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2026 Ryanair Chase

Eggs said:
….Mullins re GW;

‘He had a hard race in the King George and again at Leopardstown in the Irish Gold Cup. I thought the way that he ran in Leopardstown was an ideal run for a Ryanair Chase. He is a horse that has a very good record at Cheltenham.’
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Urgh. Disappointing.
 
archie said:
So, you spend, what, 200k? on a 3yo, send him to the top trainer who has sourced him and, after 5 years (or about 150k outlay) he's won you 750k in prize-money. You then turn round to said top trainer and tell him that you know better than him so he should run in a particular race. Of course you do.

There will be no decision until the last minute and why would there be?
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Fuck me there are owners all through the sport that have a collaborative relationship with their trainer and have a say in races they want their horse to run in. Not all trainers will see that as the owner saying they know more than them. Some owners are happy to take a back seat and some have their own goals dreams and desires and are grown ups capable of owning their own decisions even if they turn out to be bad ones.

There is room in the sport for both and I’m sure there are countless examples where an owner wanted to do one thing and the trainer another and the owner turned out to be right. It’s not always that the trainer knows best especially when the trainer has so many competing owners to consider. Willie is not omniscient.
 
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Rooster Booster said:
Fuck me there are owners all through the sport that have a collaborative relationship with their trainer and have a say in races they want their horse to run in. Not all trainers will see that as the owner saying they know more than them. Some owners are happy to take a back seat and some have their own goals dreams and desires and are grown ups capable of owning their own decisions even if they turn out to be bad ones.

There is room in the sport for both and I’m sure there are countless examples where an owner wanted to do one thing and the trainer another and the owner turned out to be right. It’s not always that the trainer knows best especially when the trainer has so many competing owners to consider. Willie is not omniscient.
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Unless you are JP it does sound like its my way or the highway with willie
 
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Willie is definitely angling with the Gaelic comments IMO.
Doubt he'd have said the same things had Fact to File not done what he did the last day.
 
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archie said:
So, you spend, what, 200k? on a 3yo, send him to the top trainer who has sourced him and, after 5 years (or about 150k outlay) he's won you 750k in prize-money. You then turn round to said top trainer and tell him that you know better than him so he should run in a particular race. Of course you do.

There will be no decision until the last minute and why would there be?
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If he says he wants a gold cup winner….anywhere!! Sounds to me like he’s desperate for one.
So at the very least he imo should be asking why his staying chaser who could achieve that is not in the race.
I think the decision should already be made.
Anywhere else it would be imo.
 
Any love for Jonbon in this? Currently around 8/1 on the exchange. Seems quite decent in what could be a pretty weak renewal.

Looks right now as though Gaelic W will be in & FTF in the GC. Willie stating Impaire Et Passe likely to skip for Aintree, same likely with Banbridge.

So youre left with GW, Heart Wood and Jonbon as the only 3 horses priced under 50s on the exchange that are likely to turn up. Even then HDB has said theres a slight chance Heart Wood goes to the Gold Cup.

Odds on the day if its them 3 plus a load of filler, maybe something like:
GW Evens - 6/4
Jonbon - 3/1 - 7/2
Heart Wood 9/2 -5/1
16s/20s bar
 
Gaelic will win by half the track against these if he gets out of bed on the correct side

Jonbon is well past his best and the rest are useless
 
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Many Clouds said:
Any love for Jonbon in this? Currently around 8/1 on the exchange. Seems quite decent in what could be a pretty weak renewal.

Looks right now as though Gaelic W will be in & FTF in the GC. Willie stating Impaire Et Passe likely to skip for Aintree, same likely with Banbridge.

So youre left with GW, Heart Wood and Jonbon as the only 3 horses priced under 50s on the exchange that are likely to turn up. Even then HDB has said theres a slight chance Heart Wood goes to the Gold Cup.

Odds on the day if its them 3 plus a load of filler, maybe something like:
GW Evens - 6/4
Jonbon - 3/1 - 7/2
Heart Wood 9/2 -5/1
16s/20s bar
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Now that my large AP play on FTF looks in the pan, I’ve reassessed myself. Was lucky to cover GW pre Dublin, but also had a small saver on Jonbon too. At the prices he has to be better than heart wood and the rest of the G2 wannabies, and maybe, just maybe the longer trip will see him get that elusive first festival win. However, would’ve rather not see him run this weekend.
 
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The dream of FTF in the Ryanair and Lossie in the Champion Hurdle being dangled on here for the next few weeks is going to get too much for me!
 
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My question to Cheltenham would be …at the start of each season what horses will trainers be targeting at this race. I’d love them to create a list of these horses and then use that list to justify its existence as a headline race at what is supposed to be the premier festival of the year. Fuck me even the trainers say it’s unclear who will be lining up so we’ve kept an entry just in case.
 
Rooster Booster said:
My question to Cheltenham would be …at the start of each season what horses will trainers be targeting at this race. I’d love them to create a list of these horses and then use that list to justify its existence as a headline race at what is supposed to be the premier festival of the year. Fuck me even the trainers say it’s unclear who will be lining up so we’ve kept an entry just in case.
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I get it RB, but it's going nowhere.
The festival went from 18 heats to 28, it's not dropping any, if anything they'll look for another two to make kick start the five day six race argument once again....
 
Istabraq said:
I get it RB, but it's going nowhere.
The festival went from 18 heats to 28, it's not dropping any, if anything they'll look for another two to make kick start the five day six race argument once again....
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Absolutely and I hate to say it that may just be time for me to bid farewell.
 
Istabraq said:
Farewell from what ?
Attending ?
Watching ?
Punting ?
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Definitely ante post, definitely attending, I’d watch but not with the same intensity and I’d focus on the handicaps during the week for some punting fun.
 
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