Racing -Saturday 26th Feb

Really fantastic days racing today!

Post any comments, tips, etc on here.

Don't forget there's still time to enter Grahame's tipping comp.

I'm off out for the morning........see you later........get those competition entries in!

Solerina

Fairly decent stuff today with Racing Post Chase taking centre stage.Think the race lacks a real star this year,used to get real top flighters running in this event but alas its just another decent handicap.Plenty of these are well exposed and have little or no slack in their present marks,one however who i think might have slipped under the radar a little is DOOR BOY.Recent form figuers are unispiring but take a look back to some of his form from 18 months ago and he has a real squeak,he beat Little Josh around Aintree over 2m4 then ran a blinder to be 7l 4th to Burton Port in the big graded novice chase at the National meeeting.Flat track and nice ground suit,stable jock ventures South for the ride and at 16s or a shade bigger he to my mind anyway represents a sporting wager.
Stable has a similar horse running at Newcastle in the shape of COMPANERO,has solid form from 15 months ago and has needed his two runs back.A real slog in bottomless ground is what he wants and at the price he rates a decent little vfm interst.

Good lucl to all if you play

racingnut wrote:Fairly decent stuff today with Racing Post Chase taking centre stage.Think the race lacks a real star this year,used to get real top flighters running in this event but alas its just another decent handicap.

Hi racingnut...........yes you're right.......I remember Gloria Victis winning this race, in spectacular style, before he tragically died just three weeks later at Cheltenham.
Richard Johnson rode him that day, as AP had picked up a whip ban, at Newcastle (I think), previously.
AP was so completely gutted at not being able to ride his beloved GV in the RP Chase that he had to go away on holiday while it was being run.

Richard Johnson did a fantastic job on Gloria Victis. I have a picture of them on their way to winning, Martin Pipe sent it to me after I wrote a letter to him following GV's fatal fall.

Anyway I'll not dwell on such sad things.........I just got home in time to see Captain Chris win his race....so at least I've got one winner in this week's comp

Solerina

Wow....what a hard slog the Eider Chase turned out to be,

How brave was Companero?!

It isn't nice to see horses so tired, thank goodness none of them had a fall over the last couple of fences......it wouldn't have looked good for racing.

The commentator said only two finished but it looks like three finishers according the results on Sporting Life.

Solerina

Ive seen bad ground at Newcastle before but that stuff out there today was as holding,gluey and claggy as any ive ever seen on any raceourse.Any horse that ran there today will know its been in a hard race and what form goes in the book from todays events can stay there because it certainly wont travel.The Eider was the original war of attrition and Companero was as brave as you can get.
The ground also went testing at Kempton and what is normally a speed test became a bit of a stamina test.Quinz was very tenacious in the big race,he might be a National candidate next season.Sire de Grugy was very impressive in the Dovecote and he might have a say in one of the better novice events at either of the Spring Festivals.

just seeing on how bad the ground is at the moment do you reckon it could make cheltenham softer than usual? id say we've had more rain this year than last few years in jan/feb so maybe it might ride soft?

With regards to the ground at Cheltenham, i'd normally say Good To Soft is pretty much guaranteed due to the excellent drainage they have coupled with the fact that they have what can only be described as a micro-climate over Prestbury Park. Have been many a time when it has chucked it down in the days before but the ground still rides Good to Soft. I think if it rains on the actual day of racing then the ground will change throughout the day, if i remember rightly on the Friday last year the ground was Good for the Triumph Hdl and by the Foxhunters it was Soft after steady rain. One thing is for sure though, i don't think we'll ever see it as bad as it was at Newcastle on Saturday, not sure about everyone else but that wasn't nice to watch the Eider Chase over the last few fences. I like to see a decent test in a race like that but in all honesty that was horrible watching those still standing struggling to get over the last three flights, i think it was Simon Holt who said on Channel Four that watching the end of the race was like pulling his own teeth out, I think i'd agree.

Grahame1971 wrote:With regards to the ground at Cheltenham, i'd normally say Good To Soft is pretty much guaranteed due to the excellent drainage they have coupled with the fact that they have what can only be described as a micro-climate over Prestbury Park. Have been many a time when it has chucked it down in the days before but the ground still rides Good to Soft. I think if it rains on the actual day of racing then the ground will change throughout the day, if i remember rightly on the Friday last year the ground was Good for the Triumph Hdl and by the Foxhunters it was Soft after steady rain.

Morning Grahame .........I realize it's now gone 12.30 but it's always morning until 1.00pm, in my world, here on Button Moon : )

You're sounding strangely calm today regarding Cheltenham...........it's now only two weeks away until Cheltenham Eve!!!!!

I hope you didn't peak too soon lol.

Solerina

Grahame1971 wrote:With regards to the ground at Cheltenham, i'd normally say Good To Soft is pretty much guaranteed due to the excellent drainage they have coupled with the fact that they have what can only be described as a micro-climate over Prestbury Park. Have been many a time when it has chucked it down in the days before but the ground still rides Good to Soft. I think if it rains on the actual day of racing then the ground will change throughout the day, if i remember rightly on the Friday last year the ground was Good for the Triumph Hdl and by the Foxhunters it was Soft after steady rain. One thing is for sure though, i don't think we'll ever see it as bad as it was at Newcastle on Saturday, not sure about everyone else but that wasn't nice to watch the Eider Chase over the last few fences. I like to see a decent test in a race like that but in all honesty that was horrible watching those still standing struggling to get over the last three flights, i think it was Simon Holt who said on Channel Four that watching the end of the race was like pulling his own teeth out, I think i'd agree.

I remember for the festival in 2008 it was pretty soft. certainly the first day. Unluckily for me i was on Harchibald in the champion hurdle and it came up way too soft for harchi who always wanted the best ground possible. should have won that race on paper as i felt it was a poor renewal that year

yeah i think it was simon holt who said that. i watched a novice chase a bit later on on atr from newcastle and they didnt finish too much better either. horrible horrible ground. certainly something that isnt too nice on the eye and ive never seen anything close to that since ive been watching racing

Solerina wrote:You're sounding strangely calm today regarding Cheltenham...........it's now only two weeks away until Cheltenham Eve!!!!!

I hope you didn't peak too soon lol.

Solerina

Ha Ha ... I'm trying to temper my excitement a little Solerina, it really isn't working though. I think i'm driving all the guys in my office at work mad, they'll be quite happy in two weeks when i've been packed off to Cheltenham, a bit of peace and quiet for them !!!!

I've just received my copy of the Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide 2011 and all being well the Racing Post Cheltenham 2011 Guide will arrive on Wednesday ..... If the kids need help with their homework over the next couple of weeks they better go and ask their mum as they'll get naff all help from me !!!!!

As from tonight it's late night studying and reading all the way until the 15th ....

Unless the good lord sees otherwise i'd be amazed if the ground on the opening day isnt good to soft.It seems that only rain on the actual day alters the ground.What you wouldnt want was ground that had been doctored by the clerk to recieve a top up from above.Personally im for leaving nature take its course so long as it isnt dangerously quick,theres been plenty of top horses who never really got the ground they craved at the big Festivals.In an ideal world we would get just on the slow side of good for four days.