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Cheltenham Gold Cup 2020

Yet Kemboy beat him fair and square last season and Presenting Percy smashed him in the RSA. It takes a very special horse to retain a Gold Cup. Denman couldn’t so it, Kauto couldn’t do it. Is he a Best Mate ??? I’m not so sure. It’s a proper open race and as we stand at the moment I would say the value is Native River and prey for soft or heavy.

Kemboy caught him after the GC. And it was a very good duel.

Presenting percy form is long, long gone. And he fell when coming into contention for starters. Then has won everything going since.
 
Kemboy caught him after the GC. And it was a very good duel.

Presenting percy form is long, long gone. And he fell when coming into contention for starters. Then has won everything going since.

I’m a fan of the horse don’t get me wrong and I really fancied him for last years gold cup without backing him ( don’t even ask ) but I do question the form of last years race. Kemboy fell very early, presenting Percy clearly wasn’t right, native river feeling the affects of the season before and the two in behind the winner are not really of elite level. Wouldn’t be right Percy off just yet either....... he’s an out and out stayer with the gold cup trip being right up his street. If he gets there fit and sound he’ll run a big race.
 
Kemboy is a better horse on a flat sharp track, Al Boum Photo has recent history to defy though he is in the right hands so cant be ruled out. Clan Des Obeaux needs tp go right handed to show his best and would be a complete waste of time trying again with him, Lostintranslation was always the media/bookmaker horse and has been a highly successful money making exercise for the medias paymasters, I would want to see the current 9/1 for a bet that he just has to turn up for the race, probably wont stay, not good enough yet anyway.
Santini hasnt yet shown anything close to him even deserving to line up though that can change and he could progress though he greatly needs to and makes no appeal at 10/1.
Delta Work is becoming a player and improving which potentially makes him dangerous.
Presenting Percy was a very forward novice but his time has passed.
Native River has no chamce whatsoever and is probably extremely flattered by how easily he beat his 2 rivals to finish but they werent interested in trying and Black Corton is probably being laid out for one flof the festival handicaps. I very much doubt this is the same horse who won the gold cup no matter how he looked. Any horse would look good in a one horse race which is ultimately what it was.

None of the other big priced runners appeal at present apart from of course The Champ Elegant Escape. I do believe the Tizzards thought Lostintranslation was a gold cup cert but hopefully they will see the light and realise that its The Champ who is the Tizzard gold cup number 1.

AL BOUM PHOTO -Willie Mullins
DELTA WORK - Gordon Elliot
ELEGANT ESCAPE - Colin Tizzard
SANTINI -Nicky Henderson

I will be very surprised if the gold cup winner is not in my list of 4. The Champ is the only one I am actually on though.
 
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Kemboy is a better horse on a flat sharp track, Al Boum Photo has recent history to defy though he is in the right hands so cant be ruled out. Clan Des Obeaux needs tp go right handed to show his best and would be a complete waste of time trying again with him, Lostintranslation was always the media/bookmaker horse and has been a highly successful money making exercise for the medias paymasters, I would want to see the current 9/1 for a bet that he just has to turn up for the race, probably wont stay, not good enough yet anyway.
Santini hasnt yet shown anything close to him even deserving to line up though that can change and he could progress though he greatly needs to and makes no appeal at 10/1.
Delta Work is becoming a player and improving which potentially makes him dangerous.
Presenting Percy was a very forward novice but his time has passed.
Native River has no chamce whatsoever and is probably extremely flattered by how easily he beat his 2 rivals to finish but they werent interested in trying and Black Corton is probably being laid out for one flof the festival handicaps. I very much doubt this is the same horse who won the gold cup no matter how he looked. Any horse would look good in a one horse race which is ultimately what it was.

None of the other big priced runners appeal at present apart from of course The Champ Elegant Escape. I do believe the Tizzards thought Lostintranslation was a gold cup cert but hopefully they will see the light and realise that its The Champ who is the Tizzard gold cup number 1.

AL BOUM PHOTO -Willie Mullins
DELTA WORK - Gordon Elliot
ELEGANT ESCAPE - Colin Tizzard
SANTINI -Nicky Henderson

I will be very surprised if the gold cup winner is not in my list of 4. The Champ is the only one I am actually on though.

I’m not fancying Native River off the form of his last run all be it he did seem to run with more zest than last term. He’s been there and done it and to be fair to him, ran a cracker in defeat last year. He was pulled from the welsh national with the gold cup in mind. He’ll turn up on the day tuned up to run a big race. He’s a great e/w bet at 16/1
 
His best performance on your beloved RPRs has been at Punchestown which I believe you are quoted elsewhere as saying is undulating.:devilish:

As for Elegant Escape, these are the recent thoughts of Joe:
https://www.timeform.com/horse-raci...WBOAMh7ghJbHQU_OGdYYIUNGg--y2NB2pAhbiDzD0GXvQ

I at no point said Kemboy doesnt handle undulating tracks I said he is a better horse on a flat sharpish track which I believe true.
I think he is flattered by his rise in the weights and 'apparent' best form for beating The Gold Cup winner at Punchestown. The performance to win the gold cup probably took a lot out of him and he made a lot of mistakes. Not surprising that Kemboy after his 1st fence unseat simply had more in the finish that time. I dont see Kemboy beating Al Boum Photo at Cheltenham though Al Boum does have a high percentage of falling .


As for Joes quotes add whatever is in your link to " he will definitely run in the becher chase", "he wont run in the Ladbrokes Trophy".
 
Yet Kemboy beat him fair and square last season and Presenting Percy smashed him in the RSA. It takes a very special horse to retain a Gold Cup. Denman couldn’t so it, Kauto couldn’t do it. Is he a Best Mate ??? I’m not so sure. It’s a proper open race and as we stand at the moment I would say the value is Native River and prey for soft or heavy.

It takes an ultra special one to regain it.

Native River certainly ain't Kauto Star :p
 
I would be racing Native River in Veterans chases from here to the end of his career. Some of the veterans races are quite competitive and I could see him thriving in those
races. If he turned up at cheltenham it would be his 4th gold cup. He wouldnt even place and would most likely be pulled up.
 
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Kemboy caught him after the GC. And it was a very good duel.

Presenting percy form is long, long gone. And he fell when coming into contention for starters. Then has won everything going since.

Can't believe you still think ABP was going to get anywhere near him in that RSA :highly_amused:

Have heard Ruby asked about it a few times now and every time he has said he wasn't going to get within a dozen lengths of PP and he was going to beat him easily.
 
Can't believe you still think ABP was going to get anywhere near him in that RSA :highly_amused:

Have heard Ruby asked about it a few times now and every time he has said he wasn't going to get within a dozen lengths of PP and he was going to beat him easily.

He was beat before he fell
 
Of course Al Boum Photo was beat whether he fell or not in the RSA. He was never going to reel Percy in on that day. Al Boum Photo ultimately was the horse who did it at the top level though regardless if he is as good, better or regressing this season. Percy has never won a graded chase in open company and is unlikely to ever do so now (grade 1).
 
Of course Al Boum Photo was beat whether he fell or not in the RSA. He was never going to reel Percy in on that day. Al Boum Photo ultimately was the horse who did it at the top level though regardless if he is as good, better or regressing this season. Percy has never won a graded chase in open company and is unlikely to ever do so now (grade 1).

Completely disagree ...... he was never right last term and has run in races that wouldn’t suit him so far this season. This is a horse who was winning over 3m 5f so to expect him to win over 2m 4f and a 3 mile race at Leopardstown that’s notorious for speedy horses just isn’t plausible. If there’s one race on the planet that would suit Percy it’s the gold cup. If he gets there sound and gets beat fair and square I’ll hold my hands up and say I’m wrong but until then I certainly wouldn’t give up hope.
 
When Presenting Percy was 3rd at Punchestown this seaspn he was booked for 4th place until Reel Steel made a complete mess of the last.
PP has had 3 chase runs outside of his novice season and has been 5/8, 8/16 and the lucky place 3/9.
His weapon of mass destruction in his brilliant 2017/2018 novice season was that he was more developed than his rivals who have all progressed past him now in open company.
He no longer has a weapon of mass destruction and is merely a very good race horsr but not a super star or even close.
 
When Presenting Percy was 3rd at Punchestown this seaspn he was booked for 4th place until Reel Steel made a complete mess of the last.
PP has had 3 chase runs outside of his novice season and has been 5/8, 8/16 and the lucky place 3/9.
His weapon of mass destruction in his brilliant 2017/2018 novice season was that he was more developed than his rivals who have all progressed past him now in open company.
He no longer has a weapon of mass destruction and is merely a very good race horsr but not a super star or even close.

Never said he was a superstar. There isn’t a superstar in the 3 mile division, it’s a very open division.
 
The most impressive piece of staying chase form I have seen this season has been from Delta Work. I would be delighted if I was on this horse at big odds and he is now a heavyweight gold cup contender. For me he should be at least joint favourite with Al Boum Photo. Though the 10/1 doesnt entice me 3 months away from the race I think he could easily be the winner though and may end up backing him close to the race if everything goes well between now and March. Will see what price he is and could see myself adding him as back up for The Champ following the Tizzards campaign of terror.
 
The more I look at Delta Work the stronger he gets. Winner of 5 of his 7 chases and there are clear reasons why the two defeats happened. He was obviously now very much in need of his 1st run back this season and his 3rd in the RSA was clearly very good as he was only 6 where as the two horses who beat him Topofthegame and Santini were both 7yo novices.
He has developed and is a triple novice grade 1 winner and has now won one of the key gold cup trials in the Savilles Chase grade 1.
He has already won at the festival over hurdles and appears to have no holes in him as he loves Cheltenham, handles the festival atmosphere and has experience of it and is fast improving. Will be ready to peak in the gold cup as a 7yo.


I am on now. Could easily go off 3/1 fav. Changed my mind. He looks the winner. The champ will need to be at the top of his game but actually 16.0 is superb now he has the Savilles chase in the bag. He appears to be a gold cup winner in waiting.

My 3rd antepost bet of the festival following

GOLD CUP:

ELEGANT ESCAPE win 160.0
DELTA WORK win 16.0

RSA -

ew DANNY WHIZZBANG 50/1
 
The more I look at Delta Work the stronger he gets. Winner of 5 of his 7 chases and there are clear reasons why the two defeats happened. He was obviously now very much in need of his 1st run back this season and his 3rd in the RSA was clearly very good as he was only 6 where as the two horses who beat him Topofthegame and Santini were both 7yo novices.
He has developed and is a triple novice grade 1 winner and has now won one of the key gold cup trials in the Savilles Chase grade 1.
He has already won at the festival over hurdles and appears to have no holes in him as he loves Cheltenham, handles the festival atmosphere and has experience of it and is fast improving. Will be ready to peak in the gold cup as a 7yo.


I am on now. Could easily go off 3/1 fav. Changed my mind. He looks the winner. The champ will need to be at the top of his game but actually 16.0 is superb now he has the Savilles chase in the bag. He appears to be a gold cup winner in waiting.

My 3rd antepost bet of the festival following

GOLD CUP:

ELEGANT ESCAPE win 160.0
DELTA WORK win 16.0

RSA -

ew DANNY WHIZZBANG 50/1

Agree with pretty much everything you’ve said there about Delta Work. Not sure we’ve ever agreed on anything ET :triumphant:
 
I agree Delta Work is a definite runner but I can’t get my head around the Danny Whizzbang loving... really? That’s for another thread obviously
 
Tramore tomorrow:
Al Boum Photo
Voix Du Reve
Acapella Bourgeois
Shattered Love