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General Chat

Brooker17 said:
Has anyone got anything in mind for the king George VI chase?
I had previously backed il est francais but thats looking like wasted money now. Looking at the market I would personally be looking at fact to file but no idea if that's even it's target? Any suggestions?
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Why do you say IEF is wasted money? He demolished them on his only other visit to Kempton and clearly that's his prime target next season. Willie has already mapped out FTF route to the Gold Cup and KG wasn't mentioned.
 
Just purely on it's last run. Also read a few things on here saying the field that day flattered il est francais.
 
Brooker17 said:
Just purely on it's last run. Also read a few things on here saying the field that day flattered il est francais.
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It was a visually impressive performance that day but the form doesn't look too good now and his next run was awful so I'd personally be waiting to see how he goes in his next couple of runs.
 
Any chance of Storm Heart being sent Novice Chasing this season? Currently around 100/1 for the Arkle and Gigginstown seemingly having no other representative at this (EARLY) stage.
 
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Brooker17 said:
Has anyone got anything in mind for the king George VI chase?
I had previously backed il est francais but thats looking like wasted money now. Looking at the market I would personally be looking at fact to file but no idea if that's even it's target? Any suggestions?
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Fastorslow. I think connections mentioned the KG being a target next season and if so, I would have him as favourite and much shorter than the current 10s.
 
I noticed the race to cheltenham tweet

Via @Pmolony1Peter, it sounds like a big change is being proposed in the Mares Hurdle division:
- Any mare that won a Grade 1 during the previous 13 months would be ineligible to run in the Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

❌️ Would rule out the winner from the previous season, as well as the Grade 1 Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse and any other Grade 1 race in the 13 months before the Festival.

So two things

1. that seems to rule out brighterdaysahead, lossiemouth, kargese, jade de grugy and golden ace..... dysart enos looks a good price if so

2. Is there any precedent for when they release details of next year's schedule...I thought we would know by now but not sure if there is an official schedule/pattern release?
 
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Mark Boylan had a piece about this in the Irish field the other day. Quote from the jockey club in it basically saying these decisions aren’t getting made anytime soon.

It’s definitely making antepost very restricted this year with prospects of big changes. I have basically just stuck to championship races so far and probably got my least ever amount on at this stage.
 
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BigBucksFlatSpot said:
I noticed the race to cheltenham tweet


So two things

1. that seems to rule out brighterdaysahead, lossiemouth, kargese, jade de grugy and golden ace..... dysart enos looks a good price if so

2. Is there any precedent for when they release details of next year's schedule...I thought we would know by now but not sure if there is an official schedule/pattern release?
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1.
Golden Ace has never ran in a Grade 1.

She'd be Fav if they go through with a rule change, as suggested

(as long as she avoided winning a Grade 1 during the season, of course, and they did suggest they'd have a crack at the Grade 1 races Con.Hill runs in - doesn't run in - along the way, as they're very thin fields)

2.
The BHA Jumps Pattern Book gets later and later every year.

I diarise to chase them in November if they havent published.

Its usually produced in November.

Plenty of time to adjust any Cheltenham races, and they will know that.

Betting on some of these races does come with that added bit of jeopardy this season.

.

.
 
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BigBucksFlatSpot said:
You're right of course forgot the Festival was a Grade 2 ! Thanks saxon
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Yep, and you don't get too many owners and trainers complaining about the conditions of that race, (The Mares Novice Hurdle, at Cheltenham) and how it wrecks their ability to breed and sell NH Mares.

The chap that was complaining about the Mares Hurdle changes (I don't blame him, he has a self interest), quoted the

●Mares Hurdle
●Mares Chase
●Mares Novice Hurdle

.....being added to the Cheltenham Festival that has created a whole new market for breeding and racing Mares, and how they shouldn't change the Mares Hurdle or the breeding of NH Mares will collapse.

But two out of the three races he mentioned, as being vital, are Grade 2's with penalties for Graded winners anyway

I could understand the argument for protecting the 3 races being at Cheltenham - but Id leave it open for discussion to tweak the conditions of the Mares Hurdle to ensure that a more significant race (the Champion Hurdle) is as competitive as possible.

It doesn't have to be what is being floated, but Im okay with them looking at options, as


● Mares races in NH racing are thriving
POSITIVE for Champion Hurdle, if the best Mares run in it
NEGATIVE if they dont.​

● 1M to 1M4F horses rated 90+, 100+ on the Flat are being sold out of Europe to other jurisdictions and weakening the entrants coming into Hurdles races.
NEGATIVE for Champion Hurdle​

● the uplift of high value P2P winners, doesn't lead to many quality novice hurdlers lingering over hurdles, and boosting the Champion Hurdle
NEGATIVE for Champion Hurdle​

So if we don't get the top Hurdling Mares into the Champion Hurdle, then the biggest Hurdle race in the world suffers.
 
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Hard to disagree with that saxon.. for the champ hurdle in particular

I think the best mares in championship races with the allowance works best... and the races need them

golden ace v dysart enos round 2 is not a bad race either
 
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Would love to see con hill, state man and Lossiemouth all running in the champion hurdle, she would add so much interest to the race and the racing press could hype it up and draw more attention to it as a spectacle.
 
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What will the bookies do with antepost bets on horses that later become ineligible to run in the mares hurdle? Would they do the right thing and refund?
 
Ice said:
Would love to see con hill, state man and Lossiemouth all running in the champion hurdle, she would add so much interest to the race and the racing press could hype it up and draw more attention to it as a spectacle.
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I can only see an injury scenario where that doesn't happen....
 
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Frankely My Dear said:
What will the bookies do with antepost bets on horses that later become ineligible to run in the mares hurdle? Would they do the right thing and refund?
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Paddy Power love promoting a justice refund.
You'd be safer with a firm like that, maybe.

The markets are quiet. Im hoping it stays that way until the official news comes out, of the definitive changes.
 
Thanks Saxon, I have Kargese with Bet365 and both bets have fair cash out values. If she's going to run then I'd rather hold on, but if there's a fair chance she won't be eligible I'd rather cash out than risk losing the stake
 
Frankely My Dear said:
Thanks Saxon, I have Kargese with Bet365 and both bets have fair cash out values. If she's going to run then I'd rather hold on, but if there's a fair chance she won't be eligible I'd rather cash out than risk losing the stake
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If it was me, I wouldnt be cashing out anything - I have Golden Ace backed for the Mares and wont be touching those bets.:encouragement:

The only race I completely avoided thinking its definitely going to be changed is the NHC

Should also be a sensible thing for them to look at, to remove Novices from being able to run in Handicap Chases and Handicap Hurdles.

Whilst also making the Martin Pipe a Novices Only Handicap Hurdle

I dont back in the Bartlett very early very often, and if theyre going to hack around with Novice Grade 1 hurdles, maybe that one could go (or be changed) and like the DRF meeting have a 2M Supreme and a 2M6F Gallaghers maybe. That could help narrow trainers minds on which one to run their horses in, a bit earlier than happens now with some of them.
 
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Sky have messaged me to say no longer accepting PayPal soon, is this going to be the norm across the board? Is this part of affordability checks?
 
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