General Chat

[Faugheen_Machine]

Annie Power
Brave Inca
Contraband (worse Arkle winner of all time?)
Davers Star
Epatante
Faugheen
Go Native
Harchibald
Intersky Falcon
Jezki
Kyber Kim
Laurina
My Tent or Yours
Night Nurse
Osana
Peddlers Cross
Quevega
Rooster Booster
Sublimity
Thousand Stars
Un Des Seaux
Valiramix
Wicklow Brave
Xaar (?)
Yanworth
Zaynar

I tried to go for a common theme but two of them wouldn't qualify.

[Ice]

Gutted Faugheen and vautour didn't jump to my mind first, two of my favourite horses !

[Atlantic Viking]

Sounds a bit silly but with forum activity having a noticeable upturn in recent days and horses like Magic Daze running in a beginners chase, it feels quite exciting today like it's all slowly starting again for real. Normally don't feel like this til late October. This forum has so much to answer for

[Big Bucks]

Holymacapony around 8s last night when I checked, now smashed into 11/4 2nd fav. Mullins Jazzaway still odds on.

any tipster put it up? Or money been put down! Ran well FTO last year didn't it?

[Kevloaf]

Had a cracking afternoon at Sam Allwood's on Saturday, and just hearing him say things like "hoping for some rain" and "start over fences" for various horses hit me right in the excitement glands!

According to guesswork, the next 3 days look like they'll be the last sunny days we have for a while....so will enjoy them as best I can before no longer cursing the rain anymore until next Spring!

...and as this is general chat, I'm currently looking after a tortoise (that's a frog) and it's excellent fun. Anyone got/had one?

[BigChaang]

Had a cracking afternoon at Sam Allwood's on Saturday, and just hearing him say things like "hoping for some rain" and "start over fences" for various horses hit me right in the excitement glands!

According to guesswork, the next 3 days look like they'll be the last sunny days we have for a while....so will enjoy them as best I can before no longer cursing the rain anymore until next Spring!

...and as this is general chat, I'm currently looking after a tortoise (that's a frog) and it's excellent fun. Anyone got/had one?

My Grandad had a Tortoise and it lived longer than my grandad !! , A mate had a Tortoise that used to hump his Trainer's , and another mate ,
has a tortoise that go's walkabout and can be found up to a mile and a half away from base !! ..

[Kevloaf]

My Grandad had a Tortoise and it lived longer than my grandad !! , A mate had a Tortoise that used to hump his Trainer's , and another mate ,
has a tortoise that go's walkabout and can be found up to a mile and a half away from base !! ..

Haha yeah, well this one is only 4 at the moment so will outlive me I reckon.

My garden is pretty tortoise-proof, I don't think he can 'escape' and travel that far... she does do laps around the garden, surprisingly quickly to be honest.

I'm trying to get her to eat some cabbage but she's mugging me off until I whip out a lettuce leaf. Fussy.

[somer1]

Had a cracking afternoon at Sam Allwood's on Saturday, and just hearing him say things like "hoping for some rain" and "start over fences" for various horses hit me right in the excitement glands!

According to guesswork, the next 3 days look like they'll be the last sunny days we have for a while....so will enjoy them as best I can before no longer cursing the rain anymore until next Spring!

...and as this is general chat, I'm currently looking after a tortoise (that's a frog) and it's excellent fun. Anyone got/had one?

Never looked after a Tortoise Kev but there's always a smile on my face when the turtles head is out

[Istabraq]

If you have a couple of minutes, run through the alphabet and give the first horse that comes to mind per letter. Any code, any era, any class. Just the first one that pops up.

Avro Anson
Baydon Star
Cahervillahow
Dark Fountain
Elfast
Far Senior
Garrison Savannah
Harcon
Iris's Gift
Just So
Killeshin
Latent Talent
Master Oats
Nuaffe
Over The Deel
Party Politics
Quilixios
Royal Athlete
Sir Percy
Topsham Bay
Ushers Island
Val Royal
Well Chief
Xaipete
Young Hustler
Zeta's Lad

I have a theory that the horses we remember best are the ones who were around when we first started watching the sport

This is definitely true, though I found myself recalling some horses who I’ve had big wins/losses on too.
And because I read Kevs before writing mine down I came up with the same ‘W’ pig he did but I’ve discarded this as I believe I was unduly swayed:

Altior
Bradbury Star
Champagne Fever
Desert Orchid
Edredon Bleu
French Holly
Galvin
Hurricane Fly
Istabraq
Jodami
Kingman
Lottery
Moscow Flyer
Nortons Coin
One Man
Pearlyman
Quevega
Remittance Man
Shergar
Tees Component
Un de Sceaux
Vodkatini
War of Attrition
Xenophone
YoullNeverWalkAlone
Zenyatta

[Ballyfitz]

If you have a couple of minutes, run through the alphabet and give the first horse that comes to mind per letter. Any code, any era, any class. Just the first one that pops up.

Altior
Ballyfitz (of course!)
Champagne Fever
Denman
Envoi Allen
Flying Bolt
Garde Champetre
Hurricane Fly
Istabraq
Jonbon
Kilfilium Cross
Le Vent D’antan (pretty much paid for the Punchestown trip that year)
Masterminded
Night Nurse
Overturn
Punchestowns
Quevega
Run Wild Fred
Sea The Stars
Twist Magic
Uxizandre
Voler La Vedette
Western f@*#img Warhorse
X
Youmdor
Zarkandar

[The King Pimm]

Who do you think is going to be national hunts fattest trainer this year?? The super heavy weight champion of the track?? After 6 months lying in bed thinking about Envoi Allen all day do you think Gordon Elliot is going to be carrying top weight or has Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls had a good summer piling on the pounds and working their way to a handicap badge??? I hope Gordon has had a good summer out on the grass and is now so fat he is the first trainer to use a mobility scooter on the gallops and on track but my money is on big Dan Skelton to be king of the heavy weights this season, he was maturing well last year and looked larger than life when interview recently.

That said both Epatante & Champ needed back operations during the summer so maybe Nicky Henderson is carrying a bit more weight these days and just wears the right type of clothing to hide it. Every interview I see him in of late he’s sat down!!

[Saxon Warrior]

Alverton
Bob Olinger
Conduit
Dayjur
El Gran Senor
Frankel
Gossamer
Henbit
I’m a Driver
Jodami
Kildimo
Little Owl
Masterminded
Nohalmdun
Oh So Sharp
Pennekamp
Quest For Fame
Revoque
Saxon Warrior
Tiger Roll
Unfuwain
Virginia Waters
Willie Wumpkins
Xaar
Youmzain
Zafonic

[Lbur4288]

If you have a couple of minutes, run through the alphabet and give the first horse that comes to mind per letter. Any code, any era, any class. Just the first one that pops up.

Allaho
Bob Olinger
Cue Card
Douvan
Envoi Allen
Faugheen
Gauloise
Holymacapony
Ifandbutwhynot
Jezki
Klassical Dream
Leoncavallo
Many Clouds
Nikki Steel
Oakley
Pym
Queens Brook
Roy Rocket
Saint Callanish
Treve
Un des Sceaux
Vautour
Whatdeawant
**Couldn't really think for us, Xavier?**
Yorkhill
Zafarana

Some really random ones there but had fun racking my brains and putting the first one I thought of down.

[Topofthegame2021]

Who do you think is going to be national hunts fattest trainer this year?? The super heavy weight champion of the track?? After 6 months lying in bed thinking about Envoi Allen all day do you think Gordon Elliot is going to be carrying top weight or has Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls had a good summer piling on the pounds and working their way to a handicap badge??? I hope Gordon has had a good summer out on the grass and is now so fat he is the first trainer to use a mobility scooter on the gallops and on track but my money is on big Dan Skelton to be king of the heavy weights this season, he was maturing well last year and looked larger than life when interview recently.

That said both Epatante & Champ needed back operations during the summer so maybe Nicky Henderson is carrying a bit more weight these days and just wears the right type of clothing to hide it. Every interview I see him in of late he’s sat down!!

This post is brilliant and I’m here for it


but I’m sure that Skelton is as round as the day is long.

Saying that, Nichols has a never ending chin….

[The King Pimm]

Also the National Hunt trainers championship combined the Irish & British trainers who do you think will make up the top 20 by May 1st???

1) Willie Mullins
2) Paul Nicholls
3) Henry De Bromhead
4) Gordon Elliot
5) Dan Skelton
6) Nicky Henderson
7) Colin Tizzard
8) Noel Meade
9) Kim Bailey
10) Alan King
11) Joseph O’Brien
12) David Pipe
13) Fergal O’Brien
14) Jessica Harrington
15) Gavin Cromwell
16) Evan Williams
17) Jonjo O’Neil
18) Donald McCain
19) Nigel Twiston Davies
20) Emmet Mullins

Can anyone better that?? That’s my prediction for National Hunt trainer prize money for the 2021/2022 season. I think the Tizzards will be back in the top half, I think David Pipe will have a very good season after years of decline as he appears to have some good horses coming through the ranks. I think Joseph O’Brien will see his prize money reduced as his focus on flat develops more. I can see Olly Murphy, Ben Pauling, Phillip Hobbs, Tom George, Harry Fry & Harry Whittington failing to make the top 20.