2025 Mares Hurdle

[Faugheen_Machine]

Im not sure that’s a direct response to my post. You clearly are unwavering in your opinion however and I know a mind that is never going to change and it’s not important enough for me to try any further. All good my friend

Apologies. I'll let it go.

I'll leave the forum for a while and come back in a better mood!

[Rooster Booster]

No, I don't.

What price would she have been in a Champion? 5/2, maybe 3/1?

8 ran, including Luccia, Zarak The Brave, Col Mustard, Nemean Lion, Not So Sleepy. I mean jeez, look at that line up! Frightening isn't it!

They'd never have had a better chance to win a Champion Hurdle and they bottled it! It's quite simple really imo.

BDA connections might also bottle it. I think they will.

Im not sure that’s a direct response to my post. You clearly are unwavering in your opinion however and I know a mind that is never going to change and it’s not important enough for me to try any further. All good my friend

[Faugheen_Machine]

What about the RPR point validly raised by Runragged? Do you not see how that could make the two scenarios quite different?

No, I don't.

What price would she have been in a Champion? 5/2, maybe 3/1?

8 ran, including Luccia, Zarak The Brave, Col Mustard, Nemean Lion, Not So Sleepy. I mean jeez, look at that line up! Frightening isn't it!

They'd never have had a better chance to win a Champion Hurdle and they bottled it! It's quite simple really imo.

BDA connections might also bottle it. I think they will.

[Rooster Booster]

Get rid of the Mares race and it would be problem solved. Lossiemouth would be the Champion Hurdler all ready, in all likelihood too. What a buzz that would have been for connections.

What about the RPR point validly raised by Runragged? Do you not see how that could make the two scenarios quite different?

[Faugheen_Machine]

Lossiemouth last year had not won a grade 1 in open company and had a best RPR of 151 going in to Cheltenham. State Man had twice recorded an RPR of 168 in the build up to the Festival. Lossiemouth would therefore had to of improved over a stone to get to the level of State Man (Something she still hasn't proven).

Brighterdaysahead has two open grade 1 wins and an RPR best of 165 achieved last time, putting her at a level good enough to win the race.

She 'should' be racing in the Champion Hurdle...

I still think they will see sense and go for it. Maybe it is just me but in their position, would I rather have the winner of a Mares Hurdle, or Runner Up in the Champion Hurdle with the potential of winning? I would go the latter. Winning Championship races are what gives the buzz. Surely it would look better on the CV also as a potential Broadmare?

Obviously it could also come down to ground. If we get a soft or heavy ground first day then that may well also push her to the Champion Hurdle providing the necessary stamina test she would need at 2 miles.

Get rid of the Mares race and it would be problem solved. Lossiemouth would be the Champion Hurdler all ready, in all likelihood too. What a buzz that would have been for connections.

[Runragged]

Lossiemouth last year had not won a grade 1 in open company and had a best RPR of 151 going in to Cheltenham. State Man had twice recorded an RPR of 168 in the build up to the Festival. Lossiemouth would therefore had to of improved over a stone to get to the level of State Man (Something she still hasn't proven).

Brighterdaysahead has two open grade 1 wins and an RPR best of 165 achieved last time, putting her at a level good enough to win the race.

She 'should' be racing in the Champion Hurdle...

I still think they will see sense and go for it. Maybe it is just me but in their position, would I rather have the winner of a Mares Hurdle, or Runner Up in the Champion Hurdle with the potential of winning? I would go the latter. Winning Championship races are what gives the buzz. Surely it would look better on the CV also as a potential Broadmare?

Obviously it could also come down to ground. If we get a soft or heavy ground first day then that may well also push her to the Champion Hurdle providing the necessary stamina test she would need at 2 miles.

[Lobos]

Hopefully BDA will have some quality company...

Willie on Jade.....

"Jade is back in and going again. Hopefully we will have her ready for the rest of the season. I’m hoping we will have her back for Cheltenham."

[archie]

Anyone who's a book builder has no right of appeal because this is surely why you build a book.

If you're not a book builder then you make your call at the appropriate time and live or die by it. I'm very cautious by nature and usually wait for nrnb but, in this case I've gone solidly with the BDA/Galopin double before Christmas because I believed that the O'Learys' main interest is in having another Gold Cup winner and they see the Mares Hurdle/BANC route as their best chance with Brighterdaysahead. If that's the case they will go straight to Cheltenham. If it's not the case and they go DRF and then divert to the Champion Hurdle then fine. That's most likely if anything happens to Constitution Hill.

They have the right to do as they wish, particularly if it's the path that they have regularly publicised.

[Carnage at Taunton]

Not going to be a Jonbon bar is there ?

nah, too late for him
not too late for BDA though

[Faugheen_Machine]

They dodged her.

The number of races they've had is irrelevant.

The International hurdle is a Champion hurdle trial in name only. You know that full well.

The last winner of that race to go and win the Champion was ?????.....................Rooster Booster 2002 when it was the Bula hurdle.

Your poetic license has expired.

I'll shut the fuck up now (I've won)

Lossie already had a festival win in the bag so why not go for the Champion when there was only one proper opponent? Whether it was a horse from the same stable should be irrelevant really.

BDA hasn't won at Cheltenham, and this years champion hurdle looks much stronger, so why not pick up the easier race if they can.

The O'Leary's get plenty of stick but on this occasion they're probably doing the right thing. Ican't imagine she's going to run in the DRF, so she's beat and unfit State Man and an under par State Man.

We both agree they should move the Mares race so, in time, maybe you'll view it as a good thing that BDA went for it and forced them to move it out of the festival!

[Quevega]

And get a bar named after her

Not going to be a Jonbon bar is there ?

[Quevega]

I did my bollocks on her for the Mares Chase and barely have a penny on her for the Mares Hurdle so it isn't pocket talk.

Lossie had run 7 times over hurdles and was 8/13f for the Mares. BDA has run 8 times over hurdles and is 1/2f (NRNB).

Yes, BDA has won a Champion Hurdle trial but Lossie did likewise.

Your namesake dodged the best pretty much every year, so thought you'd at least be OK with it

They dodged her.

The number of races they've had is irrelevant.

The International hurdle is a Champion hurdle trial in name only. You know that full well.

The last winner of that race to go and win the Champion was ?????.....................Rooster Booster 2002 when it was the Bula hurdle.

Your poetic license has expired.

I'll shut the fuck up now (I've won)

[Carnage at Taunton]

Ah well if its just about winners i'm sure we'll see bda in the mares chase for the next 5 years then...

And get a bar named after her

[Faugheen_Machine]

It's definitely different. That's a Factual Fact.

Gordon will do as he's told. He has little choice in the matter, both in terms of his owners mindset, and other horses available to him.

Willie bottled nothing, he won both races and had his best jockey aboard both, including a five year old on her second start out of juvenile company.
That's not bottling anything, it's common sense, although not very sporting/charitable for the sport and racing public.

Like I've said, if BDA skips Dublin and C Hill lines up in March, I could understand their approach a little.
This would be advisable really - to cool the heat that will be inevitable if they win the Irish Champion easily and still opt to go for the mares.

However - If she runs and wins in Dublin and still go's for the Mares then that's a sad day for the Sport (obviously not your pocket).
And whilst it's similar in terms of her going for the easier option at Cheltenham. I acknowledge that

The easier race argument can be taken to the extreme, as below...
Imagine if they owned Galopin des Champs last year and decided to run in the X country off level weights, cos it's the easier race
Bags of shit sales through the roof if that ever happened.

It's far less sporting than last years example on account that none of them have ever won a Champion hurdle, Jockey, trainer and owners. And all of them have multiple Cheltenham winners already, it's not like they've never won a race there.

I did my bollocks on her for the Mares Chase and barely have a penny on her for the Mares Hurdle so it isn't pocket talk.

Lossie had run 7 times over hurdles and was 8/13f for the Mares. BDA has run 8 times over hurdles and is 1/2f (NRNB).

Yes, BDA has won a Champion Hurdle trial but Lossie did likewise.

Your namesake dodged the best pretty much every year, so thought you'd at least be OK with it

[Quevega]

So she went for the easier race, exactly like BDA will do.

Why is it any different? I'd say it's a much better decision to go the Mares with BDA as the Champion Hurdle looks much stronger this year.

Willie bottled it last year, Gordon will probably do the same this year.

It's definitely different. That's a Factual Fact.

Gordon will do as he's told. He has little choice in the matter, both in terms of his owners mindset, and other horses available to him.

Willie bottled nothing, he won both races and had his best jockey aboard both, including a five year old on her second start out of juvenile company.
That's not bottling anything, it's common sense, although not very sporting/charitable for the sport and racing public.

Like I've said, if BDA skips Dublin and C Hill lines up in March, I could understand their approach a little.
This would be advisable really - to cool the heat that will be inevitable if they win the Irish Champion easily and still opt to go for the mares.

However - If she runs and wins in Dublin and still go's for the Mares then that's a sad day for the Sport (obviously not your pocket).
And whilst it's similar in terms of her going for the easier option at Cheltenham. I acknowledge that

The easier race argument can be taken to the extreme, as below...
Imagine if they owned Galopin des Champs last year and decided to run in the X country off level weights, cos it's the easier race
Bags of shit sales through the roof if that ever happened.

It's far less sporting than last years example on account that none of them have ever won a Champion hurdle, Jockey, trainer and owners. And all of them have multiple Cheltenham winners already, it's not like they've never won a race there.

And Finally if they don't go for the Champion hurdle after winning all the grade ones in Ireland over 2 miles that season then they are letting the whole of Ireland and the Sport down.
Total and utter embarrassment to a proud Nation.
Although that would be true to form for the lot of them, aside from the jockey.