Big Buck's v Quevega - We may just get to see it happen.

dont think ruby would be too happy having to show where his loyalty lies.

He'd choose Big Bucks imo.

He'd definitely choose Big Buck's - Townend wouldn't mind that tho

Does anybody actually think Quevega could beat Big Bucks?

I do - And I'd be taking every bit of the 11/4 that I could get

Big Bucks would beat her 1 3/4 lengths imo.

He always just does enough.

An absolute monster.

He's never faced one as good as her tho - Are you telling me that BB would have got any closer to Solwhit & Punjabi at Punchestown in 2009?

The race would not be over 2 miles though so surely that's totally irrelevant. I could easily reverse that comment too and says she has never faced one as good as him.

And she is currently ducking him at Cheltenham, no matter what anyone says

I agree with that to an extent, i believe if Willie Mullins really believed she would beat Big Bucks she would have surely gone for the World Hurdle.

I should add though i don't blame connections for going for the Mares Hurdle each year though, come back after almost a year off the track and have a nice school around and collect near £40,000 and another Cheltenham Festival victory to her name. I'd probably do the same in their position.

Totally agree pf easy pickings there for connections.

Great mare but Big Bucks is just on another level.

she wouldnt be beating BB imo. u cant judge theses performances of horses against BB thru formlines with other potential threast a la quevega thru VLV. regardless of how VLV travelled and looked threatening, BB is a relentless staying machine and if a i wouldnt give Q much more of a chance of beating him than VLV.

are the who would ruby choose questions serious?

a hurdler who can be ridden anyway on any going, any track and hasnt been beaten in years, absolutely 1.01 ruby would be on BB. hes one of the greatest horses that ever lived, ever.

When i die Quevega will be written on my heart,i have never backed her and i have laid her in most of her victories she has cost me a fair bit.Her last win seems to me her best ever she never came off the bridle and still won six lengths and were she to meet Big Bucks i would be jostling ChildOfMine2 to get at the 11/4.

A similar BB vs Quevega objective, with a different execution in the middle section of todays Irish Field blog. http://www.theirishfield.ie/site/article.php?id=1822&cid=5

I think its a shame that the two best 3 mile hurdlers of recent times have never raced each other and i think young rupert has a lot to do with it. He's buttering his bread on both sides in my opinion.

Its mad to think volar la vedette won more prize money at chelt than quevega. They have absolutely nothing to lose by running in the stayers.

yes ruby was v offensive when robert asked him f she eould go stayers next yr.

'WHY WOULD SHE?', he can be a bit of a hitler sometimes. like MP says, he wants to ride both.ted backed up what ruby said, obv.

Just looking at prize money

There's more money for finishing 2nd in the world hurdle than there is for winning the mares hurdle

Why not give it a shot? Although I don't think they will

Come on lads, it isn't about money. Do you think they would be happier standing in the runner-up spot after the World Hurdle or leading her in after winning the mares hurdle for a fifth time? Easy decision.

Robert Hall certainly knew how to get a rise out of the Walsh clan in calling for a match knowing he would get a knee jerk negative reaction born of self interest rather than the wider interests of racing itself . They showed the Dawn Run Buck House match on tv recently and you wonder it the old fashioned sporting attitude behind that race will ever re-emerge in the 21st century . Khalid Abdulla has been very sporting in keeping Frankel in training : why not go a step further if Black Caviar comes all the way from Oz, would they not put on a 7f match between the two and give racing a much needed shot in the arm ?

^ thats the problem. The owners would rather stand there going "oooohh look at us, we own a Cheltenham winner" instead of growing a pair of balls and trying to win one of the Championship races at the Festival. Mares Hurdle - give me a break. What a Mickey Mouse race. Solerina would have smashed Quevega into next week if there had been a Mares race at Cheltenham when she was around.

My "^" was aimed at paddywhacker obviously

I dont blame the connections at all. I dont blame Ruby either. I have been guananteed 2 winners every year at Cheltenham for the last four years. Race them against one another and I might pick the wrong one. I do reckon Big Bucks would beat her though.

Id fancy the mare to whoosh by him on decent ground. Savage gears she has. And looks to be improving still. More room for improvement than BB too. Could anybody honestly say that Quevega wouldnt beat the same horses that Big Bucks has beaten just as easily if she was campaigned that way. If punchestown last week is anything to go by she wouldnt break sweat to beat the likes of Smad place, Oscar Whiskey,1000 stars etc. . .  Just a pity Ruby rides the two of them because im sure if he didnt have first call on them both then she would go for the stayers.

The only way this could happen is the likes of PP came together with Punchestown, behind closed doors, and came up with the plan of a match. Then the next morning, we could read €100,000 match race set for Punchestown on the front of the Racing Post. Then it would take the power out of the hands of Ruby etc. To me, that's the only way it could happen. If you remember the whole Seabiscuit v War Admiral scenario, that's how they got the match race to happen back then after it looked as though it wasn't gonna happen.
If only we could get a campaign going for this match race

Big Buck's wont travel outside of Britain as he is a bad traveller. Nicholls has said this many times.

For a big pot, and plenty of media pressure, you can be sure he would

I very much doubt it. If a horse is a bad traveller just buzzing around the motorways in England, there is no chance they will put him on a boat to Ireland.

I would have no interest in a match race myself.

Big Bucks is bone idle and to expect him to make all the running over 3miles is expecting too much from him. Quevega is not likely to make ant of the running and would be ridden to pounce in the last 150 yards or so.

I don't see a match race of being any interest or something that would settle any argument (if there is one). It would likely be a farce of a contest.

Either they meet in an existing contest or they don't and I would be very surprised if they ever meet.

The 3m race at Aintree looks like the best possible option, if Willie sent the mare over. They could boost the prizemoney for that.

I just watched it again - I'm convinced Quevega would beat Big Buck's. Her change of acceleration is awesome.

http://www.rte.ie/player/#!v=1146812 (18mins 00secs)

I reckon Ruby believes BB would beat her and tells WM that he would ride him if they were to meet. Ruby is possibly one of the best judges there is and that is enough for Willie. Now if a couple of sponsors together put up say 500K for the 3 miler at Aintree I could see it happening. They both could have their usual wins at Cheltenham. I reckon that sort of money at Aintee would do the trick - it would for me anyway. It would have to be the normal race and not just a match.

BTW, if this was on the Flat, they'd have already met by now. The King of England v the Queen of Ireland.

ruby could throw his whip away and still beat the mighty mare hes too good imo. would love to see it.

Arklearkle, was thinking something similar, L@dbrokes to put up a big pot if they met at Cheltenham in a blaze of publicity

Your idea is a good one though. Let them both break records at Cheltenham and then face each other elsewhere

The last great match in Ireland was marred by the dreadful behaviour of one of the owners.
I agree with Distant View that a match would not suit Big Bucks and think there is no chance of it taking place.

Not saying Ruby is wrong in his assessment that they wouldn't ever meet, but it is in his interest that they don't. This is National Hunt racing not the flat and although she is a broodmare prospect, nothing she does now can possibly dent her prospects in that regard and I feel that if the owners are a real sporting crowd, then they should run in the world hurdle next season. I think her talents deserve better than the mares race.

Sorry, in his assessment that BB would beat her. (not sure he has ever said this publicly but I guess it is implied from the way he wants to see her campaigned)