Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Cheltenham Festival '10

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Cheltenham Festival '10

    This years is of course going to be as good as usual.

    The Gold Cup (Thursday) is obviously the highlight with Kauto Star and Denman both fit, and both pissing over their rivals last time out... I am really looking forward to it. No idea who will win, but I am a huge fan of Kauto Star.

    The Champion Hurdle is also going to be a belter (today). There are about 6 or 7 who could win this, including last years winner Punjabi. Surprisingly, its quite a small field (12), so form should show through, and I go for GO NATIVE, but this one will have to be ridden properly.

    Tomorrow's Queen Mother, looks more clearcut. I think MASTER MINDED will piss this to make it 3 in a row, but Twist Magic might just give him some grief.

    #2
    Cheltenham Festival '10

    Can't see past Kauto for the Gold Cup.

    I've had an insider's tip (well, a word from a bloke I know who spunks too much of his time and money on the gee-gees) for Oscar Whiskey for the very first race this afternoon, though he's come in massively from 25-1 to 8-1 in the past couple of weeks.

    Wish I had the time and money to go - it's one of the greatest sporting experiences the country offers.

    Comment


      #3
      Cheltenham Festival '10

      That is unbeaten, and currently at 10's (DUNGUIB is odds on favourite.) Notoriously bastard-ish race though... one of those where any of them can win it.

      Comment


        #4
        Cheltenham Festival '10

        Binocular wins the Champion Hurdle, with my selection a creditable (for me) 10th of 12.

        Todays opener was a brilliant race, with Menorah coming out on top. The hot favourite finished third, with E10's pick, a very good 4th, only 5 lengths back.

        Comment


          #5
          Cheltenham Festival '10

          There must be pissed bookies falling out of almost every pub in Cheltenham tonight.

          I don't think there's ever been an opening day where every favourite failed like that. The only ones with glum faces will be have been the ones taking the housewives' bets on AP McCoy.

          Comment


            #6
            Cheltenham Festival '10

            Clearly only a lot of late interest brought Binocular in to 9/1.

            From BBC website:

            "A total of £26 was spent on backing Binocular at the maximum price on the internet betting exchange. One bet of £10 netting nearly £10,000"

            Comment


              #7
              Cheltenham Festival '10

              E10 Rifle wrote:
              Wish I had the time and money to go - it's one of the greatest sporting experiences the country offers.
              Yeah, I love seeing which horse can run faster than some other horses.

              Comment


                #8
                Cheltenham Festival '10

                If one felt so inclined any sport could be reduced to banality by a similarly dismissive sentence, PG.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Cheltenham Festival '10

                  PG on the Olympics: "A load of people seeing who can run around the fastest and throw things the furthest".

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Cheltenham Festival '10

                    PG on the World Cup Final: "Lots of men running around a field trying to kick a ball into a big net"

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Cheltenham Festival '10

                      PG on the Open Golf Championship: "A few blokes walking around some sand dunes, pausing only to try and knock a small white ball into a hole with a stick".

                      Actually, that latter one's probably about right, if I'm brutally honest. And I'm the biggest golf fan on the board.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Cheltenham Festival '10

                        I think that when human endeavour is involved it's a bit easier to invest some of the emotional involvement that adds flavour to what is a bunch of people doing something trivial.

                        Whether that is outright tribal loyalty, political affiliation or disaffiliation or simply fancying one of the competitors is irrelevant.

                        I find that engagement a bit more difficult when it's a bunch of horses.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Cheltenham Festival '10

                          Well human endeavour clearly is involved in horse-racing. What do you think those little fellas on top of them are doing?

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Cheltenham Festival '10

                            Less than the horses.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Cheltenham Festival '10

                              Tony McCoy = Jenson Button?

                              *That's fairly reasonable.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Cheltenham Festival '10

                                Formula one's now reached the point where the cars might as just well be remote-controlled from the pits, such is the little influence the driver really has over the speed or handling performance of his car, and the very limited role that overtaking or maneouvring actually has in deciding race position.

                                Jockeys have far more influence over how horses run (especially over jumps).

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Cheltenham Festival '10

                                  Yeah, we should give F1 drivers whips.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Cheltenham Festival '10

                                    And so to the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

                                    How long can they call the race that, I wonder? Once Charles becomes King will it simply be re-named the Queen Elizabeth champion chase?

                                    Anyway, Forpadydeplasterer under AP looks too good to resist at 11-1, on the vague chance that there is going to be an upset. Racing in Exeter City colours, too.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Cheltenham Festival '10

                                      It's great when St Patrick's Day falls during Cheltenham. Day off to sit back and enjoy the racing.

                                      I'm down today, with Rite of Passage and Punchestowns big let-downs. It's even worse having to look at that bollox Michael O Leary revelling in victory like only he can - smugly.

                                      I almost cleaned up yesterday. Having backed Menorah in the opener, both Somersby and Ogee were beaten by a head. And all were reasonably priced. 'Almost' - the punters term of refuge.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Cheltenham Festival '10

                                        The Gold Cup is on FRIDAY! When did it become a 4 day festival?

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Cheltenham Festival '10

                                          Purves Grundy wrote:
                                          Yeah, we should give F1 drivers whips.
                                          Wasn't that Max Mosley's idea?

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Cheltenham Festival '10

                                            Right: as we speak, the going is about to be slightly in favour of Denman.

                                            This means nothing (lie), and the best horse will win (lie).

                                            I never bet...and I know how it works... but I have a fiver in my pocket with Kauto Star's name on it (if it goes above evens). Any thoughts?

                                            And, yet again, the Triumph Hurdle is a nightmare (and probably the best race of the meeting).

                                            There are at least 6, I fancy, but with cool thought, and a guided pin, I go for ADVISOR, and I am still not sure. Undefeated, which is a problem, and there are a few 'non-nutters' in this...fuck it:Tricast.

                                            1. Advisor
                                            2. Carlito Brigante
                                            3. Alaivan

                                            in no particular order...

                                            (pebble in a pool to come 'NOT LAST' at twelves...50p on that)

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Cheltenham Festival '10

                                              Rain in Cheltenham.. there goes Kauto Star.

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                Cheltenham Festival '10

                                                And, indeed, there he did go.

                                                The Gold Cup is a quite different race when it rains - it becomes much more of a slog, much more suited to the traditional chaser rather than the French-bred. I can't help thinking Kauto might have won if the rain had come 24 hours later, especially because they had watered on the assumption that it would stay away.

                                                But then I cannot help thinking that Kauto is to some of the Cheltenham crowd what Andy Murray is to the Wimbledon equivalent.

                                                Comment

                                                Working...
                                                X