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Betfair Chase Nov19 Haydock
Betfair Chase Nov19 Haydock
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So where does this leave us?
Kauto Star final swansong but will stuggle for rest of season? TFR - not good enough? Long Run - Still the best now cobwebs blown away? Diamond Harry - Hype machine or blown up? Weird Al - Just short of top class and best fresh? Are we any clearer |
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Id Keep Weird Al fresh for Cheltenham and pray for a bit of rain, ran on well enough
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Was fantastic to see Kauto win, similar scenes to when Denman won his 2nd Henessey
 If Long Run had jumped better on the 2nd circuit he'd surely have won. Waley Cohen is a top amateur and as good as many pro's but imo if Walsh and Waley-Cohen had swapped mounts just before the off I expect we'd be having a different discussion. But there is always that little **** in his armour so come Boxing Day I'll again be looking for the value against him. Diamond Harry simply isn't good enough and TFR has become very dissapointing - they should have gone for the Hennessey. |
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Swardean - I think that's a fair assessment.
Except I'd expect Kauto to put in a decent showing in his remaining races, and I would quibble about whether running well in G1 chaees is "struggling". |
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Thing now must be the question of can Kauto keep his form second time up as he was revved up for his compared to his last couple of seasonal reappearances. The jumping will always be a concern if you are taking short prices on Long Run
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Personally, I'd sent Kauto straight to the Gold Cup for his swansong, but I can see him running in the King George. A little odd if both he and Masterminded show up though.
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Just watched the replay after getting home from work. How uplifting was that? His jumping won the day from the very gutsy Long Run who was under pressure from a long way out. Horse and trainer brilliant. This was way above the triviality of betting. It doesn't matter what he does next.
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I was there - did n't back Kauto but that will live on in my memory for a long time.
On a separate tack, still hope Henrietta steps Somersby up to 3 miles. |
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At the risk of agreeing with you twice in one day Strontium - I was just saying to my missus that they should hold him back for the Gold Cup and not go to Kempton. Kauto was clearly trained for today and it showed. I doubt whether he would uphold the form at Kempton (despite it clearly being a track and distance more to his liking than the GC).
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What a performance from KS . Showed a great attitude and jumped them into the ground. Looked in very
good condition pre-race and he may well be in better condition this year than last. Long Run looked very fit pre-race and didn't look keen to me, like many other gold cup winners he may have lost his enthusiasim for the game. Time will tell. Diamond harry looked very fit pre-race but was edgy and found little for pressure and looks one to swerve imo. Kauto Star is a true racing Great in every sense of the word. |
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Brilliant display of jumping that really put the pressure on Long Run who could'nt live with Kauto down the back.
Interesting change of tactics with Kauto leading and can see same being used at Kempton. If he jumps as well at Kempton we could see same result though I think that's the heart speaking. Head says Long Run should improve enough to win. Totally agree with you tinkler. Kauto is a true racing great and so glad we'll get to see him again. |
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Most of Hendersons have been fit enough first time out this seasons, think lot of people getting carried away with Long Run being in badly need of this run. No nose band on kauto today i noticed...
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brook, people thought long run would need it because he ran well well below his ability on his seasonal reappearance lto. i think he will show himself in better light nto
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Also Kauto's noseband been off since the GC. Long Run will come on for that I am in no doubt. As a Kauto fan I think Long Run turns that form around at Kempton and definitely at Cheltenham. However I would happily be proved wrong
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What a horse. He's just magical. Yet another grade 1, how good is he?
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Magical is the word.
Some of the records C4 flagged up are extraordinary - won a G1 in 7 different years, the top rated horse at 2m, 2 1/2m and 3m in 2007... and so it goes on. He could be the second best ever? 15 Grade 1s from 2m to 3m 2f, left and right handed, on flat tracks and undulating ones. Certainly the best since Dessie. A privilege to have seen him. |
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Hats off to Ditcheat. Many thought(myself included) they were being foolhardy keeping this great horse in training for another season. They proved me wrong and boy, am I delighted they did! A potential clash against Masterminded at Kempton would be a race for the ages.
Long Run should be there too and I've no doubt he'll come on leaps and bounds for today's run but until his jumping improves he will always be opposable at short odds. A lot of judges were quick to question the strength of Long Runs achievements last season, one of the principal reasons cited was that he beat two regressive horses, both well past their best in the Gold Cup. Would be interesting to hear how they square that particular circle now! Weird Al and Diamond Harry will probably not run again this side of January. Both are top class horses in my opinion but having said that I'd be surprised if either ever won a Gold Cup. Diamond Harry is tailor made for a race like the Irish Hennessy imo and with Pandorama out for the season and last years novices looking less and less frightening by the week, he would be of serious interest if he did show up at Leopordstown. Poor old Time for Rupert does not look likely to make it in the big leagues Im afraid but should improve for a return to his beloved Cheltenham. Today was all about one horse though and what a supreme racehorse Kauto Star is. We are talking Arkle territory here. |
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i was one of those who thought kauto couldnt win yesterday i was big on d h but stood on the balcony of the park suite at haydock yesterday it was a pleasure to applaud a great horse all the way from the last to the line well done to all connected with the horse
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Long Run's performance was reminiscent of his debut last season in the Paddy Power in terms of the way he travelled and jumped, imo. I fully expect him to be cherry ripe for the King George and improve a fair bit for the run, but i'd be in no rush to take the current odds of 6/4.
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Ahead of the season D McCain flagged Weird Al as a possible Grand National entry - this may be a more achievable target than the GC?
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Except he's now about a stone too high in the weights. his last two races have "ruined" his handicap mark from a GN point of view.
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Phil Smith's approach to handicapping at the top of the range probably means that a stone is on the high side. McCain's quote today was "We'll give him a nice break and in the spring decide whether we go back to Cheltenham or straight to Aintree."
He may have the Bowl in mind - with the exception of Denman, it didn't attract much talent this year for an 85k prize. |
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In 15 years of going to Haydock regularly I've never felt an atmosphere close to that. The ever-increasing roar from 3 out all the way to the line was incredible. As UnclePuncle says above, it was equal to that at Newbury for Denmans second Hennessy. My mate who rarely comes racing with me and doesn't really follow the sport actually said as we were walking away from the winners enclosure "I've just witnessed something very special there haven't I". Yep, he had.
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Rydal, given Weird Al's apparent benefit of running fresh and a possible acceptance that he is not quite good enough to win a GC, then straight to the Aintree bowl seems a great option with other horses probably taking it in as an afterthought
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Well,just back from my weekend away,and just watched the race.
Absolutely brilliant to see Kauto back winning,what a horse he is. Think Long Run ran ok,but his jumping was not as good as it could be,and he will need to get that sorted if hes to defend his crowns,but it was his 1st run,so will be interesting to see him next time out. Weird Al i think thats as good as he is,and TFR looks to be struggling,and maybe suffering with something,cos i am pretty sure hes better than that. Now Diamond Harry,well i have to say i thought he travelled really well for a large part of the race,as he normally does to be fair,but could not quicken when he needed to.(theres a big difference between quickening with 10 stone on yer back compared to the weight he had on Saturday) Was that down to the fact that hes just not good enough at this level,or did he need the race?? I know hes normally reliable first time out,but its still possible he needed it. Whatever,he still has not showed me that hes top class at 3m chasing,and hes another that will be interesting on his next run. |
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Have to agree after that performance which was very disappointing from Diamond Harry. I thought Reveley was niggling at him from before the winning post on the first circuit but then he seemed to be travelling well down the back straight. Reminded me a bit of his Newbury run behind Big Buck's and just possible that he's not as good as I thought or he's not come back from injury as good as he was.
He did quicken under a big weight in the Fixed Brush Hurdle at Haydock a couple of years ago but I guess that was against handicappers. I'm sure he's better than Saturday's run but need to see him do it again. |
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Increbible performance from Nicholls and Kauto. I have to say I'd totally written him off. I think I read DH's next outing will be the King George now, so I'll watch that with interest.
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For what its worth I reckon Diamond Harry ran about 3 lbs below his best ever race.
Kauto Star (180) , surprisingly was as good in winning as he was when he beat Exotic Dancer all those years ago. Long Run was not at his very best (about 7 lbs below his Gold Cup rating according to RPR, (but I personally think that rating may be a bit high), but he ran his third best ever rating according to the Racing Post and he is capable of improvement, especially since Kauto was known to have been trained with this one race in mind. i expect they'll go for the King George with Kauto, but if he was mine, I would turn him out until the new Year and then get him as good, fresh and fit as possible for the Gold Cup. He certainly remains top class, Kauto although perhaps not quite as good as he was. If he jumps well next time, and Long Run is not foot perfect, he might even beat him again! Weird Al is the interesting one for me. Only 2 lengths behind Long Run, he is lightly raced and has scope to improve again. |
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cry - is that 180 for Kauto the RPR? I posted about the ratings in the Cheltenham/Kauto thread. I see the BHA rated him at 174 which seems a little on the low side (and they rated LR 166).
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Yes its the RPR.
I am not a slave to such ratings, but look at the race at the start. You had the first 2 from the Charlie Hall, fit as fleas and bouncing for the fight; you had last year's King George and Gold cup winner, the brilliant winner of the Hennessy (Diamond Harry) known to go best when fresh, and Kauto Star. Now everyone, including me had Kauto Star as on the slide, and his best ever rating according to RPr's was 191 in a King george with just a couple in his lifetime over 180 before. I reckon 180 was about right, maybe even slightly understating the level of the performance. I personally don't see why the rating is wrong. It has to be based on Weird Al improving and Long Run running below par, but that seems reasonable. Its not as if Weird Al's form with Time For Rupert was that far off what you might have expected on Wetherby form is it? |
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Todays's quote from Donald McCain on Weird Al's plans;
"I've got three or four for the National this year - Ballabriggs, Fabalu, Wymott and maybe Weird Al will be one." My guess is that he will enter him and then see how he's handicapped and who the opposition is in the the Bowl. |
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Todays's quote from Donald McCain on Weird Al's plans;
"I've got three or four for the National this year - Ballabriggs, Fabalu, Wymott and maybe Weird Al will be one." My guess is that he will enter him and then see how he's handicapped and who the opposition is in the the Bowl. |