Polly have you ever had a successful antepost bet ?

Strange you point out the vagaries of antepost betting, and there are many, on an antepost betting forum .... ?

Hey sorry you are right i should leave the ante post threads alone and let you dream of many winners that will never go to post

N6 you are one of the thick/inadequate/ fools that love telling people they are w****** or talk **** !Only of course on a computer !!! I have enough on peddler at 22s and will leave someone else to match you money..Bye brave boy

[smiley:crazy]

captain chris

Not original but having been against him all last year, the way Binocular won last time created a lasting impression - as good some of the opposition is, I'm struggling to see past him just now.

Only just seen this thread and thank God that is the case.  I love the Fly - was in Auteuil the day he won and rang a mate of mine after to tell him I had seen the next coming - he said he fell in love with thim the day at Punchestown a month earlier!
This horse is special - so is Binocular however - I have never done as much ante post dough as I have done on the Fly, I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder!
Every time i think he is vulnerable to Binocular I go back to Punchestown this year, look at his legs/feet quicken in the last 100 yards, it is visually amazing.  Plus Townend is just class, he is not Ruby yet, but aint far off.
The position is building for March, will be better value in November/December given the way Mullins campaigns his beasts, but here is hoping!

Christmas 2008, the way he flew away from Go Native after the last at Leopardstown. I thought, holy crap this is some horse. Couldn't get it out of my head for the rest of the day. Mind he has cost me some ap vouchers since then. But I was at punchestown a few months ago (pink shirt, gery suit and all) at the winning post and let me tell you, it was some celebration. Balls deep I was on him that day. They are the moments which make this sport so amazing.

Here's to Hurricane Fly, taking the mantle of my favourite horse held by kings such as Istabraq, Moscow Flyer and Kauto Star before him.

r

BOLD statement there steeplechase very bold.... horse is a legend to many racing folk, take a good horse to win a champion hurdle but a great horse to win 3 (should have been 4 cnut in foot and mouth!)

Istabraq was a very good horse but not a great one, imo.  I know that is sacrilege to many of his admirers, but many of those he beat were dire by champion hurdle standards.

We talk of Kauto Star as a great horse - and some would even argue with that - he has achieved an official rating of 193 at his 'best' (again, I know that can be argued about), the best Istabraq could make was 176 - 5lbs superior to the likes of Rooster Booster. Hardle entitled to be called great.

Hey Steeple, I'd concur with you on Istabraq not facing much opposition, I still love him though. Istabraq started it, but Moscow, he's the one who really took me deep in love with this sport.

And Gunny I did love that Pink Shirt Grey Suit combo, man that was some day. Unlike Gold Cup day, pain that'll never go away.

Not a golden era Istabraqs, he could still be the best though.Never know will we,my fav fwiw.

Name a better 2 mile hurdler than Istabraq..

HATTON'S GRACE
SIR KEN
PERSIAN WAR
NIGHT NURSE
MONKSFIELD
SEA PIGEON
GOLDEN CYGNET
and, probably . . .
BINOCULAR

Steeple.. IMO Istabraq is the best hurdler I have seen. A lot of those horses you named were before my time so I can not comment on those. I ask this question though. Why are people constantly looking for the new Istabraq when it comes to Champion Hurdler's?

binocular is the new istabraq

Steeple.. IMO Istabraq is the best hurdler I have seen. A lot of those horses you named were before my time so I can not comment on those.

Fair enough MM.  They were superb horses.  The era of Night Nurse, Monksfield and Sea Pigeon is generally known as the Golden Age of hurdling.  Much of 'hero worship' is generational, but I hope you can take a look at some footage of these horses - Night Nurse and Monksfield's dead heat at Aintree  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X2Ai77voXE

I always try to be objective when assessing horses, but there has never been an era like the late 70s in hurdling.

Hello CAP.  I did not mention See You Then.  As for Golden Cygnet, short though his career was, there is no question in my mind he was a great horse.  The following extract from Wikipedia might make you reconsider: (I was at Ayr on the day in question)

The Scottish Champion Hurdle represented a huge step up in class. Up until now, Golden Cygnet had been taking on fellow novices and he had shown himself to be in a different league. At Ayr he was taking on very experienced hurdlers of the highest class who were well capable of exposing any ****s he might have in his armour. On top of that, it was a handicap. In most years a Cheltenham winning novice could be expected to receive 14 lbs or more in weight from his more experienced rivals, especially from the likes of Night Nurse, the Champion Hurdler in 1976 & 1977 and Sea Pigeon who was to go on and win the Champion Hurdle in 1980 & 1981. However, the handicapper paid Golden Cygnet the huge compliment of allotting him 11st-13 lbs which was 5 lbs more than dual champion Night Nurse, 7 lbs more than Beacon Light, who had been fourth in the Champion Hurdle the previous month and 12 lbs more than Decent Fellow, winner of the Irish Sweeps Handicap Hurdle under 11-4. The only horse set to carry more weight than him was Sea Pigeon who was asked to carry only 1 lb more having finished a close second to Monksfield in the previous month's Champion Hurdle. In allowing him to take his chance at this level and at these weights, it showed just how highly Edward O'Grady rated him - and his assessment proved to be extremely accurate.

The race went according to plan most of the way. Having been held up early, Golden Cygnet moved into third place as they came to the second last hurdle. Approaching the final flight, he moved alongside Night Nurse travelling very strongly and looked an assured winner when for some unknown reason he just did not lift his front legs and crashed through the flight, somersaulting on his head before hitting the ground with a tremendous thud. Luckily, Niall Madden was thrown clear before the horse landed on him. Sea Pigeon went on to win the race, catching Night Nurse close home. "I was cantering on him," said Madden. "Still cruising. He had jumped brilliantly, never touched a hurdle. And then for some reason he stood off a bit too far at the last and he just clipped the top of it and came down on his neck." Racing's most respected judges 'Timeform' stated in their 1977/1978 Annual:

    "The race confirmed two important points - that Sea Pigeon had no superior among the established hurdlers apart from Monksfield, and that all the superlatives heaped on Golden Cygnet had been justified........Golden Cygnet appeared to have plenty left, and was two lengths up on Sea Pigeon and about to take the lead from Night Nurse when he suffered his fatal fall. Judging by the way Golden Cygnet finished in his previous races, he would have taken some catching........The connections of Sea Pigeon did not dispute the general feeling afterwards that Golden Cygnet would have beaten Sea Pigeon in the Scottish Champion Hurdle if he had not come to grief at the last. And for a novice to have defeated a seasoned campaigner of Sea Pigeon's calibre at a difference of only 1 lb would have been a staggering achievement."

Very few people were inclined to disagree, including the compilers of the form book whose comment was (7/4 JF, waited with, improved approaching 2 out, quickened between last two, disputed & looked winner when fell last

Great popst Steeplechasing

From what I've read he is more impressive than Overturn this PEDDLERS CROSS guys ....