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04 Nov 13
13:48
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24 Mar 05
HENRY DE BROMHEAD has admitted defeat in his three-mile experiment with Sizing Europe, but the Ryanair Chase and not the Queen Mother Champion Chase, is likely to be his target at the Cheltenham Festival next March.
Sizing Europe tried three miles for the third time in Saturday's JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal and, just like in 2010 and 2011, he finished in the runner-up spot - this time behind Gordon Elliott's Roi Du Mee.
But that 13-length defeat will probably be his last try at the trip with De Bromhead keen to return to shorter and the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown on December 27 has been pencilled into the diary.
"At this stage of his career I don't want to do anything wrong by the horse," said De Bromhead. "It was disappointing - he did not jump like he can, but that's how he is over three miles.
"The rain came at the wrong time, but I doubt he'll try three miles again. We'll look at the Grade 1 Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown and I'd say, all being well, he'll go for the Ryanair rather than the Champion Chase this year."
Sizing Europe tried three miles for the third time in Saturday's JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal and, just like in 2010 and 2011, he finished in the runner-up spot - this time behind Gordon Elliott's Roi Du Mee.
But that 13-length defeat will probably be his last try at the trip with De Bromhead keen to return to shorter and the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown on December 27 has been pencilled into the diary.
"At this stage of his career I don't want to do anything wrong by the horse," said De Bromhead. "It was disappointing - he did not jump like he can, but that's how he is over three miles.
"The rain came at the wrong time, but I doubt he'll try three miles again. We'll look at the Grade 1 Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown and I'd say, all being well, he'll go for the Ryanair rather than the Champion Chase this year."
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Replies: 29
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Everyone has been telling the owner/trainer for about four seasons now that the 3 mile experiment was a bad idea. A bit late seeing the light now. That hard race way back in Down Royal surely did not help the horse's career.
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It's like banging your head against a brick wall,can't believe it took that long for the penny to drop.
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Delighted for the horse ...
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i was at cheltenham when he was pulled up in the champion hurdle behind Katchit in 2008, he has been a wonderful servent to HENRY DE BROMHEAD since winning close to a million in prize money, IT might be a good thing if he was retired now , he owes Connections NOWT.
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He was never as good again after that Champion Hurdle, it softened him a good bit. The day he won the AIG at Leopardstown absolutely mauling Hardy Eustace was the best I saw him. Lesser connections would be absolutely pilloried for the early season campaigning this horse has endured in the last few years. It might have ultimately cost him v Finian's Rainbow who himself was laden with problems.
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Sizing Europe has been a great favourite of mine down the years doing me many turns but I have no doubt his powers are on the dip.There are probably still good races to be won with him this season but I would hate to see him end up being beaten by horses he would beat out of sight in his prime. I dont think Potts/DeBromhead will allow that to happen.
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iCANT say i agree with you Neill, S.EUROPE has not been out of the 1st 2 in his last 25races. a wonderful tough horse he gave Sprinter sacre a run for his money at punchstown ..not bad for an 11year old...you dont see the likes of him to offin m8.
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iCANT say i agree with you Neill, S.EUROPE has not been out of the 1st 2 in his last 25races. a wonderful tough horse he gave Sprinter sacre a run for his money at punchstown ..not bad for an 11year old...you dont see the likes of him to offin m8.
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iCANT say i agree with you Neill, S.EUROPE has not been out of the 1st 2 in his last 25races. a wonderful tough horse he gave Sprinter sacre a run for his money at punchstown ..not bad for an 11year old...you dont see the likes of him to offin m8.
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sry lads my machine is on the blink.[unlike sizing europe]
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As neill has pointed out,Why is he always out so early in the season?
i remember when he won his Beginners chase he won it near the end of may! Mouse seems to do the same with First Lieutenant. |
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being out early didn't stop him producing his best later in the season......he won the arkle that novice year.......both rule the world and first lieutenant appeared early......the same year they produced a career best at Cheltenham......
its better than some trainers leaving the season pass them by.......mullins for example makes no attempt to mop up the races early on.......and then finishes up the season with 3 and 4 in every second race....... |
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good point paulie
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I meant running him in the Down Royal race, over that trip in those ground conditions the last few times Paulie. No issue at all with the time of year for me either. Frank, the way he won the Irish Champion Hurdle, it was a Kauto Star type of performance the way he travelled through it(he looked a great horse in waiting that day), I just never think he was ever quite as good again, being beaten pretty regularly by Big Zeb(another very good horse) would disqualify him from being a great horse to me, but he had the ability to have been great if that makes sense.
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Missed your post there Cheltenham, he went off evens ish in that beginners amazingly having been 4th to Solwhit in the Rabobank Hurdle at Punchestown. They musta thought he'd bounce!!
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sizing Europe was a brilliant horse.......should hav won the 3 best races at the festival......was going to bolt up in the champion hurdle......and did win both the arkle and the champion chase......
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bolt up in the champion paulie?
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Ah he would have Silver, he'd have picked that lot up and carried them, the back problem he had took away from him a bit, he was a fast horse before the injury, he came back a galloper with a propensity for wilting if he hadn't burned ya off between the final 2 fences.
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neil I suppose you didn't see the exact same collapse at Leopardstown a year later? I presume this softy had a supposed back problem that day too?
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Wasn't the same horse then to me Silver, His Greatwood and AIG wins were devastating. He was a top horse over fences and won all the big prizes, but I don't think it was a vintage era for 2 mile chasers right then, Masterminded was past his peak/needed further and Big Zeb, Pady and Goldensilver wouldn't have had the natural ability of Sizing Europe, but they were ocassionaly able to capitalise on his frailties. Sprinter Sacre was a mile over the top at Punchestown having beaten a top class horse over a new trip at Aintree.
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Take a look at the Greatwood was receiving loads of weight and hardly a decent horse came out of the race.
Sizing Europe brilliant jumper, great cruiser, but at the finish the horse has not an ounce of a finishing kick. |
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Was getting 6lb from Osana who he beat 4l, but it wouldn't have mattered really as he would have beaten Osana giving him 6lb. Osana went on to go down narrowly by 1l in the Champion Hurdle... so the Greatwood probably gave him the winning of that years CH. It would have been some achievemneet for a horse that was always going to be a chaser to win a Champion Hurdle, it is something we rarely see. Kauto star was the best horse in training by a mile in 2006/2007 when he still had his 2 mile speed, not sure he would have won a Champion Hurdle though.
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Kauto never ran over hurdles over in the UK,So don't think that's a valid point!
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silvergreaser........I don't normally bother replying to you .......but how could a horse who was able to win both the arkle and champion chase not have a finishing kick......id imagine the list of horses that did that double is a fairly impressive one......to name a few...... sizing....Moscow flyer.....flagship uberalles......azertyuiop.....klairon davis......remittance man......and sprinter sacre...... are ones I can remember.....I assume there were more.......not too bad some of those ones......would have been some horses if they had a finishing kick.......
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Apart from its defeat of the obviously wailing Big Zeb, SE's Arkle win he was out on his feet, if Somersby jumped at all he would've reeled in the horse with the so called back trouble (back trouble my arse?)
Out battled by decent but hardly outstanding Finians Rainbow. SE is probably the most overrated Champion chaser ever, as Sprinter Sacre made him look what he always was one paced!. |
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Very rare for a horse to be up to winning over fences and hurdles at open Championship level Chelts, the only chaser on the scene now that could win a Champion Hurdle is Sprinter Sacre whose weakness beat him in the Supreme. It would be like My Tent or Yours winning the CH, the Arkle 2015, and the CC in 2016..... it won't happen, but it should have happened for Sizing Europe and would have but for injury. Henderson didn't even bother trying with a horse as talented as Simonsig. That is a a rare talent regardless of the competition and even more so when you consider he came back from a serious injury.
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Well neil your opinion I think SE is incredibly overrated, one paced ****, found out time and time again against the best.
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Neill,sprinter sacre is quite clearly an incredible horse,but to suggest he'd win an champion hurdle is bonkers IMO
Do you really think he'd be as slick or his hurdles to beat the likes of hurricane fly and co,he's a chaser not a hurdler as was proven in the supreme, Hurricane fly would kill him over hurdles,no contest |
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