Cheltenham Festival 2025

[Seaside Dave]

3 hours ago, Victorian said:

Blackmore wins from the next postcode.  😳

Done Rachel blackmore treble each way. Up 230 quid. That's the flights and ticket sorted for the semi final 

[Victorian]

6 minutes ago, Seaside Dave said:

Done Rachel blackmore treble each way. Up 230 quid. That's the flights and ticket sorted for the semi final 

 

👍

[SecN]

Bob Olinger has been a saviour today for me. Might have a bottle tonight to celebrate. 🍾 

[Seaside Dave]

1 hour ago, SecN said:

Bob Olinger has been a saviour today for me. Might have a bottle tonight to celebrate. 🍾 

Yassssss Rachel treble tomorrow 😎 be able to buy the club 😂😂

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

mondo man tomorrow - hoping the jockey can keep a lid on him - the horse not looking at the sky would be helpful

 

 

[Victorian]

25 minutes ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

mondo man tomorrow - hoping the jockey can keep a lid on him - the horse not looking at the sky would be helpful

 

 

 

😳  I've just picked 5 outsiders for doubles and that's one.   Sorry for putting the kybosh on it.   

[Victorian]

1.20  Mondo Man

2.00  Ndaawi

3.20  Jasmin De Vaux

4.40  Fairly Famous

5.20  Park Of Kings

[Hømme]

13 hours ago, Hømme said:

Today's darts. Mostly EW shouts today.

 

1.20 - Jubilee Alpha 9/1 EW 🔴

2.00 - Moon D'Orange 14/1 EW 🔴

2.40 - Doddiethegreat 20/1 EW 🟢

3.20 - Djelo 12/1 EW 🔴

4.00 - The Wallpark 9/2 Win 🔴

4.40 - Massacio 8/1 EW 🟠

5.20 - Midnight Our Fred 6/1 🔴 EW

 

I'll back Protektorat also in the 3.20. One of my favourites.

 

Despite a lack of success across the races all it took was one 25/1 winner to make it a good day. Found today really difficult to choose and it was evident in the results! Hopefully I'm not as useless tomorrow!

[Hømme]

Here we go, final day.

 

1.20 - Larzac 25/1 EW

2.00 - Irish Panther 20/1 EW

2.40 - Allegorie De Vassy 4/1 Win

3.20 - Derryhassen Paddy 8/1 EW

4.00 - Monty's Star 10/1 EW

4.40 - Fairly Famous 10/1 EW

5.20 - Minella Sixo 25/1 EW

[Malinga the Swinga]

Mullins has over half the runners in the Triumph Hurdle. Hopefully he won't saddle winner but there's a question to be asked over this. In France, they'd be pooled for betting but here, and Ireland, you bet them individually. Does Mullins have them all trying to win, are some running to help other Mullins runners or are some even trying at all.

Don't have the answers but I'm not comfortable with this situation.

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

2 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

Mullins has over half the runners in the Triumph Hurdle. Hopefully he won't saddle winner but there's a question to be asked over this. In France, they'd be pooled for betting but here, and Ireland, you bet them individually. Does Mullins have them all trying to win, are some running to help other Mullins runners or are some even trying at all.

Don't have the answers but I'm not comfortable with this situation.

one of them tony bloom has just spent 200k on - was a decent horse on the flat but big ask to win this on hurdles debut hence 100/1 + 

 

carrying a fiver of mine just in case

 

 

[SecN]

Didn’t expect that in the 13:20. 100/1

[Malinga the Swinga]

8 minutes ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

one of them tony bloom has just spent 200k on - was a decent horse on the flat but big ask to win this on hurdles debut hence 100/1 + 

 

carrying a fiver of mine just in case

 

 

Well you might just have struck lucky😀

[Hømme]

Right Tony, now buy a stake in us pronto!

[Hømme]

9 minutes ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

one of them tony bloom has just spent 200k on - was a decent horse on the flat but big ask to win this on hurdles debut hence 100/1 + 

 

carrying a fiver of mine just in case

 

 

 

Oh and congratulations 🎉 

[Victorian]

What a race.   Winner was about 10 lengths back approaching the last.   I think it was 6th going over the last.   Well done anyone collecting.

[manaliveits105]

17 minutes ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

one of them tony bloom has just spent 200k on - was a decent horse on the flat but big ask to win this on hurdles debut hence 100/1 + 

 

carrying a fiver of mine just in case

 

 

Wish had read this - I'm sure a good few  jambos would have had a punt 

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

10 minutes ago, Victorian said:

What a race.   Winner was about 10 lengths back approaching the last.   I think it was 6th going over the last.   Well done anyone collecting.

he was only a couple of lengths behind jumping the last as at that point with his flat speed I knew he had half a chance of getting there

 

Great ride on mondo man as he’s very tricky just not good enough on the day

 

 

 

 

[SecN]

15 minutes ago, manaliveits105 said:

Wish had read this - I'm sure a good few  jambos would have had a punt 

I certainly would’ve. 

[Australis]

principles'published at 13:36 Greenwich Mean Time

13:36 GMT

13:20 JCB Triumph Hurdle 2m

John Hunt
Horse racing commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

There's a little bit of mystery around it but I am led to believe that he [Tony Bloom, Brighton owner] does do similar analytical work to horses and footballers. I think he applies very similar principles.

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

22 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

Well you might just have struck lucky😀

yup - if that was a flat race (which of course it wasn’t) that horse would have been about 10/1 - the guy who buys tony blooms horses is even more “shrewd” than queen Ann so that probably no fluke - the race didn’t look a fluke either so this could be a genuine top horse over jumps - albeit some triumph hurdle winners subsequently sink without trace

 

 

[Victorian]

7 minutes ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

he was only a couple of lengths behind jumping the last as at that point with his flat speed I knew he had half a chance of getting there

 

Great ride on mondo man as he’s very tricky just not good enough on the day

 

 

 

 

 

Even more impressive was that the two market leaders were going hammer & tongs over the last and that one went past them like a train.   It was no slow run race as well.

[Victorian]

16 hours ago, Victorian said:

1.20  Mondo Man 

2.00  Ndaawi

3.20  Jasmin De Vaux

4.40  Fairly Famous

5.20  Park Of Kings

 

Mondo - good run 33/1

Ndaawi - 2nd a length and a half 28/1

 

😬

[Malinga the Swinga]

Disappointing that Mullins wins another race. It gets boring when one trainer dominates the event. If it carries on, Cheltenham will go same way as Dublin racing festival where other trainers don't even enter their best animals because Mullins simply floods races with horses that run to assist 'the chosen one' or to stop competitors horses from racing their race. 

Simply put, some of his horses not running to win the race which is supposed to be the point of it all 

[Hømme]

6 minutes ago, Victorian said:

 

Mondo - good run 33/1

Ndaawi - 2nd a length and a half 28/1

 

😬

 

Had Ndawwi on my slip this morning and then subsequently removed him

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

9 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

Disappointing that Mullins wins another race. It gets boring when one trainer dominates the event. If it carries on, Cheltenham will go same way as Dublin racing festival where other trainers don't even enter their best animals because Mullins simply floods races with horses that run to assist 'the chosen one' or to stop competitors horses from racing their race. 

Simply put, some of his horses not running to win the race which is supposed to be the point of it all 

theres decent prize money down to at least 6th in these races - lots of horses are running for a place rather than bursting their chance by trying to win the race - two obvious examples being golden ace and Burdett road (in particular) who were almost certainly ridden to finish 3rd or 4th

 

had Burdett road went tearing off like he normally does mixing it with the big hitters he would have probably blew up and finished last - the equivalent of parking the bus at parkhead and trying to nick a draw

 

 

[Victorian]

It must be some logistic operation to take 20 to 40 horses to a meeting each day.   Transport and stable lads/lasses alone.   His stable must be some organisation.

[Malinga the Swinga]

Yeh, Mullins wins another race.

[Malinga the Swinga]

21 minutes ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

theres decent prize money down to at least 6th in these races - lots of horses are running for a place rather than bursting their chance by trying to win the race - two obvious examples being golden ace and Burdett road (in particular) who were almost certainly ridden to finish 3rd or 4th

 

had Burdett road went tearing off like he normally does mixing it with the big hitters he would have probably blew up and finished last - the equivalent of parking the bus at parkhead and trying to nick a draw

 

 

Sometimes they get lucky but the point remains, under rules of racing horses are supposed to be ridden to win.

It's like prep racing when trainers don't have them ready but keep quiet about it. They are saving the handicap mark for another race or festival when amazingly, form turned round. That's bad enough when it's a different trainer but when it's the same trainer, it does seem more organised.

I'm not denying he's a good trainer of horses, nobody can say that, but I just don't feel comfortable when multiple same trainer runners are in a race.

[Victorian]

There's different owners and syndicates to take account of.   This is the world cup of national hunt and all the connections will no doubt want to enter their best horses in the best races.

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

11 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

Sometimes they get lucky but the point remains, under rules of racing horses are supposed to be ridden to win.

It's like prep racing when trainers don't have them ready but keep quiet about it. They are saving the handicap mark for another race or festival when amazingly, form turned round. That's bad enough when it's a different trainer but when it's the same trainer, it does seem more organised.

I'm not denying he's a good trainer of horses, nobody can say that, but I just don't feel comfortable when multiple same trainer runners are in a race.

the rules are actually that the horse is ridden to achieve the best position possible which isn’t necessarily “to win”

 

horses not being ready / saving handicap marks etc I understand what you’re getting at but less likely to be happening at the major meetings like Cheltenham 

 

 

[Malinga the Swinga]

25 minutes ago, Victorian said:

It must be some logistic operation to take 20 to 40 horses to a meeting each day.   Transport and stable lads/lasses alone.   His stable must be some organisation.

With over 100 employees and over 200 horses in training, it's a major operation for a big stable such as Mullins to transport their horses. Trainers charge owners per mile to transport horses to races with costs about £600 per horse to fly them one way. Owners also charged for stable staff costs, entry costs and other ancillary charges. Then again, at £50/60 per day to train a horse, big stables are well used to work and can afford the costs easily. Trainers get about 10% of prize money with owner getting 75%, jockey 10% and stable staff getting remainder less about 1% that goes to racing charities.

Let's face it, the owners who utilise these big trainers aren't short of a penny or two. Even then, a few years ago Mullins lost main contract with Gigginstown stud, Michael O'Leary's the main guy there, because he increased his training fees so it's a cut throat business worth hundreds of millions. 

It's the smaller trainers, with the lesser well off owners, who need to worry about the cost of moving the horses about.

[Victorian]

4 minutes ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

With over 100 employees and over 200 horses in training, it's a major operation for a big stable such as Mullins to transport their horses. Trainers charge owners per mile to transport horses to races with costs about £600 per horse to fly them one way. Owners also charged for stable staff costs, entry costs and other ancillary charges. Then again, at £50/60 per day to train a horse, big stables are well used to work and can afford the costs easily. Trainers get about 10% of prize money with owner getting 75%, jockey 10% and stable staff getting remainder less about 1% that goes to racing charities.

Let's face it, the owners who utilise these big trainers aren't short of a penny or two. Even then, a few years ago Mullins lost main contract with Gigginstown stud, Michael O'Leary's the main guy there, because he increased his training fees so it's a cut throat business worth hundreds of millions. 

It's the smaller trainers, with the lesser well off owners, who need to worry about the cost of moving the horses about.

 

Exactly.   Owners who have horses with Mullins are paying a lot for the services and they're all very good horses.   It stands to reason that they're aimed at running in these top races.   It goes hand in hand.   I don't see how Mullins could limit his hand at this meeting.

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

jax junior for a bit of big price glory until the big guns get into gear 

 

 

[Hømme]

Poor day for me so far. Derryhassen to get me off the mark hopefully.

[Victorian]

17 hours ago, Victorian said:

1.20  Mondo Man

2.00  Ndaawi

3.20  Jasmin De Vaux

4.40  Fairly Famous

5.20  Park Of Kings

 

Good run at 33/1

2nd a length and a half 28/1

Winner 7/1

 

If only Ndaawi had got up.   Would already have a 210/1 double.  🤨

[Hømme]

2 minutes ago, Victorian said:

 

Good run at 33/1

2nd a length and a half 28/1

Winner 7/1

 

If only Ndaawi had got up.   Would already have a 210/1 double.  🤨

 

Impressive so far.

 

What you thinking for the Gold Cup?

[Victorian]

Just now, Hømme said:

 

Impressive so far.

 

What you thinking for the Gold Cup?

 

Never really looked.   I have the fav in a perm of fav trebles.   Already have Kargese and Dinoblue.

[Hømme]

1 minute ago, Victorian said:

 

Never really looked.   I have the fav in a perm of fav trebles.   Already have Kargese and Dinoblue.

 

Good luck.

 

I think the fav wins so haven't backed anything in that race. Don't have it in a multi because I wasn't sure on the two favs you have already landed.

[Victorian]

Corbetts Cross is the only one I could be tempted with.

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

9 minutes ago, Hømme said:

 

Good luck.

 

I think the fav wins so haven't backed anything in that race. Don't have it in a multi because I wasn't sure on the two favs you have already landed.

you seem to like Lucinda Russell’s - ahoy senor has had its wind done - you’ll be kicking yourself if that transforms him into a ‘new’ horse

 

you’re  betting 50/1 the wind op works and the fav has an off-day

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SecN]

1 hour ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

Yeh, Mullins wins another race.

What's his total for the event?

[InternationalJambo]

Just now, SecN said:

What's his total for the event?

10 winners which has equalled his previous best. Still has one more in the final race Kopeck De Mee to make it 11. 2/1.

[Victorian]

JP McManus.  Wins Gold Cup and other runner killed.   Incredible.

[SecN]

4 minutes ago, InternationalJambo said:

10 winners which has equalled his previous best. Still has one more in the final race Kopeck De Mee to make it 11. 2/1.

 

I waged on 7 total this time out with an expectation that what he had achieved previously had been a pinnacle.  Obviously not.

[InternationalJambo]

1 minute ago, SecN said:

 

I waged on 7 total this time out with an expectation that what he had achieved previously had been a pinnacle.  Obviously not.

4 winners today. Saved me from a horrible week😂

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

last go - no point in betting shorties in the last race

 

doyen quest & uncle bert

 

 

[Malinga the Swinga]

Great performance by winner in Golf Cup. Will he go fit Grand National? Very good interview by Paul Townend afterwards as well.

[Victorian]

Gordon Elliott gets his winner.

[Seaside Dave]

Today was not a good day for betting 😔