Fox Hunters Chase 2018

[Scooby91]

Still like Wonderful Charm for this. A class act, shown he's still in good form, will have a good pilot on board, will surely go very close. Virak might develop into a real contender also

Iv not nailed my mast to any one horse yet. I have a list of a few that could be very big prices but still plenty of time for this race. And suprise additions to the betting are likely

[Robbante]

Iv not nailed my mast to any one horse yet. I have a list of a few that could be very big prices but still plenty of time for this race. And suprise additions to the betting are likely

Young Hurricane definitely in my thoughts. Nicholls will have Pacha Du Polder, Wonderful Charm, then maybe Virak and Caid Du Berlais. Strong hand

[jono]

Could be a race Nichols starts to target more so now, particularly after his 1-2 last season?

He's not got the horses to compete in the majority of Festival races still and he seemed to get the formula for the Fred Winter (instead of the Triumph) right after he had the 2nd and 3rd in 2013 which then led to another 2nd, 1st & 2nd, 1st & 2nd in the 3 proceeding years. Wonder if we may see similar in this race for the next few festivals

[Hurricane fly]

Looking at that I assume Unioniste has now qualified

I won’t bet til the day but think he will be my choice

[BigChaang]

Just in case anyone was confused





Cheltenham Foxhunter Race Conditions

Confirmed entries with weights published on March 11th

Declarations to run must be made by March 14th

TO CLOSE BY NOON ON FEBRUARY 27TH

Total race value £45000

Distributed in accordance with Schedule (F)9.6.4
(Includes a sixth prize)

£26982 to the winning horse
The second to receive £8428, the third £4212, the fourth £2106,
the fifth £1053 and the sixth £531

For five yrs old and upwards, which, since October 1st, 2015, and before February 26th, 2018, have been placed FIRST OR SECOND ON TWO OCCASIONS in a hunters' steeple chase in Great Britain or Ireland OR have WON TWO OPEN STEEPLE CHASES at Point-to-Point Meetings (i.e. Gentlemens, Ladies or Mixed Open Races) in Great Britain or Ireland OR have WON ONE OPEN STEEPLE CHASE at a Point-to-Point Meeting in Great Britain or Ireland and have been placed FIRST or SECOND in a hunters' steeple chase

THREE MILES ABOUT TWO AND A HALF FURLONGS (3m 2f 70yds)

Enter by noon, February 27th and pay £75 stake

Confirm by noon on March 10th and pay £150

Declare by 10.00 a.m. March 14th

Weights: 5-y-o............11st 13lb; 6-y-o and up…12st

Mares allowed…7lb

To be ridden by Amateur Riders

The Amateur Riders referred to above shall be Category B' Amateur

Riders or 'Category C'

Qualified Riders.

ONE WILD CARD will be given. For 1 horse that is outside of the ratings required to get in.

Confused yes ! , i will try to work out which horses are qualified when i get a couple of hrs spare >

[Istabraq]

BC - there’s always a late spurt of qualifying for this as entries don’t close until very late, there will be a few who make it that don’t currently meet all criteria

[BigChaang]

BC - there’s always a late spurt of qualifying for this as entries don’t close until very late, there will be a few who make it that don’t currently meet all criteria

Thank's Ista , I have already had a bet on W.charm and P.du polder , be interested to see how other entries stack up .

[kinloch brae]

Could be a race Nichols starts to target more so now, particularly after his 1-2 last season?

He's not got the horses to compete in the majority of Festival races still and he seemed to get the formula for the Fred Winter (instead of the Triumph) right after he had the 2nd and 3rd in 2013 which then led to another 2nd, 1st & 2nd, 1st & 2nd in the 3 proceeding years. Wonder if we may see similar in this race for the next few festivals

Aren't they chalk and cheese? I appreciate it is about winning money for Nicholls but one is plotting a nice mark for a potential improver and the other just hoping for a last hurrah from a bunch of horses who are well on the downgrade. It comes to something when you are effectively picking the winner based on who has deteriorated the least. You would have to think some of the past greats would have laughed at this motley bunch. The standard of this race looks so poor it hardly merits a place at a Festival. They must be thankful that the Cross Country still retains its place.

[Garrison Savannah]

A shining example of why the festival shouldn’t be extended

[archie]

SkyBet 3/1 Nicholls to train the winner looks fair.

[jono]

Aren't they chalk and cheese? I appreciate it is about winning money for Nicholls but one is plotting a nice mark for a potential improver and the other just hoping for a last hurrah from a bunch of horses who are well on the downgrade. It comes to something when you are effectively picking the winner based on who has deteriorated the least. You would have to think some of the past greats would have laughed at this motley bunch. The standard of this race looks so poor it hardly merits a place at a Festival. They must be thankful that the Cross Country still retains its place.

Chalk and cheese in the types of race yes. My point was more in line with the fact I believe it could well be a race Nicholls now targets more purposely, as he did in the Fred Winter in that time with incredible success. For all he lacks the headline names, he's a master at picking up pots (like you say) and importantly finding races that he has the best chances in. If he then tastes success (i.e last season with the 1-2 in Pacha du Polder beating Wonderful Charm he's generally very good at repeating the pattern/formula as he knows exactly the type needed for such race. Particularly as it's a race where the best trainers don't bother so the competition is less fierce (in the last 5 years Elliott has had 2 runners here, Henderson and Mullins none)

Nicholls has managed to get a winner at the last 5 festivals (2017 = 1, 2016 = 3, 2015 = 3, 2014 = 1, 2013 = 1). 1 was in the Champion Chase (the only grade 1), the Foxhunter last season and then 7 in handicaps. (Not for me but) bar Politologue the types of races he's likely to win again look to be handicaps or this race. And with the compressed nature of the handicaps now - that's becoming a tougher task year on year

In the last 5 years Nicholls in this race has had:

2017 - 2 runners (1,2)
2016 - 1 runner (5)
2015 - 1 runner (PU)
2014 - none
2013 - 1 runner (PU)

Compare those with what Scooby posted a few pages back with the possible runners this year of:

Wonderful Charm
Pacha du Polder
Unioniste
Vivaldi Collanges
Port Melon
Virak
Caid du Berlais

Now not all will run but Wonderful Charm, Unioniste, Virak and Vivaldi Collange have all already run in a Hunter Chase so far in the aim of getting qualified. Now that strikes me as being a major shift in approach for this race. Of course generally it's been the case to focus on horses in this sphere rather than past graded horses who are older and on the downgrade but Nicholls could well change that perhaps, at least for the next few years? Pacha du Polder and Wonderful Charm being that exception. (note I know he won the race in 2004 and 2005 but that was way before my time in racing so can't comment how he approached the race back then)

I'd be surprised if we don't see him do well in this race over the next 2 or 3 seasons.

[BigChaang]

Gilgamboa is qualified now , ? . Am i right ?,. 2 hunter chase wins, 1 at Down royal last Dec and thurles in jan this year .

[Kevloaf]

Gilgamboa is qualified now , ? . Am i right ?,. 2 hunter chase wins, 1 at Down royal last Dec and thurles in jan this year .

No he isn't eligible because he ran in a graded race too recently

[BigChaang]

Oh right , cheer's Kev , it is a bit confusing is'nt it .

[Kevloaf]

Oh right , cheer's Kev , it is a bit confusing is'nt it .

Yes.

I like jono's points above about this potentially being a race Nicholls may do well in. He is, after all, an undeniably top trainer of a staying chaser and this might become the start of quite a nice streak for him.

In all honestly, I don't know enough about the hunter chase scene to understand the form fully. I haven't got the time/resource to understand why horses may have run to whatever level they have in the same way you can from comments in the media regarding your every day racing or graded races....

I'm quite happy letting this race be a one horse race most years (two in 2016 and I had 4 last year but 1 for the 5 years prior) because there are too many variables (like horses at different ends of their careers), jockeys, the track and trip that plenty haven't tried before and of course, the form that I don't understand as well as essentially it's a different code for a lot of the time.

I've backed Burning Ambition and Foxrock both 8/1 NRNB win only so far... pretty happy with those two against the field for now, although as mentioned, I think jono might have a point... however, not a lot of wiggle room with the prices I've already taken and the prices available... so more likely be another year I just let this race slide on by without too much of an interest.

I've already had my luck in this race too.... Salsify 2013 http://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/video...73766/15237631 - Watch that replay from 6 mins onwards