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2017 Cheltenham JLT

Politologue looked very good!
Buveur Dair aside, have we seen a better UK challenger for the JLT? I guess we'll know more after the weekend...
 
Leman14 said:
Politologue looked very good!
Buveur Dair aside, have we seen a better UK challenger for the JLT? I guess we'll know more after the weekend...
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Looked nice today. Nicholls has been very keen to talk about next season and that'd always make me think twice before having a bet, certainly ante post
 
Buveur D'air looked good then, Cloudy Dream a good solid yardstick and put the race to bed easily. Interesting to see if they feel the need to step up in trip. I'd guess they would.
 
What a race this is set up to be!! Interesting how willie says he's Arkle material but he's still 7/1 for that behind MIN at 5/1.. Still 5/1 for the JLT after his demolishion job yesterday.. If those 2, American Tom, nicks horse, all of Paul Nicholls horses turn up you could finish 10th and still be a good horse!
 
Kevloaf said:
Buveur D'air looked good then, Cloudy Dream a good solid yardstick and put the race to bed easily. Interesting to see if they feel the need to step up in trip. I'd guess they would.
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I was impressed, seemed to jump well, efficient if not exuberant. Think the step up in trip will suit and think theyll head here with him to avoid altior. The odds are a little skinny now though for me - wont be too much shorter on the day.
 
Tom Segal on the racing post podcast seemed convinced that Buveur D'air is "the quickest horse in the yard" and is sure to go for the Arkle, not this race!
 
I heard that too when I listened to it - having seen the engine and speed that Altior has it it shocked me if true (from Henderson's wife wasn't it?) Think I need to re watch some of Buveur D'Air races now and see if I had missed anything. I know he has shown a good turn of foot in his races but never as striking as Altior has imo, maybe he just hasn't had chance to do so yet?

I very much doubt all 4 (Altior / Min / Yorkill / BD) will line up BUT if they did how close would the betting be? I'm not sure what I want more...all 4 to line up to give us potentially one of the strongest Arkle line ups and a really intriguing and fascinating contest

...or for Altior to face a small field with only Min as his main challenger giving us the best chance of all our antepost bets to come in :D
 
Arkle has a recent history of attracting small fields...
 
BD is a JP Horse, ignore the fact BD and Altior they're from the same stable, what race would JP rather win?

IMO BD will be in the arkle and I think the 9s available is a good each way price. Especially if Yorkhill goes the JLT route which I think he might
 
9s wouldn't be big enough to entice a bet for the Arkle for me because the trainer definitely said a step up in trip would bring out improvement.

At the moment, a comment from Segal on a podcast with a quote from 'the wife' holds less weight than what I've heard from 'the horses mouth' so I'd back BD for the JLT if I was having a bet ... which I absolutely will not be, for either race. Even if the target was confirmed i don't think it's a great each way price... altior min Identity Thief in the Arkle are solid place alternatives..... maybe JLT EW at this stage of a certain target but nothing to get excited about IMHO
 
Seen this elsewhere - Apparently Buveur D’Air could be back over hurdles – Aidan Coleman told Seven Barrows he was far from impressed with him over fences at Warwick over the weekend.
 
KingSprinterSacre said:
Seen this elsewhere - Apparently Buveur D’Air could be back over hurdles – Aidan Coleman told Seven Barrows he was far from impressed with him over fences at Warwick over the weekend.
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Jumped low and in what might be an open champion hurdle year....
 
I'd fancy him rotton if he were to switch to Champion. I said immediately after Haydock that his turn of foot after the final fence looked more akin to a Champion Hurdler than an Arkle winner- he hasn't looked as scopey as I thought he might over fences whereas you look at Altior and he does look like a chaser now (despite the breeding).

I do think he's better on softer ground but he travelled beautifully in the Supreme, despite being beaten 7+ lengths by Altior and without the front two in that Supreme, combined with the absence thus far of Annie Power and Faugheen would put him in with a real shout, certainly each-way.
 
I don't think Buveur D'air will be carrying my money wherever he ends up. His neck beating of Petit Mouchoir at Aintree would give him an each way chance in the CH I suppose BUT you'd hardly consider it a perfect prep, he was flattered in the Supreme in my opinion too and Petit Mouchoir certainly looks to have improved. Looks a typical over bet JP horse to me.

Clan Des Obeaux out to 20/1 - if he did turn up at the festival you'd think this would still be the race and on better ground could become a player?
 
Kevloaf said:
I don't think Buveur D'air will be carrying my money wherever he ends up. His neck beating of Petit Mouchoir at Aintree would give him an each way chance in the CH I suppose BUT you'd hardly consider it a perfect prep, he was flattered in the Supreme in my opinion too and Petit Mouchoir certainly looks to have improved. Looks a typical over bet JP horse to me.

Clan Des Obeaux out to 20/1 - if he did turn up at the festival you'd think this would still be the race and on better ground could become a player?
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Not sure he would want better ground KL- lovely chaser with a decent future but can't have CDO on spring ground. His eyecatching performances seem to have come on soft for me and his French pedigree and action make me think the same.

I'll be really interested to see him over time though, on nice winter ground. He's the sort that might end up running in a King George one day. I also think that race with Whisper the other day will make a man of him. He's only a 5 Y O and he stuck on really nicely.
 
Clan des Obeaux is a tough one.
He was beaten by a 9 year old novice in Whisper who is far better on quick ground in a small field, I think connections will have to have been disappointed with that as that probably confirmed he was short of the class needed to win a JLT
 
Yorkhill and American Tom entered at Naas on Sunday .... and royal caviar... Yorkhill is quoted as being the one to run so I'd be surprised if AT did too?

Over 2m and likely to be a very small field
 
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Hoping for a better round of jumping from Yorkhill - he should going left handed round Naas.
 
Another run at 2m then for Yorkhill. I think the days leading up to Cheltenham are going to be very tense with regards to which horses go where again!
 
Al Ferof said:
Another run at 2m then for Yorkhill. I think the days leading up to Cheltenham are going to be very tense with regards to which horses go where again!
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I would be incredibly surprised if Yorkhill runs in anything but the JLT regardless of the distance he is currently running at. Even if something happens to Min I still think that this is the route they will take anyway.
 
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