Cheltenham Festival
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Assuming Faugheen is fit and well where does she go?
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Annie has no other choice as she doesn't stay and the mares hurdle will seem too low after winning the CH. Faugheen goes for the GC, Mullins has to develop some sense if he wants to finally crack that race.
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I don't think you'll see Annie and Faugheen in the same race. That was the strong impression I got from when Ruby was interviewed. The problem being they will both be very late to a chase career if they went down that route, he's got a lot of ammo for the Mares Hurdle and they were convinced that Annie didn't stay three miles.
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Faugheen,Arctic Fire....Champion Hurdle
Annie Power..JLT Yorkhill.....Arkle Limini....... Mares Hurdle Vroum Vroum Mag,Shaneshill..Ryanair Douvan,Un De Sceaux... Queen Mother Nichols Canyon.....World Hurdle] Battleford...Supreme Vautour,BlacK Hercules,Djakadam,Don Poli..Gold Cup Don't know about the RSA. |
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Faugheen, world hurdle??
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I think if both are fit and well and Limini/VVM are available for the Mares race, then both would run in the CH.
I do not recall Mullins knowingly running a horse in an alternative race to the detriment of a horse's chances. He's moved them to easier races or more suitable races distance wise. Going chasing with Annie Power or the World Hurdle route with Faugheen would be madness for the sake of keeping them apart. |
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Unless one of them goes over fences, I reckon we get the Champion Hurdle we all want.
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I do not recall Mullins knowingly running a horse in an alternative race to the detriment of a horse's chances. He's moved them to easier races or more suitable races distance wise.
Really? You don't remember Annie as a six year old not taking on Hurricane? Not taking on Quevega? Taking on three milers having never gone the distance? Easier? More suitable? What would you say? |
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I think Faugheen would laugh at Annie over 2m personally.
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If you look back to the lead-up to the race, the view was that she was a stayer. And it wasn't just Hurricane Fly she avoided, it was Jezki, Our Conor, MTOY and The New One. I would say they definitely took the easy option.
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Also having thought about it now, I would say there must be a strong possibility that Annie Power will not race beyond this season.
I mean in winning the Champion Hurdle, what more has she left to achieve? 9 would be old for a NH mare and she's worth more to Ricci off the racetrack than on it. |
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If you look back to the lead-up to the race, the view was that she was a stayer. And it wasn't just Hurricane Fly she avoided, it was Jezki, Our Conor, MTOY and The New One. I would say they definitely took the easy option.
Well I'm sorry but they clearly didn't. She finished second. Plenty of us were on here in love with the romance of the thought of her taking on the two milers after her performance at Doncaster where she never came out of second gear. Many of us were convinced she could win a champion. She could and did. Not a single person in the land thought Mullins was running scared of any of those other horses. That is a fantasy you've concocted. The very thought is laughable. Mullins wanted to give The Fly the very best chance of winning another Champion and once again he made a mistake. |
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Regarding Annie power, apparently she has gone to stud. A friend of mine had Rich Ricci round last night and that is the plan for Annie
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Fair enough Eeternaloptimist. I've not concocted anything though. If I look back at both those races, the World Hurdle was the easier option at least in my opinion. Anyway, it's irrrelevant now as if the last post is anything to go by, it looks like we may have seen the last of Annie Power which is not surprising.
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i would be a shame if a champion hurdler didnt defend there crown if they were able to.
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but things have changed now
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Will have a setback for Cheltenham then substitute for Faugheen at Punchestown.
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Preposterous for us to think she probably won't be allowed to defend her title.
Not to these money men though. |
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I would have thought considering who trains her, his connection with Dawn Run and his desire for a Gold Cup win, surely its up for discussion??
Ruby said it all, she wont take on Faugheen. Ever. If Faugheen comes back(which cant be taken for granted), then they have to come up with a viable alternative for AP. I say viable, because they simply cannot run the reigning Champion Hurdler in the Mares Hurdle. That would be preposterous. The only other option over hurdles is the WH. If they are going to run her over 3m over hurdles, why not go the extra 2 furlong over fences and live the dream?? If they wanted to win the JLT or Arkle with her, they could have done this already. She's too old to be running in them. They have the QM sorted with Douvan. She may very well be retired, its probably a very big runner in fact. If she isn't, 31 years on.....we may have another Mullins mare doing the double. |
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Ruby said it all, she wont take on Faugheen. Ever.
Nice of him to let the owner know in advance this time what is happening with his horses at next years Festival.  |
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Seems he totally lacks confidence in his ability to pick the right one of the two. Gigginstown jockey chose great in the Gold Cup.
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Eric its very easy to pick the right one in this instance
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We're never going to see a Kauto Star, Denman stable face-off with Mullins and Walsh in future. Shows Nicholls was the stronger trainer on behalf of his bill payers, the owners, the punters and racing itself. Jockeys shouldnt be allowed to cop out of decisions at the cost of everything else. Thank goodness Gigginstown approach the sport in true spirit.
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so annie power has been retired and mr ricci doesnt announce it ?
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Assuming she comes out of the Champion Hurdle OK, surely she'll go for the Aintree Hurdle? - they've previously talked about that race being ideal for her and they have VVM for the Mares' Grade 1 at Punchestown.
Plus Mullins must still have one eye on UK trainers' championship. |
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^although I s'pose that race is an option for Nichols Canyon too...
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If it were my choice I'd send Faugheen down the gold cup route as Mullins doesn't appear to have any stronger ammunition in the staying chasing division next season. He has any number of options for the champion n hurdle, he should be aiming his best horses at the gold cup before he runs out of time. Annie Power will win the Aintree Hurdle and hopefully will be back to defend her crown next season.
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Douvan Gold Cup, Vautour QMCC, VVM Ryanair, Yorkhill Arkle, Faugheen Champion, Annie Mares, Limini stud after she wins a G2 in the summer
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Surely no chance she goes novice chasing
Vroum Vroum Mags back over fences, Limini in the Mares, leaves World Hurdle again for Annie? |
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You can make all the plans you want but until a week before the Festival they won't be sure which horses are going to be fit and well and if they don't know, neither do punters. I laid Faugheen, Annie for the Mares, Douvan and Un De Sceaux all at around 2.5 in November. They were all at long odds on before Faugheen got injured and the rest is history. I have always said that I would lay anyone evens to correctly forecast 5 out of 10 named horses in November which will run in specific Festival races and stand by that.
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"The good thing is that Rich Ricci (owner) has no plans on retiring any of the three mares any time soon, so racing fans everywhere will get the chance to see them in action again next season."
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^WPM quote from today
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