Protektorat

frodon and ahoy senor for me at the prices

Ahoy there

Took your advice and laid the fav. Thanks Tangle.

ahoy there shipmate

well done tangle

Haydock form often doesnt translate well to Cheltenham - its such different test. Bristol De Mai was the same. Always was too short for that reason alone. Obviously the jockeys who insist on holding up horses in this ground today wont win. But they prove time and time again how stupid they are

Love it when the skeltons talk up a horse.

noble **** needs another 3 miles

Noble **** is the one to take out of that. Some performance from the National winner.

That race was a complete jumbled mess, I think you can put a line through the lot of them with regards the GC, Ahoy Senor wins the race but confirms he just makes too many mistakes

WD both, Foyles your on fire today...

Jan 28, 2023 -- 2:34PM, Ibrahima Sonko wrote:

Love it when the skeltons talk up a horse.

The media also went totally OTT last time. Having said that there's more than one race today at Chelts that I wouldn't be taking the form too literally.

Yes Skelton talks up a lot about some of his horses as if they are world beaters lol

Ahoy Senor goes in and Lucinda's Dad and biggest fan not here to see it.   
I had given up on the horse because of its poor jumping.

Wd,winners,terrible jumping by Ahoy S

Go to Aintree  , Protektorat is a fish out of water at Cheltenham.
None of them are anywhere near Gold Cup winners.

Jan 28, 2023 -- 2:37PM, MJK wrote:

Jan 28, 2023 -- 2:34PM, Ibrahima Sonko wrote:Love it when the skeltons talk up a horse.The media also went totally OTT last time. Having said that there's more than one race today at Chelts that I wouldn't be taking the form too literally.

Another race to add to the list there.

Protektorat is a handicapper, and will remain a handicapper. What a price for Ahoy? He was fancied so many times and disappointed; payback long overdue today.

Protektorat is a fish out of water at Cheltenham.

Third in the Gold Cup.

Protektorat is a handicapper, and will remain a handicapper.


Third in the Gold Cup.

Impossible talking complete garbage as usual. 3rd in gold cup and Betfair chase winner , some handicapper

I can think of two horses that Best Mate beat in Gold Cups that were no better than handicappers so it does happen.
For me every horse in the first four ran good races today and beaten four lengths in a good Grade 2 gives you every chance in a Gold Cup.  However to beat Galopin Des Champs they'll all have to do a lot better than that, imo.  And then there is Bravemansgame who could improve again.

Odd performance:jumped well,travelled best[if a little free],seemed to get out-toed by horses off the bridle who can hardly be quickening,then stayed on.Maybe just better on a flat track,though trainer comments hinted at something else.

Took the 20s , will go with the 70s Minella and last years form .

"3rd in the Gold Cup".

Very true, but 17.5l behind the winner A Plus Tard and behind a regressive Minella Indo; 1/2l infront of Royal Pagaille who was 14l behind Bravemansgame in the King George!  His trainer was astute not to run him at Kempton.

The above clearly indicates Protektorat is a handicapper, I firmly believe.

wouldnt rule minella indo out of the gold cup ,has very solid  cheltenham form over hurdles and chases and 1st and 2nd in last 2 gold cups to boot won last time over a trip too short his price on here around 33s loks big imo.if he is regressing id like some of what he is taking .

Totally agree FOYLES

34.0 on the exchange is pretty big and you don't have to have much down at that price. Is there any news about A Plus Tard, which has drifted out to 11.5?

Galopin Des Champs is very short at 2.98 and must be worth taking on at this stage, struggling to believe he would be shorter on the day.

Protektorat finished in front of Galvin and Al Boum Photo in that Gold Cup last year. It was an incredibly strong race. Protektorat split the two previous Gold Cup winners. That's class.

He was 17 1/2Ls behind last years wnr.
He won it by 15Ls though.Horse is no h'capper.

If memory serves Bristol De Mai was invincible at Haydock on softish going when he was in his prime; Al Boum Photo was regressing and Galvin beat A Plus Tard (APT) in the Saville's Chase when APT was probably still feeling the effect of his Betfair Chase exertion, I believe. I'd like connections to run Protektorat in a Hennessey equivalent.

Now worries. The impending Gold Cup will no doubt prove one way or the other - a handicapper or not.

It's unfair to class Protektorat as a handicapper, in fact connections would be insulted. 5 novice chase runs with figures of 1-1-2-2-1, the latter a Grade 1 at Aintree. 6 runs since in open company, winning a Grade 2, beating a previous GC winner by 25L and the Grade 1 Betfair chase.

Ran off 170 yesterday, some handicapper.

Does have a habit of getting beat when favourite including twice at odds on. Probably overrated and best rating has come at Haydock (four finished) and you just never know with strung out chases around there.

Yesterday he went from going easy in 2nd four out to struggling and slightly stayed on towards end. Not an encouraging run and not sure if it is trainer thing as I now have Skelton in the not be trusted box with short priced favs.

It's a rather full box tbf.

Overflowing imo.

Last years race was a relative dawdle, unusual for a Gold Cup, why does anyone think it not strange that APT was practically sprinting up the hill, fastest horse, slow  pace, quickest horse wins......MI got huge credit from last year....an end to end gallop wouldn't have suited either the winner or Protektorat.

Storm  according to various newspaper articles a while ago not to be trusted at all

Duffy - the RP time wouldn't suggest it was a dawdle.
Is the time in the RP definitely correct?

6m 41.75s (fast by 4.25s)
RP ground description was good to soft.