He's always seemed like a massive egotist needing his feathers to be smoothed and preened by others.

I agree with G Rod

Captain Chris is the forgotten horse and hobbo will have him ready for battle come boxing day

C chris is running in the peterborough first isn't he.

When's the Peterborough? Isn't it usually run (or abandoned) before now?

12th Dec

2 weeks before the KG is hardly an ideal prep

I think that hobbs said in the post today that menorah is unlikely to be ready for the KG.

PFN has said Silvio does runs. Now that it is confirmed it will be interesting if Jacob sticks to Al Ferof. I suspect he will and Fehily will ride Silvio.

Al Ferrari is inclined to guess at one or two. I half expect him to sustain an overreach the way he jumps

I would like to throw open a suggestion as to a horse that could be massively overpriced based on old form, a horse that clearly had his problems last season, not helped by his run in this race last season, which in all likely hood, was his best performance given that the heavy ground would surely have been massively against him.

RIVERSIDE THEATRE 33/1 generally

He is due to run in Thursday's Peterborough chase at Huntingdon, could be a very interesting race given the latest bulletin from the Hobb's outfit regarding Captain Chris. Hendo been rather quiet on this one lately.

The horses well being will be advertised in the PC for sure, is it not possible that that ryanair he won was 2 years ago now. He had his problems before and after that. I wouldn't be totally surprised if he just plainly was out of form last season, the KG and last seasons Ryanair runs were good as regards to the kind of form he was in given the problems he had suffered and together with the break etc could come back as good as ever. Just seems to me one that may have been forgot about. I guess the market will be a good guide on Thursday as to his expectations.

I think he ran really well considering hating the heavy ground, my only worry here is he probably is a one race a year horse as he does not take his races well. I would not write him off yet. Though i probably will be the one with egg on my face after Thurs as a little biased as suppose as i really like him a lot

I don't think he is good enough tbh. The form is the Ryanair he won is not the strongest and when he was second in the King Geroge to Long Run he was beaten 6-7 lengths iirc. You'd want to see some kind of form from him before betting especially as he is due to race somewhere else beforehand. Madness to back him now imvho.

he was beaten 12l Sint,and aside from Kauto who made a complete hash of one near the end, the rest of the filed were has beens or never will be's!!

was it 12? Well there you go! Not good enough.

Fcuk me that's a bit soon ain't it?!

'Barmy Clifford'

WATERING!!
Eighteen days in advance!!
In the depths of winter!!!

It stinks of bribery and corruption.

Wise words bud.

Would anyone be able to tell me which of the current field managed an RPR rating of 170+ on their last outing?

Just need this piece of info to finalise my trends analysis.

No surprise that Cue Card is currently clear top rated, with both Long Run and Silviniaco Conti joint 2nd best (albeit at a healthy distance).

Tom Scudamore and Paul Nicholls both believe that they can get favourite Cue Card beaten in the William Hill King George VI Chase on Boxing Day - but they're in disagreement as to whether Joe Tizzard managed to get 'an easy lead' when beating Dynaste and Silviniaco Conti aboard Cue Card in the Betfair Chase at Haydock last month.

Nicholls believes Silviniaco Conti, third that day under Noel Fehily, will have come on for that run when he goes to Kempton for the re-match.

"In the paddock, for me, I thought he looked a few kilos heavy before the race," said the trainer on Monday.

"I have to say that Joe rode a brilliant race on Cue Card. He got a soft lead and dictated things but I can't see that happening at Kempton.

"He's obviously very good to win a race like that and you've obviously got to respect him, but he'd had that run in the Haldon Gold Cup and I think that made the difference."

Nicholls also saddles Al Ferof, who will be ridden by stable jockey Daryl Jacob, while Fehily is likely to retain the ride on Silvinaco Conti - the trainer twice emphasised "he is in a different job now" when asked whether Ruby Walsh might come in for the mount should he be at Kempton to ride for Willie Mullins.

Referring to Al Ferof, Nicholls said: "He had a school round the other day but that was just what we wanted. He's done a lot of work since then, schooled every week and is a lot fitter. He's in really good order.

"Daryl will definitely ride, that's what he went to Ascot for, to ride him, and I said to him a while back to do that and stick with him in the King George."

Tom Scudamore is also hoping for a reversal of form and fortunes at Kempton, but he could not have been more impressed by Cue Card's performance.

"It was as good a race as everyone was hoping it would be," he told Sportinglife.com.

"I've been lucky enough to ride against the Kauto Stars and the Denmans but they were in a league of their own, whereas this race had so much depth to it.

"I didn't feel that Cue Card had it his own way. Roi Du Mee went out there to try and take him on and he was exhausted after a circuit. We didn't pause for breath all the way round. It was relentless.

"Next Long Run came to take him on, and then turning for home Silviniaco Conti went upsides.

"At that stage, I was hoping to keep something back for the finish and believing that Silviniaco Conti would get Cue Card working and that I might be able to pick up the pieces, but instead Cue Card just quickened up again and I had to get after him.

"At the second-last fence, I thought we might still get to him but Cue Card found even more. It was a fantastic performance."

However, like Nicholls, Scudamore believes that Cue Card's race fitness, having gone to Haydock with the Exeter run under his belt, may have made a difference on the day.

"Kempton will be a different day altogether," said the jockey. "Don't get me wrong - Dynaste was as fit as David could have got him for his first run of the season and I thought he looked fantastic but there is a difference between that and race fitness.

"You always want to be associated with the champions and Dynaste certainly could be one, but I'd have said the same thing about Grands Crus a year ago, so it's one thing to say it and another to go out and do it on the track."