Horse Racing Podcast: Cheltenham Festival Review

Ed Chamberlin, Graham Cunningham, Billy Nash and David Johnson join Ben Linfoot to discuss the stars, shocks, disappointments and experience of Cheltenham 2025 before looking to the future.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Sporting Life.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
NI. Everyone, welcome to the Time Form and Sporting Life
Racing Podcast.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
I'm your host Benlin.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
For this week, I'm by Ed Chamberlain, Graham Cunningham, Billy
Nash and David Johnson to discuss all things Childman Festival.
The Childman Festival is done and dusted for another year
and we are going to go through this in six segments,
the experience, the stars, the shocks, the disappointments, the spring
and the next festival.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Think about twenty twenty six already.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
So without further ado, Ed, I'm going to come to
you first for the experience, because you were very much
There are four days.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
How was it still recovery? He I just spoke to
my daughter in who's working in Keny at the minute.
She's eighteen, and she said, Dad, it was mental. And
they were all watching on some hooky VPN. I think
out there is to do as teenagers and they just
said they aren't racing guys. They said they couldn't start
watching it. It was just unrelentingly mental is the way

(01:03):
they described and I think that's probably about right. Bennidor
Aric Kenya. It was raining in benadon one morning, which
made me laugh.

Speaker 3 (01:14):
Yeah, absolutely it.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Was, and I'm looking forward to talking about it because
it will be therapeutic. Honestly, it's just like I've watched
some of it back and it's like, did that really happen?
From an ITV point of view, which obviously I can
tell you all about. It's you know, Cheltenham's great for
us always has been like Royal Ascots and York's and Goodwoods.

Speaker 3 (01:33):
Our struggles are.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Entry the Grand National will never get a huge audience
probably again, and the Derby which struggles to resonate, but
Cheltenham does. Sports fans just absolutely love it. Seemed to
not be able to get enough of it, I mean
for us to get We showed twenty four races and
twenty of them got over a million people watching, which
is pretty cool, which is pretty cool, and it served
up just compelling, compelling drama. It really was. And we

(02:01):
had and this doesn't mean a lot to me, but
I'm told it's good. We had forty one million views
of our social media forty one and to be honest,
a lot of that's not the racing. Number one was
Piece of Crowds with Maura Higgins with Ruby and the
Jemma Collins interview that had me with my head in
my hands.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
But I do get it.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
I do get the importance of it. And yeah, an
extraordinary experience, all of it. And yeah, I can't believe
some of it happened. I mean that Champion Hrdle. Honestly,
I'm still getting to groups with it now eight days later.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah. Gee, so you were there, weren't you.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
How did you find the experience in terms of the
crowd that was there and the customer experience?

Speaker 4 (02:44):
Yeah, I thought it was a memorable wing one in
all everyone's recording memorable on so many levels, whether it's
pretty good or bit cold. The drama was astonishing, shocks
what might have been a few flashes of genuine brilliance,
and a timely reminder that you know, after a few

(03:05):
years of predictability, by and large, you cannot take anything
for granted in generacing the experience. I don't think personally
I need to dwell too long on this. Now it's
touched on the fact that the Sheldon Festival is popular correction,

(03:25):
extremely popular on Telly, and it's not as popular as
it used to be with the people who pay good
money to go there. Now there are tons of reasons
for that. You'll have read and heard about them all.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
But I hope they.

Speaker 4 (03:39):
Can turn it around. I'm not certain they can in
the short term, longer term maybe medium term. But one
little quibble maybe not many people have mentioned if you're
charging two pound fifty for people to pick up tickets
on the day tickets they've already bought, you're doing something wrong.

(03:59):
So been that yet the customer experience better again, it
was Tuesday was really good walking around if you wanted
to get a drink or something to eat, et cetera.
That's the plus point of smaller crowds. Comfort is heightened.
But overall it's the children festival. It's the best we've got.
It's fantastic and I enjoyed it thoroughly from start to finish,

(04:20):
albeit with one or two minor quibbles, and they're only mine.

Speaker 5 (04:23):
It.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
You have got to be there though, I'm sorry. It's fine,
that's it's good. I'll tell you whenever it is, always
has been. You've got to be there. That raw to
the Gold Cup is like nothing else. Honestly, people have
a head and the walllet's that they are.

Speaker 4 (04:37):
It's I know it's from a price point of view,
it stacks up.

Speaker 3 (04:43):
Pretty level with a lot of big events.

Speaker 4 (04:45):
But a lot of big events have really increased their
comfort and match day experience for people, and until latterly
Sheelting them haven't, so they're playing catch up.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
Now, answer the stars and the shocks and the disappointment.
I'm going to put the.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
New schedule in this section of experience, David, And how
did you think the tweaked the race program?

Speaker 3 (05:11):
When Yeah, I think.

Speaker 6 (05:12):
Most people would say that what happened had a positive effect. Obviously,
well maybe, but it would have been a real blow
when you think what horses might have been taken out
of the Broadway in the article to make the turners.
I mean, those two races struggled to stack up as
it was, so if you wanted another grade one in there,

(05:35):
the intermediate trip, I think we'd have really been struggling.

Speaker 4 (05:38):
So I thought we might have had an apology David
from from exactly Yeah.

Speaker 5 (05:44):
I'm going to come after that pike and a second
and let DJ makers pint there.

Speaker 6 (05:47):
Forced So yeah, I think most of the changes were
relatively positive, and the new novice handicap for the one
that sort of replaced the turners and was a throwback
to what it used to exist back in the day
of the not to one forty. I think that was
obviously a positive. It attracted some really good horses. I
think the top top weight was rated in excess of

(06:09):
one hundred and fifty. So yeah, whether it's gone far enough,
there's still that question about the Mayor's Hurdle and whether
it needs to make connections have a real decision to
make as to whether it's they've got a Grade one
they need to give seven pounds to the other mayors
in the Mayor's Hurdle or choose to receive it in

(06:30):
the Champion Hurdle. I think that's coming, isn't it. I
think losty Mouth that diverting has really brought that to
the head and I don't think they'll be able to
sweep it under the carpet for another year.

Speaker 7 (06:42):
So we'll see. But I think the changes were positive.

Speaker 6 (06:45):
They maybe haven't gone quite far enough and we can
still keep moving the goalpost to get where we need
to be, as you have.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
Under point Scoop, And I'm not sure of the changes
were positive.

Speaker 5 (06:58):
I don't think they had a massive made a massive impact.

Speaker 3 (07:01):
Just crunching if you want to here, just crunching a
few numbers, right.

Speaker 5 (07:06):
Last year twenty twenty four, the article had ten runners,
there was six in the Brown Advisory, there was eleven
in the turners. That's a total of twenty seven runners.
This year you had five in the article, seven in
the Brown Advisory. In those two races, only two horses
trained in the UK, and you had eleven in the turners,
seven of which were trained in the UK. So that's
a total of thirty one horses, so just four. There

(07:31):
was four more runners this year in the three races
than there was last year because one of the race
was a handicap in twenty twenty five. Out of those
three novice chase races, you had nine horses trained in
the UK in twenty twenty four thirteen. So even with
the addition of a handicap, you still had less UK
trained horses this year than you had last year, which

(07:51):
is a bigger issue. I mean, the obviously the horse
population in the UK is a massive problem. The other
change that I don't think had a positive effect was
the new qualification rules for handicap hordens. It's sixteen runners
in the country order this year, the smallest field this century,
and as well as that, you had three horses that

(08:11):
got into the race of Marx in the one twenties,
which would have been unheard of five or ten years ago.
So I'm not convinced those changes were positive. Something had
to be done, and I'm sure they'll tweak a bit
more this year, but like I said, I don't think
they had the massive impact that people were hoping they
would have.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
You must have.

Speaker 2 (08:30):
It felt like the handicap changes we sort of made,
so William Udlins couldn't win a county hurdle with a
half that had run three times in France and it
didn't stop him winning it anyway. So I'm not sure
how the design run backs last year.

Speaker 4 (08:45):
So Billy's right to point out that the lack of useful, small,
high quality British horses is. It's alarming now and even
further down the chain. So the County hurdle sixteen races,
Billy said, six six British runners. Now, I haven't got

(09:07):
all the data ahead of me, but I know there
were a right load of eligibles, so.

Speaker 3 (09:11):
Many eligible horses.

Speaker 4 (09:12):
They were in action in the Imperial Club just a
few days before, and some of it is some of
it is explicable and some of it is just impossible
to understand. Not a single runner in the Brown Advisory
from Britain, not one. It's it's pretty staggering.

Speaker 3 (09:30):
Now.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
I know we're shy of good horses, and I know
that the jukebox man was injured, et cetera.

Speaker 3 (09:36):
But it's it's.

Speaker 4 (09:37):
Sort of halfway beginning to think that a few trainers
have given up the ghost.

Speaker 3 (09:42):
Probably Scoop. I just joted doing a few numbers last week. No,
I stand corrected on this.

Speaker 5 (09:48):
But those tourteen griod Ones at the festival, right, I think,
if my calculations are correct, there was a total of
fifty UK trained horses rid than those tourteen races, and
that fifty eight the Bump or at least one of
the Albert Bartlers.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
So I mean that just paints a pretty grim picture.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
I would have thought, Yeah, I couldn't really understand the
County hurdlefield been sixteen runners, you know, I don't know
if they're running scared from the Irish trade horses or what.
But there was, like you say, there were so many
that could have run in that race. Well, going back
to the Tuesday, the Ultimate. Not British Novices finished first

(10:26):
and second in that race. So the changing Man obviously
won the Reynolds Town on his previous start. So if
you really want to sort of look at how that
we can ensure that.

Speaker 6 (10:37):
The novices are stacked to the great degree is what
we want, maybe it is time to look again at
these handicaps and whether we do decide not to let
the novices in. Then, as you guys have just been
mentioning there about the county, if you do that, you
are going to take runners out of those races.

Speaker 4 (10:54):
Just to add to that something I wrote in at
the end of the festival in terms of improvers and
the changes. My town bolted up in the Ultima Put
Your Hands Together, bolted up in the Front Winter Fred
Winter at Colaire, emphatic in the National Hunt Chase, Jimmy

(11:14):
Dessoy bolted up in the Coral Cup, Colvill Potter, you know,
runaway winner, and the Jack Richards and Jaguar dominant in
the play. All those six horses, and you can add
in Johnny who was on looking up to win the
Kimure had all had the absolute minimum number of runs
to qualify for those races. So you can you can

(11:36):
nudge it up one and nudge it up one, But
improving horses are improving horses. And there's six six handicapped
winners who'd had the minimum number of runs, and to
be honest, they all bolted in.

Speaker 3 (11:49):
It did.

Speaker 2 (11:50):
Just before we leave this sception ad, how did you
feel about the features going off at four o'clock?

Speaker 1 (11:55):
That looked change? Yeah, that works for sure, and it
improved the build up. I felt having the big race
at four o'clock, and it felt less after the Lord's
Mayor show after the big race. The one day I
struggled with, if I'm honest, was Gold cut Down. I
know you can put on anything on Gold Cup Day
and it'll probably be in the top of the turnover

(12:16):
with sky Bet and so on and so forth, but
that Mayor's Chase on Friday just.

Speaker 3 (12:19):
Felt to me like a complete none of it.

Speaker 1 (12:22):
I struggled to get up for that or show any
interest in it, and I wanted to come straight off
it move on afterwards.

Speaker 4 (12:27):
But once it not gone from four days though ahead,
isn't it If you've got twenty eight.

Speaker 1 (12:32):
Races, one or two of them are going to be
you know, I just think you could move one of
those beestive handicaps from Thursday onto Friday, because then I
should turnover on that. I think could go through the roof,
be at the plate or one of those races on
Gold Cup Day would really improve that card. I think
the Mayor's Chase to me was the one big non

(12:52):
event of the week.

Speaker 3 (12:55):
Isn't it amazing, Ben, isn't it amazing? We're going to
go on to the shop.

Speaker 4 (12:58):
Here possible that both the Champion Hurdle winner and the
Gold Cup winner could have been otherwise engaged on the day,
And then we come to that Champion Hurdle.

Speaker 3 (13:10):
Nobody really mentioned it.

Speaker 4 (13:11):
But when Constitution Hill came down for out, both State
Man and Golden Ace were within two feet of being.

Speaker 3 (13:18):
Brought down by him. It was just that sort of
week from start to finish.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yeah, pretty chaotic. That is the experience and schedule and
all that done and dusted. So we're going to get
onto section two now, the stars of the show, and
I think we'll start with the Gold Cup. And I
know the way you're thinking, Billy.

Speaker 5 (13:38):
I must have missed. Didn't really see it coming. I
didn't think he'd beat gallupunder shamp but like most people.
I you know, I just thought the raiding was underwall
from gallup under champ for a very long long way out.
He was never in the position that I expected him
to be in. He just didn't look like he was
ever comfortable. He was too far back to wide and

(13:59):
I just.

Speaker 3 (13:59):
Think he couldn't go.

Speaker 5 (14:00):
He just looked like a horse that couldn't go to gallop,
which is surprising because you know the nine times out
of ten you would expect him to be able to
lie up with the ice and you're without any difficulty.
So I think he probably deserves plenty credit for finishing
second the way the race turned out, but take nothing
away from the winner, who was very impressed upon the day.
He's clearly an improving horse. He was clearly trained and

(14:21):
brought along all the season with this race possibly the
Grand National, but certainly a big spring target in mind,
and he delivered on the big day like a lot
of Gavin Cromwell horses tend to do. So he's only
a seven year old. You could certainly see him being
around in this grade for a long time. But I
wouldn't ride off the second horse gallop in the shop
if it does come up soft next year in the

(14:42):
Gold Cup, you know there is still a chance he
could get that elusive third Gold Cup. He's still ran
to a very high level to finish second, even though
I don't think, and we didn't think at time for
him that he was at his best. But you know,
you look at what's coming up behind them, there's not
an awful lot. So you look at the Brown advisory Watson,
you know, maybe called with a Potter or Jaguark and

(15:03):
make the step up to Grade one company.

Speaker 3 (15:06):
Next year, but there doesn't seem to be a deep
pool of staying chaser.

Speaker 5 (15:09):
So I would expect those two another way, you're thinking
Gallup and the Champ to be bound there again this
time next year.

Speaker 3 (15:14):
Really do you think? Both with Galapan Cup and Facto File, Ryan.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
And I think we were all asleep at the wheels
slightly and the potential effect of spring.

Speaker 3 (15:24):
Ground, weren't we, I think? So yeah, definitely, you know
it certainly.

Speaker 5 (15:31):
Affected Gallupan and fact If it seemed to come alive
on it, and it's had the opposite effect on Galopan,
So yeah, it's it's.

Speaker 3 (15:38):
I suppose it happens every year at children.

Speaker 5 (15:39):
There is always the possibility that you have all these
horses running on soft ground for the winter, and all
of a sudden Cheltenham arrives and the ground is drier,
and you know, results change and things. But yeah, it
certainly affected both the winner and the winner of the Gold.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
Cup and the winner of the Ryan Air. That had
a positive effect on the two of them.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
It's fascinating guys would JP him at Manus, particularly with
another way you think it and factor failed in terms
of the routes that these two go heading into next
season because fact File was amazing in the Ryanair and
he you know.

Speaker 3 (16:15):
He could be a future Gold Cup ass himself.

Speaker 4 (16:17):
I would have asked David though, first of all. And
David tweeted this, and it's a very canny point that
if the plan not to run, I know, you you thinking,
remember they took him out of this race a few
weeks ago.

Speaker 3 (16:31):
If they carried on.

Speaker 4 (16:32):
With that, hadn't run him, David, people would have been
hailing Galapan as a three time Gold Cup winner and
an emphatic one of that, wouldn't they?

Speaker 7 (16:39):
Well they would I mean, so is it if? Isn't it?

Speaker 3 (16:43):
You know?

Speaker 6 (16:44):
But I don't think galup nder chance was that far
below form. Now, he's time for racing into this race
was one hundred and sixty nine. I think his master
rating is still one hundred and seventy five. But yeah,
he wasn't at his best, but I don't think he
was that far below form. And I'm just wondering, is
it that you know, I know he's not particularly old,

(17:06):
he's only a nine year old, but how many times
have we seen at the Festival We've got horses that
have been minded as the season goes on, they've never
really had it put up to them, and then they
almost get old overnight. You know, we see these champions
to a lesser extent. It happened with T'yopu later in
the sorry earlier in the week, and you know, think

(17:27):
back to the likes of Barracuda when he was chasing
another stay as hurdle. He looked unbeatable going into it,
and the young guns when they get there and serve
it up to him, they just raised their game to
a higher level.

Speaker 7 (17:39):
And I'd be surprised.

Speaker 6 (17:41):
Having won two Gold Cups lost a third, I'd be
amazed if Gallapinder Shomps can come back and win.

Speaker 4 (17:47):
It again next year against that the one horse he's
been lightened to, probably more than any of his cartel
star and he was was he the first horse I
think to win a gold Cup, lose one and get
it back yea, certainly in a very small club.

Speaker 3 (18:01):
So now he has to emulate cour Film in another way.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
He does and ed Yeah, just going on to Factor file,
that was the hell of a performance in the ryanair
and it gives JP such as tran hand.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (18:13):
Early on I was a bit worried about himause he
was jumping slightly to his right and Mark Walsh you
could sense, was dying to get in and the jockey
boys on the podium were talking about it a lot.
I mean, there is your King George winner. I mean honestly,
because he'll be even better going right and kept will
be absolutely perfect for him. He's got so much speed
scope and it's been quite well documented. Alice who was

(18:35):
on the at the top of the top of the
hill waiting to speak to Mark Walsh, I mean he was.
He was getting quicker as she went as he went
past him. He'd have been on the high street if
they didn't have the ratings to stop them at the
top of that hill. I mean Honestly, that was an
immense performance and he's a King George winner if ever
I saw one.

Speaker 3 (18:53):
Time was spectacular as well, wasn't it.

Speaker 4 (18:55):
It was twenty lengths faster than Colwell Potter and twenty
five master than Jaguar over the same course and distance.
So it's it's hard to pick any sort of holes
in that performance.

Speaker 1 (19:08):
George doesn't talk up those horses as he I've read
too much into his clothes about Stencil and then I.

Speaker 4 (19:14):
Think, yeah, something old George, this to show me something after.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
That that week, DJ was he the performance of the week?
On sign from writing his fact to file? Did he
get the highest rating of the week?

Speaker 6 (19:29):
I think he's rated one hundred and seventy four on
the back of this, which is the same as what
we've got the Gold Cup for.

Speaker 7 (19:35):
Winner running two.

Speaker 6 (19:36):
So it'd be really interesting to see what they end
up doing with those two horses at Punchestown, won't it,
Because obviously Factor File, there isn't a two and a
half mile Grade one at punches Town. You'd have to
either go up to three or potentially even back to two.
I think Alaho went back to two one year, didn't he,
and then up to three another one, so they've got

(20:00):
well they've got John Bond the owner over too and half,
haven't they.

Speaker 7 (20:05):
And Spilight's Tower as well. Remember him. I think he
was going to entry somewhere, wasn't he?

Speaker 3 (20:10):
This?

Speaker 6 (20:11):
You know, we talked last year about the strength of
what JP McManus had in terms of these staying chasers,
and it certainly delivered this year in the end, didn't he.
And you know everyone says, oh it's a shame factor
five didn't run in the Gold Cup, But you know
JP McManus, he did run two second season chasers in
the Gold Cup.

Speaker 4 (20:29):
Anyway, all academic now, but you'd love to hear the
conversation what's that trail that took place and saying, yeah,
let's let's taken all your way thinking.

Speaker 3 (20:38):
Out the Gold Cup. We don't need him in there.
It seems very strange now, isn't it. Yeah, exactly, Billy.
I think he surprised them.

Speaker 1 (20:47):
I think he surprised them at Lepus down that day.
I think you know that was that was in a
Mets performance when you watched back where he came from,
because I'm I'm sure the Grand National Man have been
the aim at that point and.

Speaker 3 (21:01):
He could have got closer to it.

Speaker 6 (21:03):
We haven't touched on how good a training performance that was.

Speaker 3 (21:07):
Was it?

Speaker 7 (21:07):
Sort of? It's a throwback, wasn't it. Sort Of?

Speaker 6 (21:09):
We're so used now to seeing these horses and we
expect them to deliver a one every time they turn up.
That's the price that we expect to trainers and owners
to go for, because we don't mind them not turning
up as much as what they used to. Whereas with
I know you where you're thinking it was a throwback.
He turns up half the first time out, really easy

(21:30):
to back, and just every time he ran he got
closer and closer and closer, and then here he is
on the day that really matters, and he's better than.

Speaker 4 (21:37):
Ever And so Nick another of David's tweets, Now we
know why bookies couldn't keep the punters off him in
the Kimmule Act.

Speaker 3 (21:43):
Year that day.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
Very while we're talking about stars of the show, let's
have a word for Henry de Brumer, because he struggled
a little bit during the deep midwinter, but he had
his team primed once again for Hill and they all
ran well and he got a just reward with Bob
Ollinger in the stairs hurdle.

Speaker 5 (22:05):
Yeah, and let's not forget Rachel Blackmore because she hasn't
had the best of seasons and obviously she missed a
big chunk of it with injury.

Speaker 3 (22:11):
But for me, right of the week was.

Speaker 5 (22:13):
Bob Ollinger and the stairs hurdle. I thought she was
absolutely brilliant on him. He's not the easiest and she
just delivered them as a deep, perfect moment. It was
probably a race that played to his strengths because they
didn't go very quick. It suited Bob Ollinger better than
to who but wasn't a real test of stamina.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
And again the.

Speaker 5 (22:29):
Fact that there was it was quicker ground would have
suited him better. But I thought she gave him an
excellent ride. Like you said, Henry de Brahmhead, he just
seems to do this year in year out. We question
how well the artists are running, that they seem to
have a dip in form midwinter, but they're always back
fit and firing and absolutely flying. For Cheltenham, unfortunately he
also had air of entitlement in fantastic form because she

(22:52):
chained my nap six and a half. Who was I
must admit I had the money in the bank scoop
jumping the last time, but again another fantastic grade from
Rachel delivered, delivered her to win right on the line. Fine,
big Mayor, you know there's there's more. There's plenty of
potential in horror because only your second or told run
over flight. So I think she could improve a fair
bit and you know she'll be back next year hopefully

(23:13):
for bigger targets.

Speaker 3 (23:15):
Cromwell Bromhead.

Speaker 4 (23:17):
I mean their horses ran like sound, didn't they In
terms of instancing and getting your horses to peak for
a big week. They were right from start to finish.
If they weren't winning, they were going really close and
running lifetime best and that's really telling what four in
running Billy six and a half I'm back to it.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
Oh yeah, it's a bit of a frustrating way for Cromwell,
didn't it one stage? I think you have five seconds
including six and a half who looked home at how
so you know, I know the way you thinking got
the job done for him.

Speaker 3 (23:49):
In the end.

Speaker 2 (23:51):
More Irish success ed in and what a spectacular story
this was with Marine National winning the Championshise.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
Honestly, it was the strangest experience being their scoop. It
was like, you know, I'm not a religious person that
something was going on. It was just extraordinary. And then
we went off air after Marine Nashville and Jazzy Mattin
Suddenly the sky went dark and there was this big
dark cloud over us and it was.

Speaker 3 (24:20):
It was just.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
Very, very moving, very you know, as if a script
had been written up there it was. It was extraordinary,
and yeah, it was a great performance. It was a shame,
you know, the start was a mess. Starts were topical
last week and it all went wrong for John Bond
from the off and Marine National was excellent, really excellent,
and Sean Flanagan went from zero to hero because I

(24:41):
backed Vinilia in the cross country and with absolutely scene
away that played out, and then he goes where's the
champion chase half an hour later and then spoke extremely well.
And there were two people, as I said, were the
people of the week last week, and I really meant it.
One with John Hunt for obvious reasons, and the second
was Charlotte Giles. The way she conducted herself afterwards, I

(25:03):
mean she was so brave, honestly, and then got a
hope from the Queen and that's Michael Sullivan's. Yeah, and
I'll say it again. You had to be there, You
had to be there. It was an extraordinary experience.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Yeah, that was That was a crazy day, wasn't it
the Wednesday with both Marie National and Jesse Matty winning
other stars of the show. David, who was your top
novice last week? Let's get into the novices.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (25:32):
I was really impressed with the New Lion, and I
think if we're talking about potential ride of the week,
i'd have for Harry Skelton's effort on him right up there, fine, Margins.
It could have all gone wrong for him, couldn't it
in a similar way to how it did for state Man.
But he probably didn't need that kind of jump at

(25:52):
the last and the New Lion came up for him,
and that was already after it's snuck up the inside
and saved ground on the turners. Well, so I thought
that was a really good ride, and it looks like
it should be a pretty strong piece of novice form.
It's always the case, is in it when the horses
that we thought had run well beforehand do so and
come clear that you're convinced that, well, it's got to

(26:14):
be good form because it's gone just as the way
I thought it would. But it does look like it's
going to be a strong piece of format, and I
think the three horses are probably potentially could all end
up going different ways next year. I think the new
line will probably go the Champion Hurdle route they'll try.

Speaker 3 (26:31):
That won't be.

Speaker 6 (26:34):
The third will end up, I think going over a
fence and maybe the yellow play. They might be tempted
to try and to turn him into stay as hurdle
horse and that might be an interesting route to go
down with him.

Speaker 7 (26:44):
But I thought that was a really strong race.

Speaker 4 (26:47):
Can I ask you a question across the board? Would
Copect the board have gone in this year's Champion Hurdle?

Speaker 3 (26:56):
It won easily, won, very easily. Yeah.

Speaker 6 (27:01):
I think he'd have probably got bought brought down either
four hours in the last, I mean, wasn't he got back?

Speaker 3 (27:12):
Yeah? And I think I think he was very good
despite the win.

Speaker 5 (27:15):
The rest worked out to be honest, because I'm sure
if Paul Townan could have ridden that, and I'm sure
thinking about it before and he wouldn't have been in
front as early as he was kind of fluffed the
last as well.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
And still won.

Speaker 5 (27:26):
Really well, I think he's a you know, he's he's
got a massive engine, that horse. It'll be very interest
to see what they do with him. I assume they'd
go chasing with him. But yeah, he's he's a massive talent.

Speaker 2 (27:38):
I think was will he not insinuating that he might
just keep him overheadles for another season? Capet the bars,
That's what I sort of took from last week.

Speaker 3 (27:46):
But perhaps yeah, yeah, like he'd be interested.

Speaker 5 (27:49):
But I mean when he has so many bullets to
fire in every department, I mean, he can he can
afford to keep him over orders if he wants to hear.

Speaker 4 (27:57):
Isn't it amazing that we're in the same week in
March now, and I think everyone would agree was still
absolutely no near and knowing who is the best two
mile hurdler around, It's astonishing, isn't it that we can
get this far into the season.

Speaker 3 (28:12):
We don't quite know where we are.

Speaker 4 (28:14):
With Constitution Hill more on him in a minute, State
Man looks back reasonably close to on song Lossy Mouth
more Affair in a moment, and we're even starting to
think that, you know, a novice could have shaken up
the champion and hurdle picture. But in an ideal world,
we would see Constitution Hill, losty Mouth State Man, and

(28:36):
Golden As all squaring off for the championship apprentices down.
But what chance of that Fellas?

Speaker 3 (28:41):
What do you think?

Speaker 7 (28:43):
I think, Kosty, I.

Speaker 3 (28:44):
Think fairly slim.

Speaker 5 (28:46):
But yeah, I'm gonna speak about Lastie vote in the
minutes because yeah, I think she might got a different route.
I can't see gold and Maze coming to puncher Stone.
I don't think that's has even been mentioned yet, or
has it.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
I didn't know it was mentioned on Sunday on next show. Yeah, okay,
well it would be good if she did.

Speaker 5 (29:03):
And obviously you'd love to see Constitution Hill come, but
we've we've been there before, Constitution Hill, He's been supposed
to be coming for the last couple of years and
we haven't seen them yet.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
So you know, let's see, let's watch this face. Well,
let's go into the next segment.

Speaker 2 (29:19):
I think we know we're sort of covering the champion
head but I think we've got to start off the
shocks segment with that race because it was just staggering,
wasn't it ed?

Speaker 3 (29:27):
What happened?

Speaker 1 (29:28):
It was ridiculous. It was absolutely ridiculous. The atmosphere was extraordinary.
And if you told me, you know, that was my
one big wish for the week. If you told me
the Constitution Hill was going to get beat out, I
thought the whole place would deflated. You told me Constitution
Hill was going to fall, I would thought the whole
thing would have been pricked completely.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
But it wasn't. It wasn't. It was unreal.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
Then statement coming down at the last of people's faces,
Oh my god. And then you're thinking, you're on the floor.
How do we pick ourselves up from this? And then
it was the most surreal experience. Is the whole place
that Jeremy Scott to their hearts. He was brilliant. He
was so funny, and the crowd in the winners and
clothes had just absolutely loved him.

Speaker 3 (30:13):
You heard that, Oh Jeremy Scott reverberating about Chelton.

Speaker 1 (30:16):
It was bananas. It was bonkers, but it was also
brilliant and everyone was elated by it. Despite the fact
that Constitution Hill and State Man had come down bright
days ahead was a huge disappointment. Stateman the genius of Mulleins.
The vibe about State Man was so positive. I couldn't
work it out. There was money for him will he
was bullish about him. I thought, nah, surely not. And

(30:38):
he was absolutely spot on. But then fair play and
him with his only Fools and Horses quote, Jeremy Scott
was again one of the stars of the week. I
had no idea he was like that at all. I
spoke to him a couple of times. I had no idea.
He was so amusing and he stole the show.

Speaker 2 (30:57):
Well, the key to that bubble not burst was too
high profile hert he's getting up straight away. Yeah, could
have been, could have been very different of Carse.

Speaker 3 (31:08):
But yeah, what to make of the championaire?

Speaker 1 (31:10):
And also you look at the fine margins you mentioned
the new line at the last. I mean, if you
look at the study that it's about each between the
new Lion and statement and and and look at the difference.

Speaker 3 (31:21):
He's an margin of a new Lion. He really is,
isn't he.

Speaker 4 (31:24):
He has that really aggressive but accurate technique. That's what
about this lost in mouth situation. I wanted I wanted
to touch on something Fellas. It was something that the
I call him the permatan pro punter Mark Holder said
in in his piece in the Racing Pulse this week,

(31:46):
and it was about sort of fans having an opinion
and it just seemed I'm going.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
To try and get it up. I know what you're
a theiring said, yeah, here we go, Here we go.

Speaker 4 (32:01):
Many people have moaned about the decision to run lossy
Mouth in the mat Settle, but my view is that
when they owners have a long and successful career in
business and then decide to plan millions into the sport,
they can decide where each horse should run. Of course
they can listen to this until then, Racing fans should
be thankful that the likes of Richard decide to invest

(32:22):
in race horses as opposed to super yachts in the
med Lossymouth's win last week was nothing more than a
school round in a slowly run race, and while it's
likely she'd have won the champion forty.

Speaker 3 (32:32):
Minutes led to his Things soundsmid. It's very easy to
call that after the event. Had she instead finished a
decent second to Constitution.

Speaker 4 (32:39):
Hill Isler, one would have been questioning connections sanity for
not taking.

Speaker 3 (32:44):
The easy option.

Speaker 4 (32:45):
How about this question, Mark, what would you have said
if they'd run herund the champion and she'd won.

Speaker 3 (32:54):
Question.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
I mean this debate as well. It's it's not gonna
go away for now, is it.

Speaker 3 (32:59):
But I do think we need who addressed it.

Speaker 2 (33:02):
I just my personal opinion is that the option of
the mayors shouldn't be there. And I don't think anyone
would argue with connections having the right to do what
they want. But I just don't think the option should
be there because she's taken away the best hurdlers from
taking each other on with a different alternative on the
same afternoon. So that would be my opinion on it.

(33:24):
But Billy, you had something to say about lost in House.

Speaker 3 (33:26):
First of all. On the mayor's horble debate, I'd agree
with GC's suggestion.

Speaker 5 (33:30):
I think the likes of a lasting mode should have
to carry a penalty in a race like that, which
would to some degree level of the playing field. But
my theory about lasting mode, and I don't know it
may or may not happen, but I wouldn't be all
surprised to see her running in the stairs horrible a
bunch of stone.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
I just thought the way that she finished out the
race to Leicester, she was obviously very strong to finish.

Speaker 5 (33:50):
I take the fact that it was a slowly run race,
it wasn't a real test of stamina, but she was
absolutely countering up the hill. There's no whare which she
certainly wasn't stopping. And this is the thing that Willy
has done in the past. Obviously with Qvega she used
regularly come from the Mayor's orcle at Cheltenham to the
stairs at Punches Down. But when you look at the
stairs of Punches Down, you have the likes of Abber,

(34:12):
You'll have the likes of to Hupo. Three miles around
punches Down on quickish ground as it's probably going to
be that time of the year.

Speaker 3 (34:18):
It's not a real thorough test either.

Speaker 5 (34:21):
We've seen the likes of Classical Dream, who didn't ever
really stayed three miles of Cheltenham, but he used to
get it the punches down really well. So I wouldn't
be at all surprised if that's the roof will he
takes with or I don't know that this is just
me speculating, but obviously if state Man is in the
whole of his health, which touch wood he will be,
he will go for the champion orbit at Punches Down,
and I wouldn't be at all surprised if last month

(34:43):
is rerouted to the stairs, because I think it's a
race she could win.

Speaker 4 (34:46):
I thought that the Brassneck Award of the week went
to what's his name, mister Maloney who's connected with the
Honeysuckle team. Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely and Jake de Grugi
Jada Grugie second to loss in Mouth Jade Gruzi lost
their jockey and lost a chance to win.

Speaker 3 (35:01):
Once Loss your Mouth came.

Speaker 4 (35:03):
Into the scene having a grumble about the top mayors running.

Speaker 3 (35:08):
In the in the mers race when they did it.

Speaker 1 (35:11):
Twice with Brassneck Award Maloney, It's amazing how different your
view can be from the second spot as opposed to.

Speaker 6 (35:19):
The winner's enclosure, isn't it? But just going now we're
still on the Mayor's hurdle. I think it's less of
a mayor's problem. It's it's a Willy Mullins problem, isn't it.
And it's because he's got such strength in depth he
can put horses in slots that others wouldn't. And we
saw it as well obviously in the County hurdle with

(35:39):
that par GC. Now the vast majority of people, if
they had a horse like that, they'd have been running
her in the Mayors now Willy was able to save
her for the county because they'd already got De Grugie
in the same silks. And you look at the way
that the Mayor's Hurdle, I think there's been eleven runnings
of that as a Grade one, so it was first
running twenty fifteen is a Grade one, and since then

(36:02):
there's been five times that a mayor has won the
Champion Hurdle. So the very best mayors are still going
for the Champion Hurdle despite it being a Grade one,
and it's just the ones where there's other options. And
even Anni Power when she won the Champion Hurdle, she
had to be supplemented because it was plan B because

(36:22):
four Heing got injured and wasn't going to run. So
we can talk about I think there's a serious danger
that we could end up getting rid of the Mayor's
Hurdle and all those mayors that are being persevered with
and the breeding to suit these you end up throwing
all that out and you're actually ignoring what the real

(36:44):
problem is, and it's just a strength and depth of
one stable that just isn't going away.

Speaker 7 (36:48):
Whatever you do.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
So we've veered off slightly from the shop segment. That's
my fault there. But we'll get back into it by
talking about Majbra been beaten in the arcle GC.

Speaker 4 (37:00):
Yeah, he's I watched it again yesterday and he is
he is. So he's young, isn't he He's five. He's
only had a handful of races overall, and he's over
bold at times. When he gets it right, he is
a magnificent site. He leaps out, you know, three meters
out the other side of the obstacle, but that comes

(37:22):
at a price, and two out was his nemesis last week.
He did tremendously well to get so close in the end.
So he remains a formidably precocious talent. But we'll come
to bally Burn in a minute. In mas Brow and
bally Burn, William Allin's now, this is a real test
of his training skills to get Grade one horses, superior

(37:43):
runners jumping consistently well enough to be the very best.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
Okay, well, we've covered galloping de chanta things. Just on
that the way you're thinking. Sorry, just on that skme.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
I think he raised really interesting point about five year
olds in the art of GC because I think that's
sixteen in the last twenty years in the ark and
they've all got beat and that second last was so
costly for him.

Speaker 3 (38:04):
I mean, that's the one that.

Speaker 1 (38:05):
I must admit really hurt because Jango Bay wouldn't be
fit to lace Sa Gino's boots.

Speaker 3 (38:11):
Honestly, you wouldn't even work them together.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
And I feel sorry for Gavin Cromwell as well his
mayor Prictoria she thought she wan Harry Skelton thought he'd
want at some point. Masbur is definitely the best horse
in that race in my opinion, and Django Bay won it. Honestly,
it was extraordinary and Jango Bay really should have run.
He'd had got three runners in your turners if that existed,
that was his race.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
Really well, I think a few of those Arklehases might
be going out into it. Might then Masbury certainly, and
the winner we will say, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (38:43):
Ballyburn's got a dual problem now, I think, hasn't he
There's that jumping issue, but what about the way he
pulled early on? He was really really ranked head on
the ground early on. I always carried instead along before,
but that horse had a really quite grueling experience last week,
Billy didn't he.

Speaker 3 (39:00):
I think tactics back for GC.

Speaker 5 (39:02):
I think they tried, you know, first time at three miles,
and they thought they may they'd have to hold them
up in order to get the trip. But certainly looking
at him last week, he just wants to get on
with it, no matter what distance he's going, and I
don't think we'll see him being held up again. I
think next time out he'll be just just let often,
let do his own thing, because he's a much happier
arse when he's in front. He settles better, he'll give

(39:24):
himself more of a chance of staying. Now, whether he'll
never gets three miles, we don't know. Last week was
absolutely inconclusive, but it is you know, he clearly just
wasn't concentrating properly and behind horses he was trying to pull.
His jumping fell apart because of it. It wasn't his
running at all. But yeah, it's it's it is a
testimony now to see what he'll do with him, how

(39:46):
he get him back on track. Obviously, I'd assume we'll
see him a punches down. There's a possibility we might
even see him at Fairyhouse because there's a good gap
this year, he could go for that two and a
half miles really wanted a fairy house, so it'll be interesting.
But certainly, next time we see him, expect him to
be out in front and making the running because I
think that's that's the only way to ride him, and we.

Speaker 3 (40:05):
Found that out last week.

Speaker 4 (40:06):
Ditch has definitely found him out last week and two
of the ditches on the first circuit he just looks
super windy.

Speaker 5 (40:12):
Yeah, yeah, it's like his confidence was definitely not So
it'll be it'll be very intomeing to see how he
gets on next time. If he jumps like that again.
You know, there's always the possibility to be back over
ordles next year.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
I'm just gonna say, believe that could be a big
possibility come sit coming back to maybe a stage hurdle
division next year.

Speaker 3 (40:33):
It could be. Yeah, it could be.

Speaker 5 (40:35):
I mean, he's not going to win a great one
over offences jumping the way he jumped last week, so
something's gonna have to change. And like I said, if
the change of tactics doesn't work, then there's there is
the option of bringing him back to hurdles.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (40:48):
Bally Burn firmly in the disappointment segment, and I'm gonna
have to put John Bond in there as well. Let's
just discuss what happened to him in the Champion Chase.
David did what you can't do in then two mile races.
You met one all wrong and it was literally a
chance ending mistake, wasn't it. We know from some of
his form earlier in the season that he probably is

(41:10):
better than Marine Nationale, even if you can look at
that ascot form though and start to ask questions whether
it's quite as good as what it looked. Obviously, you
know Gamin running on slightly quicker ground and I think
he might have come back with a physical issue. But
I don't think Edward Stone has done too much for
the form. But you go back to Quilixios and where

(41:31):
he finished in the Tingle Creek and how far John
Bond was ahead of him compared to where he would
have finished against Marine Nationale if he'd have stood up
in the Champion Chase, And I think it's perfectly fair
to think that John bon at his best is still
probably at least three or four lengths the best.

Speaker 6 (41:48):
But you know, it's jump racing. You've got to get
everything spot on. There's just no margin for error, and
when you get one wrong, to pay the price.

Speaker 7 (41:56):
And that's what he did.

Speaker 1 (41:56):
Unfortunately it was the start as well. I mean McCoy
went Fitzgerald twice. Really, Galapande shown. They said he can't
win this. After they've gone about fifty yards. He then
surprised them second time at the top of the hill
that he was still in the mix, sort of brak
for what he is. But they also said as soon
as they started jumping on the back that it's over.

Speaker 3 (42:14):
They said that long before anything else happened.

Speaker 4 (42:17):
You look, I mean, I'm not digging the starter out
here had been a traumatic day and a half or already.
But I think there are nine runners. You have a
look at the free spring. They are pointing in all
bloody directions, all with noses over the tape. And I
do the hard yards so you don't have to. As

(42:37):
you know, so I've listened in on the BHDA briefing
this morning. I asked the question, there are a lot
of you know, blah blah blah blah. I asked the question,
are you wedded to this system whereby after one false start,
you have to have a standing start, and they got
the answer. Everything is under review, et cetera. But those
standing starts are not They're inferior, aren't they. They're inferior

(42:59):
to the original one. So why are we still going
with that?

Speaker 3 (43:04):
I think is the is the technical term? Sorry, not
fit for a purpose? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (43:10):
John John Boners facing on forty five degrees that take
whipped across.

Speaker 3 (43:14):
His nose and it was all downhill thereafter.

Speaker 2 (43:19):
Yeah, He's just not the sort of hots that takes
well to any sort of little setbacks like that?

Speaker 5 (43:25):
Is he?

Speaker 3 (43:25):
John Boddy needs to go his way.

Speaker 2 (43:28):
He's got a few quirks, but the starts were unsatisfactory
all week long, really and that certainly needs to be
under a review. Right then we're going to finish the
podcast with the final two segments, the Spring and the
next festival. So first of all, gents, I want something
for Entry or Punches Town that you saw running last week.

(43:48):
There'd be plenty to guy, even though there's a bit
of a quick turnaround between Cheltenham and Liverpool. So David,
I'll come to you first. Have you got anything for
the spring?

Speaker 6 (43:59):
Yeah, Well, the one that stands out to me is
factor file going to punch Es Town and Ed was
talking there about how much better he's potentially going to
be right handed, and I think you know it will
be at least as effective there. We know how good
he is at punches Down. He won the John Dirk
and there didn't he on his reappearance. Obviously that was
two and a half. But I don't think i'd be

(44:20):
concerned about going back up to three miles at Punchestown.

Speaker 7 (44:23):
We know punches Town has been.

Speaker 6 (44:25):
A bit of Achille and Achilles heel for Gallapinda shops
in the spring. There hasn't it, So I'd be very
confident that factor file If he goes for the Punches
Down Gold Cup, even if it means he's taken on
the goal winner as well, I'd expect him to come
out on top there.

Speaker 2 (44:42):
Yeah, you sort of get the feeling that we might
have seen another way. You're thinking for the season, Dirty,
I'm not sure if you'll even run at Punchestown.

Speaker 3 (44:50):
We will see, Billy, have you got one for the spring?

Speaker 5 (44:53):
I've got cool for two over the Handicaps school for
the spring and possibly even into the summer. I thought
I think Ethical Diamond ran a cracker in the County Hurdle,
came from an awful long way back to finish fourth,
doing his best work at the finish. There's definitely a
big handicap ortal in him, possibly Galway if they hang
on to him for that long. But I do think

(45:14):
he'll win a big too mile handicap portle somewhere and
over fences norbourd Green. I thought he'd run well in
the Jack Richards and he did. He finished fourth, staying
on really well at the finish. Again, I think there
is there's he has a bit of unfinished business in
races like that. There's a very valuable novice sandicap chase
at the Punches Down Festival that would look ideal from
I think.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
It's two five.

Speaker 5 (45:34):
But again, he won the Galway Hurdle last year and
I wouldn't be at all surprise to see him back
for the Galway place this time around over two six.
So I think the two of them, I certainly think
there's there's a big race in both of them, hopefully
before the year is out.

Speaker 3 (45:50):
Yeah, he ran well, degree he didn't jump that well,
did he in the early stages.

Speaker 5 (45:53):
But yeah, he's a bit he's a bit sticky still,
you know, his jumping is a working programs, shall we saying?
Was probably the way there is Torndaus he was just
a bit too far back, but he was staying on
willer to finish. So I do think there's there's more
to come from more offenses, jac spring horses.

Speaker 3 (46:10):
That's a quick question.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
Are we also doing something the next year's festival is
another little segment.

Speaker 3 (46:14):
That's the final segment.

Speaker 4 (46:16):
Okay, well this might be springing to summer. Have you
had a look at Woodoo's handicap mark on the flat?

Speaker 3 (46:24):
She had four runs on the flat. She was.

Speaker 4 (46:29):
So starholds for al what are they called the old
tread colors?

Speaker 3 (46:35):
One of that phone called we.

Speaker 4 (46:38):
Had four runs. She's rated seventy one. She won a
highly competitive Martin pipe off one forty one pulling bus
last week. So Gordon Elliott can do some damage on
the flat with her. I'm certain of that. And one
of the quick news line that I wanted to add
in whip ed hardly got to mention lightly so a

(46:58):
handful a handful of one over offenses last week by
the pros. Not one single British professional jockey suspended for
use of the whip last week.

Speaker 3 (47:08):
Now Billy. I know you're going to.

Speaker 4 (47:09):
Say, because they weren't involved in the bloody finishes. Yeah,
that's that's a hat tip to the BH the odd
one day and a couple of amateurs, but overall a
successful day on that front. But we'd come back to
the next year's festival with another Eliot horse. But keep
an eye when Gordon, let's WeDo loose on the flat lookout.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
And it's a good spot ahead. Have you got any
brilliant that's a great point that GC.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
There were some brilliant spectacles weren't there Now it's finishes
and that was probably part of it. My favorite race
of the week was the Turners. I thought that was spectacular,
those three horses at the front, but the Triumph wasn't
far behind.

Speaker 3 (47:47):
I mean they were motoring in the Triumph.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
From those camera angles with the three of them going
at in the right horses as well plus Poniros. I
do think the Lamb was a really nice house, you know,
and he was very weak in the market on the day,
which was disturbing, and he didn't jump anything like as
well as I thought he was going to, particularly two
out which was very costly. But he's one for the
future of Lamber might be one for entry with the
race that Gino one last year.

Speaker 3 (48:10):
I think the.

Speaker 1 (48:10):
Lambers are really really nice horse and Vanillier honestly going
to entry.

Speaker 3 (48:15):
That horse is in rare form at the minute.

Speaker 1 (48:18):
Cromwell's got that horse in a really good place and
I think he's in better form than when he's gone
there in the past, and I think he's going to
run a big race in the Nash.

Speaker 4 (48:27):
What was your annoying said that his jockey cry to
take the wrong course? Yeah, I mean he lost. I
mean how many lengths did he lose? Doing that ad
momentum and everything else. He was absolutely loving would have
won it, wasn't he and then flying at the finish. Yeah,
he's in rare form going to entry that horse.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
Okay, Well, the Childman Festival is just finished for one year,
but we're gonna finish our Cheldmam coverage by looking at
her to twenty twenty six, twelve months in advance and
GC I can see you chumping at the bit, so
I'll let you go first.

Speaker 3 (48:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:59):
Sometimes you know, you see your price and you think,
what am I missing here?

Speaker 3 (49:03):
There's something wrong.

Speaker 4 (49:04):
I agree that the turners looked a high quality race.
Final Demand is a horse with loads of big days
ahead of him. So is the new one and not
the new one the new line. They'll probably going to
different directions, but splitting them very strong in the market,
traveling beautifully, jumping really well.

Speaker 3 (49:21):
The Yellow Clay ran a screamer.

Speaker 4 (49:23):
He's developed into a really high class young Hortz and
he's thirty three to one with a few firms for
next year's arcall. I can't understand that because if he
goes changing, he's going to be a leading contender for
Grade one novices.

Speaker 3 (49:37):
So it's a bit of a.

Speaker 4 (49:38):
Speculator, but at thirty three to one, I wouldn't put
him any bigger than eight or.

Speaker 3 (49:42):
Ten myself like that like that a lot.

Speaker 2 (49:47):
Is that because they think he might go out in
trip for the brand advisory.

Speaker 4 (49:52):
Maybe, but we've seen from Jango Bay and plenty of
others in the arcle stamina is never a bad asset
to have, and if you wanted to get away from
Final Demand, who I think will be a high class
novice chaser, I think we'll see him again soon. The
Yellow Play I think we'll see him at Entry or
punch Es down and I think it'll have a very
good chance of winning his Grade one over hurdles, another

(50:12):
great one, because he's got one already, hasn't he.

Speaker 3 (50:15):
Did Jay twenty twenty six.

Speaker 6 (50:18):
Yeah, there's one I've actually backed already, and it was
at Henry de Bromhead. Did confirm pretty much the inevitable
that the Big Westerner will go over fences next year.

Speaker 3 (50:27):
Thought.

Speaker 6 (50:28):
She ran a really good race in the Albert Bartlett,
which is obviously been a real good trial for the
Broadway down the years, and she didn't quite have the
best of luck, did she. She got caught in a
little bit of traffic just as the winner was beginning
to make his way for home. And I mean this
talk about that she probably needs softer ground now. It

(50:49):
probably won't be any quicker next year than what it
was on when she ran on Friday, will it? And
she absolutely fine there so it happens to come up
softer all the better. But I think the Big Westerner
she's still a best price sixteen to one for the Broadway,
and I think you could easily see her going off
near Savorite if she gets there with everything up to

(51:11):
plan next year.

Speaker 1 (51:13):
Okay, and if you got one, yeah, also from the
Albert Barnard actually scoop and it's going to be a britt.
I'm going to go for a brit because I think
the most worrying thing to come out of next week
if we're trying to turn a corner is having one
runner in the Supreme and none in the Brown Advisory.
That's deeply, deeply depressing.

Speaker 3 (51:28):
It is.

Speaker 1 (51:29):
And the horse I backed in the Albert bart I
thought ran a cracker, but I just thought Paul Town
and outrode them all.

Speaker 3 (51:35):
Where he went, how he rode the race. I'm thinking,
why you.

Speaker 1 (51:38):
On that side is Dery hasseen Paddy Oh? I thought
ran an absolute screamer in the Albert Bartlett. I just
wish he'd come up the near side, and he just
screamed chase. If you see the size of him. The
trainer describes him as a monster. Obviously she's got mayer Town,
but she talked in totally different ways about Derry Hassen,
Paddy and and Head. I hope he's one for the

(52:00):
future and one for three miles out offensive and final,
well gets to you, Billy Well.

Speaker 5 (52:07):
First of all, I want to touch again on ponner Us,
because yes, he was one undred to one, but that
was an amazing performance blay horse having his first rownover hardles.
We haven't run into one hundred and fifty plus, which
I don't know. I haven't looked it up, but I
can't imagine there have been many, if any, horses have
run to that rating first time out over hurdles in
their careers on a time from rating. So where he goes,
it's going to be fascinating to see how his career

(52:27):
developed over hurdles. But like the other lads, I was
paying tremendous attention to the Albert Partlett as we as
we all seem to have been. And I just think
Jasmine de Vaux if he comes back for the stairs
hurdle next year, like he can't really jump Urtle's, I
don't imagine there'll be too many putting up their hand
to school them over offences at William Rundon's.

Speaker 3 (52:46):
He's pretty clumsy.

Speaker 5 (52:47):
And looking back at the Albert Partlett again, he didn't
jump particularly well through the Albert Bartlett, but the fact
that there's only three hurdles in the last mile was
a big help to him. His best jump in the
entire race was at the last and he was never
stronger than at the finish, so like stamina is clearly
his strong suit. I'd love to see him staying over hurdles,
and that's not a division that's going to get much

(53:08):
deeper than it is at the moment, and it's not
strong now.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
So if they if they.

Speaker 5 (53:12):
Stick to hordles with him, they may or may not,
but if they do, he could be a major force
in that division for years to come.

Speaker 3 (53:18):
I think.

Speaker 7 (53:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
And he's fourteen to one for the stays hurdle, which
which looks a fair price with you who's six to
one for favorite twelve months in advance?

Speaker 3 (53:26):
Much refer him to back?

Speaker 5 (53:27):
I must referred to back him with fourteen for a
stairs orbled in a similar start of a price for
Brown advisory because you know he's jumping is not his
friend at the moment.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
Okay, thank you, Billy, Thanks David. Now I haven't got
one ed. I would have had Jasmine tovarmustad make. I
completely agree with Billy. I thought fourteen is pretty big
for the stairs hurdle because it's got a hell of
an engine. Can't jump, but hell of an engine, and
that's what you need in this day. So yeah, I'll
stubbled down on him and that's it. We're done, Cheltenham,

(53:58):
done for another year. Thanks guy, enjoyed that the tea.
I'm not back next week because I'm on holiday, but
Dave had will be back next week and you'll be
discussing the flat season because the Lincoln handicap is on
its way.

Speaker 3 (54:09):
So thanks. When I saw the.

Speaker 4 (54:11):
Running order for today, I thought, why are we not
doing a Lincoln. The Lincoln would be this weekend.

Speaker 2 (54:17):
Yeah, yeah, no, DJ element another ten days to wait, DJ,
We're nearly there, so yeah, are listening to everyone see
against him.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
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