Cheltenham 2008

[blasmere]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/7178966.stm

Would anyone know if this horse, Afistfullofdollars, would be worth an e-w bet in the Gold Cup?

Form seems ok, I'm sure he's a long way short of Kauto Star and Denman but at 50/1 with a few bookies it's a good price, but is this reflective of his true status? I just thought with the horse being supplemented, connections must have some sort of confidence.

[Mac hinery]

drici, what's the story on De Valira?

[Louth Exile]

I agree that Ruby is the best, LE. I also agree about my near namesake. He's a bit of an unknown at the trip and Inglis Drever is unopposable in my opinion. But everything else is in Hardy's favour and I'm tempted to place him. 3.75 on Betfair (but the market is suspended at present - don't know why).

Last Thursday in Thurles would have been a good day to blindly follow Ruby, even if fancied runners got turned over (and he really likes Candy girl, evens fav, 2nd in the 1st race) he still rode three winners, if you had done a €10 win bet on Ruby in every race you would have finished up with a €70 profit at the end of racing (might even have been more, I doubt if he had a mount in every single race).

Those who know a lot more than I say that Inglis Drever is a good stone a better horse than anything else in the race. There is no doubt he is the best horse in the race by some way, but I couldn't back a horse coming from a stable with as many runny noses as that!! He wanted to bring a few of them for a race course gallop during the week and other trainers objected! I have to admit the 11/1 about Hardy with VC is a bit tempting for a small e/1 bet, Sonnyanjoe owes me nothing so I am also tempted to have a small place bet on him with tote.

The Star on Sunday is doing their now annual preview DVD, it is a bit of a hit and miss job, but sure I'll buy it anyway! Hope Gearoid Moynihan is not doing it this year with PP himself!! They are just gas (not). Watched the TV3 preview last night, it was very well done and far better than any RTE preview programme I ever remember, which surprised me a bit. Having seen Donn Mc Clean at a preview night, listened to him for an hour the newstalk preview during the week and watched him on the TV3 preview last night, I could tell you exactly what he is going to say.

Moss bank is definitely going for the Ryanair and not the Gold cup, which make the 2.5 mile race a very hot contest and lessens the chances for Lantartique.

[gaa.boy]

Does anyone know when we will get confirmation for which race forpaddydeplasterer will be entered?

[Hardy]

Louth Exile - that's the glory of Cheltenham - runny noses, rumours, horses flyin in training, nursing your own favourite hunch. And then losing a packet to the bookies!

On Ruby - I know it's unacceptable to crow about winning after the event, but I'm going to indulge myself, so sorry about this: I laid both Candy Girl and Rosy Cyborg  on Thursday, on the basis of their prices being due to the Ruby effect and [Edit - it contributed to] my biggest score of the year to date. The thing is, you're right too. You would have won money on Thursday had you either backed or laid to the same level at SP (if you could) everything Ruby rode.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Hardy is a shocking price, hardly staying on this season. Just too old. Im heading over myself for the week. Wish me luck.

Backed him over 3 miles or so before Christmas there - didn't stay at all so he'd need to really have improved his staying to win I'd have thought.

FIrst Cheltenham I've really looked forward to rather than had a casual interest in. Could see myself getting more and more into the horse racing.

[Mickey Linden]

Well roll on tomorrow. Bad weather forecast for all 4 days. This could play a huge part in the results!

[AZOffaly]

Any horses we should be looking at now the ground is more likely to be good-soft, or even soft? Very unusual for the festival.

[Louth Exile]

Does anyone know when we will get confirmation for which race forpaddydeplasterer will be entered?

You can take it that it will be the Ballymore, if you were having a bet at this stage all the big firms are non runner no bet now anyway.

On Ruby - I know it's unacceptable to crow about winning after the event, but I'm going to indulge myself, so sorry about this: I laid both Candy Girl and Rosy Cyborg  on Thursday, on the basis of their prices being due to the Ruby effect and [Edit - it contributed to] my biggest score of the year to date. The thing is, you're right too. You would have won money on Thursday had you either backed or laid to the same level at SP (if you could) everything Ruby rode.

No harm in bragging, well done, nice to get a head start for the week

Well roll on tomorrow. Bad weather forecast for all 4 days. This could play a huge part in the results!

Cheltenham braced for battering
09 Mar 2008

Officials at Cheltenham are currently experiencing the calm before the storm - literally.

The course would normally be a hive of activity this weekend on the eve of the four-day Festival anyway but with gale-force winds predicted to batter the country until Tuesday, extra precautions have had to be taken.

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse told At The Races: "There are Met Office warnings out for a gale lasting through to early on Tuesday, with wind speeds up to maybe 50 or 60 mph and possibly somewhere between half an inch and an inch of rain."

He added: "We are making sure that anything that doesn't need to be set up and might blow away gets left until Tuesday.

"With temporary structures for 15,000 people we just want to make sure those are all safe.

"I don't think it's easy for the forecasters to be precise about how much rain will fall with such a strong gale coming.

"Some of the Irish horses have precautions in place and whereas in normal years we would have only 30 or 40 horses on the Sunday we already have 100 here."

What everybody wants to know however, is what the going is likely to be.

"We are currently good on the Old Course, the cross-country has good to firm places and the New Course is good to soft, good in places," Claisse added.

"I'm told the certainty of what is coming is very high and it would be a big surprise to everybody if we had no rain between now and Tuesday."

http://www.attheraces.com/cheltenham/article.asp?hlid=488692&title=Cheltenham+braced+for+battering&lid=cheltenham+-+news&ref=Cheltenham+-+News&nav=cheltenham+-+news&sub=Cheltenham+braced+for+battering&day=Mon

Any horses we should be looking at now the ground is more likely to be good-soft, or even soft? Very unusual for the festival.

For the bets that I have had already I don't want to be hearing talk of soft ground 
Noel Meade has said that he doesn't want it soft for Harchibald and even hinted at him not running if it was very soft, although there is no drift in the price yet, I am holding off putting any more on him until tommorow
If the ground was still on the soft side on Thursday it would really bring the Listener into the Ryanair (more bad news for my bet on Lantartique)
And in the big one, it is possible that Denman could go off favourite if there was "a bit of give in the ground"

I hope those winds are strong, good drying weather as the mammy would say! Given that we missed the brunt of the overnight storm here I am hoping that the same is the case for Cheltenham

[AZOffaly]

I hope those winds are strong, good drying weather as the mammy would say! Given that we missed the brunt of the overnight storm here I am hoping that the same is the case for Cheltenham

Speak for yourself, I spent an hour at 7 o'clock this morning picking up fences, plants, swingsets, wheelbarrows and bins. It's no fun sorting recyclables all over again out in the back garden with the rain pissing down

[AZOffaly]

Just a thought lads, do ye know of any easy to run 'fantasy' type things for Cheltenham week, to get a bit of craic going in the office? Is there a standard type of thing for say, picking a horse in every race, or  something like that. I don't want one like 'Winningest jockey (everyone will pick Ruby) or stable.

[High Catch]

You could just give each person say £100 per day to bet with and see who ends up with the most winnings come Friday at 6pm.

[AZOffaly]

That would take work. I'd have to calculate returns etc.

How about everyone picks one horse in a race. If they pick a favourite they get 5 points for a win, 2 points for second, and 1 for third. A non-favourite would be 8 points for a win, 4 for second and 2 for third?

[High Catch]

There seems to be little reward for someone who may pick a 50/1 winner / placed compared to someone who picks a 2/1 2nd fav.

[AZOffaly]

True enough. I suppose your way would be better, but a lot of people would be confused I think, especially those that don't like betting.

We'll probably run a sweepstakes on the Gold Cup anyway, maybe I'll run a sweep on the big race every day.