2025 Novice Hurdlers

[AaronLad]

A horse gets a bit constipated from pain relief medication and I'm seeing comments which are suggesting something untoward.

Give your fucking head a wobble

[Quevega]

I agree if something else comes to light but if it is a legal medication that was given 22 days before the run when the accepted run off time is 14 days then its a bit harsh to ban the horse and connections from running at Cheltenham. You would feel a bit aggrieved if in that position.

Yeah it's a tricky situation all round and you'd want to be fair, but sounds very much like they've not finished the investigation.
So, the trainers best guess as to the cause may or may not be proven.

Hopefully all parties get to the bottom of it before the actual race, but if not, and there is a doubt - It would not surprise me if someone had a quiet word and he didn't run.

[Prestbury]

I read about it earlier.
There is something not quite right that he can still run at Cheltenham IMO.
They should change the rules around this.
Be bad for the Sport if he shows up well in the Turners - and the further investigations show something a little more damning than the explanation they're offering at the moment.

I agree if something else comes to light but if it is a legal medication that was given 22 days before the run when the accepted run off time is 14 days then its a bit harsh to ban the horse and connections from running at Cheltenham. You would feel a bit aggrieved if in that position.

[Istabraq]

Top Cees (Ramsdens)?

Oh yeah, Ramsden, apologies to all Easterbys....

[Muswell]

Top Cees (Ramsdens)?

[Istabraq]

I remember the Easterby’s sending a horse to win a handicap at the festival, maybe 20 years ago, who had been banned from racing (flat) for a period because of using banned substances.
Won comfortably and was roundly booed all the way to the winners enclosure….

[Quevega]

I was thinking this.

Won't be winning if he's not drugged up, anyhow.

Like most of em probably

Imagine if Willie turned into the Lance Armstrong of the sport.
Death tolls I reckon.

[ComplyOrDie]

I read about it earlier.
There is something not quite right that he can still run at Cheltenham IMO.
They should change the rules around this.
Be bad for the Sport if he shows up well in the Turners - and the further investigations show something a little more damning than the explanation they're offering at the moment.

I was thinking this.

Won't be winning if he's not drugged up, anyhow.

[Quevega]

This was for the Grade 2 he won, beating Potters Charm, but may still be able to compete in the Turners at the festival.

I read about it earlier.
There is something not quite right that he can still run at Cheltenham IMO.
They should change the rules around this.
Be bad for the Sport if he shows up well in the Turners - and the further investigations show something a little more damning than the explanation they're offering at the moment.

[Wayward Lad]

This was for the Grade 2 he won, beating Potters Charm, but may still be able to compete in the Turners at the festival.

More importantly, is he as good as his last run, considering he was on some level of PED’s ?

[Eggs]

….David Cottin re Jet Blue;


Jet Blue had a little break after his win in December and then we’ve slowly got him ready for the festival. When he last ran for me, I didn’t know him very well, as he had just arrived in my yard, but over the winter we got to know him really well and his prep went exactly as we had planned.”

The six-year-old Jet Blue, who won a National Hunt Flat race in France in March last year, made his first appearance at Cheltenham in December. It was a first attempt over three miles - a trip he appeared to really enjoy. Coming up the hill with plenty left in the tank, he won the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle easily and is now ready for another step up in class.

“He is a proper stayer.” Cottin’s eyes gleam when he talks about the son of Martaline and Blue Beryl, who was bought for €220,000 at the Arqana Deauville Autumn Sale in November last year by Hubert Barbe for British owner Caroline Tisdall.

“He doesn’t pull, he jumps really well, and he listens to his jockey. He is very easy to ride, which I believe is an advantage in these kind of contests. And then he has that bit of class on the Flat, which gives him that little extra for the finish. Last time when James (Reveley) asked him to quicken, he really accelerated. He is in tune with James and does what he wants him to do.”

James Reveley will be back on board Jet Blue, who is a soft-ground horse, or a “real swimmer” as Cottin fondly says. A general 10/1 chance with bookmakers at the moment, his handler thinks he is more than capable of producing another good performance.

“He showed us last time that he is competitive and that he can adapt to Cheltenham, which is not easy. He won his prep, and I believe that he has come on from that race. During the winter he has become stronger, he has a great coat on him and, as I said, he is currently in peak form. I think he is better than he was in December. But I believe his biggest strength is his mentality - he is just so cool. He loves to follow in a race and then he just switches gears. He is a really lovely horse to train, who just happens to be very good.”

[ComplyOrDie]

…ATR reporting that Sixmilebridge has failed a dope test.

This was for the Grade 2 he won, beating Potters Charm, but may still be able to compete in the Turners at the festival.

[riccirich]

Anyone know what the cost of supplementing for the novice hurdles is? I saw it's 4,800 for the mares. If it's similar for the turners then I could see salvator being supplemented if final demand does switch.

It would seem a riskier move to switch kopek. He looks the best of them so far, so switching him and risking him being too keen, and leaving salvator as the main one in the supreme wouldn't look to me as his best chance of winning both.

They could choose to keep kopek in the supreme where they strongly fancy him to win, and move salvator. He could also be too keen in the turners, but they could argue they dont think he'll beat kopek, so its worth a go trying to settle him in the turners. If he wins then great, if he loses theyd just say he probably wouldn't have won the supreme then anyway.

That being said, i dont think any of them will switch. I think people see what they want to see from these interviews. Its almost as if we're ignoring that he still said final demand is 70-30 in favour of turners, and also that willie has more of a say. And last we heard from willie it was turners all the way. Obviously anything can happen but if your convinced he's going to the albert bartlett off the back of the owners comments then I would suggest reading it another few times while not gasping for air and looking at the exchanges.

[Eggs]

…ATR reporting that Sixmilebridge has failed a dope test.

[ComplyOrDie]

I personally think the Bartlett is the right race for Final Demand - Especially on the forecast ground. As has already been mentioned, theres a few stayers in the Turners who will be wanting to make it a true test, and it'll set it up for the likes of The New Lion who want to pounce late

I agree.

I'm also not convinced Willie will move one of the other two over to the Turners regardless of where Final Demand runs now though.