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2026 Gold Cup

Graeme wrote: "There simply isn’t an outstanding staying chaser in Britain and Ireland right now and the King George and Savills Chase have gone some way to proving it. The Gold Cup will therefore once again likely be won by the horse who is able to peak at Cheltenham in March.

"It therefore isn’t wise to read too much into another heavy defeat for Inothewayurthinkin in the Savills. He was beaten fair and square on this day, but is unbeaten in two starts at Cheltenham in March.

"The two who stand out are Jango Baie and Haiti Couleurs. Both are unbeaten at Cheltenham and ran career-best efforts away from that track in recent days. They are the improvers and are more likely Gold Cup winners than Affordale Fury or The Jukebox Man, who may each have had their day now."
 
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Just having a look at the RPRs for the King George; can anyone recall a previous occasion when the horse finishing fourth, in any race, ran as high as 173?

I can find a few instances from the Kauto Star and Denman era where the top three have run to 175+ but the fourth was miles back.
 
RPRs consistently go high in the big races. Last year they gave Banbridge 172 and he received a 168 OR. No earthly reason why he should have run any better this season.
I think the KG form is no better than ok in terms of Cheltenham because the courses are such a different challenge and recent history screams that the Gold Cup winner will come from the Savills rather than the KG. Assuming that he's pulled out sound this morning, I'd have thought that GDC will be much straighter for the DRF and, when he wins comfortably, his price for Cheltenham will halve.
 
….’definitely Gold Cup for Haiti’ says trainer.
 
Mullins said: “I thought he (GDC) ran a cracker as he probably needed the race against that type of opposition.

“He looked like he might win after the second-last and again going to the last, but the lack of a race told on him in a race of that calibre over that trip.

“I’m hoping he’ll improve, you never know. He did have a hard race and you don’t know what sort of effect it will have on them, but he went home and ate up, which is a great sign. It suggests he didn’t take it as hard as I thought it looked.

“Hopefully he’ll be back for the Irish Gold Cup.”

Galopin Des Champs is a 6-1 joint-favourite alongside the defending champion Inothewayurthinkin for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Paddy Power, with his stablemate Gaelic Warrior a 10-1 shot after he was beaten a short head into third place in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.

Of the latter, Mullins added: “He ran a cracker in Kempton. Things didn’t fall for him and he met a bit of traffic.

“Fact To File was a bit disappointing, he probably just didn’t handle the track and it was a slowly-run race. They have both come home OK.

“Gaelic Warrior could come back here (Leopardstown) for the Irish Gold Cup, it could be a fascinating race.”
 
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The Jukebox Man 167p from 159p (Timeform)​

A muddling pace helped contribute to a tight, exciting finish to the King George, but it also meant the winning performance rating wasn't as high as many would have predicted beforehand.

Even so, it was still a clear career-best effort from the lightly-raced The Jukebox Man who went into the race as one of the lowest rated in the field, largely as a consequence of lack of opportunity given a setback meant he missed the second half of last season.

He went into the race with the Timeform 'small p', to show that improvement was anticipated, and he duly took that step forward to edge out Banbridge and Gaelic Warrior in a finish of noses.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup will present a much sterner test of stamina but The Jukebox Man looks a leading contender, especially as his lightly-raced profile offers the potential of even more to come. Galopin des Champs, who was an encouraging third while being some way from his best on his return in the Savills Chase, remains Timeform's highest-rated chaser on 175.
 
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Lobos said:
That's a shame.........😂

100/1 looking sweet Eggs
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Haiti Couleurs 160 from 154 (Timeform)​

Haiti Couleurs had a rare off day in the Betfair Chase, in which he was pulled off after travelling with little enthusiasm, but he proved better than ever to bounce back in the Welsh Grand National.

Haiti Couleurs had signed off a highly successful novice chase campaign with victory in the Irish Grand National and he defied a 13 lb higher mark to add the Welsh equivalent to his haul, producing a high-class performance by Timeform's reckoning.

His performance is the best in the race since Native River defied top weight in 2016, though further improvement is required if he is to emulate that one by going on to win a Cheltenham Gold Cup. Haiti Couleurs is still about a stone shy of the best staying chasers around, such as Galopin des Champs and Inothewayurthinkin, though the standard setters do have some questions to answer, whereas he's a horse on the up.
 
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Sweet Cherry Nipples
 
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After also being a keen observer of the action in Ireland, Henderson said: “None of them have to run again and for Jango Baie it could be the Cotswold Chase or maybe the Denman Chase. Jango Baie is remarkably fresh and they are all fresh and well.
“We can all form our own opinions from watching (the racing in Ireland) but the Gold Cup is our intention with Jango Baie
 
Lobos said:
After also being a keen observer of the action in Ireland, Henderson said: “None of them have to run again and for Jango Baie it could be the Cotswold Chase or maybe the Denman Chase. Jango Baie is remarkably fresh and they are all fresh and well.
“We can all form our own opinions from watching (the racing in Ireland) but the Gold Cup is our intention with Jango Baie
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So if Jango, TJM and maybe GW are all targeting the Gold Cup, then it makes the Ryanair a bit thin on the ground with competition to FTF
 
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Wayward Lad said:
So if Jango, TJM and maybe GW are all targeting the Gold Cup, then it makes the Ryanair a bit thin on the ground with competition to FTF
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One for discussion in the ‘under the radar thread’ thread in the members section I think…
 
Wayward Lad said:
So if Jango, TJM and maybe GW are all targeting the Gold Cup, then it makes the Ryanair a bit thin on the ground with competition to FTF
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I'm of the opinion that GW will be PT's ride in the Ryanair as I can't think of anything else with a chance that he'll ride ?
 
Lobos said:
I'm of the opinion that GW will be PT's ride in the Ryanair as I can't think of anything else with a chance that he'll ride ?
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Yeah, the Galopin Irish Gold cup and Gaelic Ryanair double is well worth it nearer the time.
Obviously if he runs really well in the Irish Gold cup at Leopardstown !!! then they may still run in the blue riband.
 
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It's the same as previous years with Lossiemouth and State Man in the CH. As it stands, there is zero chance that PT gets off GDC to ride Gaelic Warrior. Ergo, as it stands, GW goes to the Ryanair. Ricci will be 100% in favour if he gets PT to ride.
 
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archie said:
It's the same as previous years with Lossiemouth and State Man in the CH. As it stands, there is zero chance that PT gets off GDC to ride Gaelic Warrior. Ergo, as it stands, GW goes to the Ryanair. Ricci will be 100% in favour if he gets PT to ride.
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Is this not different to the lossie/state man situation though, as it suited willie just as much as it suited Paul to split the two of them.

Whereas in this situation, willie might already have the strong ryanair fave in fact to file with Mark Walsh on. So it would matter a lot more to Paul than it would to willie, and that might not be as important? Willie may want another good dart at an open gold cup if he has more confidence in fact to file winning the ryanair than he does in galopin winning the gold cup.
 
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