2023 Ryanair

[opatcho]

I do like Fakir, back him in the arkle and following Ryanair AP, but he’s been racing for a noticeable period now, going into his 5th season…. young but he’s clocked up some mileage

dunno, if it was last season I would have backed him but…. Another year old, just feel one of the novices from last year could progress on

[Benjy23]

Fakir I'd have down as a probable non runner like. Slipped Cheltenham and won at Aintree last year. And I'd expect the same to be the aim again. Especially with this new JP focus on Aintree!

Not an antepost bet I'd be keen on myself like.

[FinalFurlong91]

Fakir I'd have down as a probable non runner like. Slipped Cheltenham and won at Aintree last year. And I'd expect the same to be the aim again. Especially with this new JP focus on Aintree!

Not an antepost bet I'd be keen on myself like.

He skipped Cheltenham to avoid losing to allaho again

If allaho isn't there he becomes a player

[Benjy23]

Could make that same point about any that I've described as unlikely runners if you wanted to to be honest

[charlie]

I am going to back GDC @ 7/1 for this

I was pretty sure Willie would go down the RSA route but he opted for the shorter trip. I was tearing my hair out at the time (as well as my 40/1 betting slip) but it was the right decision. He was keen, very quick and his jumping was as brilliant at times as it was risky. Pre-race we debated target no end, but post race most would agree it was the right call based on what we saw. To me he looked more like a potential QMCC contender than a Gold Cup horse and I think post race comments backed up that visual impression.

Willie said 'we made the right choice coming back to this trip and I'm thinking after that I could go back to 2m if I wanted to'. He then went on to say 'when you consider how much ground he was losing and what effort he put in over the first 4 or 5 fences, for a horse to ballon fences like that, that takes a huge amount out of them'.

Gold Cup aspirations make sense. He brings bags of ability to the table, he's won a Grade 1 over hurdles over 3m, he does lots of things right, but as it stands, the current favourite has had a set back and GDC's optimum trip is 2m5f, until we learn otherwise. Thats obviously a huge part of this bet. If Allaho was declared out for the season now GDC would probably go 6/4 favourite within minutes (I have covered him at 80's in case something happens to Energumene).

I appreciate its a risky one and they'll try and make him a Gold Cup horse, but I cant help feeling it could be a square peg round hole scenario with him. It's going to be a big ask racing the way he does over 3m in open company, let alone those extra 2f at Cheltenham. Everything Willie has done to date suggests speed so for that reason, I want him onside in the races that aren't the Gold Cup.

[Lobos]

Will he actually run at 3 miles prior to Cheltenham though ?

[Eggs]

….Mullins stable tour comments re GDC;

’I never had a worry about the GC distance for him. I’d be fairly worried about Allaho getting the trip but I’m not at all worried by GDC, I have that sort of faith in him’.

[Lobos]

….Mullins stable tour comments re GDC;

’I never had a worry about the GC distance for him. I’d be fairly worried about Allaho getting the trip but I’m not at all worried by GDC, I have that sort of faith in him’.

Will he actually run at 3 miles prior to Cheltenham though ?

[On The Fringe]

Will he actually run at 3 miles prior to Cheltenham though ?

John Durkan ---> Irish Gold Cup ---> Gold Cup would be the most logical route, so he'll run over 3m at the DRF

[Lbur4288]

Can anyone tell me of anything said with regards to Haut en Coleur? I always thought that HeC didn't have the speed for the top 2 mile races last season so it's worth trying to go up in trip. The John Durkan entry and another over 3 miles on the 27th are intriguing.

[Carnage at Taunton]

7/1 without nrnb, crikey that’s brave.
Gold cup horse to my eyes, and apparently and much
more importantly of course, to the trainers eyes.

[Eggs]

Can anyone tell me of anything said with regards to Haut en Coleur? I always thought that HeC didn't have the speed for the top 2 mile races last season so it's worth trying to go up in trip. The John Durkan entry and another over 3 miles on the 27th are intriguing.

….Mullins hints the plan is to step him up in trip. (The stable tors are all in the members section).

[charlie]

7/1 without nrnb, crikey that’s brave.
Gold cup horse to my eyes, and apparently and much
more importantly of course, to the trainers eyes.

He could be a gold cup horse, but he didn't look like one in the Turners, not at all. Willie basically said as much and whilst the GC is the plan, Willie has kept him at intermediate trips when he could have stepped him up. Actions speak louder than words when it comes to WPM and with Allaho potentially not right, I'll chance him doing another Vautour.

[Carnage at Taunton]

He could be a gold cup horse, but he didn't look like one in the Turners, not at all. Willie basically said as much and whilst the GC is the plan, Willie has kept him at intermediate trips when he could have stepped him up. Actions speak louder than words when it comes to WPM and with Allaho potentially not right, I'll chance him doing another Vautour.

Looks a totally different type to Vautour to me.
Anyway we obviously see things differently, wish you luck.

[charlie]

….Mullins stable tour comments re GDC;

’I never had a worry about the GC distance for him. I’d be fairly worried about Allaho getting the trip but I’m not at all worried by GDC, I have that sort of faith in him’.

Yet religiously stuck to intermediate trips last year.