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2023 Novice Hurdlers

Benjy23 said:
It'll likely be a completely different tempo in a 2m 6f soft ground maiden at Down Royal, than it'll be in the Ballymore at Cheltenham like.

The bare facts of the race distance is a bit too simplistic I reckon.
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Like last years speedy Ballymore? :apthy: Just joshing. It's a fair point. I'm just not convinced that 2m6f inherently means AB especially with Gordon mentioning the midtrip as being his optimum trip twice already.

I can imagine this being another Ginto all year! Will be interesting to see whether he goes to the Lawlors (not that this helped us last year).
 
Will be interesting to see if he's any good first ! :welcoming:
 
Exar Essay said:
Like last years speedy Ballymore? :apthy: Just joshing. It's a fair point. I'm just not convinced that 2m6f inherently means AB especially with Gordon mentioning the midtrip as being his optimum trip twice already.

I can imagine this being another Ginto all year! Will be interesting to see whether he goes to the Lawlors (not that this helped us last year).
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Last year's Ballymore (also on soft ground) was still run in a time over 50 seconds quicker than Ginto ran 2m 6f in this Down Royal maiden. 50 second furlong a very slow one :welcoming:

Aye, I think it'll drag on with an unknown target for a while! For what it's worth, I'm not saying he'll definitely go Albert Bartlett. But if he goes Ballymore I'll definitely be on the look out for something to take him on with!
 
Benjy23 said:
Last year's Ballymore (also on soft ground) was still run in a time over 50 seconds quicker than Ginto ran 2m 6f in this Down Royal maiden. 50 second furlong a very slow one :welcoming:

Aye, I think it'll drag on with an unknown target for a while! For what it's worth, I'm not saying he'll definitely go Albert Bartlett. But if he goes Ballymore I'll definitely be on the look out for something to take him on with!
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Yeah that's fair. Interestingly, in the last 6 years, I think Fury Road is the only one of Gordon's 10 runners in the 2m6f maiden hurdle at Down Royal to actually end up in the Bartlett.

Of the others, The Storyteller ran in the Coral Cup and Hollow Games ran in the Martin Pipe.
 
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Exar Essay said:
Yeah that's fair. Interestingly, in the last 6 years, I think Fury Road is the only one of Gordon's 10 runners in the 2m6f maiden hurdle at Down Royal to actually end up in the Bartlett.

Of the others, The Storyteller ran in the Coral Cup and Hollow Games ran in the Martin Pipe.
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Aye, he's got a pretty poor record in the Bartlett in general I think? So I wouldn't be surprised if he leaned towards the Ballymore.
 
Surely we can probably wait and see if he's declared first. Gordon has 5 entered in the race. It won't be long until we find out :triumphant:
 
A Ballymore horse generally has to have enough speed to have been somewhere around the business end of a Supreme. American Mike is a Mahler out of a Lord Americo mare so he's destined to end up at staying trips in the not too distant future.

Rather than face a relatively slow first mile, and the mad dash that the Ballymore usually is, it may be that a more galloping Bartlett would suit him better, where he may just be too classy for his rivals. I also suspect that we have a real glut of talent this year and both the Supreme and Ballymore could end being stacked, and the Bartlett is usually a considerably easier option.

I can see the case for him going to both, but if I had to choose which way he'll go right now, I'd probably edge towards the Bartlett. I see him as Elliot's Brown Advisory Novice Chase horse next season, rather than a Turners type, and Elliott it seems to me is very good at looking and planning ahead.
 
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Demandrivingdouvan wins, although I wouldn’t be rushing to cover him. Boost for MN
 
Based on the Stable Tour it seems that Gordon is not waiting around in bumpers with a large chunk of his point to point recruits. Certainly a shift as, even if he didn’t aim them at Cheltenham, he’d usually give them a low key season in bumpers. It’s going to almost put him in the Mullins bingo category given the amount that will go hurdling with big reputations.

I’d say he’s going to be mob handed in the middle to staying distances rather than 2m though.
 
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Really happy to see the plan is to send Present Soldier to start at 2m5f. He's one I really like the P2P form of (along with the horse he beat - Arctic Bresil, with HdB) and I think will be one of a few from that race prominent in the betting for the Bartlett after Xmas.
 
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Lbur4288 said:
Really happy to see the plan is to send Present Soldier to start at 2m5f. He's one I really like the P2P form of (along with the horse he beat - Arctic Bresil, with HdB) and I think will be one of a few from that race prominent in the betting for the Bartlett after Xmas.
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Yeah all of the front three are chasers from that race and want a trip.
 
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JackieMoon33 said:
Based on the Stable Tour it seems that Gordon is not waiting around in bumpers with a large chunk of his point to point recruits. Certainly a shift as, even if he didn’t aim them at Cheltenham, he’d usually give them a low key season in bumpers. It’s going to almost put him in the Mullins bingo category given the amount that will go hurdling with big reputations.

I’d say he’s going to be mob handed in the middle to staying distances rather than 2m though.
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Maybe he thinks he will get a large number of P2P recruits again next year so just get them over jumps early unless they particularly need a year or will be a Cheltenham bumper horse. More prize money as well compared to bumpers and if he wants to challenge Mullins for champion trainer, he needs to be able to increase his firepower across all divisions.
 
JackieMoon33 said:
Based on the Stable Tour it seems that Gordon is not waiting around in bumpers with a large chunk of his point to point recruits. Certainly a shift as, even if he didn’t aim them at Cheltenham, he’d usually give them a low key season in bumpers. It’s going to almost put him in the Mullins bingo category given the amount that will go hurdling with big reputations.

I’d say he’s going to be mob handed in the middle to staying distances rather than 2m though.
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This could be one problem for punters. He has so many, as you note.

Bingo, indeed.

A lot of decent looking types for the Morans. Hopefully they can finally pick up a festival win, they've certainly invested enough.
 
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ComplyOrDie said:
A lot of decent looking types for the Morans. Hopefully they can finally pick up a festival win, they've certainly invested enough.
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They’ve done a lovely job at bective stud, was there in the summer it’s a fine place for lunch and nice walk around.

Plans for a hotel too, pockets are plenty deep enough. Bright future in racing as owners - wish them good.
 
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ComplyOrDie said:
This could be one problem for punters. He has so many, as you note.

Bingo, indeed.

A lot of decent looking types for the Morans. Hopefully they can finally pick up a festival win, they've certainly invested enough.
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One thing I will go back on is my view on King Of Kingsfield not being a Cheltenham candidate because of ownership. He’s the only one that Gordon committed to staying in bumpers and didn’t add a disclaimer about this season ‘being about the future’.
 
A lot will depend on how these Bumper horses perform over the next few days as to what Gordon will do with them going forward. He will want to have a top, top chance of winning the race in March so if his main Bumper horse/horses disappoint then stand by for him to change his mind re one or two if those he says are going hurdling.
 
Lobos said:
A lot will depend on how these Bumper horses perform over the next few days as to what Gordon will do with them going forward. He will want to have a top, top chance of winning the race in March so if his main Bumper horse/horses disappoint then stand by for him to change his mind re one or two if those he says are going hurdling.
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I’m not so sure. Some of those pointers he has are just not made for bumpers and it would just be a waste of a season for them.
 
JackieMoon33 said:
I’m not so sure. Some of those pointers he has are just not made for bumpers and it would just be a waste of a season for them.
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He has a bucket load of them though this season, more than ever before. They'll not all go hurdling, some of them will probably be too weak or backward for that anyway. He adores the Cheltenham Bumper and will definitely keep one and more likely two for that race and they'll both go there with big chances. He'll not send duffers to the Bumper. It's one of his Golden Pentagon races after all.
 
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