Champion Chase 2018

[Kevloaf]

On the racehour podcast Ricci maintains he wants a clash between Altior and Douvan ...

[Scooby91]

Exactly. I remember few years back paddy were stand out price by a long way on Vautour for JLT. Impossible to be in the know when Mullins doesn't know for sure.

If only i still had the screenshot. I backed vautour with WHfor the jlt because pp were the shortest, same with the switch around with faugheen CH and vautour chasing.

I have the vautour bet but not the market. I wouldn't have backed without that. I use them as a sole way of where I back a horse to go. I owe there traders a few pints if they don't have info.

[Faugheen_Machine]

We bumped into a Paddy Power employee at Cheltenham the night before Ricci announced the switch of Vautour from GC to Ryanair. He told us to expect a big announcement in the morning but would say what it was.

[Robante]

On the Altior situation interesting to ponder whether the small procedure he’s having done might actually bring about improvement in the horse. Might Bite and Sprinter Sacre both had the same procedure done. Sprinter had his done after finishing third in the Supreme. His form thereafter was why we now remember him as the great he was. I would say he was fully entitled to win that Supreme knowing how good he was, so was this issue hampering him a fair bit to that point? Might Bite had his done last autumn 2016 before embarking on a season that no one could really have envisaged. He had shown potential to that point, but to me never looked a horse to be setting relentless gallops and demolishing fields, exactly the horse he became after having the same operation Altior is. It’s almost a bit of a tip - get on Altior before his comeback run as there’s every chance he could be an even better horse than he was before. I’m hoping Douvan comes out and looks back to his old self, Altior is still not back and pushed out as a result, and then I’ll be getting seriously stuck in to Altior

[Montjeu]

On the Altior situation interesting to ponder whether the small procedure he’s having done might actually bring about improvement in the horse. Might Bite and Sprinter Sacre both had the same procedure done. Sprinter had his done after finishing third in the Supreme. His form thereafter was why we now remember him as the great he was. I would say he was fully entitled to win that Supreme knowing how good he was, so was this issue hampering him a fair bit to that point? Might Bite had his done last autumn 2016 before embarking on a season that no one could really have envisaged. He had shown potential to that point, but to me never looked a horse to be setting relentless gallops and demolishing fields, exactly the horse he became after having the same operation Altior is. It’s almost a bit of a tip - get on Altior before his comeback run as there’s every chance he could be an even better horse than he was before. I’m hoping Douvan comes out and looks back to his old self, Altior is still not back and pushed out as a result, and then I’ll be getting seriously stuck in to Altior

That's a fair point, but there's no guarantee what worked for Might Bite and Sprinter will work for Altior. Too many risks involved for me to get properly stuck in before seeing him back on a racetrack, not to mention if Douvan is really back to his best there's every chance he beats an on-song Altior. I wish you the best of luck though, if it pans out the way you expect it to you'll have a serious edge.

[Robante]

That's a fair point, but there's no guarantee what worked for Might Bite and Sprinter will work for Altior. Too many risks involved for me to get properly stuck in before seeing him back on a racetrack, not to mention if Douvan is really back to his best there's every chance he beats an on-song Altior. I wish you the best of luck though, if it pans out the way you expect it to you'll have a serious edge.

Calculated risk for sure, but have read up on the operation and it’s pretty minor. I’m expecting him back for a prep run early Feb so we’ll see how he looks then. Shame really that with the doubts surrounding both horses we will possibly never be able to say whether a peak Douvan would have beaten a peak Altior. One things for sure, Fox Norton can’t handle a peak version of either so imo that’s a riskier bet at this stage given that you’re banking on potentially two horses not turning up in their best shape. All waffle really as that’s obviously factored into their prices

[archie]

Do you know which procedure they carried out, Robante?

[Scooby91]

Do you know which procedure they carried out, Robante?

That's what I don't get about this on the race cards. Will they just put wind op. As its a big difference when it Could just be a soft pallet cauterisation.

They only talk to the winners after the race and sometimes they inform of a wind op. But half the field behind who dissapointed could have had there pallet cauterised.

[Scooby91]

Willie Mullins says he is "edging towards" running Douvan in the Tingle Creek, Djakadam in the John Durkan and Un De Sceaux in the Hilly Way at Cork.

[Robante]

Do you know which procedure they carried out, Robante?

Only that it was a minor operation and the larynx wasn’t opening properly. Looking at the timescales for comeback from that operation with Sprinter Sacre and Might Bite it should only be a few weeks before he’s back running at home, so we could feasibly see him back late Jan I’d guess

[Scooby91]

Min*enjoyed a stroll around Gowran Park in justifying 1/9 favouritism in the two and a half mile chase.

He returned from an injury-enforced layoff of 334 days with a terrific display of jumping, aside from a lack of concentration at the first fence.

This was his first crack at two and a half miles and he popped away from each of the 14 fences for*Paul Townend.

The six-year-old gelding took a few lengths out of his two rivals -*Flaxen Flare*and*Uncle Danny*- after the sixth fence.

He moved clear by the fifth last where*Flaxen Flare*made a mistake. From there he strode away to win by 36 lengths from Flaxen Flare.

Paul Townend*said: "He was very good - just wasn't concentrating at the first and he put in a big leap. He just wasn't looking at the first, whatever caught his eye he just wasn't concentrating on the fence.

"After that he was dynamite everywhere - long and short whatever he wanted to do. He eyes them up himself. It was a good performance.

"He's off the track a long time and probably on that ground I was trying to go a stride slower than he wanted to go.

"He was very good and galloped right through to the line. It was as good as we hoped.

"He was impressive. We hoped he would do something like that and he did and it is on to the next day now."

Willie Mullins*said: "That was a tremendous return forMin*and I thought his jumping was good and he was fresh and well.

"I loved the way he jumped and put himself right and while he didn't have much opposition and had a lot of things his own way, he was still very good.

"We now know he goes two and a half miles and he wasn't stopping either so it opens up a few more options.

"The John Durkan is too soon and I'll be looking at Christmas unless there's a juicy one before that. Hopefully I'll have a few more for the Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown."<

[Hurricane fly]

“We know he goes 2 and a half”

[ComplyOrDie]

For those who follow the PP market moves for the Mullins runners well tonight PP have cut Douvan for this race and moved Altior & Min out for it. Betfair too, who are owned by PP.

[Kevloaf]

For those who follow the PP market moves for the Mullins runners well tonight PP have cut Douvan for this race and moved Altior & Min out for it. Betfair too, who are owned by PP.

Expect Ricci to be quite bullish on the line shortly then....

[Scooby91]

For those who follow the PP market moves for the Mullins runners well tonight PP have cut Douvan for this race and moved Altior & Min out for it. Betfair too, who are owned by PP.

Min Ryanair big cut too