Had a great day Thursday, Cheltenham, you can't beat it. Drank too much & luckily woke up at Paddington, before I could have found myself on the way back to Cheltenham :-) Lost money as per.
Absolutely gutted... Had time for Rupert, £4 e/w at 50/1, looked like he was going to do it... Massive price for a horse with a good record at Cheltenham
Enjoyed the festival although apart from having a little on synchronized did nothing all day. If you managed to make any money today odds we're that you were either psychic or a bookie (or both!)
Had a good day there yesterday, journey down was a nightmare however but I won't bore everyone here. Finally got my first winner since Tuesday with Brindisi Breeze in the 2:40, pretty much paid for my day out. Not sure I would be rushing back to Gold Cup day, while it was good it was manic, possibly do a different day at the festival next year.
Had a good day there yesterday, journey down was a nightmare however but I won't bore everyone here. Finally got my first winner since Tuesday with Brindisi Breeze in the 2:40, pretty much paid for my day out. Not sure I would be rushing back to Gold Cup day, while it was good it was manic, possibly do a different day at the festival next year.
Gold Cup day is so rammed, you literally can't move at times. We do it about every 5 years, more than that is too much.
Anyway, on Thursday I spotted and had a chat with a bloke posibly in his 50's wearing a CAFC cap. He said he'd been every day. Anyone on here ?
That was probably me Covered End just got back this morning. Go for the week every year and always enjoy it although not great punting wise this year. Always glad when we don't have a midweek game during Cheltenham week.
I probably saw you heading to the toilet yesterday Phil, thought it probably best not to shout come on you Addicks in a toilet with a few hundred blokes
Anyone who bought the Kauto Star dream I'm afraid was just mugged off. It's Istabraq et all over again. If you know anything about horses, that's HORSES and not horse racing you'd know he'd never do any thing this year. I honestly think that Paul Nicholls and the like should be censured by the BHRB for their handling of the KS affair. People get veery emotional about wonderful horses like KS and owners and trainers somtimes get caught up in the whole thing. Forget Haydock, forget Kempton, it's only Cheltenham that matters. Just for the record and to back myself up, I have said on this thread that KS was past it, I also backed Synchronised on here and Long Run on here last year. I'm not saying I'm the Oracle but I do not let my heart rule my head like some do. Anyway, I may not know much about horse racing but it's more than I do about football!
Anyone who bought the Kauto Star dream I'm afraid was just mugged off. It's Istabraq et all over again. If you know anything about horses, that's HORSES and not horse racing you'd know he'd never do any thing this year. I honestly think that Paul Nicholls and the like should be censured by the BHRB for their handling of the KS affair. People get veery emotional about wonderful horses like KS and owners and trainers somtimes get caught up in the whole thing. Forget Haydock, forget Kempton, it's only Cheltenham that matters. Just for the record and to back myself up, I have said on this thread that KS was past it, I also backed Synchronised on here and Long Run on here last year. I'm not saying I'm the Oracle but I do not let my heart rule my head like some do. Anyway, I may not know much about horse racing but it's more than I do about football!
To be fair, If Kauto had turned up in the same condition he did at Haydock and Kempton, I think the Gold Cup could have been a very different race, but his fall while schooling really put paid to that. Your right with your comments about Paul Nicholls though. He must have known that Kauto wasn't in peak condition to compete for the Gold Cup but as you say, got carried away with the emotion surrounding Kauto, and some of his comments, especially after his session at Wincanton where very misleading. To be honest I think that at the start of the season Nicholls wasn't expecting him to run in the Gold Cup this year. In fact I seem to remember Clive Smith saying that his swansong was going to be Kempton (correct me if i'm wrong), and so if they were aiming to get Kauto in peak condition for then, it was always going to be a huge challenge for a horse of that age to stay in peak condition from Boxing day to now, and then the schooling fall effectively put paid to any chance of him being in that condition.
Shame to see him go like that, wonderful horse. Also, what a brilliant ride from AP on Synchronised, he truly is a wonderful champion.
Sorry but you're wrong. Haydock and Kempton - and yes it is the King George - are insignificant races. People, or should I say punters, bought that dream. Long Run, beaten in both is not a wonder horse. The Gold Cup at Cheltenham is the only race that matters. Kauto Star is 12 years old! Nodoubting he was quality but you don't win 3 Gold Cups over a 7 year period. You either do a Best Mate/ Golden Miller (ok a true wonder horse) or not. All the crap news before the festival, 50/50 this and that is not good PR. Kauto Star was a great horse, but that was a few years ago. I didn't buy the hype but plenty did, and IMO it's wrong.
Sorry but you're wrong. Haydock and Kempton - and yes it is the King George - are insignificant races. People, or should I say punters, bought that dream. Long Run, beaten in both is not a wonder horse. The Gold Cup at Cheltenham is the only race that matters. Kauto Star is 12 years old! Nodoubting he was quality but you don't win 3 Gold Cups over a 7 year period. You either do a Best Mate/ Golden Miller (ok a true wonder horse) or not. All the crap news before the festival, 50/50 this and that is not good PR. Kauto Star was a great horse, but that was a few years ago. I didn't buy the hype but plenty did, and IMO it's wrong.
I completely agree with you about the build up to Cheltenham and all the rubbish that was coming out...but are you honestly telling me that Haydock and Kempton are complete nothing races?! Of course they aren't on the same scale as the Gold Cup, but for you to say that people shouldn't have got excited about Kautos form after them imo is wrong. Yes winning a Gold Cup at 12 years old was always going to be very unlikely, but beating what many perceive to be the only other strong horse in the field twice previously is always going to count for something, no matter where it is. Ultimately his schooling fall ensured he wasn't in the same condition as he was at Haydock or Kempton, and so after the fall I agree with you that it was fairly misguided for so many people (including myself) to think he had a chance, but before his fall there was no reason (apart from his age) why he didn't have a chance if you were to go on form for the season.
Never had Kauto this year, i watched in a bookies near work and a bloke next to me was cursing and ripped up his slip as soon as KS was pulled up. Felt like saying 'don't know how you could have had him today' as a 13 year old too.
Bookies could see the top two in the market getting beat, capitalised on it completely. Didn't have the winner but certainly didn't fancy the top two
Never had Kauto this year, i watched in a bookies near work and a bloke next to me was cursing and ripped up his slip as soon as KS was pulled up. Felt like saying 'don't know how you could have had him today' as a 13 year old too.
Bookies could see the top two in the market getting beat, capitalised on it completely. Didn't have the winner but certainly didn't fancy the top two
Yup the bookies played it very nicely, which was a shame! Despite I think backing Kauto on here, I only went Burton Point e/w on the day (which also failed me!), but was such a shame to see a wonderful horse bow out in that way.
The bookies absolutely loved it, there were literally thousands of people with KS scarves and standing near the bookies on the course there was an awful lot of money placed on him.
Saying that they had already cleaned up before then, the other half was chatting to a lady whose husband is a bookie there and told her that on the first 3 races on Friday he had already made double what he did on Thursday, add the rest of Friday's big price winners and I imagine they are getting a very nice holiday this year.
Sorry, but l just don't rate Synchronised as a top class horse. Yes, he is a stayer of some class but a true Gold Cup horse??.I think the runner up gives us a clue as to the standard of this years race, a moderate Gold Cup. This isn't sour grapes as l didn't have a bet in the race, this is just how l saw the race pan out. The winner just outstayed them. Also thought the drama surrounding Kauto Star in the weeks prior to Cheltenham were OTT. The horses chances of running are very slim, couple of days later 50 /50 then after the work out at Wincanton all systems go, great form bla bla bla. Thought Nicholls did himself no favours at all and it came back and bit him on the backside. Shame for the horse.
Sorry, but l just don't rate Synchronised as a top class horse. Yes, he is a stayer of some class but a true Gold Cup horse??.I think the runner up gives us a clue as to the standard of this years race, a moderate Gold Cup. This isn't sour grapes as l didn't have a bet in the race, this is just how l saw the race pan out. The winner just outstayed them.....
Don't disagree that Synchronised isn't an obvious "Gold Cup horse" - blimey I made my views known that they shouldn't run him (large helpings of humble pie consumed) - and that if a Denman or KS at his best had been in the race he wouldn't have had a look in. But the history of Gold Cup is littered with previous winners who weren't the same quality as them (or possibly even Synchronised for that matter). Maybe we've been spoiled in recent years with 3 superstars, including Best Mate. For what it's worth, I think the time of the race suggests that Synchronised fully deserved his victory against the horses in opposition, even if it wasn't a vintage year. Compared with other GC's of the last 10 years, The Racing Post rates it slightly ahead of both War Of Attrition and Best Mate's last win but well behind most of the others, which seems fair. But compared to the pre-Best Mate years, Synchronised's RPR is right up there - only Master Oats rated higher going back to Desert Orchid's times. I know its subjective but it seems likely that the last decade will be seen as a real golden era.
Comments
I had a shit 3 days mate
Synchronised saved me today though big time.
Anyone know how Bourne got on ?
Drank too much & luckily woke up at Paddington, before I could have found myself on the way back to Cheltenham :-)
Lost money as per.
Oh well, onto Aintree!
Anyway, on Thursday I spotted and had a chat with a bloke posibly in his 50's wearing a CAFC cap. He said he'd been every day. Anyone on here ?
I honestly think that Paul Nicholls and the like should be censured by the BHRB for their handling of the KS affair. People get veery emotional about wonderful horses like KS and owners and trainers somtimes get caught up in the whole thing. Forget Haydock, forget Kempton, it's only Cheltenham that matters.
Just for the record and to back myself up, I have said on this thread that KS was past it, I also backed Synchronised on here and Long Run on here last year. I'm not saying I'm the Oracle but I do not let my heart rule my head like some do.
Anyway, I may not know much about horse racing but it's more than I do about football!
To be honest I think that at the start of the season Nicholls wasn't expecting him to run in the Gold Cup this year. In fact I seem to remember Clive Smith saying that his swansong was going to be Kempton (correct me if i'm wrong), and so if they were aiming to get Kauto in peak condition for then, it was always going to be a huge challenge for a horse of that age to stay in peak condition from Boxing day to now, and then the schooling fall effectively put paid to any chance of him being in that condition.
Shame to see him go like that, wonderful horse. Also, what a brilliant ride from AP on Synchronised, he truly is a wonderful champion.
Kauto Star is 12 years old! Nodoubting he was quality but you don't win 3 Gold Cups over a 7 year period. You either do a Best Mate/ Golden Miller (ok a true wonder horse) or not.
All the crap news before the festival, 50/50 this and that is not good PR. Kauto Star was a great horse, but that was a few years ago.
I didn't buy the hype but plenty did, and IMO it's wrong.
I completely agree with you about the build up to Cheltenham and all the rubbish that was coming out...but are you honestly telling me that Haydock and Kempton are complete nothing races?! Of course they aren't on the same scale as the Gold Cup, but for you to say that people shouldn't have got excited about Kautos form after them imo is wrong. Yes winning a Gold Cup at 12 years old was always going to be very unlikely, but beating what many perceive to be the only other strong horse in the field twice previously is always going to count for something, no matter where it is. Ultimately his schooling fall ensured he wasn't in the same condition as he was at Haydock or Kempton, and so after the fall I agree with you that it was fairly misguided for so many people (including myself) to think he had a chance, but before his fall there was no reason (apart from his age) why he didn't have a chance if you were to go on form for the season.
Bookies could see the top two in the market getting beat, capitalised on it completely. Didn't have the winner but certainly didn't fancy the top two
Saying that they had already cleaned up before then, the other half was chatting to a lady whose husband is a bookie there and told her that on the first 3 races on Friday he had already made double what he did on Thursday, add the rest of Friday's big price winners and I imagine they are getting a very nice holiday this year.
For what it's worth, I think the time of the race suggests that Synchronised fully deserved his victory against the horses in opposition, even if it wasn't a vintage year. Compared with other GC's of the last 10 years, The Racing Post rates it slightly ahead of both War Of Attrition and Best Mate's last win but well behind most of the others, which seems fair. But compared to the pre-Best Mate years, Synchronised's RPR is right up there - only Master Oats rated higher going back to Desert Orchid's times. I know its subjective but it seems likely that the last decade will be seen as a real golden era.