Ruby - The Bookies Fav

Not a great festival for him,Big Bucks about the only one he rode up with the pace.

Nicholls horses ran under a cloud, what can he do

Powers must have made a fortune laying them enhanced all week, its almost like they knew ;)

Nicholls' owners will have to get the cheque book out, another year where his novice chasers ain't up to much.

Michael Fortune said on RTE Radio that he didn't shine on Boston Bob.

You can give weight but not distance.

My reply, Ruby is not a champion for nothing.

He wins more than he loses with exagerated waiting tactics imo.

I just seen the last race on Sporting Life.com.

Exgagerated waiting tactics worked a treat for Carberry and Belvano.

So no blame for Walsh IMO.

soapp while entitled to your opinion I do not agree with you, the mistake you make is that you don't seem to realize Paul Carbery actually won, Ruby didn't, he layed much too far out of his ground, and killed Bob in retrieving the ground he gave away, the horse tried to get Ruby out of trouble but had no more left, late on. What you are implying can be related to hundreds of instances and the one that springs to mind is Dancing Brave in his Derby, maybe you also think starkey was blameless, let me say this AP McCoy would have won on Boston Bob, and would have his horse much closer,Willie Mullins is now being quoted as saying he wasn't happy with Bob in the parade ring, well why run it then, I guess what he is trying to do is bail arrogant Ruby outta the mess he made of the race,If I was Wyley he Ruby wouldn't ride Bob again.....

Fortune made the point after the first races that Nicholl's younger horses were beat after 2 obstacles

I place laid Ted Spread, Toubab & Empire Levante

I owe the man a pint.

The ride on Boston Bob was outrageous!!!....completely underestimated the field by giving a unbeaten horse like that such rope.

To the horse's credit he ran his heart out!! but was never given a chance to show his potential.

Nothing came from that far back that was within 1f of him.

and the good newz man of IGB fame would not refuse it, in fact likes his pint

that's Michael Fortune on radio 1

good coverage during the week

Soapp that Bellvano came from behind has nothing to do with Ruby's ride. Two totally unrelated races that couldn't have been much different.

While there may be some mitigation in that Boston Bob didn't look all that great beforehand to me and the horses lack of pace became more pronounced on the better ground it still doesn't detract from the fact that Ruby gave him a poor ride. From the word go it was always likely that he would find trouble inrunning given where he had him placed. He gave every possible danger first run on him. I couldn't understand why he wanted to have him that far off the pace. He should have been much closer and made sure there were no excuses. If he had been where Russell had Sea of Thunder then it's quite probable in my book that he would have won. I'd be very disappointed if I were the connections.

soap rubys ridin of hurricane fly and boston bob,leave a lot to the imagination....in my opinion he misjudged both....he has got far to cocky recently and seems to be beyond the realms of criticism......

They went very hard in the Albert Bartlett- most of the pace setters finished like drunks. I think the winner is just very good to be honest, can't blame Ruby for the ride.

Hurricane ran flat.

Lot of pocket talk on this thread imo

The problem with a lot of punters they get bogged down by jockeys, do you remember when Ruby was injured Townend never stopped riding winners?

Horses!, or maybe it might be called horse racing? not jockey racing?

The real problem for alot of punters, if not all punters, is that they bet in the belief that a highly paid professional jockey will not be found wanting, and then if its a losing bet, well just that they backed the wrong horse, but Boston Bob was crucified by his rider oblivious to the fact that he was too far back at a critical stage of  the race.......
Whats the difference between running at an same even pace 6/8 lengths off the front, and running at similar even pace 15/20 lengths off the pace....... answer the difference is the winning or losing of a race, and when Ted critisises his son well its bad then...........

Years of experience has thought me a jockey is but a bit player, and when you arrive at the championship the rubys are made look human.

Horses win races not jockeys!!!

Of course horses win races but a good ride can be the difference between winning and losing a race. It may not make any difference at Ludlow on a rainy Wednesday afternoon but in a Championship race at the Festival with 28 runners all primed for this day for weeks, a bad ride can make or break a horse's race.

db most rides are overrated because I've an almost incredible instinct the best horse might have won?

They're brave guys for what they do, but if the horse can't run? nothing usually happens!

You don't turn professional if you can't ride. give a decent jockey a horse and he'll surely do the business?

Doesn't it look great when Ruby is hack cantering, but whats the differnce if Paul Townend is hack cantering or your next door neighbour?

boston bob shouldve won imo.

impossible to say  as we all know because he simply didnt but he was given a mountain to climb to beat a good horse that saved ground on the inside all the way round. ruby switching around horses etc... the horse was knackered by the time he was asked to challenge the winner.

thats how i saw it anyway!

Boston and Hurricane were not good enough, Sizing Europe a decent champion but weak as p!ss in a battle

Have to agree that was a poor ride on BB

Also i received word from cheltenham last night that Kauto wasnt right and would not finish the race. I left it alone but you would wonder.

Pulled muscle at the water jump is the theory apparently

I thought he gave Boston Bob a fine ride, i thought they went too quick up front and couldn't believe the winner saw it out as he did.

I am pocket talking-Backed BB for both novice races frequently once NRNB became available.I think the winner is very decent and imposssible to say that BB wud have beaten him if Ruby hadn't been so cocky.BB ran his race getting into contention and his race was run coming to the last(still matched @ 1.3 IR.What I can't understand is Ruby is an intelligent guy so why would u hold up a grinder 20 lengths off the pace on good ground????Pure over confidence and complacency imo!!

typical ruby,he never seems to learn or change tactics during race,i didnt back BB but did back ruby on ouninpohja in the county hurdle years ago,after that i decided never to back ruby at cheltenham,ironically he went too early that time....

In the Chan 4 TV close ups on Boston Bob you could see Ruby just sitting there motionless,miles back with the race developing 20 lenghts or more ahead of him,I am a huge fan of Walsh and would say he's the best NH jockey that's ever thrown a leg over a horse but nobody should be above criticism and he learned absolutely nothing from the Hurricane Fly ride or else decided the horse (BB) was unbeatable by what was in front of him yesterday.

I'd say it will eventually come out somewhere that he admits he over did it with the waiting.

Mullins wasn't 100% happy with Boston Bob beforehand

The equivalent of your centre-mid turning up with a cold.

Not a problem against rubbish but a different story against the top teams.

BB didn't jump off overly well and was never really travelling, Ruby was subtly at him from an early stage. I backed the horse and wouldn't blame Ruby.

Never really travelling????

U need to watch the replay again and in paricular channel 4 close ups of Ruby sitting motionless

what did say?

what did ted walsh say about the ride?

Watch it again, dj876. Watch his hands.

I agree he was off it maybe 10f out which I fully expected.Imo Ruby could easily have made up the ground earlier in the race but was simply complacent.I had no problem with his ride on HF holding up a horse with gears no prob,but holding a grinder up on good ground-20 lenghts off -it is very questionable.
However I do think the winner is very decent,my point is that Ruby didn't give bb a chance of winning because of the eneregy exerted just getting into the race.

This thread becomes rather confusing;

BB = Big Bucks
     Boston Bob
     Brindisi Breeze

? ¿

1. Punters who backed KS should know better.
2. Any decent judge would have assumed that B Breeze could not keep that gallop up and would come back to them a bit sooner - he dident so heres a mad theory , he just might be a better horse ( never touched a twig to boot ). This notion of having to burn energy to get into the race is codswallop. That was the whole point of Gilles ride from the front and tends to lead to the best horse wining . Redbait is right also, B Bob did not travel aswell as some people seem to think . I refer to the decent judges there again not pocket talkers !
3. HF clearly ran below his best , was covered in sweat passing the stands 1st time(cannot really see it on tv ,but u could from the stand) and there is no way on this earth that Overturn has improved 20ls.

"He was not travelling for Ruby" "You could see Ruby was at him" Willie Mullins on GetOn

Wixim i appreciate that you were in attendance but it was very clear on television that Hurricane Fly was sweating up.

Ruby had a poor festival by his own high standards. 9 didnt even get around. 3 falls, 1 (unlucky)brought down, and 5 pulled up.

Jockeys have to adapt and change with time, what worked for Ruby to get his seven festival winners mightn't work now even allowing for the fact that he didn't have as good a book of rides this time. Maybe the lads in front are cottening on and aren't setting such crazy fractions. The style Ruby employs certainly isn't as prominent in America on the flat even though that is a tenuous enough comparision. He is clever enough and talented enough to rectify any faults if indeed he did make mistakes. Pity you weren't laying him this year wildman, you'd have cleaned up.

Anyone paying heed to what Wm says especially on ATR, and the Post needs to wise up, couldn't lie strait in bed...........in any event has to cover up for the poor ride as Mr. Wyley could be listening......

I don't need to wise up, i cleared a right amount for the festival (all tips put up on here) thanks

The only reason i posted those quotes are it backs up those people (me included) who said he didn't travel as well as some thought.

In fairness , I dont think WM has to do too much worrying about GW listening - Hes been listening to Howard J for years ! .
Sorry Wildman dident realise it was as clear on tv . Even more reason to discredit some of the nonsensical comments.

To be fair, he is evidently a stayer and you wouldn't expect to see Ruby swinging out of him, he obviously wasn't thought quick enough for the two and a half. Ruby was only saying a few weeks ago that good stayers run on off the bridle.

Sorry, I'll be clearer, I think how it looked like he was travelling and whether Ruby was getting after him or not was a little bit of a red herring in this case.

Wylie can`t believe his luck,he is now getting winner after winner in Ireland and probably in profit for the first time ever.Willie Mullins once again proving he is the best aruond.
The Channel 4 team all mentioned the sweating of Hurricane Fly but all strangely said it wouldn`t bother them,i was shouting at the T.V. saying it bloody bothers me.

Even John Wade getting in on the act - Door Boy ran a cracker today after a year . If  HJ comes back it looks like the ideal place to get one handicapped

Ruby said good stayers race behind the bridle not on and off it.

When you watch the replay of the Albert Bartlett you can see him squeezing along at various stages especially in the close up shots. Theres little doubt that BB is either one paced on that ground or else just ran flat. Either way I think they were making life difficult for themselves from before the start when they had the gameplan of being out the back (or at least Ruby had at any rate).

Whether he was on the best horse or not on the day is debatable (personally I think despite not travelling he could have still won if he'd been ridden up in the van) but that the jockey had intended to be out the back in a race such as that from the word go makes the tactics questionable to me.

Willie Mullins wouldn't be known for publicly criticising jockeys either.

Ah apologies, misheard him so

All just opinions anyway, we will never know if riding him handier would of made any difference or not

Exactly Premier although I think I got the wrong end of the stick there obviously