Synchronised - Who'd have thought it a year ago?

The Giant Bolster in second adds considerable question to the merit of the victory imo

But fair play and congratulations to connections

Makes me more unhappy when I was all over him in the Pertemps once upon a time off a hurdles mark of 137

backed him last year too

was getting reminders on the first lap round the caravans

miraculous ride to get 3rd iirc

i managed to get it beat at towcester about 100 lengths under an interesting rm ride

Authorised, we discussed this on the other thread you started after his Lexus win .. the horse is simply underrated. The last time Jonjo won the Lexus was with Exotic Dancer who also progressed through handicaps.

Anyone heard whether Synch is likely to head to Aintree? It would be a helluva feat to
win the GN on top of the Gold Cup, but they aren't very likely to try for it, are they?

sintonian, I was just making the point that this win was hard to envision from an antepost standpoint at the end of last season.

Exotic Dancer had won over shorter trips, similar to Imperial Commander, before his 2nd in the Gold Cup.

It's been uncommon of late for a Gold Cup winner to come from the National route. Master Oats in 1995 being the last.

Pete, I think the horse is best fresh. It takes him time to get over each race hence why they missed the Hennessy in Ireland in February.

I'd agree with it being hard to predict this time last year Authorised because he was not talked of as a potential Gold Cup horse. Definate under the radar.

i started the other sync post so my opinions are listed on that, however sync has also had a setback prior to winning today and has done really well considering that, one other point, in no way whatsoever should that form be crabbed because of the giant bolster, he is much improved and has it all ahead of him now his jumping is better, he easily turned around his previous form with time for rupert showing his improvement and is one to watch next yeaar and not one to dismiss

Synchronised ran better in the lexus. He reminded me of beef or salmon with the way he awkwardly jumped and his animated style of travelling. He's not as good as BOS, but yet his courage won him the blue ribbon.

I'm calling it now...heavy ground next year's Gold Cup and Giles Cross hacks up.

Synch only actually ran in 4 handicap chases, all of them listed or grade 3 class.  Just felt like more...

Yep and the ones he won he did off topweight , conceding 18lbs to Giles Cross was a monster effort.

its 9 chas runs and won six of them including the gold cup, the lexus and the welsh national, long run has had 16 chase runs....

maybe there isnt that much between most of these top handicap winners off highish weights and the top staying chasers. we have been kind of spoilt in recent years with the likes of kauto and denman..but i remember the likes of cool ground, rough quest, master oats, grey abbey, not to mention desert orchid, switching between running in handicaps and top graded races.

Maybe another problem is that running in these top staying handicaps takes so much out of a horse that many with the potential to win top graded staying races take too much out of themselves in the handicaps and just deteriorate from that point.

maybe there isnt that much between most of these top handicap winners off highish weights and the top staying chasers. we have been kind of spoilt in recent years with the likes of kauto and denman..but i remember the likes of cool ground, rough quest, master oats, grey abbey, not to mention desert orchid, switching between running in handicaps and top graded races.

Maybe another problem is that running in these top staying handicaps takes so much out of a horse that many with the potential to win top graded staying races take too much out of themselves in the handicaps and just deteriorate from that point.

maybe there isnt that much between most of these top handicap winners off highish weights and the top staying chasers. we have been kind of spoilt in recent years with the likes of kauto and denman..but i remember the likes of cool ground, rough quest, master oats, grey abbey, not to mention desert orchid, switching between running in handicaps and top graded races.

Maybe another problem is that running in these top staying handicaps takes so much out of a horse that many with the potential to win top graded staying races take too much out of themselves in the handicaps and just deteriorate from that point.

only needed to say that the once probably

similar thing happens in the top sprint handicappers on the flat

thing is the big handicaps are often well sponsored (like the Betfair hurdle etc) so handicaps are very attractive for owners because if you can get a decent horse in off a good mark then thereis proper money to win and the races are much easier than running level weights with the big boys. All that happens is that the best ones end up having to graduate to Group/Graded races

Made this point elsewhere, but most of the Gold Cup winners in the last 20 years ran in handicaps at some stage beforehand, usually graded or listed but still handicaps.  Kauto Star ran in 3! One at Exeter and 2 at Aintree.  Denman won the Hennessey, Imperial Commander won the Paddy Power, Long Run ran in the Paddy Power etc etc  What I think has confused people has been that Synchronised has run over longer distances, hence people recalling Master Oats rather than more recent horses.  As eluded to by Sint, horses that can give lumps of weight away in such races are usually very good indeed - thinking of Carvills Hill, Suny Bay, Desert Orchid...

How many did Dessie win hcapper had trouble stopping him.
Gainsborugh
Agfa Diamond
Racing Post Chase
Irish National
Victor Chandler
Spring to mind.
DOnt think it was the hcap thing with Synchronised but as previously stated the drop back in trip.
Hes a horse that you wouldnt have said would improve from dropping back in trip on good ground & raise in class.
But clearly improving @ a rate of knots.& if he could ever jump efficiently more to come.
As tough & game as they come.
Anyone know why AP wasnt so vigourous on him in that novice chase think it was Fontwell & he finished 3rd staying on under hands & heels (could have won that AP)

I'd have thunk it - was screaming at Jonjo for pigeon holing the horse as a plodder. After the welsh national win I knew he was good enough to win a GC but was resigned to the fact he was never gonna get a chance.

How odds the official ratings are - I had him good enough to win the GC after the welsh when he was rated 159 and he's improved his rating by 2 in my book since then and will have gone up lord knows how much in the official handicappers assessment.

The true ability of Synchronised is still hard to assess because The Giant Bolster is surely no better than a 160 horse and that is being optimistic. Long Run seemed to run OK against Kauto, but if you start from the assumption that LR has deteriorated (as so many horses do after winning a championship race), perhaps kauto didn't need to be back to his old self to beat him. Captain Chris probably ran to his King George form so Riverside Theatre was just about the best chaser at Cheltenham last week. If he stayed the trip, he would be the likely winner next year.

On what basis do you say The Giant Bolster is surely only a 160 horse?  Lightly raced young horse who is entitled to still be improving and who already won a Grade 3 handicap by 17 lengths off 145.  Certainly no stretch from that to put him at anything from 170 to 175!

You may be right but nothing he had done before the GC entitled him to finish a good second in a Gold Cup. Until proved wrong I think it was a moderate Gold Cup. The official handicapper has put TGB up to 164. Time For Rupert is on 153 and even if you put him up to 155 for finishing fifth, that puts TGB on 162. If Long Run ran anything close to his mark of 182, then 6 other horses improved by more than a stone. I don't think so.

No frikkin horse can run to a mark of 182 except possibly Master Minded once and Carvills Hill once and thats just a maybe. Do you truly believe Long Run at his best could give 20lbs+ to any of these. The official marks at the top end are a joke, complete and utter and handicapper has no clue what he's doing.

I backed Synchronised this year and had him running to a 4lb lower mark than Long Run's win last year. Does that make me think he should be rated 178 - no way or Giant Bolster 176 - no way. I had The Giant Bolster doing a PB by 5 - thats all.