2017 Ryanair Chase

[Kevloaf]

I'm in the exact same position Ista on Zabana.

I backed Djakadam nrnb at 8/1 because if he did divert from the Gold Cup he would definitely be fav in my opinion. Ruby would ride and against Cue Card I'd fancy him. I fully expect my stake back but seemed too big.

The other was Gods Own. Think he'll go for the CC but NRNB and fair is for a horse who is better in the spring and best Vautour the same season Vautour won this race

[Istabraq]

Djakadam goes Gold Cup, I really don't see him going anywhere else.

I think VVM will be the connections rep for the Ryanair but I'm not second guessing Ricci and will wait until the 24 hour decs before getting involved - last year proved that 48 hours is still too long so I'll be waiting the extra day !

[HardyEustace]

Agree. Ricci doesn't have anything else for the Gold Cup, nor does Mullins, so can't see them going anywhere else.

I had a small stake on VVM for the Ryanair @ 7/1 NRNB, as although you've little chance of second guessing Ricci/Mullins and won't know where it's actually running until final decs, if it does turn up here it'll be much shorter than that

[Kevloaf]

Djakadam goes Gold Cup, I really don't see him going anywhere else.

I think VVM will be the connections rep for the Ryanair but I'm not second guessing Ricci and will wait until the 24 hour decs before getting involved - last year proved that 48 hours is still too long so I'll be waiting the extra day !

So do I regarding Djakadam but I had the exact same thoughts when vautour was 4/1 nrnb when it first came out so I don't want to be stung again, no matter how unlikely.

Champagne Fever could be a viable runner

[ryanh97]

Who do you guys think would win if Un de Sceaux and Cue Card turns up? One of those 2 or someone different?

[Kevloaf]

I'd think VVM is a much more likely runner but she took 8 points for any race at 11/4 so if she does turn up here I'll have to bite the bullet on that!

[Leman14]

I personally think that it would be a travesty if Cue Card turns up here rather than the Gold Cup.
Tizzard seems happy to run them in the right races, rather than split them up...

My gut says that UDS would win, but that may be clouded by the fact that I don't think that CC should be there anyway!

Champagne Fever is a great shout at a price. Given the prep of VVM, CF is probably a more likely runner and put up a decent display over 22f after 18 months off of the track

[ryanh97]

Im the same I think he should be in the GC. Un de Sceaux is a tough horse to beat when hes in the mood. Yeah I agree on CF, hes a good price for this

[ryanh97]

Im the same I think he should be in the GC. Un de Sceaux is a tough horse to beat when hes in the mood. Yeah I agree on CF, hes a good price for this

[Mytentoryours1]

Absolutely no harm in taking that price about Djakadam but this is a different situation. He had a good chance in the same ownership last season in the Gold Cup. What are they going to run in the Gold Cup that has any sort of chance if Djakadam doesn't run?

[Kevloaf]

Absolutely no harm in taking that price about Djakadam but this is a different situation. He had a good chance in the same ownership last season in the Gold Cup. What are they going to run in the Gold Cup that has any sort of chance if Djakadam doesn't run?

Maybe nothing. Maybe though, they'll think that Tizzard has 3 more likely and they'd rather go for a race they think they can win rather than one they'll do well to place in?

You literally get your money back, and now Cue Card is a non runner in the Ryanair, the next best 'certain runner' is Josses Hill at 10/1. Djakadam would be a warm favourite for this race, so 8/1 is simply too big. UDS, as well Black Hercules, VVM or any other that he sent there would also be fav but VVM hasn't got anywhere NEAR the form in the book that Djakadam has, and Black Hercules is way behind him too....

I appreciate how unlikely it is, and there are plenty of quotes from me on here saying he'll definitely go for the Gold Cup, and I do think it is incredibly likely, but it is literally a bet to nothing and I think 8/1 is too big

[jono]

Cue Cards owners today have said he goes for the Gold Cup.

Although Bishop admits odds-on Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack will be tough to beat, she said Cue Card might not have been at his best at Kempton and deserves another crack at the showpiece contest, in which he fell three out last year with all to play for.

We’re going for the Gold Cup, she said. We’ve had a talk about it and that’s what we’ve decided.
Now we’ve made our minds up we haven’t got to keep talking about it. That’s what we’re going to do. I don’t know what the opposition will be, but he deserves to go and take his chance.

Paddy [Brennan] thinks the ground might have been a factor in the King George. We got to Kempton early and they gave the going as good, and I thought then it might not be on his side. Paddy said it was the same as at Wetherby and he wasn’t at his best there. If he wasn’t at his best at Kempton, he actually did well to finish second.

They are reasons rather than excuses. Probably the ground was too dry for him. And horses can be fine one day and not so fine the next, can’t they? He seemed to bounce back when he got home, so it might have been that he had an off day. Cue Card finished three and a quarter lengths behind the eased-down Thistlecrack and a short head in front of third-placed Silviniaco Conti. He is due to have his next start in the Betfair Ascot Chase on February 21.

Bishop continued: “I don’t know if there’s a horse that can live with Thistlecrack, but all his career Cue Card has never run away from anything. His races have always been strong races.

Gold Cup day will be exactly seven years since he won the Bumper, and he does like Cheltenham.
I’d rather him go and have a try there than go for something else. I expect it will be his last chance of going for the Gold Cup. He’ll do his best and we’ll see how it goes.”

Fully agree on this decision. Not sure he'd have the pace for the Ryanair trip and see him as a pure stayer at this point in his career. As good as Thistlecrack may be I feel like connections want another crack at the Gold Cup after the uncertainty of "would he" have won. He fully deserves another chance

*sorry just seen this has been posted in the Gold Cup thread!

[Leman14]

Djakadam v UDS over neithers optimum trip... who would Ruby ride???
My opinion: UDS in this, cos he can ride Djak in the Gold Cup.

Many of where the Mullins horses go revolves around Ruby (as discussed in another thread)... although it is very rarely as obvious as it may seem!

[jono]

Djakadam v UDS over neithers optimum trip... who would Ruby ride???
My opinion: UDS in this, cos he can ride Djak in the Gold Cup.

Many of where the Mullins horses go revolves around Ruby (as discussed in another thread)... although it is very rarely as obvious as it may seem!

I expect Djakadam to run in the Gold Cup however IF there was a serious choice required between choosing Djakadam and UDS to be the Ryanair runner - the ground would play quite a key role in the decision imo. (Hence the comment made by Ricci a while back)

Soft ground would benefit both UDS in the Ryanair and Djakadam in the Gold Cup (as well as possibly making the Gold Cup tougher for Thistlecrack for those who feel the extended Gold Cup trip could stretch him)

Though it wouldn't stop him beingable to win it by any means - Good ground plays less into UDS's hands for the Ryanair and Djakadams for the GC (and likely plays into Thistlecracks hands)

[Kevloaf]

I'd be 100% confident on good to soft or better, Ruby would ride Djakadam. They wouldn't put Djakadam in the race if he wasn't going to be fav.

I think the reason they're offering 8/1 nrnb is because there isn't a chance he'll run to be honest and its better for the bookies to have the money and give it back than not have it at all ��