2022 Gold Cup

[charlie]

Robbie Power surprisingly booked to ride Minella Indo in Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup. Rachael Blackmore not chosen on the Henry De Bromhead-trained Cheltenham Gold Cup winner as she'll be on A Plus Tard in March.

Is it likely he’ll be on Minella indo in march as well? As jack and Davy will be on either galvin or delta work? Seriously puts me off Minella indo who is my fancy for the big one.

Doesn't the last bit of the first sentence make the first bit of the first sentence not surprising?

[Carnage at Taunton]

Hopefully he'll not create too much carnage going the wrong way around !! I thought Mullins would have learnt his lesson by now

Am I right in saying that since the carnage he caused in the Supreme, he’s tended to race more on the outside when going left handed?

[Lobos]

Am I right in saying that since the carnage he caused in the Supreme, he’s tended to race more on the outside when going left handed?

Don't know. I shut my eyes when he goes that way !

[Carnage at Taunton]

Don't know. I shut my eyes when he goes that way !

Hahaha , you are not alone!!

[Exar Essay]

Just had a quick squizz, and I think this is correct; Asterion Forlonge has never failed to finish going left handed, but he's failed to finish four times going right handed (all four in his last six outings going right handed).

Obviously he's committed a ton of other atrocities going lefthanded, but that stat did surprise me.

[MTR]

Doesn't the last bit of the first sentence make the first bit of the first sentence not surprising?

Yeah just quoted the tweet off twitter, but your right it’s hardly a surprise when there’s an explanation a sentence later

[Unexposed]

60 posts in 5 years.... you certainly are unexposed!

You want a face?

https://www.fatjockey.com/forum/fat-jockey-horse-racing-forum/members-only-sports-politics-general-betting/3097-avatar-profile-picture-requests/page12#post350217

He's my number one for the race now too

Not sure i've earned a face just yet, let's see if we get to 100..

[Unexposed]

He did got outstayed by frodon on his penultimate run

I don't think APT ran to his gold cup or haydock level at Christmas personally

Possibly, but i think there were a couple of important mitigating factors

1) He was turned around incredibly quickly from his previous race, he ran 2 weeks before the Down Royal race. The trainer has said he'a a horse best kept fresh, hence his path to Cheltenhan
2) He came from off the pace and whilst always held Frodon wasn't drawing clear (a top horse over 3m right handed)

3m 2f around Cheltenham will be a different story imo

[ComplyOrDie]

Added Melon 66/1 E/W for the Gold Cup.

For the first time in his career he failed to place in a Cheltenham Festival last season. The excuse was he was never travelling, and it did appear to be the case. Prior to that run though he had run a couple of solid enough races, firstly in the Savills Chase at Christmas (which he's entered in again this year) and then finshing last of 5 in the PP Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival. Despite the last of 5 finish it's worth noting he was only 8 3/4 lengths behind the winner and only 2 lengths behind eventual Gold Cup winner, Minella Indo. His run in the Savills Chase had him just 2 lengths behind winner A Plus Tard, who ended up finishing 2nd in the Gold Cup behind Minella Indo, so for me the form has a solid feel about it. By the time he tried 3m again (after the Ryanair run), at the Punchestown Festival, he had already had a fairly long season, and his jockey wasn't happy with how he was travelling so was pulled up.

He's made a nice start to the season this time around, finishing 3rd in the John Durkan behind Allaho, where he was staying on.

I'm hoping for a big run in the Savills again, and then maybe the PP Gold Cup at the DRF again, although I'd be quite happy if he skipped this and went straight to the festival off the back of the Savills Chase run, provided it was a decent enough performance.

All in all, I think Melon is overpriced for this race, and it's not as if Willie has an abundance of other options.

From my diary back in December.

Not much has changed in price, and in fact you can now get him 66/1 NRNB, so the risk of him not turning up has been eradicated. He is also 100/1 (Unibet - ante post) and I know Kevloaf will have to have a dabble, in his quest for a 100/1 Cheltenham Festival winner, and on a horse that has placed 4 out of 5 times at the festival.

I was bringing this back up for three reasons, firstly, because of the NRNB price, so very little risk now should he not actually turn up, secondly, because I'm pretty happy he hasn't turned up at the DRF, he can go straight to the Gold Cup fresh, and thirdly, Willie had mentioned about him going back over hurdles, yet, surprisingly, he ended up entering (although not declaring) Al Boum Photo for a hurdles race instead and not Melon (yet).

He is 10 years old, so this will likely be his only shot at a Gold Cup (he is a Gold Cup virgin, so Lobos has to be interested ), and I can't even begin to imagine the scenes if he were to win it after he has had to play the bridesmaid so many times previously at the festival.

Willie doesn't have many chances for the Gold Cup, Tornado Flyer, who is better right handed, and will need it to be 'soft', I'd back him on the day if the ground came in his favour. Al Boum Photo, as good as he has been winning two Gold Cups, the hurdles entry baffled me a bit, but he was also well held last season (maybe with an excuse). Asterion Forlonge, who is going to have to do it at the DRF first, IMO, to end up in the Gold Cup, although I think he's more suited to a Ryanair, personally, and then of course, Melon.

Just to add a little bit extra to the case, with the exception of the Ryanair, where Melon never travelled through the race, he has form that has Tornado Flyer held, when they've met, once in the John Durkan this season and the other time in the Marsh Novices Chase of 2020 where he lost out to Samcro by a nose. Tornado Flyer is a 14/1 shot!

Anyway, he may not even turn up still, so not sure why I've wasted so much time on him for this race

[Star De Mohaison]

Couldn't knock anyone putting up a 66-1 shot NRNB, with the previous festival form that this guy has.

[Lobos]

I think I will have a dabble with another virgin COD. Nice Melon

[Many Clouds]

100s just gone at Unibet been clipped to 80s got to be Kevloaf surely.

[Kevloaf]

100s just gone at Unibet been clipped to 80s got to be Kevloaf surely.

Not moi.
I took the 66s NRNB.
After making the case for the Ryanair

[Atlantic Viking]

Much more pleasing from Minella Indo there.

[Benjy23]

Awful bunch. Protektorat's to lose!