Sky Pirate

Yes,thanks for posting this welcome information Andymca,was wondering what the article in post was about,I remember his win over course and probably distance so will look at weights and measures and his last run obviously.

not sure if the owner has had many or any festival winners but would look towards the easier race if they have not had any festival winners,which if the case would be the handicap for me

https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/news/reformed-pirate-an-arkle-possible/1...

Had a look and liked what I seen,yes could go h'cap as imagine would go to maybe 154 after yesterday.
Then would be entitled to go to Arkle(unbelievable this is still a novice)or have an entry at the least,as things can happen in the interim.
Would love to have a bet W/O at the minute as can see this being at least 2nd behind Shiskin.
Got the track right but different course and looking at last 2 runs think old course would suit better as thought he was in front too soon at both Warwick and Cheltenham.
I know different race different scenarios but this has so much experience and jumping has been great(only viewed last 2 runs)so at an advantage against novices as such.
Judging on last 2 runs would have better chance in smaller field and can see Skelton horse giving him the pace he wants to sit of.
So thanks Andymca for highlighting this,anything above 5/1 W/O and can't see that before dec's I would be all over it judging on opposition to shiskin.

I see a lot more bookoes offering odds on the Arkle today. 16s NRNB & 20s the others

Come on Jonjo, (a) I have had a good bit of 16s for the Grand Annual and (b) if he is an Arkle contender he will dot up in the Grand Annual!

I did wonder what the deuce he was doing running it on Saturday when it already looked high enough to get in the Grand Annual. D'oh!

Posted about this on the main thread.

You were not the only one wondering why he was running on Saturday. I should think just about everyone who is on for Grand Annual was wondering what was going on but this is the cheeky chappie himself, Jonjo.

What a crackpot idea from the bookmaker's pal. Just playing with punters as usual.

Without a doubt he has a favourite's chance in a Grand Annual. Weight hasn't stopped previous winners. The fast pace with horses coming back to him would seem ideal. You only have to go back two races. A small field Arkle would be a completely different challenge. It was a small field on Saturday but that was an ordinary race, not an Arkle. He would need it to be one of the worst Arkle's in history to have any chance of placing.

Any other trainer and I would see this as just nonsense talk but I now fully expect to see him mixing it with Shishkin.

Just to add Chatham Street Lad was a much more dynamic handicap winner than Sky Pirate and in his case it wasn't surprising there was talk of Graded races. Look what happened to him next time in a race not run to suit. Graded race idea quickly shelved.

That's true, differentdrum, but as it happens I was looking at CSL before he ran the other day, and in his case I reckon the handicapper just has him right now.  I mean, his English mark would probably be higher than his Irish mark, so he was effectively off about a stone higher.  It was a shorter trip and all, but he just looked to me like a horse on the right mark now.

Sky Pirate would have been a massive player of 145? in the Grand Annual, and will still be off 150- odd, but he has been able to mature while over the wrong trip and might yet be a 160s horse.  But his run style the previous day means he didn't win 15L or whatever, but I am not sure he couldn't have won by much further.

The owner is entitled to do what he wants, but I would be surprised if he can quicken off an Enegumene pace.

He might win the Arkle, and they would not be crazy to have a go, but for the fact that he looks (looked?) SO well handicapped.

I am not feeling very impartial, because I lumped on after the penultimate win when the 16s lastest surprisingly long, and I do think the owner has every right to make the decision.  But I think he is a wally if he does go that way regardless of my bets.

After all, if he wins this years Arkle, he woyld bolt up in next years Champion Chase surely. So why not get the Festival win this year and shoot for the moon next???


NB These comments take no consideration of potential jockey bookings, so lets not repeat that whole thing.

Entered in the Kingmaker. If it goes ahead (big if) then more than likely gets trounced by Allmankind, but doesn't get dropped leaving him not good enough for an Arkle - Allmankind doesn't look good enough to finish in first two - and potentially off a ruined mark in a Grand Annual. A wonderful piece of training.

Take no pleasure in predicting this outcome. It should have been blatantly obvious what was going to happen once the trainer decided going down this route was a good idea. Thrown away the season to win a tin pot race at Warwick.

its difficult to work out how the trainer is thinking,its not like its a poor looking Arkle

So Jonjo, all is forgiven.  Odd that you could back it at a bigger price this morning than I got in mid December.

I still don't agree with the way it was campaigned, but I will raise a Paddy's day pint to Jonjo anyway.

Really glad Schofield got back for the ride.  Massive day for him.

Sounds like you did something similar to me as I backed him on 12 December. Thankfully, sense prevailed and the jumping won it for him. One mistake and it wouldn't have happened.

Well done andy good shout

yup got him at 23 on bf  massive price  happy days

Cant believe he ended up at 14/1, was sure he was going to be a non runner when I saw him drifting yesterday

27 on here, 25 on 365 for a good while.