2017 Fred Winter

[Cashew King]

Case to be made for Master Blueyes? His form behind Charli Parcs and LTO against Divin Bere might not look too bad by the time the festival comes around. Been well supported OR popularly tipped up in both those runs. Alan King mentioned this week on ATR that he'll be a much better horse on better ground. Hardly a huge price at 20/1 but seen a case made more than once now (I think timeform have put him up as an ante-post bet) and I think he's interesting?

Ben Linfoot gave it a plug in his SP column:

Blueyes screams ‘back me for the Fred Winter’
Master Blueyes >>>> Up 12lb to 132

Alan King’s Master Blueyes is getting to grips with the hurdling game with each start and his third effort at Huntingdon last week was his best yet.

Keen in the early stages, he wasn’t fluent over the last and was just run out of things by Nicky Henderson’s Divin Bere.

King said on At The Races’ On The Line programme on Monday night he expects him to be a different horse on better ground in the spring and he should improve for being buried in a big field off a decent gallop too.

His new rating ensures he’s good enough to get in the Fred Winter at Cheltenham, a race for which he’s a 20/1 chance generally, and it seems likely he’ll be put away until then now.

[Faugheen_Machine]

Mega Fortune given a mark of 146. Surely runs in Triumph with that rating. Phil Smith gives him a mark 13lb than his Irish rating

[Istabraq]

13lb ?
That sounds ridiculous and the debate rages every year, but the Irish keep nicking the handicaps so you can understand the caution.

[Faugheen_Machine]

Yeah - not sure where he has plucked the figure from. Surely his job is to rate them in what they've achieved, not what they are capable of achieving. The horse that beat him the last day should be an absolute cert if those ratings are anything to go by.

[Istabraq]

Yeah good point, I know the 'capper has to assess performance and the manner of victory which is why some victories see rises of 5lb and others 14lb (and greater), but giving him a 13lb higher mark than the Irish mark is pretty much telling the Irish 'capper that he;s incapable of doing his job....

[Faugheen_Machine]

Yep - or telling GE that he's up to no good with the horse and he's not welcome in a Cheltenham handicap.

[Yeehaa]

Or maybe he reads the forum

[Can't Catch Me]

Long Call is one that has caught my eye. Being expertly campaigned to attain a mark somewhere around 130, in my opinion. Tony Martin sent him over to Hereford last time where he was very impressive, and he is his only runner to the UK again today, at Ludlow.

Maybe getting the horse used to travelling? Wouldn't surprise me to see him 4 or 5l behind Master Blueeyes today which would give him the ideal mark for the Fred Winter. Have taken the 20/1.

[JackieMoon33]

Long Call is one that has caught my eye. Being expertly campaigned to attain a mark somewhere around 130, in my opinion. Tony Martin sent him over to Hereford last time where he was very impressive, and he is his only runner to the UK again today, at Ludlow.

Maybe getting the horse used to travelling? Wouldn't surprise me to see him 4 or 5l behind Master Blueeyes today which would give him the ideal mark for the Fred Winter. Have taken the 20/1.

The Tony Martin horse that caught my eye for this is Landsman who finished in behind Merie Devie and Housesofparliament.

[Can't Catch Me]

Entered to run at Sedgefield next week Jackie. Agree, could just as likely be his choice for this race. A tough man to work out!

[doctorwu]

Long Call is one that has caught my eye. Being expertly campaigned to attain a mark somewhere around 130, in my opinion. Tony Martin sent him over to Hereford last time where he was very impressive, and he is his only runner to the UK again today, at Ludlow.

Maybe getting the horse used to travelling? Wouldn't surprise me to see him 4 or 5l behind Master Blueeyes today which would give him the ideal mark for the Fred Winter. Have taken the 20/1.

Long call was indeed 2nd under a very tender ride from Davy Russell. I smell a plot......

[JackieMoon33]

It's interesting that he is entering them in non-handicap races as he will be none the wiser as to what mark they may get in the Fred Winter. He should adopt the Gordon Elliott approach of entering them in handicaps and then pulling them once he has visibility of the UK mark if he likes what he gets.

[Cashew King]

Did Master Blueyes blow his mark for this out if the water today winning by a double digit margin?

[Faugheen_Machine]

Won by 18 lengths so if imagine so. I remember a Nicky Henderson horse doing something similar a few years back (A Media Luz....I think) and she ended up running in the triumph.

Nice form boost for Charli Parcs though

[MrMcGoldrick]

one or two of these before tackling the Fred Winter