How far would Vautour have won?

Yup, Ricci and Mullins again fail to win the big one. At least they won the Ryanair though.

The Ryanair has made a right f**k of The Gold Cup

Certainly going to be some interesting talks between Ricci and Mullins after that result

karma payback think Vatour would have bounced off that ground even though he was only 90%

Think Vautour would have been knackered after that fast pace

Serves 'em right

We'll never know but then we don't own the horse. So it's Ricci and Mullins who will really feel it because neither has won a Gold Cup and nothing pleases me more.

What odds Don Cossack, Vautour and Cue Card all meet at Punchestown? Now that would be a race

Mullins said he may need to find another one for the gold cup, and he said it with a straight face.

Mar 18, 2016 -- 5:10PM, MC Roller wrote:

Mullins said he may need to find another one for the gold cup, and he said it with a straight face.

Vautour was unconscious in the KG after 2 miles and 7 furlongs so why would he be better over 3miles 2?

The point is that nobody knows if Vautour would have won but they will always be left wondering. Surely they have to run him at Punchestown against Don Cossack now to test him otherwise it was a complete waste of a campaign and he would have been better off going the champion chase route from the get go.

More likely to win a Champion than a GC in my opinion but why not keep winning the Ryanair and probably the King George on good ground.

Champion Chase?  They'd have told Ricci that they had that sewn up with UDS who was unbeatable if he got round....oops.....oh well, as Sankara says, at least they won the Ryanair

The horse deserves better than a Ryanair and is not suited to Kempton on likely soft ground. They campaigned him with a GC in mind and either lost their nerve for fear of looking silly or simply conned the public all along. Either way plenty of people will be happy to see them still without a gold cup in the cupboard. Listening to Ricci afterwards being interviewed I'd like to be privvy to the next conversation between Mullins and Ricci. It sounds very much like Ricci was deceived as well.

Quite easy to see the progression of plan by Mullins and Ricci.
1. Faugheen for the CH, Annie for the Mares, Vroum for the Ryanair, Vautour for the GC because Djakadam was recovering from injury. 2. Once Faugheen was injured they all moved down a notch and with Djak apparently recovered and working well, the running arrangements were a no brainer.

Faugheen's injury had absolutely no correlation with the decision to re-route Vautour to the Ryanair, don't see how they have any connection. VVM had abandoned chasing months ago and was never a serious consideration for the Ryanair this side of Christmas.

trigger.........I heard mullins mention the Ryanair as a possible for the Ryanair after xmas..........

VVR as a possible*

So where would VVM have run if Annie has run in the mares? I'm sure she was always their probable Ryanair horse until the dominos started falling.

Wouldn't have stayed in the Gold Cup.
Won the Ryanair well.
Would likely have won the Champion Chase if he had run in it.

Doubt Vautour would have placed.

I think either Annie or VVM would have gone world hurdle but for Faugheens injury. The betting suggested that VVM was going world hurdle at that point. If Mullins was so concerned about winning no the Ryanair it's almost forgotten that he would have won the Ryanair without Vautour as Valseur Lido finished second.