I remember listening to Patrick Mullins when he said that the year Boston Bob ran in the AB,the decision was made late and the deciding factor was to avoid Simonsig. Avoiding Kings Palace could be a major factor here,he hurdles as fluent as any novice I have seen and twice proven over c+d.

Fair point Neil,my Dynaste was disappointing in the King George,nothing has come to light either. I wouldn't completely write him off yet,could be interesting if they lowered his sights to the Ryanair and CC goes for the GC.

lads.....yer not serious about kings palace surely......and mullins avoiding him......id say mullins could have 5 novices better than kings palace......briar hill would beat kings palace about 10 lengths and faugheen would beat it 20......kings palace hasn't an earthly in Cheltenham......it wont be mapped.....

Some might say that Pipe is grand to get one handicapped and lay it out, but wouldn't know what to do with a real quality horse. I'm not sure he is around long enough to make that assertion yet but until he goes and wins a Grade 1 at cheltenham, it will hang over him a little.

His father made some funny choices with young horses a bit before my time. Our Vic would be the only quality horse they've had there it seems, I thought Dynaste and Grands crus were, but they weren't, I thought David Pipe thought they were too.

Some valid points,if you wanted to draw lines with the Challow Hurdle,why not look at his form lines the winner rather than his seasonal debut against Kaki de la Pree. I agree that the horses behind him haven't been up to festival standard but his manner and jumping have been impressive.

As for not making all,Brindisi Breeze made virtually all in this a couple of years ago beating Boston Bob (often a race with plenty of dead wood)but Tom Scudamore is a major negative.

As for Mullins's festival record with staying novice hurdles,it's not as great as people make out,I think he's won 2 festival staying novice hurdles (plenty of shorties beaten).It's hard to quantify what they have done going to the festival when they have never been off the bridle.

I am all for fort-right opinions but very rarely say something has no chance or is a certainty -it's a game that tames all of us over time.

Does Faugheen jump well enough to win at Cheltenham? Would want to improve, I think.

Looks like a fair bit of money waiting to lay Faugheen for both novice hurdles tonight, anything to worry about?

There was a few hundred more than anything else Steve as far as I could see.

i seen josses hill ran a cracker in the grade 1 race at kempion today just loseing out to royal boy with W mullins upazo 12L back in 3rd place, Faughheen hammered Josses hill by 22 L in his 1st race back in May, i would,nt mind knowing which race W mullins will run him at cheltenham... may be Neptune?

Hopefully on Hennessy day (February 9th) we will get the big clash in the Deloitte novice hurdle over 2M 2F.

Faugheen V The Tullow Tank-not impossible that they could land the Supreme and Neptune.

Champagne Fever weak on here with a while for the Arkle-Felix Yonger the new fav.

Will Chamapagne Fever skip the Irish Arkle (Felix Yonger and Defy logic likely runners) at the end of the month and head to the Dr. PJ Moriarty Novice chase (also Feb.9TH) on route to the perhaps what is now known as the JLT novice chase.

WPM surely won't allow FY and CF in the Irish arkle unless the owners are insistent-the last time an owner forced his hand was when Michael O'Leary insisted that Make Your Mark take on Boston Bob in a hot novice hurdle at Leopardstown.

Clondaw Court pretty much confirmed for the Albert Bartlett today must mean that Faugheen is Neptune bound.

Theres little doubt that Faugheen is the best and the Ricci horses will no doubt be seperated. IMO, that would mean Vautor in the Supreme, Faugheen in the Neptune and Clowdaw Court in the Albert Bartlett. I certainly hope so anyway :)

frankalsoran60 • November 16, 2013 7:36 PM GMT
Faugheen having his 1st hurdle tomorrow 12.35 Punch, go on ya good think.

Roll on 2019 - 1st NH Chase for the 11yo - THE MACHINE made a winning chase debut at Punchestown (albeit not a smooth one).

Everything was going to plan until the eighth fence, the first ditch, where he got things wrong and almost unshipped Townend who did well to keep the partnership intact and recover his composure after losing his irons. Paul - "He was a bit careful over the next couple" having lost the lead Faugheen tracked the leaders but gave supporters a few moments of slight worry in the closing stages as "he pecked at the back of the third last how he came back on the bridle so strong for me. I would have forgave him (getting beat) because of the two mistakes we made and that was the bit that most impressed me." He burst into the lead before the last with a nice turn of foot and a fine leap there propelled him to a seven-and-a-half length success. “It's a long time since he Pt-to-pointed. It's nice to see there is a bit of fire in his belly still. I was very impressed with him to overcome those couple of mistakes.” "The engine certainly seemed to be there"' - WPM.