...Willie running 3 big guns @ Leop ....

Nichols Canyon is as tough as they come W/R, But i dont think he will beat Faugheen again. 8/1 to win the Champion Hurdle not  for me at this stage.

I may b wrong, but I imagine willie will be very keen to run NC here. And get him beaten.

After Faugheen beats him comfortably, willie can go to Wylie and tell him he won't be winning a CH and they should revert to the original plan of the WH.

Frank, I dont care how tough he is that was a very punishing race he had the other day , I agree with Callit though, it makes sense and Willie will get his way...

Sure Don Poli had an equally punishing race, too much is made of a horse having a hard race, if your good enough you'll get over it.

What a load of tosh , why do you think Hen only ran her 3 times Gold Cup winner 3 times a season , horses are like humans , some like you Chelt are happy to collect the dole , while others like myself enjoy a hard days work .Horses are fragile things, while some need a long break between races others can run week in week out .You have to know which is which...

Some horses thrive on reading some don't, there's not an exact science to both, you've just contradicted yourself there by saying some love it some don't, are you trying to say NC won't win another race or what are you trying to say? He won't win his next race and it will be nothing to do with him having a hard race last time, he will simply be outclassed by a better horse,

*racing stupid iPad

Unless a truck runs over Faugheen NC wont be winning a CH anytime soon.

Nina Last 90 days 37rides 14wins 8places +20.25 to level stakes.

You could do a lot worse than bacing her blind.
Easily the mosr reliable jockey and easily the best amateur. I know there's been times when she's to too far back and whatever but I can't ever remember her on a non-jigger. Don't think there are too many if any other jockeys you can say that about

^^^ wrong thread

My point been that anyone who backs blind is a clueless mug

What part of , you have to know which is which, dont you understand ...

Graham Wylie will be keen to run N.C. in the Champion hurdle having won the World hurdle 3 times with Inglis Drever, if he runs in the irish champion and gets close to Faugheen it will be the C/H at Cheltenham, N.C has won 8 of his last 10 but i think the World hurdle next year is the best he can hope for.

Tough race with Identity Thief left its mark today with Nichols Canyon.

It sure did W/R, But i thought faugheen was something else today,

Put your glasses on Frank,

It's no wonder WPM was loud in his praise yesterday at Ascot for Bhp Insurances - that's his last six wins in the bank (and his first 1,2,3)

Maybe tough race didn't help, but NC had no single piece of form that entitled him to beat Arctic Fire today.

WPM be delighted. He can pack him off to the WH. Mission accomplished.

Think you are right with your theory Snooker(9th Jan 16.57), Artic Fire out for a gallop last time over a heavy 3m kinda knocked him out of the world hurdle i think, thought that Identity Thiefs race was one of the toughest/draining races i saw in a long time though.
Surprised WPM didn't go to Haydock yesterday with NC,think that would have been the right thing to have done,of course if he beat that poor field the contender label would have to be applied.
Lot of talk here with regards Faugheen was a good ante post at 7/4-2/1 when he got beat but looks an open goal after today.

^^^ Captain hindsight signing in ^^^

Ruby marked their cards today imo ,they were going 7/4 tricast , Faugheen N/C A/F , they KNEW ...

Not all hindsight snap,obvious to most what a hard race NC had last time as i,m sure i,ve said on the forum at the time,besides not too much between hindsight and foresight,you can think about that one.
That stunk if that was the case Workrider with that t/c,it was way too "good".

They can't bring themselves to say it but I will,Workrider was right.
Not alone was he right but he said it over two weeks ago.

It wasn't obvious to most as there was plenty of money for Nichols Canyon.

Some shrewd people listened to Workrider and availed of the 2/1 about Arctic Fire without the favourite,I'm sure they will thank him as well.

I think Vroom Vroom Mag will be Mullins World Hurdle horse.

Looks that way with VVMag, if Annie was a natural 3m which is far from certain she probably would be a better one to take on Thistlecrack but VVmag looks the better stayer.
Shocking the books are as low as 4/1 for Annie with the WH and that is not nrnb.

Funny to hear all the fancy talk for NC over the last month. In reality most people in the know thought Faugheen was at least a stone superior. Certainly the betting told you the gulf between the two. We all know why he was beaten in Punchestown.
Mullins wouldn't have normally run NC yesterday but I'd say he felt compelled to run after what happened in Punchestown and the media storm afterwards.

Identity thief hasn't an earthly of a chance in the champion!