The Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase - Friday March 18 2016

Cue Card is well past it these days

 

Cue Card certainly proved plenty wrong Oddy, I was sure he was gone but he was as good today as I've seen from him since he managed to lose the King George a couple years back. Don Cossack won an irrelevant race today, Rocky Creeks slower than a boat nowadays.

 

An irrelevant race because everything else was scared off by his presence. Where was Mr Mullins and his team for this G1 Chase?

They know Don Cossack would deal with any of his stars, so they know not to take him on

 

Don Cossack had race fitness and 14 pounds on ratings on his rivals today hardly proved a thing. He still has to prove himself good enough in Cheltenham. I cant believe a horse that couldn't win a Ryanair is ahead of the defending champion in the betting.

 

Nothing at all flashy about DON COSSACK is there. He isn't a particularly bold jumper and he doesn't travel through his races like he is really floating along. He is just a big old fashioned chasing type who does most of his work with the minimum of fuss in an almost workmanlike style. I bet at times decent odds in running can be had about him.

 

Maybe winning 8 of his last 9 races has something to do with it, and if you actually took the time to rewatch his Ryanair Chase defeat, you'd see that it was only 1 mistake at the business end that cost him, and even then he was still coming back into the equation when 2 horses sandwiched him going to the 2nd last. He was by far the best horse in that race, and would win that race if it was re run again. Or maybe the fact he dominated the likes of Djakadam and Road To Riches at Punchestown last year, 2 horses who Coneygree struggled to see off.

He does race a little lazy at times, but I think that will help him in a Gold Cup, as he wont over race early on. There is no denying that he finds a lot when he's asked to go and win his race though. You don't have to travel like Sprinter Sacre to win a Gold Cup either, there probably hasn't been a 'flashy' winner since Kauto Star, most winners are usually horses who'll run themselves into the ground for the cause. Don Cossack will do that, and that's why I don't see anything troubling him at Cheltenham

 

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over; Breeders Cup gone; onward to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Scattergun out; full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes!!!

 

Hold your bets on Annie. Set back may mean she goes straight to Cheltenham for the Mares' race. Read here

 

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Cue Card generally 10's with most firms. Paddy is going a standout 16/1 on him. Top price 6/1 with Vautour also.

 

Coneygree must be quaking in his hooves after seeing Vautour win today

 

I said on the Daily Thread that today's Betfair Chase was a poor renewal, so the fact Cue Card beat a bunch of old timers who are also past their best and who have no hope in the Gold Cup anyways doesn't change the fact Cue Card is still past his best. 10 year olds don't win Gold Cups these days. Even Kauto and Denman couldn't do it.

Wait til Cue Card comes up against some of the the new guard in the KG, and then you'll see that today's form was very average. Just look at what Don Cossack did to Cue Card at Aintree last year, it'll be more of the same in the KG

 

Paddy Power know what there doing, I'd lay both Vautour and Cue Card all day. Neither are Gold Cup types. Both will probably end up in the Ryanair

 

You could well be right Shergy but he's hardly 'well past it'. Using Dynaste as a formline, Conti ran up to last year's Betfair win (10l & 12l beatings of Dynaste) yet Cue Card made him look silly today. Therefore he's hardly finished like you're making out! Nice to see the old boys coming back and proving plenty of us wrong.

 

My response was more in terms of being a Gold Cup contender, as I said it after he won the Charlie Hall, so I obviously know he is still up to winning races. But he just isn't going to figure in the Gold Cup picture. Cue Card was at his best back in 2012 and 2013, and even then he was never a Gold Cup horse. He had far to much speed for the race, and ideally would have been a top 2 miler had they not been scared away from that division thanks to Sprinter Sacre.

Today's performance was a nice performance on the eye, but im just not buying that he beat a lot, the first 3 are all abit long in the tooth these days. Silviniaco Conti was well beaten in a handicap by Brother Ted over hurdles in his prep run, whilst Dynaste was 9th also in a hurdles race in his prep run. So I'm not convinced that either where in particularly good form.

Il be expecting the form we seen on offer today, to be proven to be very average as the season goes on, and I wouldn't be concerned about any of today's runners in either the KG or the GC

 

Don't think Cue Card's a total no hoper in the KG myself, by which I mean I dont think he'll be far away but probably won't win. It looks an exceptionally hot race, for the first time in a few years. Agree about GC.

Silvi Conti hasn't beaten a proper Gold Cup horse in his career imo, but he's a good horse in his conditions which he got today. The way Cue Card swept him aside with such disdain tells me Cue Card ran close enough to his best. I think he was very wrong last year, it'd be naive to put a line through him based on those below par efforts.

 

He could run a place in the KG, but I'd definately fancy Don Cossack and Coneygree to beat him.

The one horse I think is a big lay in the KG is Vautour, I just don't think 3 miles in winter ground will suit him. I think we seen today how much he needs spring ground to run to his best

 

Cue Card has always come on for his first outing and did so again it seems- I cannot believe how well he won!

We can bring up the stats and the age and the form, but what if Tizzard has got it bang on with his wind problem? If he was winning Grade1s with that problem, what can he do now?

Personally I don't think he can win the KG and GC but i'd be utterly delighted if he did. He's a beautiful horse and would be deserving of one. I think his Supreme defeat (maybe the hottest renewal in living memory) when fav put a lot of punters off him but he has been fantastic when you look at all of the form lines.

At least he adds more intrigue and at the end of the day that's what makes this all so interesting for people like us!

 

Can't have Cue Card for the KG - failed in the past and can't imagine he will be up to it now
Vautour will improve lots for yesterday but right handed and December ground might not see him at his best
I think it's very open at the minute