The King George on Boxing Day.

I love Josses Hill, his jumping can be a bit random but would love to see him get it together.
Not that you can knock Cue Card or TC!
 
The only thing about Christmas that I really look forward to! Hearing that Thistlecrack is being allowed to give it ago has got me so excited, although sad to hear Coneygree won't be lining up.
 
I am so sad Coneygree isn't running. Not sure how I feel about Thistlecrack in this rather than the novice chase. I would be cautious and stick to the novice but I am no trainer.
 
Chiffy said:
I am so sad Coneygree isn't running. Not sure how I feel about Thistlecrack in this rather than the novice chase. I would be cautious and stick to the novice but I am no trainer.
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Agree with you Chiffy, they dont tend to hang around in the KG do they? Still, they have to find out what he's capable of at some point. Crossing everything....
 
I'm such a Team Tizz fan, I feel rather torn now that they are both runinng - but that said my heart lies with Cue Card, I hope he wins. I got the impression that Colin Tizzard wasn't all guns blazing about running Thistlecrack, it's very much been pitched as what the owner wants. It must be hard having two of your stable stars against each other.

Anyway, for all we know Josse's Hill or one of the irish horses will skip up - and the Lizzy Kelly horse has win C&D hasn't he?
 
Just looked at the runners, apart from the Cue Card/Thistlecrack question it must be the worst King George ever, what has happened to all of the 3 mile chasers ?
 
Coneygree was taken out, Vatour is sadly no longer with us, Al Ferof (3rd for the past 2 seasons) is now retired, Don Cossack is still out of action, Djakadam is entered in the Lexus in Ireland on the 28th, as is Don Poli; Vroum Vroum Mag might have been an interesting runner but she was taken out and goes in the Christmas Hurdle instead.
 
Wasn't bad was it? :D
My heart was sort of with Cue Card cos this season was the probably the last serious chance he had of the million pound bonus, given that he will be turning 11 next week, and he's been such a great horse for his connections. But fair play to Thistlecrack, the best horse on the day won. He could improve further still from here and if he gets to the Cheltenham Festival fit and well it's hard to see past him for the Gold Cup.
 
Well wow! What a horse, how far outside the wings was he on one of those leaps.
Daryl Jacob is an incompetent pillock who amazingly managed not to kill Might Bite in the earlier race.
A good days racing. Love that sport.
 
TelH said:
Wasn't bad was it? :D
My heart was sort of with Cue Card cos this season was the probably the last serious chance he had of the million pound bonus, …….. . But fair play to Thistlecrack, the best horse on the day won. …….. .
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I don't, if I'm honest, follow racing as some of you lot (and I'm glad of the pundits on here!), but if Tizzard trained both CC & TC what on earth was he doing running a second horse when he stood to collect a £1mill bonus? I've obviously got it all wrong, because no one's that daft, …….. are they? :)

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
I don't, if I'm honest, follow racing as some of you lot (and I'm glad of the pundits on here!), but if Tizzard trained both CC & TC what on earth was he doing running a second horse when he stood to collect a £1mill bonus? I've obviously got it all wrong, because no one's that daft, …….. are they? :)

Alec.
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Different owners. :-)
 
Clodagh said:
Well wow! What a horse, how far outside the wings was he on one of those leaps.
Daryl Jacob is an incompetent pillock who amazingly managed not to kill Might Bite in the earlier race.
A good days racing. Love that sport.
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I screamed at the tv when he put that horse on the deck, wtf was he thinking! Popped the third last and second last then...what? Was he looking for a nice photo. Pillock indeed, and thank God the horse got up no thanks to him. As for TC, scarily brilliant.
 
Alec Swan said:
I don't, if I'm honest, follow racing as some of you lot (and I'm glad of the pundits on here!), but if Tizzard trained both CC & TC what on earth was he doing running a second horse when he stood to collect a £1mill bonus? I've obviously got it all wrong, because no one's that daft, …….. are they? :)

Alec.
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Safe to say Tizzard isn't your average/normal racehorse trainer. You can tell that by his interviews.

Thistlecrack was everything good about jump racing today.
 
Alec Swan said:
I don't, if I'm honest, follow racing as some of you lot (and I'm glad of the pundits on here!), but if Tizzard trained both CC & TC what on earth was he doing running a second horse when he stood to collect a £1mill bonus? I've obviously got it all wrong, because no one's that daft, …….. are they? :)

Alec.
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As Clodagh said, same trainer different owners.
The £1m bonus is for any horse that wins the Betfair Chase/King George/Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season. Cue Card won the first 2 last season and had won the Betfair Chase again this season, but it can't be done now and he hasn't really got age on his side to have another go; next season he'd have to win the first 2 aged 11 then go on to win the gold cup as a 12 yo which seems highly unlikely.
 
KautoStar1 said:
To be fair to DJ, he saw a stride asked the horse for it and the horse put down on him. I don't think he could have done much more.
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Exactly!!! thats racing ,I love it when the all knowing experts start I would love have a pound for all the number of good horses I have seen on the deck at that fence.
 
TelH said:
As Clodagh said, same trainer different owners.
The £1m bonus is for any horse that wins the Betfair Chase/King George/Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season. Cue Card won the first 2 last season and had won the Betfair Chase again this season, but it can't be done now and he hasn't really got age on his side to have another go; next season he'd have to win the first 2 aged 11 then go on to win the gold cup as a 12 yo which seems highly unlikely.
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Cue Card's year to win the Gold Cup and thus the £1million was last year. Unfortunately he fell. Such is racing. No disrespect to last years Gold Cup winner/placed horses but they weren't top top drawer, they are very very good though. But we have been spoilt in recent years by the Kauto/Denman battles with Neptune Collangues, Long Run and Imperial Commander all challenging them every step of the way.

Thistlecrack is a shiny new toy for us to admire and fawn over! His jumping is both phenominal and petrifying at the same time! As much as I love Coneygree I don't think he will be claiming back his Gold Cup crown whilst TC is on the scene. My only worry with TC is if the landing gear doesn't get out in time. That could be a disaster!
 
KautoStar1 said:
To be fair to DJ, he saw a stride asked the horse for it and the horse put down on him. I don't think he could have done much more.
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I've just watched the replay of that race and DJ saw a nice, but slightly long stride which he obviously thought the horse was capable of but the horse had other ideas. That's racing. Horses aren't machines, they don't do everything you ask or tell them to all of the time, they have their own brains and their own ideas.
 
TC will not win the Gold cup !!
I cant quite get my head around the over egging the pudding by the TV pundits ,he was impressive but I have seen better over the years and I too think his jumping will become vulnerable when he gets into a race where he has some opposition on a more demanding course .I got the impression CT was not very pleased that they went up to take each other on.He said it was too soon however that is always the place at Kempton to up the pressure as those last few fences are notoriously awkward.
 
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I wouldnt write CC off at Cheltenham I think he did what he was meant to do today which was to help keep the numbers down in the race to start with and then to help in TCs education.
 
Clodagh said:
Well wow! What a horse, how far outside the wings was he on one of those leaps.
Daryl Jacob is an incompetent pillock who amazingly managed not to kill Might Bite in the earlier race.
A good days racing. Love that sport.
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That fall made me feel very sick! He was miles out in front, he didn't need to push for it.
 
9tails said:
That fall made me feel very sick! He was miles out in front, he didn't need to push for it.
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Of course he did because at the previous fence the horse was wrong as well got in too close and as a general rule you are safer going off a long one than being in the bottom of a fence ,just the horse wasnt singing from the same hymn sheet.
 
My neighbours must have thought I was being murdered yesterday as I involuntarily screamed when Might Bite came down. The relief when he got up and cantered away nearly made me cry :(

I think this is left over emotion from seeing a horse called Eduard pulled up with a swinging hind leg a week or so ago. It looked terminal but can anyone here confirm the outcome as I have not been able to find anything online. It was a race at Ascot.

Thistlecrack - wow! When he came around that bend and did the 'I mean business scurry' and just 'went' it was amazing. Such a calm and beautiful horse. He looked like he was barely even breaking a sweat. And then to be so calm and collected being brought in. I want him.
 
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