You’re welcome J, it’s from the last couple of days, updated stable tour on ATR

Altior will be running in the Game Spirit on saturday, Hendo has confirmed.

Interesting indeed. I doubt Henderson was hoping to see his name in opposition for Altior's reappearance. Reminds me a little of when Dodging Bullets beat Sprinter Sacre at Ascot, although with a somewhat smaller field and Altior has far less recover from than Sprinter Sacre had.

Yeah. It's had to see him being beaten now. Should be shorter than he is imo.

11/10 in a place and Daq showing 27/20 on Oddschecker but might be red herring?

Looked really impressive yesterday but still can't get that Arkle run out of my head when he just never seemed to be traveling with the same gusto. Like others i'd be worried about the bounce factor.

With lots of unknowns, outside of the top 2 in the betting, i think Ordinary World is a huge e.w. price @ 50/1. Looked like he would have finished second to Min last run and was 3rd in the Arkle last year. Better on decent ground and HDB knows all about getting a horse ready for the CC. Worth a punt at those prices.

Like Uncle what really impressed me yesterday was his jumping Nic DB had to keep reigning him in, he was making so much distance in the air. He was taking those fences like hurdles, but still not touching a twig.

I wouldn't be so sure that Altior will bounce. He was asked to work once, right after the last fence, at which point he just bounded away on the bridle. It was nothing more than a racecourse gallop, just in an actual race, and he made Politologue look silly in the effort.

I can't believe he was at full tilt yesterday, at any point, and would expect him to come on for that run.

I backed Min for the Ryanair before Douvan got injured and I hope they now divert him there (although I suspect they won't), as based on his runs this year I've seen nothing that would suggest he'd beat a fully fit Altior.

Personally I'd ignore the flat Arkle and concentrate on the great Supreme he won. The form of which has been franked over and over again.

He isn't going to bounce, the trainer pretty much said he needed to be having that run to get him to where he needed to be for the festival, the bounce issue applies where the horse is fit to burst and basically bottoms himself on the racecourse....Altior needed the run so the bounce is redundant,he won so easily despite needing it because he's a lot better than the 2nd.

more likely ffs!

Might Min do a Vautour and head off to the Ryanair at the last moment to avoid Altior and gain a probable win? Otherwise, the result of the 2016 Supreme Hurdle would be repeated, I firmly believe.

Douvan declared to run this weekend,that would shake the market up if he came out and won well and also give us one hell of a race to look forward to at the festival

Ricci had been reported to say a fit again Douvan would offer more options; read that how one likes, but Mullins/Ricci has never run two stable stars in the same race, if memory serves.

Absolutely he would and I feel, after Saturday, the race needs it. The way Altior brushed Politologue aside, he looks virtually unopposable with anything bar Douvan at his best.
The worry is always that they rarely come back to their best after a long lay-off. Fingers crossed Douvan can buck that trend.
I still think they would run Min in the race anyway, they would have to be fairly confident that UDS can win the Ryanair again and even if Douvan does get to the QMCC, he is as likely to PU as he is to win. You don't fear one horse.
Of course they could always send Min to the Champion Hurdle, where he would be guaranteed to beat BD again, based on their Supreme running

Des

when does the market re open.

Quite right too, Duffy!
A decent rhyme with the horses name improves it at least 5lb, I reckon. Add another 3lb for Irish trained and then 2lb more if Willie has said it’s one of the best he’s had and Patrick liked him the moment he sat on him. Chuck in another 3lb for a none specific prolonged absence, as they all get better when stood in their box and before you know it you’ve the best horse that ever (or never) won a Champion Hurdle! ‘til the next one.......

Fair enough Des, but I'll politely disagree with your inference that BD is as good as Faugheen was at his best.

Douvan, Min, Uds and Yorkhill are still in, why especially the last mentioned? I think it'd take a combination of very, very unlikely events or an act of fate to have 2 or more of these running in this race, why? Each, especially Douvan (if sound), would be a formidable opponent in any 2m/2.5m chase at the Festival.

Also, Min and Yorkhill are in the Champion Hurdle too. I think connections have more money than sense; if so, just donate the "wasted" entry fee to needy charities and it would be much appreciated eg Douvan for the last two seasons was entered for the King George and Gold Cup similarly VVM.

They got smaller Des?

Actually Des, I think may have found another 3lbs...the token Walsh comment immediately after dismounting from its novice festival win, "he'll win race xyz next year with his mouth open!!

Personally I've never understood this comment, because I would have thought "with his mouth shut" would be a more accurate way to describe an easy performance, whenever I'm absolutely knackered my mouth is always open.