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2026 Champion Chase

Il Etait Temps looks to have a difficult task at Clonmel on Thursday. Distance and ground look all against him. Might get a decent price about him for the Tingle Creek after.
 
For me, Marine Nationale is still a huge price for this. There is only Sir Gino that I'd consider as an option at this stage and he's unbackable until the day of the race.
 
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opatcho said:
Agreed.. but I suspect he may drift out a point or two during winter if they run him on soft ground and he gets beat

Slight risk though come March it’s a bog

Not backed him myself atm, but I do think he’s a point too big for this
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Yep, he does look ground dependant. Came good for him at both Cheltenham when every meeting before that was run on deep ground. Still believe this is why so many top horses ran below par at the Festival.
 
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Lobos said:
A general 6/4 now following declarations
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Right now I'd say the ground is quick enough for them to pull Kalif but there's rain due late morning and some of it quite heavy, unlikely to cheer racegoers up but it might just be the difference between the fav running and not.
JPR One has to go close either way...
 
Istabraq said:
Right now I'd say the ground is quick enough for them to pull Kalif but there's rain due late morning and some of it quite heavy, unlikely to cheer racegoers up but it might just be the difference between the fav running and not.
JPR One has to go close either way...
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I'd say he be more inclined to pull him if it got too deep. He'll run as it's likely to be quicker for his next option in the Shloer.

I reckon he'll murder JPR
 
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PN on Kalif......

He's the apple of my eye but he's got to take the next step forward. It's alright having lots of dreams, but he's got to produce it on the track now, but he's an improving young horse. He had a lovely away day with Quebecois and others at Newbury last week, so he's had a racecourse gallop. He looks fit and well, he's had a good prep.

We can talk as much as we like about what we think, but he's got to prove it on the track now and take the next step up the ladder if he's going to be a champion chaser.

It's a big day for him, he won on good ground at Aintree, he doesn't want it too soft, but it needs to be safe. When we get to Exeter we'll be having a good walk round the track to check the ground, and it could be we'll make a decision even after we've run Quebecois, But we want to run him if we can, and I'm very happy with him, he looks great.

We'd like to think he'll run very well, if he's going to be running in the Tingle Creek and races like that he needs to be going very close to winning this. We've used this as a great stepping stone for the Tingle Creek in the past but, as I say, the talking needs to stop and we need to see him produce on the track, which he's done in the past, and I think he'll run very well.

It's his first run of the season and whether it's here or we wait for Cheltenham next week, it will tell us an awful lot about where we go in the future.
 
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