• HELP US - Become a Patron - Fat Jockey is a horse racing community focused on all the big races in the UK and Ireland. We don't charge users but if you have found the site useful then any support towards the running costs is appreciated ... a small donation each month would be a huge contribution. Become a Patron!

2026 Champion Chase

Lobos said:
Good news for Jonbon Ryanair fans. He won't miss Cheltenham will he ? Maybe they are thinking Ascot then Aintree. Good news for Maj CC fans as well....
Click to expand...
Pains me to say it as a Ryanair backer, but I can see the Ascot and Aintree thing with the gap more generous than Ascot and Cheltenham.
Anyway, we shall see.
 
Carnage at Taunton said:
He’s certainly the most reliable in the race and worthy fav, but no superstar.
Not an absolute cert either.
Click to expand...
He's probably right. If he jumps he wins. However, it is also the Champion Chase where anything can happen (as we saw yesterday) and jumping is the name of the game. It is also a race where favourites have a poor record with just 8 winners this century. 12 of the 25 races had an odds on favourite and only 3 winners including 4 odds on chances beat in the last 10 years.
 
riccirich said:
With no malice intended to people who think different - when it comes to connells comments, I really think people need to grow a pair.

Its a bit of harmless thrash talk that adds to the entertainment of it all. He's not saying anything terrible, basically just that he thinks his horse is far better than the others. Its not as if he's insulting Henderson or laughing at il etait temps falling or something. Every single other sport has this and people laugh and say its good for the game, but in racing its not allowed apparently.

There's never any controversy about him - no betting irregularities, not known for cheating and fielding non triers, went out of his way to keep everyone up to date on William munnys injury. You can literally send him an email asking about future plans for his horses, and he'll respond with a fully honest answer, as he has several times to people on here. But he's the guy you have a problem with in racing?

Not the countless other big name trainers/owners who are considered "classier", who are fielding non triers every week and cheating to make a bit of cash or get a nice handicap mark. Who go out of their way to keep injuries secret for as long as possible, but we know anyway because of exchange movement days or weeks earlier. Who tell barefaced lies to the public about how well they're horse is, despite the exchange and people with links to the yard stating the opposite which turns out to be true.

But nevermind all that, the moral line is drawn at him being too honest and saying that he thinks his horse is better than somebody else's?
Click to expand...
I think it’s a personal preference myself.
Some people like his sort of way, others don’t.
As this thread shows.
 
Carnage at Taunton said:
Pains me to say it as a Ryanair backer, but I can see the Ascot and Aintree thing with the gap more generous than Ascot and Cheltenham.
Anyway, we shall see.
Click to expand...
....and I was going to back him for the first time ever as well.......my fault!!!
 
Many Clouds said:
I like it, bit of fighting talk, backing his own horses and sticking his neck on the line early. Better than the same old boring shite we get from everyone else.
Click to expand...
As long as he don’t mind looking a tad foolish when his talk backfires.
He don’t look the type to give a monkeys to me.
 
riccirich said:
With no malice intended to people who think different - when it comes to connells comments, I really think people need to grow a pair.

Its a bit of harmless thrash talk that adds to the entertainment of it all. He's not saying anything terrible, basically just that he thinks his horse is far better than the others. Its not as if he's insulting Henderson or laughing at il etait temps falling or something. Every single other sport has this and people laugh and say its good for the game, but in racing its not allowed apparently.

There's never any controversy about him - no betting irregularities, not known for cheating and fielding non triers, went out of his way to keep everyone up to date on William munnys injury. You can literally send him an email asking about future plans for his horses, and he'll respond with a fully honest answer, as he has several times to people on here. But he's the guy you have a problem with in racing?

Not the countless other big name trainers/owners who are considered "classier", who are fielding non triers every week and cheating to make a bit of cash or get a nice handicap mark. Who go out of their way to keep injuries secret for as long as possible, but we know anyway because of exchange movement days or weeks earlier. Who tell barefaced lies to the public about how well they're horse is, despite the exchange and people with links to the yard stating the opposite which turns out to be true.

But nevermind all that, the moral line is drawn at him being too honest and saying that he thinks his horse is better than somebody else's?
Click to expand...
I think it is the disrespect he shows towards Jonbon's record more than anything. But I guess people see things differently. To him it appears Cheltenham is the 'be all and end all' to a season, whereas for Henderson it is more about winning grade 1 races. As a comparison, Marine Nationale is a 9yo with 4 grade 1 wins, Jonbon is a 10yo with 11 wins at the highest level. Jonbon has yet to finish outside the top 2 in 26 starts, MN has twice finished outside the first 2 in just 13 starts. Yes, the standard of racing in Ireland is stronger throughout the season but it's still consistency at its best. I can put it another way also. Jonbon has run to an RPR of 164 or higher 16 times in his career, more than Marine Nationale has even raced, Marine Nationale has done it three times... Think he deserves a bit more respect than just being 'that horse everyone beats'.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EnvoiAlien, YoungHustler and Carnage at Taunton
Think he only said that about Jonbon because he's Douvan's brother.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Quevega
Quevega said:

Loading…

www.irishracing.com

ascot chase and skip ?
or straight to ryanair.

Henderson speaking though, so not sure what owners will think.
Click to expand...
Sunday evening, few large brandies down, feeling buoyant after a good weekend, someone called & he started revving up to some poor hack I reckon, Frank Berry will be sending a strongly worded telegram post haste.
 
EnvoiAlien said:
Sunday evening, few large brandies down, feeling buoyant after a good weekend, someone called & he started revving up to some poor hack I reckon, Frank Berry will be sending a strongly worded telegram post haste.
Click to expand...
Well the way FTF and Maj ran last time, one would expect JP would want Jonbon in one of the races
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lobos and EnvoiAlien
….P Mullins re IET;

The assistant trainer told Sporting Life: "He got up fine, he's travelled home, he's at home and everything seems fine. He was just winded on the ground, that's why it took him such a while to get up.

"From the word go, he wasn't himself. He didn't seem to jump or travel like he can. I know he got into the race, got past Jonbon for maybe three or four out, but he petered out quite quickly then.

"We don't really have any obvious reason. Perhaps just on that Ascot ground, it's very used and tacky and old and will be slightly different than maybe the kind of wet, loose ground that we got in Sandown. So we don't really know.

"Barry O'Connell (trainer of Champion Chase favourite and title-holder Marine Nationale) might not have been surprised, but we were."

In terms of potentially going straight to the Cheltenham Festival on the back of a fall, he added: "It's not ideal but I'd imagine you have to go to Cheltenham straight from that, but we'll see what Willie thinks. It's definitely not ideal, but I don't see it as a major negative - I think if we can get him back to his form, back to himself, then we've had horses that have come back from having a fall and won a Grade One afterwards. So it can be done, but it's not how you'd like to be doing it."
 
Eggs said:
….P Mullins re IET;

The assistant trainer told Sporting Life: "He got up fine, he's travelled home, he's at home and everything seems fine. He was just winded on the ground, that's why it took him such a while to get up.

"From the word go, he wasn't himself. He didn't seem to jump or travel like he can. I know he got into the race, got past Jonbon for maybe three or four out, but he petered out quite quickly then.

"We don't really have any obvious reason. Perhaps just on that Ascot ground, it's very used and tacky and old and will be slightly different than maybe the kind of wet, loose ground that we got in Sandown. So we don't really know.

"Barry O'Connell (trainer of Champion Chase favourite and title-holder Marine Nationale) might not have been surprised, but we were."

In terms of potentially going straight to the Cheltenham Festival on the back of a fall, he added: "It's not ideal but I'd imagine you have to go to Cheltenham straight from that, but we'll see what Willie thinks. It's definitely not ideal, but I don't see it as a major negative - I think if we can get him back to his form, back to himself, then we've had horses that have come back from having a fall and won a Grade One afterwards. So it can be done, but it's not how you'd like to be doing it."
Click to expand...
Not sure he has won a Cheltenham Grade 1 with a horse who fell last time out... Not even sure about winning with one who had failed to finish last time. Be interested to know the stats if anyone could produce it (Any proform owners?).
 
Runragged said:
Not sure he has won a Cheltenham Grade 1 with a horse who fell last time out... Not even sure about winning with one who had failed to finish last time. Be interested to know the stats if anyone could produce it (Any proform owners?).
Click to expand...
Lossiemouth.
Think there is one or two more
 
Runragged said:
Not sure he has won a Cheltenham Grade 1 with a horse who fell last time out... Not even sure about winning with one who had failed to finish last time. Be interested to know the stats if anyone could produce it (Any proform owners?).
Click to expand...
4 who fell last time out, 3 who unseated rider

Lossiemouth
Champ
Nichols Canyon
Black Hercules

Gaelic Warrior
Uxizandre
Voy Por Ustedes
 
Prestbury said:
4 who fell last time out, 3 who unseated rider

Lossiemouth
Champ
Nichols Canyon
Black Hercules

Gaelic Warrior
Uxizandre
Voy Por Ustedes
Click to expand...
Bloody Hell.......pretty good trend then 😂
 
Prestbury said:
4 who fell last time out, 3 who unseated rider

Lossiemouth
Champ
Nichols Canyon
Black Hercules

Gaelic Warrior
Uxizandre
Voy Por Ustedes
Click to expand...
Thanks, so 4 for Mullins, two hurdlers and two novice chasers. Uxizandre and Voy Por Ustedes (Both trained by Alan King) the only open chasers to win having not completed last time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom