'I'd rather run her in the Champion Hurdle than the World Hurdle'

The mind boggles. Perhaps someone could explain why when she didn't go chasing with the express intention of running in a Champion Hurdle two years ago she actually ran in the World Hurdle given what Mullins has to say?

tomdeane
17 Feb 16 17:51
Joined: 29 Jul 04
| Topic/replies: 1,534 | Blogger: tomdeane's blog
As a few others have said I think it is beyond ridiculous that people are suggesting Annie Power shouldn't be allowed to be supplemented at this stage. The race will be much richer for having her there, and, along with providing people with the option to run a sudden improver, I'd say the supplementary rules are there for situations just like this.

I'm sure if Alan King had a change of heart and supplemented Yanworth in for this year, in order to avoid Faugheen next year, those who are balls deep on him in the Neptune would cause a massive uproar, saying how wrong the rules are etc.

I think the reason why there hasn't been such a big reaction this time is because not that many people will have backed Annie Power antepost due to the uncertainty of her target.

I'm sorry to say if you bet ante post it's full of pitfalls, we all want the big price but this comes with a risk. Any trainer can take advantage of the supplementary stage and it's another added risk. We can all have opinions on where a horse should run but at the end of the day if I was the sole owner of a horse I'd want a big say in where and can honestly say I wouldn't care about ante post punters, I'd run my horse where I thought it had the best chance of winning. Selfish? yes but I'm the man paying the bills.

I've backed Yanworth for the Neptune but if they did decide to go CH I'd have to take it on the chin, it's all part and parcel. Lads when we place a bet ante post if you take can the lows then maybe we should decide ante post bettings not for us. Backing horses is a tough game on the day of the race, betting ante post is a mixture of greed, bravery and stupidity but if you can't do the time don't do the crime and for goodness sake don't blame the trainers or owners for not running a horse in a certain race just because it doesn't suit you.

I am pretty sure AP will run in the CH but I'm unconvinced that she will win it. She hasn't contested a competitive race at this trip over hurdles in her life and will definitely not have been prepared for it. If the ground dries out, I think she could be in trouble. Thne again, if the ground dries out they may opt for the WH!....

Not to mention coming to such a competitive race off the back of just one prep run less than 4 weeks before the race. Annie is just bad value and it's beyond easy to oppose her.

finishes 2nd to Artic Fire

No trainer has to take punters interests into account though they'd be wise to respect the fact that it is punters who keep the show on the road. Our supposed representatives through the racing media do need to ask them the questions which need to be asked though. What's different? Two years ago Mullins did everything he could to keep Annie out of the Champion despite her being given a better prep for that race. Now he wants her in the Champion.

He needs to be held to account.

Eeternal......spot on.

Different two years ago?  Hurricane Fly.

Apparently ruby isn't that sure about dropping Annie back in trip for the champion so it's far from cut and dry! I think since they need to wait to March the 9th to enter her it gives them plenty time to think it over and Ricci loves any winners at Cheltenham and a grade 1 is a Grade 1 so I still think she will go mares as they could cut there nose off by putting her in the champion hurdle just because faugheen is out now! You can think all sorts of things right after some big news and races but after 3 weeks of thinking it over I think they will just bite the bullet and go for the easier win!

[[Eeternal youve spent ages on here moaning about owners/trainers. You say WM needs to be held to account - you need to read that again and think about it. Buy a few horses if you want to make decisions re where they run.

Yes I did Arkle and I stand by my comment. It isn't my job to do so here although I will share my opinion despite you taking your cheap shots. I do expect racing journalists who are paid to do a job to hold people to account and if they want they can use the logic of my posts to form their questions.

You're clearly incapable of challenging my logic and so fall back on the old nonsense about me not being able to hold a legitimate view because I don't directly pay the bills. As wellchief points out without punters there is no sport as we recognise it. With people with your attitude it is little wonder how punter unfriendly most trainers are.

This situation is an absolute travesty. Not for me. I have no financial interest in this but it is for those who do and indeed for the horse. They should run in races which best showcase their talent.

Anybody with any detailed knowledge of this would be helpful but I think the anecdotal evidence suggests that ante post falls away year on year. Is that in any way surprising?

Picked up on this post while reading posts from earlier on this thread ...

"Supplementing horses this close to the event should be banned anyway.

How can you have faith in ante post if someone can be added at the last minute.

Vautor or douvan would probably win the champion hurdle if they were now suddenly rerouted, not that they would be. But you bet knowing what the entries are."

Those last words, "YOU BET KNOWING WHAT THE ENTRIES ARE" ... no you don't? There's actually ante post markets available for Cheltenham 2017, are the entries out for that yet? No. When the majority of ante post markets open for next year a day after this years festival are the entries open then? No. The title "ante post" caters for a whole load of different meanings, not just the ones you want it to I'm afraid. Ps I have lost money on Faugheen but I'm man enough to take it on the chin.

No STJ, they wouldn't walk away over something like this, not at all; I'm talking more generally about a sport/industry where you need to look after your customers.  You can gamble on pretty much everything now, so there are plenty of alternatives to have a bet on if you always feel you need a bet.

The industry will be ok, as long as there are big Saturday crowds etc; but on a normal weekend the Saturday crowd is more once a year people out with their mates to get hammered.  Not being a snob because I've done that myself, and races are great social occasions, but I wouldn't want people who genuinely love the sport to stop liking it as much, to be replaced by people who back horses based on the colour of the jockeys silks.

The Sound Investment scenario; I think Paul Nicholls operates a different way to Willie, or at least their strategies are different.  PFN tends to have one long term target for a horse set out at the start of the year, and puts everything towards that target (unless someone like Saphir or Ptit Zig clearly isn't liking fences, and then he says so).

I don't know anything about training, but I think that is better because you can tailor your training regime with that race in mind.

I have no idea if you train a 2m hurdler any different from a 3m hurdler, but with the Mullins ones, you know they have been trained for one festival, but not all roads have lead to the particular race they have been entered into ie Would Wille have trained Annie any  differently this year if he ever thought she would be CH bound?

Ante post is not for the faint hearted, that feeling of emptiness when you see the headline;

'[your torpedoed selection] is out of Cheltenham'

I still dabble small at big/huge odds but the heart break is too much to get overly involved.

Everyone knows horses can be supplemented.  Don't watch the flat nonsense, but Coneygree was going to be supplemented for the King George - no one had an issue with that because it was a simple error.  I think this one is worse because there was no intention of running Annie.

I know you can't please everyone, but that's the same will all sports and all walks of life.  Everyone knows the risks of antepost, sometimes it works for you, sometimes against you; I get that.

Just doesn't sit well with me that a rich owner can throw £20,000 down like it's bog roll and pay the supplementary fee, whilst a lot of people may have lost money at the same time.  Also makes it hard for small owners when a rich one can come in at the last second and instantly have the favourite for a Championship race.

Don't think I'll say any more because I'll end up going round and round in circles.

Having  been on here a number of years and conversed with chief on countless occasions, I have no doubt he knows all about this game.
Maybe you should thing about retracting that last sentence slower.

Seems to me a few missing the point,and thinking some of us don't understand the perils of ante post........quiet laughable some of the cr&p I read on here sometimes!!

My last sentence wasn't aimed at WC or anyone in particular and I won't retract because in some cases it's true. Ok budd

No worries

I have waited 18 months for that, jok#ing of course, nice fela