2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup

[gjt7756]

To be honest I think traditions are going out the window more and more each season especially when it comes to age, the grand national being a good example, used to look for a solid 10 year old with experience over fences, now they are 7/8 year olds with the fresher legs, also look at Djakadam in the last two gold cups finishing 2nd at the age of 6 and 7, and not to forget coneygree winning at the age of 8, thistlecrack has to be a gold cup horse

[Kevloaf]

Coneygree winning as a novice then spending a year out injured is enough to convince anyone to 'seize the moment' ... Tizzard has Thistlecrack, Cue Card and Native River to send to the Gold Cup and barring injury, that is where they'll be running! A trainer like Tizzard or the owners of the horses won't turn down the opportunity.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

To be honest I think traditions are going out the window more and more each season especially when it comes to age, the grand national being a good example, used to look for a solid 10 year old with experience over fences, now they are 7/8 year olds with the fresher legs, also look at Djakadam in the last two gold cups finishing 2nd at the age of 6 and 7, and not to forget coneygree winning at the age of 8, thistlecrack has to be a gold cup horse

Great Point. Djakadam only coming into his prime as a staying chaser.

[Kevloaf]

The trends followers will be out to get Djakam won't they. Ground went against him last year in my opinion. Was with him the year before though, swings and roundabouts

[Istabraq]

To be honest I think traditions are going out the window more and more each season especially when it comes to age, the grand national being a good example, used to look for a solid 10 year old with experience over fences, now they are 7/8 year olds with the fresher legs, also look at Djakadam in the last two gold cups finishing 2nd at the age of 6 and 7, and not to forget coneygree winning at the age of 8, thistlecrack has to be a gold cup horse

The National is a race I spend a fair bit of time over gjt and I think more and more you're looking for an older experienced stayer.
The modified fences allow the horses to go quicker which means stamina come into play even more than it did previously, generally speaking you'll only get that with age.
When they changed the fences a few years ago the first three winners of the National that followed were 11 year olds, Rule the World was a bit of a trends buster last year though it's interesting to note that having won on debut over 2m he was immediately upped to 3m for his second race so they always thought stamina was his forte and Many Clouds was an exceptionally class horse when becoming just the 6th (5th maybe) 8yo to win the race in the last 50 years.

Trends are forever evolving and as conditions change in races they become harder to predict.

[Morning Glory]

Don Cossack is set to go back into training next month in the hope he has made a full recovery from injury.

However, should Gordon Elliott not be entirely happy with how the nine-year-old takes to being back in work, he will not hesitate in retiring him.

At the moment, Elliott reports the recuperation to be going swimmingly with Don Cossack undergoing regular road work.

The horse, owned by Gigginstown House Stud, was last seen winning the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup in March. He subsequently suffered a tendon injury when being prepared for the Bibby Financial Services Ireland Punchestown Gold Cup in April.

"He's going into his sixth week on the roads having roadwork and the scans have been very good. I saw him last Sunday week and the legs felt good," the County Meath trainer told At The Races.

"When a horse gets a ligament injury it's day by day, but it seems to be going good and we'll have back here at Cullentra in the next two or three weeks and it's all systems go.

"We're under no illusions. If he's not 120 per cent right at this stage, we'll retire him.

"He's been a wonderful horse, so we'll do the best thing for the horse."

[Kevloaf]

"We're under no illusions. If he's not 120 per cent right at this stage, we'll retire him.

"He's been a wonderful horse, so we'll do the best thing for the horse."

Will detract MASSIVELY if the reigning champion doesn't line up make it. Coneygree's absence this year was such a shame, I hope we don't get robbed twice in a row!

[jono]

Tizzard on Thistlecrack today:

The ground in the west country is not good at all, it's hard, he said.

The last thing we want to do is have a setback on that ground.

The idea is to run Thistlecrack in two novice chases before Christmas, then maybe Kempton for the Feltham and Cheltenham on Trials Day. He will then hopefully meet Cue Card in the Gold Cup.

Winning that race is a lifetime ambition. It's our aim but it won't be easy at all.

[mayo]

Tizzard on Thistlecrack today:

My instinct was thats a busy schedule for a Gold Cup horse but maybe not ?

Don Cossack had two races in October then 1 in Dec and 1 in Jan.

Coneygree had 3 runs before March.

Lord Windermere 5

Bobs Worth 1

Synchronised 3.

[jono]

My instinct was thats a busy schedule for a Gold Cup horse but maybe not ?

Thanks for those run breakdowns. It's obviously the same problem Coneygree had when he had 3 runs but the issue Tizzard has is trying to get enough experience and runs into the horse being a novice, whilst still keeping him fresh enough to be in peak condition come March. You don't want to be taking on any of the big boys on your fences debut or even your second run really. But then it's also vital to be tested against at least second season + chasers at some point too. So with that being said I think he needs to have a minimum of 3 runs at least so i'm not concerned by 4

[Kevloaf]

Thistlecrack has a different profile to any previous contender as it is done so rarely so I wouldn't want to get myself hung up on trends like that anyway. Tizzard won the WH with him, and got CC in contention to win the million pound bonus... no horse in my lifetime has anywhere near the same profile so I'll just take it as it comes. His price will contract for the GC (rightly or wrongly) and people will oppose him based on that right until the day.

[Morning Glory]

^ Iris's Gift is the last World Hurdle winner to even run in the Gold Cup so his profile is unusual. We could have two this year with MoT.

My Way De Solzen had a World Hurdle and Arkle under his belt at start of 2007/8 season but struggled.

[Kevloaf]

Thanks MG ... iris gift is out of my immediate radar.

I am/was a big MoT fan and not one I'll dismiss either... what was the rain for the poor RSA? Was it bleeding?

[Kevloaf]

Djakadam at 16/1 is too big. Target is now declared and has placed twice in this race. Not a usual profile for a horse running in this race for the 3rd time as he started out younger than most do and there COULD be some improvement for that.

The way this market is poised he can only get shorter! If as few as 1 or more of these happen: Thistlecrack gets reverted to World Hurdle, Don Cossack retires, Vautour beaten in the KG looking a non stayer, Cue Card not showing the same spark at 10 going 11, Coneygree not looking the same as before the injury and Douvan running over 2 miles .... then 16/1 is going to look tremendous. I can't see the price getting bigger, and would be amazed if at least a few from higher in the betting didn't drop out before Christmas, never mind after.

[Faugheen_Machine]

Even if all of the above happens, I still can't see Djakadam winning the gold cup. He's had 2 chances, the first of which was a weak renewal in my opinion. He is just below top class to my mind and will run another solid race without winning.