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Cheltenham Festival
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Some things never change
Watering will commence on the New Course today (Friday). The Old Course will be reviewed following todays forecast rain and will be watered as necessary
Watering will commence on the New Course today (Friday). The Old Course will be reviewed following todays forecast rain and will be watered as necessary
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Replies: 52
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Like every festival the ground will make the bookmakers happy.
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Rained most of the day in Chelt yesterday (and also during the night) so I hope he hasn't watered.
It is glorious sunshine at the mo so he might decide to ignore the forecast for tomorrow and water the lot. doesn't look like there will be much rain next week tho but who knows???? |
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fortunately hes done the old course(thurs/Frid) only (so far) and mild sunny weather forecast next week.
Seems like it would be a sin to start/race on good ground |
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good ground yesterday...5mm of rain plus watering...new course is now soft
 roll on next saturday imo not interested |
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put 1/2 an inch on the new course yesterday on top of the rain that fell
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always get them mixed up wonder!!
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New course is now soft so should be good to soft for Thursday. Good ground for gold cup day.
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Not ideal ground for some of the favs on Thursday and Friday. Will Hillcrest run on goodish ground ?
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The new clerk clearly has no experience of chelt. He’s going to make a howler next week. They’re be a few horse deaths. I pray I m wrong.
He seemed proud and happy to start the meeting on good to soft on the good side. Given chelt dries at one going change per day It will defo be good. G/f in places at worst on Friday. Probably good to firm. Might even sneak firm. The old clerk knew. Always started on soft. Forecast dry then sunny. Poor new clerk. A baptism of fire. You d think the old clerk would ring him up and tell him. The train is going to crash. Hope I m wrong. But he seemed smug on itv today. |
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The old clerk knew. Always started on soft.
Just not true C>U>T>H> |
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Comingupthehill the new course is soft at present so won't be firm going by Friday
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Brandy .... Good to see you about
The old Clerk gave it as soft last year day 1,the Arkle was 1.36 secs slower than standard. Both the supreme and champion hurdle times indicated it was just on the easy side of good. Yearly occurence,then the guesswork for the new course,for this showcase meeting. They talk about "safe ground",perhaps someone should do a proper study,heavily watered on top with firm underneath to me is a recipe for disaster,the horses deserve better. I,ll give him the benefit of doubt for now,Tuesdays times are the only guide worth noting. |
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Hey Nocturnal. Hope you're well.
Very true regarding official going. Will wait for the time of the Supreme until we really know the going. Declarations are out for Tuesday |
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Only 7 in the NH Chase.
9 in the Supreme. |
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7 runners in national hunt chase is desperate runners wise. You cannot believe sir Gerhard isn’t running in the supreme with the questions over Dysart dynamo very unlike Mullins, we will see. As most know I hate stats but Sir gerhard will only be the second 7 year old to win the ballymore in its history, easy money
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Are you going away for the week Harry?
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No got a double hernia. Just the couch
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Brutal trying to find an actual bet at this meeting, I’m down to the real dregs of the meeting
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Every year its the same.
Fyi ...its the number two who does the course not the COC, claisse was different gravy , told the bha the course needed digging up but they wouldnt listen . Cheltenham is in a bowl, has a micro-climate but they have the top men and the resources and fundamental track no how to produce any going . They know where to put the going sticks. The best guide in the going is the jocks after the first. What you get in the media isn't what it actually may be. They put "soft" in the going for safety ,antis and snowflakes. I used to berate Claisse on here until I went to one of his seminars, different gravy altogether. i bet the new COC didnt understand what goes on behind the scenes..... |
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3:47 a good ground time
agree with u irish mixture of g/s & soft description is PR bs, completely mythical |
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correction 3:44
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forecast is for possible rain later today and tomorrow with little or no rain Thursday and Friday
Will the water both/ either course tonight after racing? |
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they are considering it
fkin madness imo |
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cant possibly have a speed championship can we
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F00ked it up good and proper.
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Think the coc has been saved by the amount of water that has fell
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I suspect the old guard was laughing his bollux off
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The biggest criticism should go to the weather forecasters who got it completely wrong. They did forecast rain in some areas but the south midlands were singled out to miss it!
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If they were racing on Saturday they’d most probably have needed to water after racing on Gold Cup day. Given the rain that fell on Wednesday, that suggests the drainage system is much more efficient than it needs to be.
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going against the grain....all seemed ok in the end ,no complaints about the going from those that matter.....as usual a few fatalities,,always a sad sight to see...part and parcel of the game i suppose...heartbreaking for connections.....
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Nicky Henderson was in no doubt the ground was to blame for Shishkin’s disappointing run in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival
Spoton again cobra... "No complaints about the going from those that matter " |
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Nicholls tried hard to hide his contempt for the watering but failed miserably.
The Coc was on a hiding to nothing and really it was the weather that caused the problem. |
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He said the day before that he had had 3 different forecasts, so what's he to do?? reckon he'd have took what did transpire opposed to do nothing and potentially seeing more horses break down on firmer ground if there was no rain.
Anyway, what has been glossed over when looking for a scapegoat is the fact that the heavens opened, the ground would have still been very bad even if he had done nothing. |
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Its not like it aint been like that before.
The clouds were held above the bowl instead of blowing over as expected. Shame really. |
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I think the worst job from the coc and team were the ridiculous official going reports.
Good to soft on Tuesday????? |
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But by Friday, Shishkin was "sore" and sorry for himself. As he only jumped 5 or 6 fences what made him sore?
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Hadn't read that, interesting stuff sage.
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Brandy makes a good point, if coc thought it was g/s why water? At worst Wednesday without any rain would have been good going and nothing wrong with that, he’s fooked up and trying to cover his arse
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Going on first day of 2021 Festival was officially soft but rode more like good to soft. On more occasions than I care to remember the official going description is altered after the first race or two and never is the CoC criticised for having to do so.
The reality of the situation is that for many years the official going description at a high proportion of Cheltenham meetings (throughout the season) has often been misleading and the jockeys riding in the first race are a more reliable guide to the true state of the going. Irishone gives a plausible explanation as to why this might be so. However, in this instance, when it comes to conspiracy or c@ck up I’ll go for c@ck up every time. |