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Ballymore Novice Hurdle 2020

Very much a game of two halves in respect of Envoi Allen with many - out of self interest - turning a blind eye to the second half.

Last year he looked a Ballymore horse but this season he has looked a Supreme horse. That's the racecourse evidence but of course those who backed him for the Ballymore are in complete denial. Fortunately, for them the trainer appears to be in their camp.

He was a very comfortable winner of his two starts over the minimum trip. He ran through line and clearly wasn't pulling himself up. He didn't look vulnerable and there is every reason to believe he wouldl improve over a stiffer two miles.

In short on the basis of those two runs there was no reason at all to step him up in trip.

The trainer had suggested he would improve (even though he didn't need to as he was already the best two mile novice) for a longer trip. Was there any evidence of improvement on Sunday? I don't think so. It was simply a risk that didn't need taking.

The trainer came out with some baloney about the horse blowing afterwards. Does anyone believe he sent out a horse like this half baked?

At this stage both novice divisions don't look that strong but although he quite likely doubles his winning margin over Abacadabras in a Supreme the outcome of a Ballymore is far less certain.
 
I simply dont read the races as you describe. I believe that Abacadabras in the Supreme would be a huge danger to EA. Abacadabras jumping the last upside could well do it for toe. In the Supreme they would not give EA anytime and hassle him all the way. For me EA would be perfect for the Ballymore. He would have them all at it coming down the hill. His stride and travel speed would be too much for most of them. Wins 5l+
 
Could have put this in the supreme thread as well.

Does anybody have or know where I can get a full list of novices currently unraced for Willie Mullins? Off work and want to do some digging.
 
Added to Skybet Envoi Allen to win any race this year and to win 2021 Champion Hurdle if anyone's interested...50/1.
 
Lobos said:
Added to Skybet Envoi Allen to win any race this year and to win 2021 Champion Hurdle if anyone's interested...50/1.
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Do those odds not reflect the very glaring chance he's going chasing?


I'm pretty confident they've said he's a chaser, and Elliott's experience with Samcro will stop them making this horrible mistake.



It will be a mistake too.... who the hell cares if he's good enough to be Epatante and Salider etc.

Get him in a Gold Cup or QMCC.
 
Kevloaf said:
Do those odds not reflect the very glaring chance he's going chasing?


I'm pretty confident they've said he's a chaser, and Elliott's experience with Samcro will stop them making this horrible mistake.



It will be a mistake too.... who the hell cares if he's good enough to be Epatante and Salider etc.

Get him in a Gold Cup or QMCC.
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Chaser comments are early doors. Things have changed. If he wins Ballymore I think they'll be tempted to take on the big boys at Punchestown and if he wins that then there's only one way he's going. The owners will be more inclined to go the Churdle route as well imo. Not this year though !!
 
Lord Royal impressive there at Clonmel
 
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Lobos said:
Chaser comments are early doors. Things have changed. If he wins Ballymore I think they'll be tempted to take on the big boys at Punchestown and if he wins that then there's only one way he's going. The owners will be more inclined to go the Churdle route as well imo. Not this year though !!
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Well if you believe he's staying hurdling the 50/1 is a big price.

25/1 if he's an even money shot.

If he stays hurdling you're in a great spot
 
jack1092 said:
He was, didn't realise Patrick said he'd be disappointed if he's not a graded horse.....
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Yeah I got put on to him this morning, Ruby gave him a decent mention too in the PP blog too.
 
Kevloaf said:
Well if you believe he's staying hurdling the 50/1 is a big price.

25/1 if he's an even money shot.

If he stays hurdling you're in a great spot
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Worth a fiver of anyone's money. That's all they will allow anyway!!
 
Keith Donoghue on Envoi Allen

As I have been all year in everything he does, I was blown away by Envoi Allen at Naas on Sunday. He hadn't done much work at all really going into it and to win as easily as he did shows how truly special he is. The horse in second, Elixir D'ainay, is a very good horse too.

He had only really done one piece of major work between his last two runs as we just wanted to keep him fresh enough for the rest of the season and it was great to see him take such a blow after the race - it'll really stand to him.
 
TheRowebot said:
Keith Donoghue on Envoi Allen

As I have been all year in everything he does, I was blown away by Envoi Allen at Naas on Sunday. He hadn't done much work at all really going into it and to win as easily as he did shows how truly special he is. The horse in second, Elixir D'ainay, is a very good horse too.

He had only really done one piece of major work between his last two runs as we just wanted to keep him fresh enough for the rest of the season and it was great to see him take such a blow after the race - it'll really stand to him.
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KD is a fair judge so you,d be pretty happy if your on Envoi Allen listening to that.
 
I know I am. I've covered a few different angles each race but for the Ballymore I've put all my eggs into the Envoi Allen basket pretty much.
 
On the Flip Side: (ATR - Kevin Blake article)

Envoi Allen was grand... Just grand

There is a phenomenon in horse racing that I like to call Auto-Praise Syndrome. In this day and age of flagrant social media trumpeting, there seems to be a race every season to see who can be first aboard the bandwagon of the next big thing.
Having secured big-price ante-post betting slips that the owner dreams of triumphantly posting on social media in the aftermath of subsequent Cheltenham Festival victories, the supporters of the horse in question will refuse to take anything but great encouragement from whatever the horse does on the track.
They want their chosen horse to be a superstar so much that they will automatically praise their winning performances regardless of the true substance of them. It’s almost as if they are trying to convince themselves of the horse’s superstar status as much as anyone else.



In the case of a horse such as the unbeaten Envoi Allen, this sort of behaviour has run riot and was very evident in the aftermath of his victory in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle at Naas on Sunday. It wasn’t that Envoi Allen did anything wrong there as such, but for me he probably achieved less than he had when winning the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and the style of his victory certainly didn’t justify the rave reports he received in many quarters.

It is understandable why Envoi Allen has become as lauded as he has. A staying chaser on pedigree and in appearance, for him to do what he did in bumpers has raised hopes that he could be “one of the ones.” While he has gone unbeaten in all three of his starts over hurdles this season, it would be remiss not to point out that the style of his wins hasn’t necessarily compensated for what seems a slight lack of depth in behind him. There is of course a possibility, as his connections have suggested, that he isn’t the type to do too much in front, but this explanation tends to be ventured more times than it is justified. Often times there just isn’t as much in the tank as everyone would like there to be.

Envoi Allen is now reportedly likely to go straight to the Cheltenham Festival, probably to the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, for which he seems sure to be sent off at a very short price. In these short-price scenarios, it pays to be picky and there are bits and pieces that can be picked at with Envoi Allen.
The most significant unknown with Envoi Allen is how he will cope with the rough and tumble of a more competitive environment such as what he could well meet in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. He has shown hints of temperament in the prelims of his races, can take a good grip once they get underway and we still don’t know how he will respond to racing in proper tight quarters.
Indeed, it is an interesting fact that throughout Envoi Allen’s entire eight-race career, he has never raced in any sort of traffic. He has consistently been given safety-first rides around the outside or in front, including when having to overcome a four-wide no-cover trip in the Champion Bumper at last season’s Cheltenham Festival. A very good horse can get away with such things in lesser company, but it is a rare horse that can consistently get away with such inefficient trips in top-class company.

Time will tell whether Envoi Allen proves to be the real deal. However, racing analysts owe it to their craft to assess what they saw and not what they hoped to see. To this pair of eyes, Envoi Allen has yet to produce a performance that screams superstar, yet he is priced up for the Ballymore as though he has.
 
Without being too much of an arse it's only what i've been saying for like 2 months as well haha :witless: Likely i'll end up wrong but sure.
 
Kevin Blake makes me laugh. He has a bad thing to say about Envoi every time he runs. He is clearly miffed at not getting big AP prices on him. Lol ! He also reckons Champ should run in the Arkle......say no more.
 
Lobos said:
Kevin Blake makes me laugh. He has a bad thing to say about Envoi every time he runs. He is clearly miffed at not getting big AP prices on him. Lol ! He also reckons Champ should run in the Arkle......say no more.
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If i didnt know better , id say Kevin trying to hard to be racings new kid on the block.Preferred him when he was more of a unknown , a lot more insightful.
 
Seems like he’s trying to force things a bit and be a bit contrary just for effect.... like he’s being asked to write too much and can’t bring himself to be obvious even if that’s the right answer
 
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