Bravemansgame

Just have a longer think and put him in the AB ....please..

paulo47

I agree with you, he is a real stayer but travels well and looks really classy he is anything but dour, take that class and run against a bunch of slow horses. He is a fluent and economic hurdler and was really strong through the line, also, and this is exciting, turning in he actually idled but when the jockey got after him he stuck his head down and was impressive, he had bundles left at the line.

Visually as good a performance from a novice so far this season for me.

Ha ha !!
Think you may have to do a tad more grovelling for him to change his mind.

I think he beat a good horse today in Star Gate.

budd,

Is that what Nicholl's said, deffo the Ballymore?

If he does run in this it would put paid to the race developing into a bit of a burn up as he'll make the race a real test I reckon, that will help Appreciate It too if he runs in this IMO.

BMG had the wow factor for me today I must say.

He was 2 lengths up at the last and 10 at the line, he quickened right away so impressively, the two in behind weren't actually falling in a hole and were finishing off respectably enough, the winner looks to have speed and stamina, like I said, he was idling and having a good look round halfway up the home straight....blown away here!!!

Yes mate, said same route As Denman.

paulo47

I agree that performance screamed Albert Bartlett. Even the trainer emphasised how strong he was from the last.

Not sure what he beat yesterday as the second was disappointing.

The Ballymore will be much more competitive and likely a much more significant test of speed than yesterday's race. In the past this race has been a stepping stone for Champion Hurdle winners. Despite what Nicholls might say as far as I can see Bravemansgame is very much stamina over speed.

The Albert Bartlett is likely be a much easier race to win than a Ballymore. It is currently 20/1 the field. If Bravemansgame is really a 5/1 for the Ballymore he would be very short for an Albert Bartlett.

Given Nicholls reaction the Ballymore is set in stone as it was for Envoi Allen last year.

I do wonder how many of these targets are now decided by where those closest to the horse have put their ante-post money, rather than what might be the correct fit for the horse.

Was the 2nd disappointing or was he beat by a better horse, or maybe a bit of both.
Whatever, BMG to my eye looked a horse that will relish that hill after 2 and a half miles.
Would not disagree that he could win an AB though.
Possibly thinking the AB could potentially set the horse back as that race can do that,as he’s never mentioned that race as far as I know.

All the way up the straight until after the last the horse wasn't doing a tap, he was having a look around wondering what all the fuss was about.

He had loads left at the line but like I said earlier he looks anything but a dour AB horse despite looking like he has bundles of stamina to burn.

I remember Shishkin receiving a lot of praise from what he did from the last to the line on his maiden hurdle win at Newbury, this from a stayer wasn't entirely dissimilar I thought

lets hope for his backers its not the same result as denman.

Well the race aint a given and will be competitive as most novice hurdles at the Festival are, but i think they have chosen the right race for the horse, both for this season and the future.

Yes Duffy, this horse is far from dour.

Nicholls did say on Sat ...referring to a previous discussion with Cobden ...' I told you he wasnt a plodder ' (or a similar sentiment  ) which implies jockey thinks stamina rather than speed . Am only biased because of AP bet .

Cobden just wants a winner, he is reasoning that he is confident of his stamina and he can take that and his class to race against slower horses in the lesser race.

In much the same way when you get a horse taking the Ballymore route as opposed the Supreme, Cobden is applying the same logic here IMO.

The test will come in the Ballymore. If you get it wrong, you can't have another go.

I don't think he has got anything like the pace Nicholls seems to be suggesting. He was outpaced by Soaring Glory who surely wants more than the minimum trip himself. If he really has that much pace then why make the running in the Challow? He was ridden for stamina, not speed. Trying to dictate from the front in a much stronger race won't be easy either.

What's wrong with just wanting a winner? Isn't that how Mullins lines his cards up every year. Easiest opportunity possible. It is not as if the Albert Bartlett has wrecked horses in recent years - Bobs Worth, Minella Indo and now Monkfish.

Nothing is wrong with it, I was just stating what I thought the jockey's angle was and as I said at the start of this thread, I would like him in the AB....Nicholl's disagrees though.

He led but was it a proper stamina test? I don't think so, if you watch Thyme Hill's race from last year side by side with this on probably worse ground it shows that BMG version was miles behind the whole way through the race, up to 9 seconds turning into the straight.

Look at the 2nd and 3rd in isolation after the last, they didn't look like tired horses up the run in, he just ran away from them, if it wasn't for how much he appears to have left at the end of his race you'd almost be worried about 3 miles as he's really flashy.

I have a nice free bet for Ballymore by backing before the Challow so I will leave it until the final decs.

Nicholls's trumpet well and truly blown (apart). One egoistic "journalist/tipster" opined he'd not understand why this horse was not fav for the Ballymore.

Now we know!

Irish novices well ahead of us, actually Irish horses well ahead of us. Fancy Fakiera strong