2023 Novice Chasers

[FredFlintstone]

You wonder if they were just waiting for Constitution Hill to run before deciding which route to take

The closing date for the grade 1 entries over chiasmas in Ireland was last Wednesday.

I doubt WM will have many runners in the 2m Novice at Leopardstown (grade 1) looking at this years program, Bchase options;

03/12 FHouse 2M5F
06/12 Tramore 2M5F
10/12 Navan 2M4F
10/12 Navan 2M1F Grade 3
11/12 Punchestown 2M FH won last year 5th Dec

[Lobos]

Neither El fabiolo or Dysart Dynamo declared, disappointing.

Tmsg dec'd

Sort of hoping she doesn't take to fences...... is that wrong of me ?

[FredFlintstone]

Sort of hoping she doesn't take to fences...... is that wrong of me ?

Get her onside, your use of the word 'hoping' says a lot. They wouldn't be sending her chasing if she wasn't schooling well.

[Lobos]

Get her onside, your use of the word 'hoping' says a lot. They wouldn't be sending her chasing if she wasn't schooling well.

Just don't fancy a Mare at her age going Chasing. Think they should stick to Hurdles and redemption in the Mares.

[Craigy14]

Just don't fancy a Mare at her age going Chasing. Think they should stick to Hurdles and redemption in the Mares.

She’s only 7 Lobos? Not every mare will go down the breeding sheds.

Why shouldn’t she have a full career if fitness and health allow it.

[FinalFurlong91]

She’s only 7 Lobos? Not every mare will go down the breeding sheds.

Why shouldn’t she have a full career if fitness and health allow it.

Probably because he may have money on her for the mares hurdle

[Lobos]

Probably because he may have money on her for the mares hurdle

Naughty



Bang on though. She was the winner before being brought down this year. She deserves a shot at redemption. Think she'd have a big chance too. Can't see that Henry has any other Mare to step up ?

[Odin]

Naughty



Bang on though. She was the winner before being brought down this year. She deserves a shot at redemption. Think she'd have a big chance too. Can't see that Henry has any other Mare to step up ?

Controversially - the honey monster.

Would you rather retire as an unbeaten mare with another grade 1 in the bag or as the mare who was beaten by the jumping equivalent of Frankel in her last race? I'd go for the mares hurdle if constitution was unbeatable personally.

[BookieBasher]

Controversially - the honey monster.

Would you rather retire as an unbeaten mare with another grade 1 in the bag or as the mare who was beaten by the jumping equivalent of Frankel in her last race? I'd go for the mares hurdle if constitution was unbeatable personally.

Even if CH does look unbeatable, Henry doesn’t strike me as a trainer to duck out of a challenge and fully expect Honeysuckle to go out as a champion should......fighting to the death

Unless she’s beaten pre Cheltenham which paints a different picture

[FinalFurlong91]

Controversially - the honey monster.

Would you rather retire as an unbeaten mare with another grade 1 in the bag or as the mare who was beaten by the jumping equivalent of Frankel in her last race? I'd go for the mares hurdle if constitution was unbeatable personally.

By some considerable distance I'd rather go out on my shield in the champion hurdle

Imagine declaring for the mares just for constitution hill to have an off day or get a stone bruise

It would be a travesty if she doesn't go for 3 in a row

[Craigy14]

Controversially - the honey monster.

Would you rather retire as an unbeaten mare with another grade 1 in the bag or as the mare who was beaten by the jumping equivalent of Frankel in her last race? I'd go for the mares hurdle if constitution was unbeatable personally.

If that happens I don’t see why we bother with national hunt racing!

We’ve been crying out for a decent contender to Honeysuckles crown! She’s won the mares why shirk a challenge?! Makes no sense, it would have relatively no bearing on breeding, she’s won 11 grade 1’s could be 13 by time Cheltenham comes round.

[Odin]

I don't wanna derail another thread but the only other horse I've been ok with ducking in my lifetime is Frankel. Not sea the stars, baeed, galopin, altior or allaho. I don't think it's the death of national hunt racing or anything like that if ONE horse every decade is ducked.

Fwiw I don't think HDB would do it anyway, but I'm comfortable in my thought process that if I had a chance to retire my mare unbeaten as a four time Cheltenham grade 1 winner across two distances, with 13 grade 1s overall, her legacy wouldn't be at all affected by my decision. Luckily based on the reaction, she's not mine and we can look forward to the race

[Lobos]

By some considerable distance I'd rather go out on my shield in the champion hurdle

Imagine declaring for the mares just for constitution hill to have an off day or get a stone bruise

It would be a travesty if she doesn't go for 3 in a row

Absolutely this. No way Henry or Honey will duck anything. Whilst I expect CH to win, he'll have to work very, very hard for it. She won't give up without a fight. He looks a superstar but won't get that title until he's won the Champion Hurdle. Any little chink in his armour and she'll exploit it.

[FinalFurlong91]

Absolutely this. No way Henry or Honey will duck anything. Whilst I expect CH to win, he'll have to work very, very hard for it. She won't give up without a fight. He looks a superstar but won't get that title until he's won the Champion Hurdle. Any little chink in his armour and she'll exploit it.

It won't effect the price of her foals at all either if she has a defeat on her record at all

A walk in the park or saint des saints foal out of honeysuckle will be worth a fortune either way. The value of her progeny was secured when she won her first champion hurdle.

It's not like she's a prospective sire and a big defeat is any kind of blemish.

[riccirich]

I’m sorry but I’m finding all this talk of constitution hill being the the frankel of flat racing and he’ll wipe the floor with honeysuckle etc a bit silly now after one run in open company.

i like everyone else was blown away by his run in the fighting fifth and believe he could possibly be very very special but assuming that is the case without doubt on the evidence we have so far is jumping the gun imo. The form of the supreme is still questionable, were they a very good bunch of novices that he beat? Would sir gerhard/state man have thumped Jonbon too? The jury is still out at this point imo. He then goes to Newcastle and destroys Epatante in what was a breathtaking performance, but are we sure that was the same Epatante we’re used to? She looked to travel well but all it would take to raise doubts is something like pied piper coming over and beating her a few lengths and we’d all be thinking “hold on, she looks to have declined, was con hills performance as special as it looked?”

For the record I think he is a freak but would like more evidence before being as sure about it as everyone on here seems to be, and talk of him destroying a double champion hurdle winning undefeated mare, and piling barrow loads of cash onto him winning the champion hurdle at odds on because he is a certainty off the back of one run in open company, is very premature imo.