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2017 Champion Chase

  • Thread starter Thread starter Morning Glory
  • Start date Start date
Douvan is a special one but evens and odds on already. Just not my type of bet.

Vautour 25s for Champion Chase and Douvan 12s for Gold Cup with Paddys. That double is more my style.
 
You might as well slip Djakadam in for the Ryanair then with that. If Douvan goes for the Gold Cup, Djakadam will be re-routed to the trip he can win at. I can't imagine any horse has even been close to 3rd time lucky in the Gold Cup?
 
It was the 19th of April my plan was all coming into place...

Vautour having switched to the Ryanair at Cheltenham didn't turn up the 3 mile race at Aintree. Having been touted to lineup against Don Cossack and co at Punchestown he ended up being declared for the 2 mile champion chase.

Douvan was fulfilling his promise as the best they've ever had and the talk of him being a Gold Cup horse (at some point) was starting to be brought up more and more

Vautour would surely bolt up at 4/9 over 2 miles against inferior opposition, setting the wheels in motion for Vautour to go Queen Mother and Douvan to go King George and finally land the Gold Cup for Mullins...

3 bets which placed:

33/1 Douvan King George / Gold Cup double
7/1 Douvan King George and 8/1 Vautour Champion Chase double
16/1 Douvan Gold Cup and 8/1 Vautour Champion Chase double

The prices would tumble when Vautour and Douvan would start over these trips November time. Perfect...

Just the small issue that Vautour didn't win and looked to no longer have the pace over 2 miles. Now he's out to 25/1 :grumpy:

But good to see some still haven't given up hope. Concern that he may now lack the speed for 2 miles? Or just writing off that Punchestown run? (he has never really performed well at that course)

At some big prices the 2 from Gary Moore's stable stand out for me. Ar Mad looked hugely promising last year and Speical Tiara ran a huge race last time out. Both hugely thought of in the yard and 25/1 for both looks decent.
 
Certainly not a lost hope regarding Vautour, and interesting if he is tried over 2m at any point but if he isn't going to go for the Gold Cup, I can't imagine they'll try the CC when the Ryanair will be at his mercy.

Ar Mad though I am getting really tempted by, although I am slightly put off by the "better going right-handed" that was at one point enough to stop Ar Mad going for The Arkle... I think Moore changed him mind after how impressively he had won but 25's seems fair if that is factored in. I don't particularly like the better going x-handed arguement, but I do use it when it wors in my favour (irionally Vautour being a good example) so really I should ignore Ar Mad based on the track. Doubt it'll be 25 on the day though.
 
Yeah plus 2mile 4/5 just looks the absoloute ideal trip for Vautour.

In my head i've written the bets off now just for my sanity! I remember the 14/15 season doing the Vautour Arkle and Faugheen Champion Hurdle double. Would have been my biggest ever winning bet and literally spent the whole season clinging onto the hope Vautour and not Un de Sceaux would be the Arkle horse (like many i remember).

Even after the Vautour Ryanair fiasco this year i'm still a sucker for guessing the targets in low stack mutiples for the Mullins horses. It's a big 'if' and it's getting harder and harder but if you get the right races the prices can be huge. (Kevloaf - think I remember seeing you put up the Min / Yorkhill double - that's got my interest).

With Ar Mad his last run at Plumpton was a lot better and proved he can act going left handed. Albeit against hugely inferior opposition and he did still show a slight tendancy to jump right. I'm reluctant to take what Moore says too literally too. I'm sure I recall the year Sire de Grugy won the Champion Chase - Moore had stated he wouldn't be going to the Festival and would look to races in France as he didn't act on the track. Come March he won the Champion Chase!

I do try and get a list together of 'forgotten' horses around this time of year, with injury the previous season often being the key reason and so are little under the radar until they run again the following season. Of course the risk of the injury taking it's toll is a factor in why the price is so big. The likes of Ar Mad, Traffic Fluide, Jezki, Uxizandre are all horses on my list for this season so far
 
Don't remind me about Vautour and the Arkle Jono......:sorrow:

I was convinced he would be lining up in the Arkle as well and had him to win serious money. His performance in the JLT was made it worse as I believe he'd have beaten UDS out of sight.

Like you I've backed Vautour for this season's Champion Chase but just can't see that happening now.
 
Ruby again makiing the decision I'd say. Really we should all go nuts on Vautour at 4/1 for the Ryanair because he won't be beaten in it and by far and away the most likely target. Douvan CC and Vautour Ryanair double. If Ricci wants the Gold Cup he'll have to hope Djakadam or Vroum Vroum Mag are up to it...
 
Vautour going for fourth different race in a row at Fez ? Bobs Worth did the hat trick - first since Flying Bolt.

He loves Cheltenham but I am not totally convinced by him these days ..last years form

scrapped past ptit zgig
beaten by Cue card
romps Ryanair
falls at Aintree
beaten by Gods Own ( with Simonsig on premises after years off)

looks a risky proposition in my view
 
I'd be going all-in if I knew he was going for the Ryanair because the festival chase form over the C&D is better than anything else could get close to doing, BUT, I want him to be in the Gold Cup!

I don't think you can knock the form too much either... "beaten by Cue Card" doesn't do him justice really, it was a nose over 3 miles. That form would have been good enough for to win the Ryanair IMO.

Ptit Zig was still beaten and was getting weight wasn't it? Although somewhat disappointing but that still a first run.

Can always forgive one fall and I think a combination of one race too many and everything being more in Gods Owns favour?

They've never said he is easy to train and I think he will peak again for the one day... I do hope it is the Gold Cup and I do hope he goes for the KG and finishes the race well because he is just another level when on song!
 
:D a bit harsh re KG alright.

I do think these old records are there for a reason - it is hard to come back year after year. Do you think they will even go to Kempton this time ?
 
I think the problem they have with Vatour is that he clearly doesn't thrive in the winter months, he always comes back with a heavy condition on his first run doesn't run up to form for a couple of races but as soon as he gets better ground and going left handed he becomes a different animal, almost untouchable as we have seen the last 3 years at Cheltenham, the issue is they are more or less forced into sending him to kempton for the King George, it's not the harshest but a good test at 3 miles and against class field with other gold cup contenders in it, so it's one of the few options to gage his stamina but it's just at the wrong time of year for him, although I agree you can't really knock the form of his very narrow defeat to cue card, a horse that was tanking in the gold cup and as ruby said if he held on to him for a little longer before going for home there was every chance he wouldn't have got caught, I think they owe it to the horse, the punters and themselves to give the gold cup a go, and win or loose they wouldn't loose anything by trying, the horse has his black type already and a 3 time festival winner...
 
I do to be honest, I think a nose second is good enough to have another go and I don't think Douvan will be aimed for the King George either.

Douvan picked up all the 2 miler chases this year and there isn't any reason they wouldn't take the easier option of the Champion Chase. Mullins and Ruby would be happy to win it and Douvan is young enough to step up in trip later on. No rush with him, especially when they don't have a ready made replacement for the CC. Last season Mullins said he could move Killultagh Vic to the Arkle so I suppose that is one option.... BUT, when Vautour was second by a nose and gets 2 miles 5 at Cheltenham and Douvan has the 2 mile division seemingly at his mercy, there doesn't seem to be a need to see if Douvan is a Gold Cup horse this year...
 
I want to see what they do with Champagne Fever this season, his past couple of runs were to bad to be true, and Mullins has admitted to not being entirely sure what to do with him, hopefully with a good summer on his back and a full season we will see the true CF again, the one that won the bumper and the supreme and lost out in a thrilling arkle by the shortest of nose, 9yo now but I'm sure there is one big race left in him
 
Seems obvious that he should race over 2 miles when you put it like that doesn't it. They tried to get the King George trip with him didn't they a couple of years back?

Maybe if Douvan DID step up in distance they'd think about CF for this? I am a fan but I think in this race he'd struggle to keep up with Sprinter Sacre for starters.
 
A friend of mine would like to see him contest the World Hurdle, I think he will go Ryanair if he turns up fit and well at the Fest unless Ricci fires two bullets at the ChampChase
 
To be fair when we are discussing targets for these big horses of Mullins, douvan, Vatour, Djakadam etc. we should be taking into account as well the likes of killultagh Vic and black Hercules, even thouhg riccis horses are more dominant in the yard I think these horses could have an impact on targets as well come the fes, it is going to be a very interesting season for Mullins with what I think is one of his biggest and strongest yards this season as to how they will all be campaigned, I think a lot of them are going to have to be double entered and run in the same races, I mean how could you keep the likes of them apart come the fes, I think throughout the season you'll see them all split up with more than ever coming to England, which by the way makes me want to punt Willie for the trainers title!! there's only so many races at a certain distance come cheltenham....
 
CF for the World Hurdle? Does your friend know something we don't? They always said he was a scopey, chasing type and the King George was too far?
 
gjt - He is probably already favourite for the title isn't he? Not my kind of bet to wait a year at around evens but better than any interest rates I suppose.

Killultagh Vic is going to be really interesting and I think with the depth this year, they will have two live shots at quite a few races. Ruby will have some tough choices and leave the second strings slightly over priced. If Killultagh Vic turned up anywhere with a Ricci one he'll be a bit over priced
 
KV is a potential star but will be placed to avoid the Ricci horses in my opinion which means he could very well become the next Champagne Fever and up in races he shouldn't be in.....
 
I think they thought KV would win at all 3 distances last year and if he would have stayed sound, he would have won the JLT and left BH in the 4 miler?
Mullins definitely said he could compete in an Arkle but Douvan is better and that is believable. I will be really keen to see where he does go because if he was in 'the colours' he'd be a heck of a lot shorter for all 3 targets. Who are the owners? I don't really recognise them. Any chance of them (if they're small) wanting to go for Gold, once in a life time kind of thing?

If Douvan goes CC and Vautour went Ryanair and that got confirmed TODAY, they'd both be odds on... if we knew the Gold Cup horses they certainly wouldn't, so is it safe to assume most of the second strings will (if possible) go for the Gold Cup? (KV, BH, Shaneshill even?)
 
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