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General Chat

Lovely. They'd be mad not to go for the MH without the top two.

Without the top 2?

BDA is long odds on to be going for the race

O'leary confirmed that to Matt Chapman

'the mares will do for us'
 
Without the top 2?

BDA is long odds on to be going for the race

O'leary confirmed that to Matt Chapman

'the mares will do for us'

Yeah right. I'd need a bucket of salt not a pinch re that quote :welcoming:
 
According to Matt Chapman, Barry ordered O'Sullivan to get off his last ride at Cork to head back to the yard and do some schooling and Michael quite rightly refused and said he would head straight over after the race. Bit ridiculous from Connell but he has form for the ridiculous. Probably the best thing that could happen to Michael O'Sullivan in the long run, he will flourish now.

My understanding was that Michael said he would do the schooling at Punchestown to Barry early in the week. Declarations came out for Cork and Michael was jocked up on a horse in a race after 2pm, so no way would he make Punchestown for half 3. Barry asked him then to give up the ride in cork and to be in Punchestown but Michael declined.

Just an idea, Michael is a jockey that has no full time yard. With the new jockey competition set up in the UK worth thousands, Michael should have a look at basing over there. Go to Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell and Henry De bromhead etc. and say, "I will be in the Uk and will take any rides you want over there for you and if you need me during the week, i can fly back to ireland to do work for you."
For example, Mystical power in the fighting fifth, he could take that for willie, should finish in top 2 and get points in that championship. So many irish trainers send over 1 or 2 horses every couple of weekends and these are races that are in the competition. Might not work out but take a chance.
Danny Mullins and Darragh O'Keefe are another 2 top jockeys that don't get the horses they should regularly enough and when they do, they perform. Both should consider giving UK a go
 
According to Matt Chapman, Barry ordered O'Sullivan to get off his last ride at Cork to head back to the yard and do some schooling and Michael quite rightly refused and said he would head straight over after the race. Bit ridiculous from Connell but he has form for the ridiculous. Probably the best thing that could happen to Michael O'Sullivan in the long run, he will flourish now.

I tried really hard to watch that , but as with most of M.C's show's , it got too " shouty " and one sided , Poor old Fran Berry couldn't get a word in ! . :rolleyes-new:.
 
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I’m turning my attention to horses having come out and done the business this season. Equally, I think that Gordon might have a better festival.
fat Gordon Yankees all the way for me
romeo coolio
firefox
betterdaysahead
classical creek
 
I’m turning my attention to horses having come out and done the business this season. Equally, I think that Gordon might have a better festival.
fat Gordon Yankees all the way for me
romeo coolio
firefox
betterdaysahead
classical creek

I like that GV. From what we have seen so far, there is every chance they could all be in the top 3 home in their respected races. I might follow that in with the each way added.
 
I’m turning my attention to horses having come out and done the business this season. Equally, I think that Gordon might have a better festival.
fat Gordon Yankees all the way for me
romeo coolio
firefox
betterdaysahead
classical creek

What race are you thinking for Firefox ?
 
Some of you FJ's are pretty accurate with your ratings/RPR's. Would be interested to read thoughts on the Monmiral / Strong Leader race? Monmiral likely to go up for that today?
 
Some of you FJ's are pretty accurate with your ratings/RPR's. Would be interested to read thoughts on the Monmiral / Strong Leader race? Monmiral likely to go up for that today?

Getting 2lbs & beat 3 1/2, possibly not. If so, it won't be a whole heap, IMO.
 
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Some of you FJ's are pretty accurate with your ratings/RPR's. Would be interested to read thoughts on the Monmiral / Strong Leader race? Monmiral likely to go up for that today?

Tricky race for the assessor that.
You'd be disappointed if he got more than a pound or two as realistically the winner did not run to 158. (or 156)

Rule Langer Dan out as any sort of yardstick and Flight Plan probably about right with Monmiral.

Leaving them all wouldn't be daftest or unpopular with all concerned.
Think he'll get a couple though.
 
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I haven't backed Monmiral or anything in the pertemps as yet, although the fenton horse almost sucked me in.

It's a funny market as had he won today then they would all have likely shortened him (monmiral)
Unibet actually did 20's to 16s ???

So it can be a perverse market in that respect when I'd have been much more inclined to back him in the next week or two had he finished last.
 
What race are you thinking for Firefox ?

Arkle I was thinking. I feel that it’s the timing of the races and going rather than the distance of his next race. The scratching of the 2m race at leopardstown over Xmas has called for a different Cheltenham prep.

Willie is a bit late getting going IMO
 
Not sure I understand this Firefox stuff, I thought he was pretty certain for the Arkle?

I have a fairly strong view and not one that will be massively popular, but I think Firefox was well down the list of a very average bunch of novice hurdlers last year so for him to a serious chaser he will need to improve bundles and on his Down Royal (RPR 135) run the other week he will need to make Put The Kettle On type improvement.
Of course you can't dismiss any horse after the one chase start but this horse isn't your standard novice chase recruit, he will have had far more racing than most novice chasers he will come up against so I wonder how much improvement there is.
I should point out that my only bet in the race is on L'eau de Sud who bizarrely has a similar profile to Firefox in terms of experience, my defence is that I backed him at double the price Firefox currently is and LDS already looks a much better chaser than he did hurdler....
 
I have a fairly strong view and not one that will be massively popular, but I think Firefox was well down the list of a very average bunch of novice hurdlers last year so for him to a serious chaser he will need to improve bundles and on his Down Royal (RPR 135) run the other week he will need to make Put The Kettle On type improvement.
Of course you can't dismiss any horse after the one chase start but this horse isn't your standard novice chase recruit, he will have had far more racing than most novice chasers he will come up against so I wonder how much improvement there is.
I should point out that my only bet in the race is on L'eau de Sud who bizarrely has a similar profile to Firefox in terms of experience, my defence is that I backed him at double the price Firefox currently is and LDS already looks a much better chaser than he did hurdler....

I'm on this side of the debate also.
I think he's average as it stands and needs a lot more to become a likely winner.

Like a lot of Elliot's horses, we're in his height of the season at the moment and they almost always start looking weaker propositions as we get to the middle of Feb. Basically most of his are probably under priced right now, it's just finding the really good ones he might have that's the task/problem, but that's likely to be one or 2 at best (aside from handicaps).

I'll be backing Heart Wood if the prices are right on Sunday.
Not as confident as I am with Lossie but just think he's the value of the 2 at the head, but it's far from a 2 horse race like the hattons is.