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I agree with benjy a lot of these wouldn’t run if it was a hcap. It’s like a veterans gold cup now for horses past their prime and gives them another chance of Cheltenham glory. I don’t get why people moan that they’re not running in the gold cup. To do what exactly? Just add to the numbers and either be pulled up or finish when the foxhunters is about to start! They don’t add anything to the gold cup at this stage of their careers. I’m actually looking forward to this race this year.
 
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I agree with benjy a lot of these wouldn’t run if it was a hcap. It’s like a veterans gold cup now for horses past their prime and gives them another chance of Cheltenham glory. I don’t get why people moan that they’re not running in the gold cup. To do what exactly? Just add to the numbers and either be pulled up or finish when the foxhunters is about to start! They don’t add anything to the gold cup at this stage of their careers. I’m actually looking forward to this race this year.

So they've had their day in the sun.....

If they're no longer good enough, don't turn up at all, don't fashion it so that we see a second rate made up prize that we're pretending now matters

They COULD run in a handicap but choose not to, so be it



It's a soft graded race as it is, no need for it.




Why not have a race for Greys?
The vetrans chase is actually a better idea. There would be a place for that.

The Cross Country as a Grand National prep and therefore a handicap would also hold some credibility to keep it where it is.


I'd have no issue with no Cross Country race though, so the arguement that it would go back to being crap isn't really my point.

Not interested in it any more really :rolleyes: maybe that's it :highly_amused:
 
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Aye. Then the DRF the following week.

Dreams will be shattered! :beguiled:
​​​​​

Land mine after land mine for the next 8 weeks :barbershop_quartet_member:
 
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I agree with benjy a lot of these wouldn’t run if it was a hcap. It’s like a veterans gold cup now for horses past their prime and gives them another chance of Cheltenham glory. I don’t get why people moan that they’re not running in the gold cup. To do what exactly? Just add to the numbers and either be pulled up or finish when the foxhunters is about to start! They don’t add anything to the gold cup at this stage of their careers. I’m actually looking forward to this race this year.

Why wouldn't they run if it was a handicap? I don't get that thinking.

Conflated wouldn't add anything to a GC or Ryanair this season? He's still a grade 1 horse imo.
 
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Why wouldn't they run if it was a handicap? I don't get that thinking.

Conflated wouldn't add anything to a GC or Ryanair this season? He's still a grade 1 horse imo.

I don’t think they’d be as interested in lumping huge weights giving 2 stone to the field here knowing full well something will be cheated with to squeeze in off bottom weight and win.

I honestly don’t see what conflated would add to the gold cup this season, he’d finish 7-10th. I like the fact that there’s a race that these old legends can be competitive in rather than just making up the numbers in a gold cup or forced into running off top weight in a hcap.
 
I absolutely think that's a great thing though, Conflated is easily good enough to still be trying to win a Championship race :indecisiveness:

The fact they wouldn't run him in it is kinda the point



Pretty sure Kevin Blake actually put together an excellent article on what they should do with it and that's essentiually where my opinion lies now :welcoming: I'll try find it!

Think this probably the one (with a follow up the week after).

Kevin Blake | At The Races

Kevin Blake | At The Races​​
 
Think this probably the one (with a follow up the week after).

Kevin Blake | At The Races

Kevin Blake | At The Races​​

Thank you

"One final proposal would be to revert the cross-country chase back to it’s former format as a handicap rather than a conditions race. Having it as a conditions race has encouraged the connections of high-class chasers to reinvent them as cross-country chasers in an effort to chisel out a Cheltenham Festival win with horses that wouldn’t be out of place in open Grade 1 chases at the meeting. This has reduced the competitiveness of the race and made it an unrealistic target for most. Reverting it to a handicap would even the playing field."
 
Does anybody know typically how quickly the exchange markets come back up after entry stage. Stupidly I forgot about today and had a time sensitive wager to place. No matter how long I’ve been doing this for I still find stupid ways to balls up.
 
Does anybody know typically how quickly the exchange markets come back up after entry stage. Stupidly I forgot about today and had a time sensitive wager to place. No matter how long I’ve been doing this for I still find stupid ways to balls up.

Start coming back this afternoon. Novice hurdlers often later than other races cos of the numbers involved.
 
Paddy where far quicker to grey out cash out today than previous weeks! More activity today or catching on do we think? I think I've missed opportunity on at least 2 from what I'm reading on twitter ffs!
 
Don't hate me please for posting this, but where are the 2025 markets?

I really enjoyed these in the past and now they seem to be later and later.

I'm not saying all priced up but would think a coulple would of appeared by now.

For example, before Constitution Hills tolworth he was 33s for the champion hurdle the following year. This year i havent spotted one opportunity for a 2025 bet.

Sad times..
 
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Don't hate me please for posting this, but where are the 2025 markets?

I really enjoyed these in the past and now they seem to be later and later.

I'm not saying all priced up but would think a coulple would of appeared by now.

For example, before Constitution Hills tolworth he was 33s for the champion hurdle the following year. This year i havent spotted one opportunity for a 2025 bet.

Sad times..


….PP have a number of ‘win this and next Festival’ offers but that’s all I’ve seen thus far.
 
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Don't hate me please for posting this, but where are the 2025 markets?

I really enjoyed these in the past and now they seem to be later and later.

I'm not saying all priced up but would think a coulple would of appeared by now.

For example, before Constitution Hills tolworth he was 33s for the champion hurdle the following year. This year i havent spotted one opportunity for a 2025 bet.

Sad times..

I'd say these two facts above go hand in hand :biggrin-new: Bookies taking no risks!
 
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Don't hate me please for posting this, but where are the 2025 markets?

I really enjoyed these in the past and now they seem to be later and later.

I'm not saying all priced up but would think a coulple would of appeared by now.

For example, before Constitution Hills tolworth he was 33s for the champion hurdle the following year. This year i havent spotted one opportunity for a 2025 bet.

Sad times..

Skybet keep refusing me them when I'm DMing them on twitter
 
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Alright lads, I'm thinking of going to trials day on my own as all of my mates seem to be busy and it'll be my first time at cheltenham providing it goes ahead, is there anything I should really know like how early to get there ect or if any forum meet ups are going ahead? Cheers!
 
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