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2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup

i have put smad place in a few accas for the King George.

Trainer peaks his horses early in season and think a lot of big guns might go elsewhere (and so might he but at 25s think he is worth a chance).

10s on Coneygree could be huge ...
 
Istabraq said:
On the face of it yes but if he was mine I'd probably take a softly softly approach until the big day, we know he's fragile and we don't know whether he has retained all his ability or how his limbs will react to pressure racing, I'd just be inclined to take a slightly easier route to Cheltenham....
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But Ista, you have to factor in they might accidently enter him in the King George this time :highly_amused:
 
Smad Place got a strange ride in the KG last year, should have been out in front popping away like he did when he took the handicap apart! Got a soft spot for Smad Place! 25's won't be there...
 
V true Kevloaf !

Smad Place they said was bottomed out by his Hennessy win and hadn't recovered in time, I didn't buy that because he slammed Many Clouds on trials day 4 weeks later.
I like the horse, strikes me as National horse more than GC
 
Istabraq said:
V true Kevloaf !

Smad Place they said was bottomed out by his Hennessy win and hadn't recovered in time, I didn't buy that because he slammed Many Clouds on trials day 4 weeks later.
I like the horse, strikes me as National horse more than GC
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Ooooh has there been any talk of that? I would LOVE that... Watching him ping the last 5 lengths clear .... but who is this out of the pack, being niggled since the first fence, its DON POLI.... catching every stride! together at the elbow, and Kevloaf lands the GN forecast :o
 
Minella rocco given a positive word by Derek oconnor on Twitter. big baby last year- grade1 horse this term ! Not convinced myself.
 
I think at 50/1 hes worth a go for the GC, the 4 miler looks the best staying nov chase form to me.
 
Mullins said: "I think the £1m bonus is a great addition and, if you look back to Cue Card last year, it definitely added more interest to the Gold Cup. I think we'll campaign our horses, that if they are ready, they could run in that series of races, but we are not going to get the horses ready to run in it. We are still working back from March time.

"You'd imagine that he (Djakadam) will go back for the Gold Cup again. I think The Fellow was beaten in two Gold Cups and he came back to win one, so perhaps history may repeat itself.

"Vautour put on a lot of weight on his break and looks super. His run in the King George last year - where he didn't jump particularly well - was very good and that form is as good as there is out there. That is Gold Cup form and I imagine that it will be later this year when we'll see him back on the racecourse."

so Vautour not going for Bonus but Djakadam might ?
 
Djakadam might go for it but for some reason I just can't imagine this horse running in, let alone winning, the King George. If he won the Betfair Chase, then would Ruby get off and ride Vautour in the King George? I can't see that happening and it'd be a big surprise if after losing by a head they didn't fire Vautour at this race again!

If Djakadam does get declared for the Betfair Chase, I think I will be convinced Vautour will be running in the Ryanair and will start to slip him in to some ante-post doubles and trebles.
 
Hearing more and more news stories about the jump season day by day now...love this time of year!! :)

Couple of pieces on Thistlecrack, Cue Card and Coneygree:

Thistlecrack

"Thistlecrack is absolutely fine and he's doing plenty of work.

"We just hope there's plenty of rain in the next few weeks as we'd want good or good to soft ground to be going to Chepstow or Exeter or somewhere like that with him.

"We hope to get there (Chepstow) as it's a nice place to start and it's a race we've run Cue Card and Native River in before.

"He's fine over two and a half (miles) - he's not a slow coach - and it will probably be better for him to start off over that sort of trip."

Cue Card:

"He's right on target for the Charlie Hall," said the trainer.

"We could run him in a fortnight if we wanted to. We're very happy with him."

Coneygree:

"He is in very good form. He did his first piece of proper fast work on Saturday and he feels amazing really," said Bradstock.

"I actually think he's probably in better form than he was this time last year. The injury he had was one of those niggly things that got progressively worse and, in hindsight, I think it's something he probably picked up when he won the Gold Cup.

"He obviously came out and won at Sandown, but looking back, I don't think he jumped as well as can that day, so he was probably feeling something. He obviously wasn't lame or we wouldn't have run.

"The weather is going to play a big part in where we start off as I don't think we'd even think about running him on good ground, it would need to be on the slow side of good.

"We are tempted by the bonus, so it could be that we wait until the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

"If the ground came we might think about the Charlie Hall. We'll probably enter him at Wetherby and see how it looks, but the worry would be it comes close enough to Haydock.

"Unfortunately there aren't any easy options for horses like him. I'd like be able to get a nice, easy win into him somewhere.

"In the Michael Dickinson days horses could run in an open handicap, face a couple of other horses and be 1-10, but there aren't races like that nowadays.

"The thing about Coneygree is, because of his style of racing, anything that runs against him, is going to have a hard race.

"That's why we couldn't understand all the rubbish that was talked when people were questioning whether we should run in the Gold Cup. He was only going to do his usual thing whichever race he ran in and he didn't know what the race was called."

She went on: "We'll see what happens in the next month or so, but the most likely scenario is we'll give him a racecourse gallop somewhere and then go to Haydock.

"I feel every step he takes, so we'll see how he's feeling nearer the time and let him tell us what he wants to do."

"I think Don Cossack might have beaten us in the Gold Cup last season, purely because the ground was so quick. He's obviously out of action at the moment and I just hope they don't have the ground like that again (at Cheltenham).

"I love the idea they've got Thistlecrack as favourite when he hasn't even jumped a fence. I think we've all been drawn in to believing he's the next Big Buck's, but he's not yet.

"He's rated 174 over hurdles, we're 172 over fences, but I would like to think Thistlecrack would need to improve for jumping a fence to be beating us.

"Maybe I'm being optimistic and he'll end up being the next Arkle, but I don't think we've got anything to be frightened of and I can't wait to start.

"Max (Coneygree) and I have trod many miles together since last Christmas, I would guess hundreds of miles.

"He is in very good order at the moment. I keep saying he's got to win another Gold Cup because I can't remember the first one - we've obviously watched the race back many times, but I honestly can't remember watching it live as I was in such a flap!"
 
Nice and confident about Coneygree which they deserve to be! I'll be hoping the same spark is there because it makes it all incredibly exciting!
 
Good Quotes jono.

Thistlecrack as the next Big Bucks means he aint winning the Gold Cup.

Horses making that switch have a history of disappointing - has any ever doubled up ? I could be wrong but Bobs Worth 1 and 3 doing it the other way around best pair of results I can recall,
 
Thistlecrack looks like he should jump a fence though ...
 
Couldn't be happier with those quotes as coneygree is one I'm punting for the gold cup and the other is thistlecrack, I believe coneygree will retain all his ability and if not improve a little, just need to hope he stays fit and for thistlecrack I just need to hope he can jump a fence, believe that horse has a bottomless engine and could run all day, and at speed!!
 
I'm also siding between Thistlecrack and Coneygree at this early stage (add cheeky little bets on Douvan but that looks to be gone). I'm on Thistlecrack and I really want to get involved on the 14/1 with Coneygree, if we could know it'll be soft ground come March 17th I can't see anything getting to him.

Thistlecrack blew me away last year, even more so than the likes of Douvan. To have that much speed and be on the bridle finishing over 3miles is unbelievable.

I think the horses that appeal at the bigger prices all revolve around Mullins : Killultagh Vic, Black Hercules, Valseur Lido but all three have a wide variety of options (and I still think Don Poli could place too!)

Can you imagine a soft (good-to-soft in places) Gold Cup with a injury-free Coneygree and a Thistlecrack who's carried his hurdle form over to fences...Coneygree leads the way turning for home jumping impeccably but there's Thistlecrack still on the bridle tanking along behind coming at him... :D:D
 
I'd love to see Valseur Lido over the longer trip. If Don Poli goes for the National and Don Cossack doesn't make it back, surely gigginstown would give him a crack? Still doubts over whether Coneygree comes back to his best or if Thistlecrack can jump a fence... Worth a punt at longer odds?
(Lots of ifs, buts and maybes...)
 
Gigginstown will have two bullets to fire no matter what, but if the Don is back then I'd imagine Valseur lido would partner him with don poli being kept for the national, agree with you leman about those at bigger odds but they do revolve around Mullins so buy the time they get a confirmed target and if it was to be this then the price would have dropped I feel, black Hercules one of my favs from last year and I hope wylie tells Willie rather than asks him to have him as a gold cup horse, same as with the connections of killultagh Vic, I hope neither have to bow down to riccis runners
 
Plus I can really see coneygree taking the King George, if he does we know he's back and that could be a lovely double to be on!!
 
Wylie surely can't rely on Boston Bob and On His Own this season for the Gold Cup so that'd give you some hope regarding Black Hercules turning up. Although, I think there is a strong case to be made for him going for the Ryanair this year with a view to stepping up for the Gold Cup the season after. (Don Cossack, Imperial Commander) Wylie will want Ruby on board if they like the horse and Ruby surely won't want to ride BH in the Gold Cup when he has Djakadam or Vautour to ride in it?
 
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