Gold Cup 2021

[Viking Flagship]

I'm all in on Al Boum but the one horse I do fear is Champ. For me he is the one with the raw potential to improve on what he did last year and take it to another level.

What a chance he’s got to make it 3. We really could have another Best Mate. BUT how can Champ be the only fear and not Santini?? 2 more strides and Santini would have had ABP, despite plenty going against him. For me, if you fancy one you have to quite like the other.

[Lobos]

What a chance he’s got to make it 3. We really could have another Best Mate. BUT how can Champ be the only fear and not Santini?? 2 more strides and Santini would have had ABP, despite plenty going against him. For me, if you fancy one you have to quite like the other.

Can't have Santini unless it turns very heavy. Not sure he has the pace to win a GC on decent ground.

[FinalFurlong91]

Good luck to whichever jockey picks up the ride on champ this season

Will end up headbutting a fence again at some point like he did in the dipper

[Viking Flagship]

I can’t understand that as he was literally a neck away from winning the Gold Cup on good to soft which is always the most likely ground for Friday.

[Lobos]

I can’t understand that as he was literally a neck away from winning the Gold Cup on good to soft which is always the most likely ground for Friday.

He'll need it softer than that to win.

[Viking Flagship]

He'll need it softer than that to win.

He lost by a neck!! Because the ground wasn’t soft enough?? I maintain that if you like ABP or Santini then you have to also really fear the other. There is no legitimately strong argument to split them for next year’s Gold Cup.

[Kevloaf]

He'll need it softer than that to win.

So if it's 'soft' good to soft in places, he wins?

[Lobos]

He lost by a neck!! Because the ground wasn’t soft enough?? I maintain that if you like ABP or Santini then you have to also really fear the other. There is no legitimately strong argument to split them for next year’s Gold Cup.

Apart from ABP being a dual GC horse and beating him fair and square last season . I'm not saying he'll beat Santini by 10 lengths but I'd expect him to finish in front of him again unless it got really heavy in which case that might play to Santini's strengths more.

[Kevloaf]

He lost by a neck!! Because the ground wasn’t soft enough?? I maintain that if you like ABP or Santini then you have to also really fear the other. There is no legitimately strong argument to split them for next year’s Gold Cup.

I agree.

I can't see how you can fancy Al Boum Photo / Santini without thinking the other is a huge player.

I also think that about Champ and Minella Indo.

I also think that about Topofthegame and Delta work to a lesser degree. Santini isn't MILES CLEAR of either of those - The Gold Cup looks really tough ante post as you can't rule out any of the market leaders. I haven't mentioned Lostintranslation yet and I can't rule him out either!

[Kevloaf]

Apart from ABP being a dual GC horse and beating him fair and square last season . I'm not saying he'll beat Santini by 10 lengths but I'd expect him to finish in front of him again unless it got really heavy in which case that might play to Santini's strengths more.

He's only a dual Gold Cup horse by a neck though isn't he..... if it's the same ground again, and everything is the same, a neck is the difference between 1 bad jump, surely?

Al Boum Photo isn't immune to a bad jump, so how can you be SO SURE that Al Boum Photo would finish ahead of him whenever they meet UNLESS it was heavy?


A logical answer.... ?

[Lobos]

I agree.

I can't see how you can fancy Al Boum Photo / Santini without thinking the other is a huge player.

I also think that about Champ and Minella Indo.

I also think that about Topofthegame and Delta work to a lesser degree. Santini isn't MILES CLEAR of either of those - The Gold Cup looks really tough ante post as you can't rule out any of the market leaders. I haven't mentioned Lostintranslation yet and I can't rule him out either!

ABP is the sort of horse that whatever you throw at him he'll find a way to win. Fast pace, slow pace, differing ground conditions, small field, big field, up with the pace, held up, ability to put himself right at a fence, ability to make a mistake and respond positively the next fence, can quicken at the business end of a race and take a couple of lengths out of the field to put himself in position A, he can put his head down and battle when it matters is trained by a maestro , has a Jockey who knows him so well and he oozes class. He has it all.
All of the above seperates him from the rest. He will be very, very hard to beat.

[Kevloaf]

ABP is the sort of horse that whatever you throw at him he'll find a way to win. Fast pace, slow pace, differing ground conditions, small field, big field, up with the pace, held up, ability to put himself right at a fence, ability to make a mistake and respond positively the next fence, can quicken at the business end of a race and take a couple of lengths out of the field to put himself in position A, he can put his head down and battle when it matters is trained by a maestro , has a Jockey who knows him so well and he oozes class. He has it all.
All of the above seperates him from the rest. He will be very, very hard to beat.

I would say Al Boum Photo isn't that horse?

How did he do in the RSA? He wasn't winning that...


With all tha tin his favour, he had a NECK over Santini... can you not understand how dismissing Santini is a bit premature?

You even conceed GROUND could make the difference, so why be so bullish? If it's 'worse' than good-to-soft, you must admit it MIGHT play to Santini's strengths?



No-one (probably literally no-one) thinks ABP shouldn't be fav, and isn't the one to beat...... what most people can appreciate though, is Santini is clearly a serious rival, based on a NECK defeat.


I feel like every time I have to post to you i's something so basic that it shouldn't even need explaining!

[Lobos]

If I owned Santini I'd forget about trying to win the GC and aim him at the GN. I think he'd piss that. Proper Stayer and great jumper. He'd be in his element. He might actually give Henderson his first ever National win of any description.

[Kevloaf]

If I owned Santini I'd forget about trying to win the GC and aim him at the GN. I think he'd piss that. Proper Stayer and great jumper. He'd be in his element. He might actually give Henderson his first ever National win of any description.

He was beaten a neck you absolute nutterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Beaten a neck and then dismiss him as not even good enough to run in the race and should go for the GN, despite even admiting the GROUND could mean he'd win it earlier on?



What if they aim him for the national and it fucking rained in March?

Imagine that? Rain?!



If you owned him, you'd dismiss the Gold Cup, but have also said if the conditions were right you'd think he could win.... so literally by your own definition, you shouldn't dismiss it?



eye roll eye roll eye roll

[Istabraq]

If I owned Santini I'd forget about trying to win the GC and aim him at the GN. I think he'd piss that.

Brave shout that, it’s not like he’s have 10:2 on his back...