Latest entries anyone.. looks like King intends to run Vendor?

16     11-151    Melodic Rendezvous21      8    11-11    Jeremy Scott50         152    151    160
21     165-10    Rolling Star49      5    11-9    Nicky Henderson71         150    131    158
9     PP0-08    Get Me Out Of Here83      10    11-7    Jonjo O´Neill25         148    138    157
7     112-24    Far West77      5    11-5    Paul Nicholls47         146    151    158
23     6-3211    Smashing44      5    11-2    W P Mullins48         143    119    160
1     63011U    Act Of Kalanisi21      8    11-2    Dr Richard Newland         143    137    155
12     111    Irving50      6    11-2    Paul Nicholls47    Nick Scholfield     143    143    158
10     231/59    Gibb River70      8    11-1    Nicky Henderson71         142    133    154
4     67-234    Chris Pea Green49      5    11-1    Gary Moore         142    139    155
5     212212    Deep Trouble28      7    10-13    Ben Case         140    130    156
11     13-F01    Irish Saint21      5    10-13    Paul Nicholls47    Noel Fehily     140    145    167
17     32114/    Montbazon697      7    10-13    Alan King50         140    —    —
28     23257-    Vasco Du Ronceray310      5    10-12    Nicky Henderson71         139    138    156
29     63U-01    Vendor70      6    10-11    Alan King50         138    124    155
8     51P-P8    First Avenue28      9    10-10    Laura Mongan         137    146    158
26     1/130-    Swing Bowler333      7    10-9    David Pipe53         136    106    158
6     2121U    Dell´ Arca49      5    10-9    David Pipe53         136    138    153
15     5113-6    Leo Luna112      5    10-8    Gary Moore         135    110    152
13     06133    Jumps Road21      7    10-8    Colin Tizzard30         135    116    163
3     1/20-1    Cheltenian39      8    10-7    Philip Hobbs45         134    131    150
20    115/0F    Recession Proof49      8    10-7    John Quinn50         134    69    144
25     424133    Splash Of Ginge28      6    10-7    Nigel Twiston-Davies29         134    141    156
14     11U0-0    Kashmir Peak29F      5    10-6    John Quinn50         133    119    142
2     55/802    Alaivan23      8    10-3    Jonjo O´Neill25         130    142    160
27     115-P2    Totalize14      5    10-2    Brian Ellison100         129    140    160
19     12-323    Prompter58      7    10-0    Jonjo O´Neill25         127    137    155
22     251215    Sky Khan22      5    9-12    Richard Guest         125    140    158
18     16-86    Poet23      9    9-11    Clive Cox         124    112    144
24     24-46    Snake Eyes14    6    9-10    Nicky Henderson71         123    128    149

Fancy Smashing very very strongly but the WPM AP factor

Decent money for Dell Arca last few days,hopefully turns up.

I see Nick Schofield has been declared to ride Irving but presumably that won't be a problem as if he runs Melodic Rendezvous won't and vice versa.

There looks to be another storm in the forecast for Wednesday so, if that materialises, you'd think the ground would still be very testing by the weekend.

You can't back MR until final decs with the speculation about him not running, but the forecast is awful all week so will be soft going at best and probably heavy which suits the horse.  Add to the fact that he is 4lb well in as this is an early closing race and he gets in off 152 opposed to official 156 (I think should be nearer 160 on a line through Ptit Zig).  The race is worth a fortune and gives them an extra week to prepare for Cheltenham.  If we're being honest, if he doesn't go very close here at these weights then the Champion Hurdle is a complete waste of time in any case.  Can you imagine any of the main Churdle hopes in here off 152?  They'd be odds on!!!!

having now read today's Racing Post there is absolutely nothing from Jeremy Scott about Melodic Rendezvous' participation here - it's a load of hearsay, supposition and speculation with the only substance based on Nicholl's comments about Nick Schofield in the context of him riding Irving and Nicholl's understanding that MR will wait for the Kingwell the following week.

Based on their article you'd think there were only 5 horses in the race - Irving, Irish Saint, Rolling Star (the others might as well not bother turning up if connections comments are to be believed), Vendor and Montbazon.

They might find their ailing circulation figures would improve if they got off their backsides and contacted the connections of all 29 runners for comments about horse well-being, likely participation etc. for a contest like this, could do a really nice preview on a Tuesday but instead we just get to hear from the usual suspects.

Shockster's post above is more thought provoking than anything I read in that RP article.

I'll be surprised if it's not waterlogged.

Yeah looks like it'll be non stop rain now!!

Still worth betting in Denman chase as if it's on Al Ferof surely doesn't run.

I've done a few AP bets on races I think will cut up before and then lay some or all of the stake back. It an angle anyway. I've backed Menorah & Harry Topper at 10/1 and 6/1, think they'll be left in.

Newbury update
The ground for Saturday's racing at Newbury is now heavy, soft in places (from soft, heavy in places) after 20.9mm of rain overnight. The track has taken the rain "incredibly well" according to officials. Further showers forecast for today

there's a lot more rain in all the forecasts I've seen for tomorrow and Friday.

S'pose the wind is a factor in drying ground between the deluges, in the lap of the Gods until Friday at earliest I would have thought, CoC assessments are usually on the optimistic side of good.

Did n't they reschedule the card for the following Friday when they had that horrible electrocution incident three years ago?

Well I'm stuffed if it's off as I'm in London for the weekend and already booked train to Newbury and got entry tickets. If it gets rescheduled I'll be back in Yorkshire.

Would be peeved if it is off too. Sitting pretty with 20/1 on Vendor, tops 14 now!

If he realized that he was highly unlikely to win the CH then the decision would be a lot easier and he'd be running this week-end....yes, you've got to give weight to horses but half of them won't go a yard and he'll sluice through it....got to take this chance to win this race in his favoured "bog".

Can't see Irving running and Far West will represent Axom.  25s way too big and Nicholls going well with 5yo handicap hurdles this season.

Sure to be well punted as rain continues to fall.

Re: Far West.

Nicholls said in early January in his Betfair column that Far West was his main horse for the Betfair & that Irving might also run. Then last week the Axom website said that Irving runs @ Newbury & FW was going for the Imperial Cup. Then Nicholls comes out this week & says FW was going to go to Fontwell for the National Spirit (which is a Grade 2 and just before the Imperial Cup so defo wouldn't of been a prep & is just not the type of route you take for IC) but will now likely end up in the Betfair.

Talk about confusing. Sounds like it's all being made up as it goes along. I know plans change quickly in racing but Irving was already pulled out of the Tolworth due to Heavy ground and with the wettest January in 100 years and most of the area around Newbury hit by floods, it was always going to be heavy. That's if it even goes ahead.

I dunno. I think FW was always going to be the one for this. It's worth noting that he sent him to the Elite Hurdle @ Wincanton to take on Melodic Rendezvous. Nicholls always sends his best 2m hurdler to that race every year. Zarkander & Celestial Halo have won it in recent years having ran in the Champion the previous year and his only other 160 + rated 2 mile hurdler, besides the two I just mentioned, was Rigmarole and he also ran in it a few times. That he sent FW there off just 146 tells a tale. Petit Zig won the Grade 1 in France the day before so he couldn't of run, but my guess is that FW was always considered his top hurdler for this season. In the Betfair column in early Jan where he said he goes for this, he also said he was found to have stomach ulcers after disappointing when well fancied @ Haydock. Apparently several horses in the yard were diagnosed with ulcers and treated & the only 2 of those to run since were Virak & Lac Fontana & both have hacked up.

He was staying on like a lion in the Triumph last year with several of these well behind including Rolling Star who he now gets a 4 pound pull with. I mean, he has only disappointed once with a good excuse whereas Rolling Star has disappointed a few times now and is about a third of the price? He beat Sametegal by over 2 lengths in the Triumph & that one is now rated 150 having being touched off in the Greatwood off 144, that Greatwood form with Sametegal gives FW a 6 pound pull with Dell Arca and 2 lengths in hand but again DA is a third of the price? Not to mention the fact that DA would of been fit as a flea whereas Sametegal was thought to need the run, 4th in the Triumph and 7 lengths behind him was Diakali who has gone on to hammer Petit Zig in a Grade 1 in France, 5th was VDR who Irish Saint was all out to beat last year, VDR was also previously hammered by FW. VDR then went on to be 2nd in the Grade 1 @ Aintree. Chris Pea Green & Kashmir Peak also well behind in the Triumph.

Moral of the story: FW's mark of 146 is likely extremely lenient and with conditions to suit he is a ridiculous price @ 25/1.

Not that any of it matters as you wouldn't get 20 pence on with those bookies. Take a look at the book Ladbrookes have! A 25 runner handicap on ground that will be barely raceable (if it even goes ahead) and they have 5 horses at 7/1 or shorter! One 5th of the field ! Now that's what you call maths gone wrong. Do they think it's a BAGS race or something they are pricing up? They are basically trying to tell punters that 5+5 = 26.9 or something ridiculous like that. Bunch of crooks. They are sucking every penny out of racing.

@ Penzance: Stomach ulcers reason for subsequent poor run. Plus @ Wincanton he just wasn't ready. Nicholls highlighted in his stable tour just a few weeks before how he was very big and would take a lot of getting fit. No way was he as fit a MR.

Plus he will have a 7 pound pull if H Derham rides which now looks likely as Jacob seems to be on Deep Trouble. He will be in receipt of 11 pounds from him and in this ground that's a huge pull.

Not to mention that top weights never win this. Rooster Booster couldn't do it on good ground and he won the previous Champion Hurdle by half the track. If MR can do it on heavy he should be fav for the Champion. Just because he is officially a few pounds well in doesn't mean he is well in in the context of this race.

Best of luck.

good points of view,Gamerawins.

If Derham rides (looks likely) then FW will be running off 141.

*nodding*