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Damn, had Empire of dirt ante straight away, I've got him in the ante in the Ryanair as well 
, looks as though he's going to the Gold cup now! Bad move IMO.
, looks as though he's going to the Gold cup now! Bad move IMO.
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I've gone ;
Vicente
Le Murcurey
Highland Lodge
Vieux Lion Rouge
Definitly red
Empire of Dirt not running
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Phil fights back
We need a celebrity boxing challenge ..Eddie vs Phil
O’Leary claimed Don Poli was now doubtful for the race, telling the Irish Independent: “We'll run very, very few in the race. Don Poli is doubtful, while Outlander is ruled out.”
Gigginstown won the world’s most famous steeplechase last season with Rule The World.
O’Leary insisted that “fear of having a big weight” prevented a repeat bid, despite the horse’s history of pelvic injuries being cited as a major factor in the decision to retire him last seasons.
Don Poli’s actual rating for the National is 163 - an average of his Irish mark of 161 and his British mark of 165.
With several runners every year for the race campaigned in hurdles races and/or over inadequate trips in the run-up to the race, the BHA has afforded Smith discretion in how allocates the weights.
However, Smith was keen to address the issue when interviewed on At The Races earlier, saying: “First of all, Rule The World - he [Eddie O'Leary] wouldn't know what I gave him because he's retired and wasn't entered in the race this year, so that's a little bit of speculation.
"I've got a funny feeling Don Poli is currently favourite in the race - they've twigged he is 2lb lower and not 2lb higher and they are pretty shrewd operators, I think" - Phil Smith
"But let's go with Don Poli and all those other horses at the top - they're actually 2lb lower than I had them, not 2lb higher and that's the first piece of misinformation.
“Let's take Don Poli, he was rated 165 in last year's end-of-season Anglo-Irish jumps classification. That was agreed by both myself and Noel [O'Brien, senior Irish National Hunt handicapper].
"Since then, Don Poli has finished second in the Lexus and third in the Irish Gold Cup, so I still have him on 165. For running two cracking races in Grade Ones, I still have him on 165. I've compressed him by 2lb, as I have all the other top three or four horses.
"It is all built around Don Poli being 165, it's straightforward, not difficult at all.
"All of those top horses have been compressed by 2lb. I think the bookmakers have clearly twigged that, because I've got a funny feeling Don Poli is currently favourite in the race - they've twigged he is 2lb lower and not 2lb higher and they are pretty shrewd operators, I think.
"We keep our own Irish ratings, the question is should we? From our handicapping point of view, we spend around an extra 18 hours a week, that's about three hours a week for each of our six jumps handicappers - that we don't have to do - to keep separate Irish ratings. We do it because we want our handicaps to be as competitive as possible.
"It's the same with all ratings organisations - are Timeform's exactly the same as ours? Of course they're not. You often get different interpretations of races, that's just the way of the world.
"Ours are different from Ireland, it doesn't mean they are right or they are wrong. The most important thing is to be consistent with yourself.
"We have to merge two entirely different cohorts into one large handicap. Of course, we can take the lazy way out and say 'let's put them in off their Irish rating', and years and years and years ago we used to do that, with amazingly successful results for Irish trainers, and so English trainers said to us 'we think you should keep your own Irish ratings'.
"The thinking behind that is we will be treating those horses and handicapping those horses the same way as we do with the English. That's an explanation as to why we do it."Comment
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Is it just me or is it really a bit Ironic , that a man who admitted he would charge a Quid a time for the passengers on his aeroplanes to use the toilets ,If he was allowed to,. Get's more than a bit upset when one of his horses gets charged an extra couple of pounds !!!!! . l.o.l !Comment
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Simple solution would be to run Outlander and pull him up before the first fence: And say "we can all play games"
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It continues.....
Gigginstown House Stud owner Michael O'Leary has accused BHA head of handicapping Phil Smith of making up the rules as he goes along as he ruled favourite Don Poli out of the Randox Health Grand National because of his allotted weight.
In an escalating row over the treatment of Irish-based horses by the handicapper in Britain, O'Leary called on Smith to clearly explain his policy before he compiles weights for the race, so Irish connections could then decide whether to make an entry.
O'Leary, who won the £1 million race last year with Rule The World, is unhappy with Don Poli being allotted 11st 7lb off a rating of 163 in a handicap headed by another of his horses, Outlander, on 11st 10lb, with another, Empire Of Dirt, on 11st 8lb.
Ryanair boss O'Leary had expected horses at the top of the handicap to be more leniently treated in order to encourage the best to take part, but they have been assessed at marks higher than their Irish rating, as a result of which he said none would take their chance at Aintree.
Smith, who has carte blanche when it comes to framing the Grand National weights, appeared on At The Races on Thursday to defend his and his team's handicapping of Irish-trained horses.
At the unveiling of the weights on Tuesday, trainer Gordon Elliott had ruled Outlander out and described Empire Of Dirt as doubtful, he had said that Don Poli "definitely runs".
However, O'Leary was equally adamant on Thursday night that the eight-year-old would not run, and said: "I want to come back on some of the drivel spouted by the head of handicapping.
"I read about Smith's appearance on the ATR show in which he spoke complete and utter contradictory nonsense, but it's what we've come to expect from him.
"First he says he has a policy of handicapping Irish horses separately to the Turf Club. Don Poli has run three times this year, all in Grade 1s – it's not like we were running him over hurdles – and was pulled up, then beaten by a 160-rated horse at Down Royal, then beaten by a 160-rated handicapper at Leopardstown.
"If he'd beaten both of those by 15 lengths would Phil Smith still be running him off his 12-month-old UK handicap mark? Of course he wouldn't."
He added: "The whole thing with the National for the last number of years leads you to believe as an owner that if you enter your good horses then the weights will be compressed and you may have some chance.
"He now puts the weights up. Phil Smith decides to leave Don Poli on 165 but compresses him by 2lb, as a result of which he won't run.
"If Phil Smith tells us what the rules are, we won't waste our time entering good horses. If Don Poli had had a reasonable handicap mark, been compressed down 4-5-6lb off his Irish mark, over four and a quarter miles you might consider it, but he is clearly going nowhere."
Also going nowhere, or at least not to the Grand National, are Outlander and Empire Of Dirt.
O'Leary said: "None of the top three of mine – Outlander, Empire Of Dirt and Don Poli – will run if they are not going to be treated fairly. They can still go to Aintree or to the Gold Cup and I'd rather they were running in conditions races anyway."
Referencing Smith's remark on ATR that bookmakers seemingly felt Don Poli had not been harshly treated, given they made him general 14-1 favourite, O'Leary said: "His justification for this is, 'I notice the bookies have him as favourite, they are usually pretty shrewd, they obviously don't think he's hard done by'.
"So that's how you run your handicapping system is it, based on what some ante-post spivs think? He is clearly talking utter drivel."
The obviously outraged owner continued: "I won this race last year with a horse who had never won a chase race in his life. It's not like we set out to target handicaps.
"We're talking here about horses that have not even run in a handicap this season. It's not like they have been minded and protected.
"Don Poli was favourite for the Irish Gold Cup last weekend and was beaten not just by Sizing John, but by Empire Of Dirt, who is just a glorified handicapper and was beaten fair and square.
"If you're going to ask Don Poli to run four and a quarter miles, at least compress his weight by 4-5lb to give him a chance. Many Clouds had his weight compressed last year, which is fine, everyone accepts that, but tell us what the rules are Phil.
"If you're going to change the rules where you're no longer going to compress the weights for the good horses but increase them because they're Irish entries, then fine. If you don't want us to enter we won't enter the good horses.
"But stop making it up as you go along, then coming out with drivel to justify it, which is all he's said on ATR."Comment
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They have a point ...Comment
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Nah, I'm sorry, I can't be having anything O'Leary says.
He's a hard line businessman. He took his horses out of the Mullins yard because of a few Euro's, he'd charge you to have a s*** on one of his planes if he could (not that this has any relevance to racing, but you can gauge the type of bloke he is), and now, because he has nothing else to moan about he thinks it is unfair that his Grade 1 winning horse has been allotted a fair (IMO) weight.
Many Clouds won the race off 11-9 after finishing 6th in a Gold Cup, Neptune Collonges had to carry 11-6 when winning the race and his form figures for the season prior to the race were PU-4-2-2, Don Poli has finished 3rd in a Gold Cup, and his figures for the season so far are PU-2-3 and the 2nd & 3rd were in much better races than those contested by Neptune Collonges, and the distance beaten in the Gold Cup was a lot less than that of Many Clouds. I can't see how he has room to complain? If he had a particle of sense in his head he'd do what someone else has suggested and run Outlander off 11-10, pull him up, that way Poli only gets the 11-7 anyway which, if good enough, wouldn't be a problem.Comment
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Not sure Phil Smith is helping himself here, taking the Donald Trump approach and raging war with anyone who disagrees with you isn't helpful, far Classier to let the motormouths do their bit and stay out of it with professional silence....Comment
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I personally think he had the top weighted horses spot on, except Champagne WestComment
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I don't see any issues with the weights either. A storm in a tea cup and I'm sure Don Poli will run. He isn't badly handicapped!Comment
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Do you think GE has been running DP in a way to lose his races?
They seem really pissed about DP. I am wondering if he is a better horse than what we have seen. Surely he was plotted?Comment
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FWIW I don't think they will run DP now. They had 11 in the top 40 which was ridiculous anyway. There should be a limit on number of entries an owner can make.Comment
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I hope you're wrong Mayo - he'd be my biggest ever winner should he win the Grand National.Comment
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