IMPERIAL CUP HANDICAP HURDLE - SAT 10TH MARCH

I had 2 speculative bets in this ..

LA PATRIOTE 12/1
SILVER STREAK 12/1

Hope they turn up... thinks its a very open renewal.

Added Pipes horse @16s ... number 20 on card.

Not a great field and the race is not a patch on what it used to be despite the bonus offer.

I've gone for Fidux @ 20/1 (3/4pt win 1/4pt place).

Ran well enough in a very similar C&D race in December behind A Hare Breath and Alan King is in great form. Probably be a nun-runner now.

Both Hendersons are interesting, although both have entries for Cheltenham ( the £100k bonus!), not sure which will run here. Therefore will wait for 2 day decs.

I've had my eye on Master of Irony since his last run, I've backed for this and both the County Hurdle and Martin Pipe. They need to win this to get in to those races and then the £100k bonus, this looks like a plot to me. I thought there was something suspicious about the last run, not really asked the question until the race was gone, and then flying at the finish

There will be more than a few alleged ' plots'  regarding the bonus.

i,ll give you the winner on saturday . no charge , but , no explanation

I assume after the race finishes?


Anyway, LA PATRIOTE has STD jocked up ... not sure thats a good thing as he hasnt done me favours in the past.

But will stick with LA PATRIOTE as maim bet...

I really hope your bet doesn't maim you Iris !!!

I've gone for Malaya. She gets an 8lb allowance, wasn't knocked about at the end after trying to make all on bad ground at Aintree then I thought she battled on well behind a good one last time. Hopefully Nicholls is going for the bonus. He has to be canny these days. I thought the other most likely bonus chasers are Friday Night Light, Demon D'Aunou, Huntsman Son and Whatswrongwithyou. Of course, it could be the wrong angle this year.

PS I've backed her for the Fred Winter as well. If she runs well without winning on Saturday she'll benefit from not having a penalty

I also really like MALAYA... but she is only a 4 year old and not sure whether Nicholls will aim her for 2 races ... and STD booked on other horse... so not sure whats going on...

But yeah on a great mark... and form line with Redician - interesting if she turns up ...

Yeap maim Facts ...

My spellchecker not working ... lot like my tipping....

Got 2 grandstand tickets(no charge).
Anyone interested ??

Two for me in this :-

[b]Whatswrongwithyou 6/1 BF
Friday Night Light[/b] 10/1 b 3  6  5

Don't like Malaya here at all - going to be very soft on a stiff track which I don't thnk will suit.

Bound to hose up now.

Malaya not declared...

Classic ante-post bet from me on Malaya. I managed one day of anticipation. I'll switch to Huntsman Son. Has three entries at the festival and would get into any of them with a penalty.

I think Nicholls gives little away with decs... puts a handy little horse at the bottom... he could have made his attentions more known ... after his jockey switched...

These trainers think its better PR to say nothing

But will be on her for Fred Winter now

Only one made the Cut for Me in FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHT. Feather weight secured as well

same for me top3man, fits a lot of trends too. can see it being pricewised.

Friday Night Light 20/1 boosted to 22s with Laddies as soon as 5 day decs came out. Got the price, now for the hard bit to take place.

He ran well at Ascot LTO and headgear on to improve.

Found this from the Banbury Guardian. At least I know what the trainer's plans are, unlike with Nicholls and Malaya.
Edgcote trainer Alex Hales admits he may be forced to consider alternative options for Huntsman Son. The eight-year-old came second in Saturday’s Steel Plate & Sections Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day. Hales still hopes to run Huntsman Son at the Cheltenham Festival but realises the Coral Cup might prove out of reach although getting into the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Hurdle could still be possible. The Trafford Bridge handler said: “The plan was for Huntsman Son to win on Saturday and go up 4lbs or 5lbs so we would get into the Coral Cup. I seriously thought he would do the job. “However, we have just gone up 2lbs on to a mark of 135. It means on recent evidence we won’t get into the Coral Cup and we will be sweating on the Martin Pipe race.”

I've had a saver on Friday Night Light.

Liked the look of three,Call Me Lord,Octagon and Gassin Golf.

Backed Gassin Golf each way five places.

Excellent run by Call Me Lord.. interesting article earlier in the week that Call Me Lord would have to be Champion Hurdle class to win this...

Surely this makes ELGIN more interesting for the Champion hurdle ???

My post about Malaya, the non-runner, from March last year:

"I've gone for Malaya. She gets an 8lb allowance, wasn't knocked about at the end after trying to make all on bad ground at Aintree then I thought she battled on well behind a good one last time. Hopefully Nicholls is going for the bonus. He has to be canny these days. I thought the other most likely bonus chasers are Friday Night Light, Demon D'Aunou, Huntsman Son and Whatswrongwithyou. Of course, it could be the wrong angle this year."

Just shows you can have the right opinion at the wrong time

Nothing worse Autocue

How far would she have won without taking the 2nd last with her?

Still in the county,presumably a fixed penalty amount for winners after entry stage?

Off a lowly looking 136,she is still the highest rated winner in the last 13 runnings.

Some really strong stats for this race in recent runnings.

That looked hard work today,be surprised if she goes next week,lovely mare.

too true auto years back on thisw forum  i put up silviniarco conte   up for the king george about 7 months before the race  at a big price ,nicholls said he wouldnt be suited by kempton and he missed the race ........the rest is history as they say .