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Make it 4m3f sage and call it "the gods country national"
I'm excited already!! |
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4 m novice hurdle good grief most years they struggle to get home in the albert bartlett
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I have always maintained that 3 miles over hurdles is the biggest test of stamina in racing. That is why so few class horses stay that far and why there have been so many multiple winners of the Stayers Hurdle. Many Gold Cup winners never won won beyond 2.5 miles over hurdles. Don Cossack, Lord Windermere, Best Mate among many others. Only Bobs Worth of recent winners of the GC managed to win a Grade 1 hurdle over 3 miles. I can't find any horse that has won the Stayers and the GC.
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dorans pride would have come closest to that ,unlikely now but thistlecrack still could do the double.
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Agreed Foxy, 13 months ago many of us thought that he would.
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sageform, I think the Stayers is a bit of a consolation race. No-one ever says with a young horse "we think one day he'll be a Stayers hurdle horse". It tends to be for failed chasers or those who don't have the physical scope for fences. I don't believe the three you mentioned RAN over 3 miles let alone won. For a horse with aspirations to becoming a Gold Cup contender, three mile hurdles are seldom on the agenda.
Not sure I agree its more of a stamina test than the GC. Certainly Thistlecrack was suspect on the stamina front in many people's view after being beaten by Many Clouds. Ruby Walsh has said that the Gold Cup is run at a two mile pace for three and a quarter miles. I think that's where the real test of stamina lies and why it's such a fantastic race. |