2006 Cheltenham Festival Thread

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lol gambling.

It's going to be the best Cheltenham for a long time this year, I can feel it. Especially because the Gold Cup has the weakest field for a long time, and has no real clear winner. If Beef Or Salmon wins, however, I will run naked through the streets of Liverpool.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 13 March 2006 13:25 (twenty years ago)

I'll have a tenner on that...

― chris moran (chris moran), Monday, 13 March 2006 13:41 (twenty years ago)

When I was a young teenager living in Cheltenham, Gold Cup Week used to be fantastic. If you got a job waitressing at the racecourse, you made an absolute fortune in tips. (Money tips that is, not racing tips. Although you were given those too).

― C J (C J), Monday, 13 March 2006 13:43 (twenty years ago)

Anyway, first things first, tomorrow is the Champion Hurdle. I cannot see past Brave Inca at all. McCoy says its one of the best horses he's ever ridden at the festival, and he's been on fire as a jockey recently (he had an awesome stay-on with Olival the other day in some chump change race that was some of the best riding I've seen all year). And the horse itself isn't too shoddy either. He's got the measure of Macs Joy at even weights, Royal Shakespeare is overrated, and the only thing that will finish within two lengths of him is Al Eile.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 13 March 2006 13:48 (twenty years ago)

Were you ever a jockey's lad or anything, Carsmile?

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Monday, 13 March 2006 14:04 (twenty years ago)

x-post, if the ground came up soft tomorrow briareus would have a chance in the champion hurdle

― michael wells (michael w.), Monday, 13 March 2006 16:38 (twenty years ago)

although thinking about it he'll probably be taken on for the lead and will be all out up the hill. asian maze is an interesting runner after switching from the world hurdle.

― michael wells (michael w.), Monday, 13 March 2006 16:46 (twenty years ago)

see PJ's not really read the thread and has assumed that either Dom or CJ is me, i wonder which...

i will join Dom in the streets of liverpool if BoS wins though, NOT A CHELTENHAM HORSE.

do you not give Hardy Eustace a chance dom?

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 13 March 2006 17:02 (twenty years ago)

horse racing more like boring shit

― 6800279, Monday, 13 March 2006 17:18 (twenty years ago)

No, I'll tell you why: if Hardy Eustance wins tomorrow, he'll be an all time great Cheltenham horse. He patently isn't an all time great, and switching to a visor this late in the day isn't really feeling me with confidence either.

Brave Inca will not break a sweat, I promise.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 13 March 2006 19:24 (twenty years ago)

al eile in the smurfit is taking my fancy, war of attrition in the Gold cup.

― Porkpie (porkpie), Monday, 13 March 2006 20:32 (twenty years ago)

hehe "smurfit"...

i will, as usual, pick a load of donkeys.

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 13 March 2006 22:50 (twenty years ago)

Straw Bear in the Supreme Novice's Hurdle, perhaps? I am going to get off McCoy's dick at some point this festival, but the only thing Straw Bear hasn't got going for him is experience on this kinda ground, and surely its softened overnight anyway? I reserve the right to just bet on Natal instead though.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 11:54 (twenty years ago)

I had assumed no such thing, Carsmile, I had merely assumed that you would be dropping in at some point, thus I took the opportunity greet you with a vaguely mocking comment that could be construed as having homosexual and bestial undertones.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller 68), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 12:04 (twenty years ago)

fair enough, i suppose.

right, off to the bookies with me then.

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 13:22 (twenty years ago)

1 Noland
2 Straw Bear
3 Buena Vista
4 Sublimity

in the first, no dice for me...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 14:09 (twenty years ago)

for reference, my picks for the rest of the day:

2.35 Missed That
3.15 Hardy Eustace (i KNOW)
4.00 Moulin Riche
4.40 Good Step
5.20 Count Kearney

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 14:26 (twenty years ago)

Had a tenner on Voy Pur Ustedes, at 8-1 : )

Have a tenner on Moulin Riche also.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 15:10 (twenty years ago)

bah. i knew you were right about brave inca, but y'know, hardy eustace nearly had him...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 15:25 (twenty years ago)

I would have backed Hardy Eustace too. Glad I didn't now!

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 15:28 (twenty years ago)

he was third, so a (very) small part of my accumulator rolls on...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 15:34 (twenty years ago)

If Straw Bear hadn't have landed flat-footed at that last hurdle, I'd be around £120 better off right now. Good jockey work on Noland though, they squeezed every last ounce out of that horse to get a win.

And if we learn nothing else from the Festival over the next few days, at least we've learnt (at a £20 cost to myself) that Racing Demon, far from being the new Best Mate to wing its way into the nation's hearts, is in fact a crock of shit that can't jump straight.

But! But! Tony Tony Tony! Brave Inca was a proper dance around like a cretin winner for me, and there's nothing better than a horse that loves racing now, is there? Al Eile was shocking in that race, but, you know, Inca!

So we're currently £15 up on the week. That's not too bad a start, y'know?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 15:44 (twenty years ago)

http://www.racingpost.co.uk/images/graphics/inca_champion_spl.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 22:47 (twenty years ago)

well, fuck all for me although the missus managed to back three winners and 2 seconds (all to £1, obv). good day on the cards for nicholls again tomorrow. my picks:
2.00 - denman
2.35 - the listener
3.15 - kauto star
4.00 - prins willem
4.40 - mon mome
5.20 - kicks for free
feel free to put a line through these names in your copy of the racing post.

― michael wells (michael w.), Tuesday, 14 March 2006 23:27 (twenty years ago)

ha, my first three are the same (although i'm still wavering about Moscow, they said on the radio yesterday that he was looking good...) i'm missing out the 4.00 though, looks mental, there's about 97830469273 runners...

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 11:03 (twenty years ago)

I'm also going with Denman and Kauto Star (both complete locks, I can't see past them), but I fancy Darkness in the 2:35 and Sky's The Limit in the 4:00.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 12:20 (twenty years ago)

lucky punting!

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 12:27 (twenty years ago)

"The new Azertyioup" my arse.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 15:45 (twenty years ago)

good call on sky's the limit, easiest winner so far. still no joy for me, i hate cheltenham :(

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 16:43 (twenty years ago)

hmmm, guess who talked himself out of putting a fiver on you're special? yep, that would be me :(

― Porkpie (porkpie), Wednesday, 15 March 2006 17:35 (twenty years ago)

eleven months pass...

revival is more fun that starting a new thread, especially as i'm not sure Dom's about, and i'm pretty certain Chris won't be.

anyway, today:

2.00 amaretto thingy
2.40 don't ~~try~~ push it
3.15 hardy eustace, YES, AGAIN, WHAT OF IT??
4.00 jeuvigneur
4.40 spotthedifference

on the FAV in the first, in an attempt to get the ball rolling, rindoon is the outsider i didn't bet on (who will now romp home, obv).

an a related note, i've just booked friday afternoon off, anyone want to come and find a pub and watch the races with me?

― CarsmileSteve, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 10:25 (nineteen years ago)

oh, and Kauto Star in the gold cup, he CAN get round, and he will run up that hill like a bolt of lightning.

― CarsmileSteve, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 10:31 (nineteen years ago)

I'm working this week : (

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 12:36 (nineteen years ago)

i was there yesterday, where was everybody?

(actually, it did seem quite busy already judging by the carparks and hot dog vans. we got stopped by a police motorcycle escort as some vip was coming out of the 'owners and trainers' gate. dramatic increase in the number of irish number plates in town as well)

― koogs, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 13:01 (nineteen years ago)

The Daily Star helpfully leads with "HOOKERS TO MAKE MORE THAN BOOKIES AT CHELTENHAM", which, sadly, is probably true this year. Ah well, fuck an on-course bookmaker.

Detroit City ftw anyway. I'll watch updates creep in slowly over BBC sports

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 13:02 (nineteen years ago)

DC didn't look right going down to the start from what i saw, and was never in the race. not sure where subliminality came from but he can run up that hill...

guardian is doing over by over style comentary, but it's rather sh!t.

also five live aren't ccarrying the feed, any idea where one might get a live stream of it?

― CarsmileSteve, Tuesday, 13 March 2007 16:36 (nineteen years ago)

OK, I got off work this afternoon...

a) Tony McCoy how could we ever have doubted you. Such a fun race that Wichita Lineman won, I don't think I've seen a more thrilling race won by 12 lengths in an age
b) Kauto Star = god.

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 16 March 2007 15:53 (nineteen years ago)

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