Vautour will WIN the Gold Cup.............

Hard held?

Well that's me convinced. I'm off to get the wheelbarrow and my betting boots out of the shed.

does it stay thats the question beaten by don cossack b4

He should be 6/1 to turn up, let alone win.

Had Imperial Commander won a 3m chase before his GC win ?

Yes, I think to say he is a confirmed non-stayer is crazy.

This horse has come to life two years in a row on spring ground at Cheltenham. I don't think anyone (from Willie Mullins to Mystic Meg) knows whether he will get up the hill in a Gold Cup, but suggesting he won't based on a tired finish to a King George run on soft ground in December is a very dangerous option.

Whichever way you look at it, the current prices NRNB are sensational value. IF he runs in the Gold Cup it is a given that Ruby will ride, and yet Djakadam is three points shorter as a bad favourite at present. Vautour will go off favourite if he runs.

why wont he run

evens money fav for ryanair

I think he'll run in the Gold Cup, but would much rather have the NRNB get-out as I think he'd go off much shorter if lining up anyway.

Get inta bed will ya

Yes agreed  post from Tom deane 15.42 makes sense

I wonder if before the KG you were asked to describe a race run by Vautour in the KG that would display to you that he would be a non-stayer at the GC trip, what would have been the replies???

Mine would be, I'll see a horse travel through the race very well with everything looking good right up to the point he went into unknown territory and then we'd see him gradually tire up the straight!!!

In the event, he travelled plenty keen enough which is another worry in itself but with him moving like a demon turning in the performance as a whole actually became a cariciature somewhat of the concerns with him....don't get me wrong though....he's still the best horse in training...and then some!!

who has confirmed vautour a non stayer ? mullins ,walsh, ricci ,?

He's not a confirmed Non Runner at 3m2f,he's yet to run the distance.
He did not stay well enough to win at Kempton,but the horse came close to winning and none of us can be sure as to why that was.
Non stayer,ground,fitness,not feeling at his best,who knows?
We can all spout as much as we like,as we have done,but we really need the horse to tell us.

As I said earlier,just hope he gets the chance to tell us in March.

Matt Champman to Paul Nicholls "Of the Irish contingent of Djakadam, Don Cossack, Don Poli and Vautour, who would you like at Ditcheat".  Nicholls without hesitation, "Vautour".  Champman, "Why, for the Champion Chase", Nicholls, "No, for the Gold Cup. He has Gold Cup written all over him.  If Ruby ran that King George again, he would definitely have won, and he is a stayer."

Interesting, I wonder how many trainers would agree with him.

The ground surely has to be the key deciding factor on where he goes. It's probably left to a decision at the very last minute. He really wants it as good as possible. The spring he had in his jumping in the JLT was remarkable, the ground is the overriding factor for allowing that to happen, along with peak fitness of course. On good ground on a left handed track like Cheltenham he can take lengths out of almost every horse at plenty of his fences. If it comes up good I think he has a great chance, if soft he's very little chance. No guarantees either way.

Ruby and connections while wanting no doubt to win the KG also wanted to find out if the horse stayed. The obvious way to test the latter was to make good use of him and force the pace if necessary. Unfortunately it didnt work. However if he had ridden it solely to win the race he would have taken it up before the last and won cosily. If he couldnt do it that way there would not have been any point in going for the GC. But as it is we, and they, are none the wiser. While no doubt he was fit enough to do himself justice in the KG I've no doubt there would be more to come by Cheltenham. After all Clarcam beat him a year ago yet Vautour went off at 6/4 at the festival. As Satrus says the ground may be the key. Re Silviniano Conti PFN had always maintained on numerous occasions that Cheltenham would not suit him even as far back as 2010 when he was still hurdling. Later on he may have said he expected him to win the GC but I reckon he was basing it on his form and well-being at the time.

Well to be fair he did nearly win a Gold Cup,although it was a bloody poor one.

Anyway I don't think Nicholls opinion is telling us the answer,but I guess it's nice for anyone who has backed Vautour in the Gold Cup to hear that from him.
I find it quiet interesting this riding of Vautour. He always seems to be ridden from the front as far as I remember,wonder how the horse would be if held up a tad to maximise his staying power,or they will simply ride him as normal and hope he gets home well enough to win.
Be fascinating.

As Satrus Stated above jumping is key to Vautour,cannot see him being held up too far off pace if at all.