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2016 Gold Cup

RTR won't and cannot win the GC front running, Djakadam will pick him off with a clean round of jumping(last year DA's jumping was average). RTR will have to try to adopt similar tactics as last year but try not to fight for the lead and hope none of the horses in front are as good as Coneygree. He is too ground dependant and I still believe he would have won last year on better ground.
 
RTR had a great season last year starting from galway plate and ending in gold cup.

Doesnt seem in that form this year.
 

Gold Cup Preview
 
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Were they all second division ?
 
Big question mayo.
CL was well touted for last years Gold Cup and on his running in the big race you'd have to think he wasn't good enough, but what then does that say about Road to Riches, First Leuitenant, Sir Des Champs etc (not all of will be going for gold though), but the way he picked up after 2 out and sprinted away from some serious animals that performance alone would put him bang in the Gold Cup picture.
Another case of a prep race throwing up more questions that answers I think
 
I think the Irish gold cup was a case of some top jockeys getting their fractions wrong on testing ground, you could run that race 10 times on decent ground and CL wouldn't get near the principals,
 
Ruby confirms Valseur Lido looks to be heading to Gold Cup...

'Saturday was very disappointing. I was going to the last on Valseur Lido with a great chance of winning the Irish Gold Cup.
He jumped the last fine and that’s maybe why I came off. I wasn’t prepared for the landing. We stumbled, jinked left and I was going forward with him and fell out the side door.
Of course I thought I would win, but then I’m biased as I’m on the jockey on his back.
Carlingford Lough beat Road To Riches 12 lengths and I was going to beat Road To Riches 12 lengths coming to the last. I thought I’d win but we’ll never find out unfortunately.
Watching the race back at home on Sunday morning, Dessie Scahill, in his commentary, said that Ruby Walsh was yet to move a muscle. On hearing that, my six-year-old daughter Isabel said, “that’s what you did wrong daddy, you never moved a muscle!”
Perhaps I should have done something different with the benefit of hindsight, but you can’t live your life with hindsight.
I thought he was going to land and gallop and go forward. My body weight was forward but he pitched left and gravity took over and left me sitting in mid-air.
You always look to see what you could have done better. However, the worst thing you can do as a sportsman is make a knee-jerk reaction and change what you’re doing when, in the bigger picture, it’s working quite well.
Every jockey hates to be unseated, but even more so in a big race at the last. You take it on the chin and go again. You can only affect the future.
I felt I had all those around me covered at a considerable distance from the winning post. I would think he’s definitely a player in the Gold Cup.'
 
^ That is fairly contrite for Ruby.
 
Right I think it's time to look at this race again, I don't think any of the principle runners at the head of the betting will be running again before the big day so it's time to assess who is going to be the plunge horse come the day, yes festival form is going to play a hand, if willie and ruby have 3 big days then rubys choice will probably go off fav, if gigginstown and bryan cooper also have a good start then like wise his mount could well go of fav but as it stands who's for has the real substance and suits the trends to be the next gold cup winner, over the past 9 years only 1 fav has gone off bigger then 3/1 which was long runs triumph at odds of 7/2, so with the field currently 4/1 and above it's gonna pay to get the current prices, but who is the slection for you guys, i'm still torn between Djakadam, who by the way I can't see going off at the current 11/2, and don cossack... What do you all think?
 
Gordon Elliott on Don Cossack: "the better the ground, the less likely he is to wear cheek pieces."
 
Willie on atr said he thinks DP is better the further he goes, didn't look that way in the Lexus, another 100 yards and First Lieutenant would have had him I reckon, he just doesn't look up to winning a Gold cup to me but some horses are very deceptive so hard to rule him out.
 
If Don Poli can keep up with Smad Place, Vautour and Cue Card, and is not far off the pace with two to jump then he'll have a great chance,for me though he is a perfect horse for the Grand National, you could see him staying on past tired horses after the Melling Road, the more I look at the shape of the Gold Cup with the pace in the race I see a strong stayer coming out on top and for me Don Cossack will be the one finishing the fastest of all....ive backed Vautour and Road To Riches earlier in year but I'm now thinking Don Cossack is the one.
 
iainmcf said:
If Don Poli can keep up with Smad Place, Vautour and Cue Card, and is not far off the pace with two to jump then he'll have a great chance,for me though he is a perfect horse for the Grand National, you could see him staying on past tired horses after the Melling Road, the more I look at the shape of the Gold Cup with the pace in the race I see a strong stayer coming out on top and for me Don Cossack will be the one finishing the fastest of all....ive backed Vautour and Road To Riches earlier in year but I'm now thinking Don Cossack is the one.
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Totally agree! DP running style has Grand National written all over him.
 
Interesting that last night ruby seemed more convinced by Djakadams chances and said he will be bending willies ear to run Vautour in the ryan air, suppose would save him from choosing and give him an extra chance of a winner....
 
gjt7756 said:
Interesting that last night ruby seemed more convinced by Djakadams chances and said he will be bending willies ear to run Vautour in the ryan air, suppose would save him from choosing and give him an extra chance of a winner....
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Tells me that Ruby isn't convinced with Vatours stamina, anyone holding a Djakadam voucher should be very encouraged by Rubys comments....
 
gjt7756 said:
Interesting that last night ruby seemed more convinced by Djakadams chances and said he will be bending willies ear to run Vautour in the ryan air, suppose would save him from choosing and give him an extra chance of a winner....
Click to expand...

Although he did mention the reverse forecast as his charity bet.
 
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