None, they would all go nr's.
Hello everyone btw!! Its that time of year I guess, you guys have done a great job, I have some catching up to do!
Welcome back! Fashionably late to the party
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Champion Hurdle 2018
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Welcome back! Fashionably late to the party
loveracing
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Welcome back! Fashionably late to the party
Glad to be back Kev & all good F_M. :encouragement:
Going back to F_M's original question... For me if all at their peak Faugheen wins hands down.
Nicky Henderson found Faugheen's scintillating comeback victory in Sunday's Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown "fairly scary".
The Willie Mullins-trained superstar is*a best-priced*9/4 favourite with Sky Bet*to regain the Champion Hurdle crown, which he claimed in 2015, with Henderson's reigning champion Buveur D'Air next best at 7/2 for the Cheltenham feature.
Henderson said: "Watching Faugheen the other day was fairly scary, I must admit.
"I watched it with JP (McManus) and we just looked at each other.*He (Faugheen) was frighteningly impressive."
Buveur D'Air warmed up for his intended reappearance in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday week with a racecourse gallop at Newbury on Tuesday morning.
The six-year-old was joined by stablemates Divin Bere and Charli Parcs, with the latter being aimed towards Newbury's Ladbrokes Intermediate Hurdle - registered as the Gerry Feilden.
The Seven Barrows handler added:*"I was pleased with that. He (Buveur D'Air) is big now and carries plenty of weight. There is a long way to go and he has done a hell of a lot of work already. It was just what we wanted to do with him. He would not be as wound up as he would be for the Champion Hurdle.
"We are not racing but they went a good gallop and it was a good bit of work, so it was all good."
Looking ahead to a potential clash with Faugheen, Henderson said: "He (Faugheen) will go on his route and we will go on ours. I don't where he will go and when we will meet.
"You would like to think that will be in March (at Cheltenham). You don't want to be slamming hell out of each other practising. We've all got to get there. Willie knows that as well as I do.*We all know there will elephant traps all over the place to catch the fallers. Everything has to go 100 per cent all the way.
"We will have to sharpen our pencil a bit, but the pencil is getting sharper."
Another potential clash between Henderson and Mullins-trained superstars that promises to set pulses racing is Altior versus Douvan in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham next March.
Altior was last week ruled out of an intended reappearance in the Tingle Creek at Sandown by Henderson due to a wind problem, which has since been operated on.
Henderson said: "You would like to think Altior and Douvan will meet in March because that is where it really counts. Hopefully he (Altior) will be there to say hello to Douvan. It (operation) all went 100 per cent and he is back in his box doing fine."
Asked whether he felt Altior would have a prep run before the Festival, Henderson added: "That's what we want to do but that is too far away to say if we can or we can't as we have got to sit still for another three weeks."
I'd be shocked if they met before the Tuesday.... I think people think Faugheen might go for the boxing day race but that'd shock me knowing its BVD's target. I obviously don't think the Faugheen camp are scared of beating BVD, but if you can pick up a G1 in Ireland at odds on, why travel over?
Irish CH probably be an odds on job as well, and by that point, he could well be odds on for the festival
Irish CH probably be an odds on job as well, and by that point, he could well be odds on for the festival
Hurricane fly
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Possibly, him or one of the mares?
Limini potentially? I saw in the stable tour Let's dance aim is the mares race so maybe they'll see if Limini is up to it?
Interesting that faugheen and buveur dair's champion hurdle was won in the exact same time. Just watched them both along side each other, was a dead heat. Faugheen was in front when he opened up so poss could have found more If something was along side him, But that was 2 years ago and ground conditions the same
faugheen obviously dictated his own pace last time, So all in all should be in for a treat.
faugheen obviously dictated his own pace last time, So all in all should be in for a treat.
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ComplyOrDie
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Sorry to be picky, but wasn't Faugheen's time very, and I mean very, slightly quicker than BD's, well according to the ATR result it was anyway, or have I missed something?
I do think Faugheen, given the race run to suit will be incredibly hard to peg back, but IF one horse was to do it out the current crop it is of course BD.
Every form line I look at I can't see Faugheen being beaten though, so as much as people may have missed the fancier prices I just think 9/4 is a steal!
The 'problem' I'd have with his price now is that I've lost enough ante post on Faugheen not making it to put me off for a lifetime.
9/4 now versus day 6/4 on the day I'd take the safer option now ...
Although I'll probably include him in multiples
ComplyOrDie
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The 'problem' I'd have with his price now is that I've lost enough ante post on Faugheen not making it to put me off for a lifetime.
9/4 now versus day 6/4 on the day I'd take the safer option now ...
Although I'll probably include him in multiples
The problem with that is if he makes it to the festival he isn't going to be 6/4 shot on the day. As soon as NRNB comes in to play he is under even money for me!
Agree about the losing enough on him ante post though, think many have had their fingers burnt by him in that respect :sorrow:
I think for him to be odds on BVD would need to get beaten or pull out... What he should be/will be are different though and I probably don't need to think about it now haha.
That season when he was pulled out and Annie won as the 'super sub' I had my biggest ever ante post bet on the double (Faugheen CH/Annie Mares) and I refuse to believe it would have lost:highly_amused:
Can't Catch Me
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I think with all the specials that are about now, and with Faugheen having a recent history of issues, I think he would be one the bookies would want to 'get' myself.
I agree that he's likely to be odds against in the week of the race, so 9/4 now is just too much of a risk for me. Maybe I'm biased because I got my fingers badly burnt last year!
Fantastic to have him back in the picture though, he is majestic when on song.
I agree that he's likely to be odds against in the week of the race, so 9/4 now is just too much of a risk for me. Maybe I'm biased because I got my fingers badly burnt last year!
Fantastic to have him back in the picture though, he is majestic when on song.
loveracing
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The Beast
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Firmly believe faugheen capable of more improvement from last weekend , he looked bit burly to me.
Cant think of a time he had to race fully to the line when he is fully race fit (Nic Canyon caught him out first time out), i fully expect BVD to push him more than any other horse has done.
Reckon we could be in for the highest rated champion hurdle performance of all time from timeform and clock gurus by these two.
Cant think of a time he had to race fully to the line when he is fully race fit (Nic Canyon caught him out first time out), i fully expect BVD to push him more than any other horse has done.
Reckon we could be in for the highest rated champion hurdle performance of all time from timeform and clock gurus by these two.
I don't think he'll get a higher rating than his Irish Champion win....
FFP made a point of saying BVD's best performance (his CH) was only 2lbs behind Faugheen's comeback, which puts them close enough. Certainly not a penalty kick in terms of ratings.
Expecting Faugheen to improve might be a step to far, but at the moment he doesn't need to, but it'd be great to see!
Faugheen_Machine
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He looked like he was slightly on the big side to me as well but plenty of people at the track were saying how fit he looked. WPM won't have had him at peak fitness on Sunday so I think there could be a bit of improvement to come.
I'd love them to come to Kempton on boxing Day then head straight to Cheltenham. It worked for them in 2015.
Rich Ricci has said on the racehour podcast that Faugheen has come out of the race 100% and he'll be out again at Christmas either Lepo or Kempton a both would suit.
He also said he looked a little big and will come on a bit for it
He also said he looked a little big and will come on a bit for it
I was there to see him in the flesh, and he did look on the big side to me. He was always prone to packing on the pounds over the summer, and that may have been what caught him out against Nichols Canyon that day. If we are to believe he wasn't fully fit, doing what he did to a 155 rated horse, then surely it's not out of the question he could run to 176+ against an improved BVD.