 2 chase, Western Warhorse had run in and won 1 Class 3 chase.Ar Mad's handicap hurdle defeat is surely no more relevant than Douvan's debut defeat in a 4yo hurdle in France.

I still think it could be a decent ish race this Arkle. Ok we have the hot fav that is Douvan and probably would be a shock if any one of the field were to beat him, but now with Ar Mad out, would connections of Garde La Victoire now be tempted to try it? After all the JLT is looking a hot little race.

I can see 6-7 runners at this stage so to get 3 places at 1/4 the odds is still decent.
The 6 or 7 i can see rocking up are with my price i backed at in brackets:
Douvan NO BET though i had every opportunity to bet it at 5/2 when with a good friend of mine who managed to get 180 on at that price but not after a ptl in shop in Blackpool, again for the 2nd year running i should have took the advice
Vaniteaux (20/1 ew 1/4 1-3)
Garde La Victoire (16/1 ew 1/4 1-3 with a small insurance top up at same price in JLT)
L'ami Serge (10/1 1/4 1-3 with a top up at 7/1 any race market 1/5th 1-3 and a small insurance bet 12/1 1/4 1-3 jlt)
Sizing John
Alisier Dirlande
Arzal
Tell us More

ArMad i backed str8 after his last win in Dec' at 10/1 before the Moores said they were worried about going left handed with him.

So basically the top of the bf market right now with obvious question marks over LS the w/o market could prove to be where it's at in regards having a bet but even if like me u don't like them markets, how many times every week do we see long odds on shots that shouldn't get beat, for whatever reason or another, get beat

Oh yeah The Game Changer haha i backed him at 25s 1/4 1-3 as well pmsl

With all due respect and decent prize money down to 6th there is no way this is a win only race for betting purposes. There will be 7 or 8 runners! There always is. Connections are bound to have a rethink and there will be some owners with no hopers entered keeping a beady eye on things too with a thought of popping round and getting the 5th or 6th prize. A very big annoyance to bookmakers as they will make this race one of the filthiest for each way in the history of the Arkle

STS looks Vaniteux your only hope of place matey, unless Douvan comes down Sizing John and GLV JLT bound, Arzal not going,Tell Us More big engine but cant jump straight.

Yeah stevo1, Arkle been a graveyard for me recent years. But still i come back for more trying to eek out the filth each way at antepost prices and hoping for 2 places or the win, (odds onners that look bomb proof do get beat too, how many a week) I didn't back Western Warhorse his year either

Good spot again STS and again there's next to nowt waiting to back - has a look of the Faugheens about it.
It couldn't be, could it?

I suppose the difference is that the stable has nothing else for the race.
With Faugheen, although it drifted a little, what happened was that the likes of AF got backed. This lad is pretty much their sole representative, so I'd expect him to drift more markedly if there was a problem.
Maybe some thoughts about a CH re-rout, which would be preposterous! Unless of course he is going to do both, now that the 'cap is the third race, he'd get an hours rest

That fiver was mine haha

LOL, you ramping tw4t. Hook, line and sinker
Is that other fiver yours as well now? 'Cos you can feck off!

LOL i was just testing the water cos ive been like i do with all the shorties every fez laying him since he went to odds on. I stuck a tenner up at 1.7 and it was took within a couple of mins and then that fiver at 1.81.

I basically go along the lines of if nothings up and the market is merely adjusting to possibility of runners coming in and out, they would have sat there for hours/days without being matched until the percentage got close to the price needing to be at that spot.

I have all the major markets open at all times, its the way i roll, when something i think needs flagging up happens i flag it up on here. When i am out i either have me phone or the wife in the house with instructions. I am what you call a bit OCD with my market watching especially this close to the fez when so much is riding antepost.

You've trained the missus to watch the markets when you're out
Yes pal, that qualifies as OCD! For that commitment alone, you're welcome to my £4-05, you've earned it!
I'd never give my missus access to my account. For one, she really doesn't need to be knowing about how much I invest in this - none gamblers don't understand how you could risk so much, in my experience. They liken it to one-armed-bandits or other such games of chance, not appreciating the effort that goes into these decisions.
Secondly, as with everything else, she would develop an 'opinion' and I'd come back to a pile of bets on Venetia Williams' and Rebecca Curtis' yaks, as we need to be 'supporting women in such a male dominated sport', or some such b0ll0cks.

Well, the money is back now. Drama over, whatever it was.
Well done to the 1.99 backer, oh and the 1.81 backer

I think you could get some 1.8 ish on the day as punters will look to get him beat. 1.66 to lay ATM no reason to be alarmed just think it's the pure fact of a novice being short enough albeit in a weak arkle. I for one think it's a certainty

Alisier D'Irlande running tomorrow at Leopardstown. Have taken some of the 20's in the w/o market NRNB.
More likely to go straight to Aintree based on trainers comments today but if he runs very well tomorrow they may well take a chance and no doubt his odds will be shorter on the day, plus money back if he doesn't run.