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2026 Gold Cup

opatcho said:
I still need to look at the race in more detail, my strike rate in it is dire though

The horse I'd love to see win - Jukebox Man (but typical of me to like the King George type, who then comes here and gets done over)

The horse(s) I have decent antepost position - Gaelic Warrior but he always seems to get beat in top top top grade 1 races, and Jango baie who I am still very surprised to see as joint fav. I still think back to when he was a novice hurdler and he was ok, but nothing great. Maybe thats a sign of a future gold cup horse, he's one that hasnt really been exposed at the trip and could be anything

The horse(s) I cant be having for this - Inothewayurthinkin, I questioned why he didnt run in the grand national, that was his season target, and they ran him at the Fez and Aintree last season. I always thought the reason was that the GC left a mark on Inothewayurthinkin and he wasnt showing anything back at home. He's been terrible since, even worse than last season - at least last year you could say they were trying to protect his mark for the GN
Fact to File - Just cant get out of my head him fading in the John D, I just dont have him as a stayer. Classy but not a stayer.

Will come back to him next week, when I've had more time to review.
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It’s like you’re in my head right now, you just summed up my view and my position on the race, other than I had a small cover on Iknow pre Xmas 😂😂
 
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I also can't be having a british trained horse win this
Just have to go through the last few years, the 3mile please races have all done to Ireland trained....
Yeah, GB has picked up the the King George a few times in that time but all of the top races in the spring have been dominated by the Irish

Maybe there's one... Haiti Couleurs, only one to have gone over to Ireland and picked up one of their top handicap chases...

I did crap this horse's price after winning the Denman Chase - i do find it strange how Haiti Couleurs was given a RPR of 168 for beating L'Homme by 7 lengths, but Grey Dawning received 165 for finishing 4 lengths behind

hmmmm I'm slowly coming around to Haiti Couleurs
 
opatcho said:
I also can't be having a british trained horse win this
Just have to go through the last few years, the 3mile please races have all done to Ireland trained....
Yeah, GB has picked up the the King George a few times in that time but all of the top races in the spring have been dominated by the Irish

Maybe there's one... Haiti Couleurs, only one to have gone over to Ireland and picked up one of their top handicap chases...

I did crap this horse's price after winning the Denman Chase - i do find it strange how Haiti Couleurs was given a RPR of 168 for beating L'Homme by 7 lengths, but Grey Dawning received 165 for finishing 4 lengths behind

hmmmm I'm slowly coming around to Haiti Couleurs
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Recency bias. The two GB horses at the top of the market are serious challengers.
 
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Gavin backtracking.....

"I'm much happier with him now. That said, I think a few people might be losing the run of themselves with the way his price is shortening up. It's still a very big ask, make no mistake about it, but I'm happy enough that he's finally going in the right direction and, please God, if we keep going in the right direction he'll run in the race anyway."


We've been fooled again......

Bloody Lemmings.
 
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opatcho said:
I also can't be having a british trained horse win this
Just have to go through the last few years, the 3mile please races have all done to Ireland trained....
Yeah, GB has picked up the the King George a few times in that time but all of the top races in the spring have been dominated by the Irish

Maybe there's one... Haiti Couleurs, only one to have gone over to Ireland and picked up one of their top handicap chases...

I did crap this horse's price after winning the Denman Chase - i do find it strange how Haiti Couleurs was given a RPR of 168 for beating L'Homme by 7 lengths, but Grey Dawning received 165 for finishing 4 lengths behind

hmmmm I'm slowly coming around to Haiti Couleurs
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I think the ground will be a big factor this year also. If it rocks up good to soft, think that’ll help the English runners (not Haiti), very different to the Irish gold cup….though I know the way was good on decent ground last year….the plot thickens.
 
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Guinness Village said:
I’m not great, either, but always enjoy the spectacle. I’ve managed to back Gaelic warrior at 16/1 and inotheway at an enormous 4/1😂😂
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25-1 and 4-1 for me , accepting my fate , can't be arsed to reback ino , even at 16 -1 .
Inowthewayi'mthinkin.😂
 
I feel like ino will drift back out before off and run accordingly. The tired fall last time doesn't help and this year is a better race than last year
 
BigL said:
I feel like ino will drift back out before off and run accordingly. The tired fall last time doesn't help and this year is a better race than last year
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Oh I agree. I covered him pre Christmas (small stakes) but can’t have him for this, despite the truck load of magic carrots he will be getting. Just hope JP thinks he has a chance to FTF goes ryannair.
 
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That mullins update today is interesting... I gauge from that... That gaelic is going gold.
I don't get the maximus statement though about keeping apart....?
 
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Willie Mullins says people should look at the Fact To File dilemma from the owner’s viewpoint ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

The nine-year-old, owned by JP McManus, seemingly threw his hat into the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup ring when bolting up in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival, but he would have to be supplemented for the Cheltenham feature.

His sole entry at the moment is in the Ryanair Chase, a race he won with authority last season, and he could bid to go for back-to-back victories in the race on Thursday March 12.

Speaking in his exclusive Cheltenham Festival stable tour, out on Sporting Life Plus on Monday, he said: “There’s a lot of talk over whether he’ll be supplemented (for the Gold Cup) or not.

“If a different owner owned him, that talk would be very strong. If it was my one chance for a Gold Cup (it might be different), but you’ve got to take into account JP’s situation.

“He has more than one horse capable of winning a Gold Cup and he has to factor in that.

“He could look at it and say Fact To File has a favourite’s chance of winning a Ryanair, maybe that’s what we should do, as at least he comes home with something, and let the Gold Cup take care of itself.

“You’ve got to look at the way the owner of the horse looks at the situation. It’s not the way we look at the situation, or the press, or the punters.

“Look at it from other people’s angles and you might come up with a different viewpoint. As of this point in time, there hasn’t been that discussion. But I can imagine it will go along those lines.

“There’s been a positive word for Gavin Cromwell’s horse(Inothewayurthinkin) and I know our own horse is going very well."

Mullins himself will be well represented in the Gold Cup whether Fact To File is supplemented or not, with two-time winner Galopin Des Champs all set to bid for a third win in the race after finishing second last year.

“I’ve been very pleased with him,” Mullins said. "I’d say his last few bits of work at home have been good, better than at any other point this year.

“What he's showing me at home, plus his attitude on the gallops - normally Adam Connolly rides him but I just put Paul (Townend) on to get a feel of him.

“Paul was very happy getting off him the other morning.

“I think that race (in the Irish Gold Cup) will put him really right for Cheltenham. He has enough time to recoup and with two runs under his belt that will make him race fit. I’m really pleased with his progress."

I Am Maximus, like Fact To File owned by McManus, is another likely runner for the Closutton team in the Gold Cup and Gaelic Warrior could be too.

“He’s another one where no final decision has been made," Mullins said of the King George third. "But I would imagine we’ll keep himself and Fact To File apart.

“I haven’t spoken to Rich (Ricci, owner) yet, he’ll have his own opinion. But I’m very happy with how the horse is working."
 
“If a different owner owned him, that talk would be very strong. If it was my one chance for a Gold Cup (it might be different), but you’ve got to take into account JP’s situation."

At least it's a recognition that if you're training for JP, who has horses across so many yards, you have to accommodate any 'situation' whenever it arises.

I was immediately reminded of one of Jimmy Mangan's replies when he had a microphone shoved at him after one of Spillane Tower's races, and was asked where he was going next. 'I haven't a clue' was the first thing that came into his head!!!

I do think if it was totally Willie's decision, FtF would be lining up on the Friday and if he never goes to a GC, if he ever writes a memoir and more importantly is 100% honest in retirement, we might get some clarity - though I won't hold my breath.

Then again, its Mullins, and as the song goes,

"Regrets, I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention".
 
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Anyone backing grey dawning ? Skelton seems fairly bullish he is a different horse this year
 
Would be joke if they sent F2F to the Ryanair cos they had ino, and they both got turned over
 
BigL said:
Anyone backing grey dawning ? Skelton seems fairly bullish he is a different horse this year
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He seems super bullish about lots of his so I am taking with a pinch of salt. I find the ones he shouts loudest about often aren’t the ones. also can’t have him based on edging out the pig at hack dock then beaten last time. G2 horse for me.
 
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