The Festival Debrief | Cheltenham Only Bettor | Episode 16

The Festival Debrief | Cheltenham Only Bettor | Episode 16

Yeah Welcome to our chelam Festival my big wrap-up show with me Nat green D Carter Kevin Blake la la la um it feels like forever go lad the chelham festival like what yeah yeah I’ve kind of got my bearings back and I know what day today is um

Because chelt can kind of mess you up that way but we’re back and yeah this but this time last week yeah jesz I know it’s uh you spend six nine months building up to it and then away she goes yeah I mean it was it was I I only physically went on the

Tuesday I love the opening day and oh it did not disappoint I don’t care about other the chats cting them crowded down whatever blah blah blah I absolutely loved it it was so fun um really I don’t know what I don’t know what everyone’s so miserable about now I thought it was

Brilliant all four days people are just miserable unbelievable that just people just love moaning they love moaning I mean um Daryl how obviously we’re gonna find out more about the show but overall how did the festival treat you yeah yeah fairly decently to be honest um yeah I

Did all right I did all right over the week um it would have been a lot better obviously had Serino run on the Friday yeah like in terms of money making it would have doubled what what I brought in that week U if s would have won

Obviously but yeah no it was a not as financially successful as the year before but it was up there so I can’t complain I enjoyed it I had to take four days off afterwards because uh I was just my brain was just racked I just

Needed to sleep um but I thought it was a crack in four days I think it’s a brilliant F pting festival for punters um right from post right up to the to the week yeah I love look I love it I know people moan about it but I love it

It can have its changes it like kev’s outlined some good points on Twitter about some changes that can be made I’d concur with a lot of those but I love the wiek I just love it yeah changes can always be made we we you’ve always got to move forward you you know things

Better that’s that’s an obvious point of course there’s always going to be scope for it for improvement and I’m pleased that you got four days sleep because it is it’s darl the one day I went I was shattered on Wednesday morning you know was just I was absolutely and then

Watched uh watched the rest festival at home which was a joy to be honest on on the TV it was an absolute Joy coverage was very good Mr Blake you um our wrap up show I go no I was just gonna say yeah when you’re doing when you’re doing the job I

Was doing there it it does it does soften it a bit just because you know yourself that when you’re on the open and showing that like you’re on track for quarter to 7 every morning and it makes it a long week not that I’m complaining I’ll be getting abuse for

Complaining but uh it do it does stretch it a bit now and like darl I was I was um yeah by the time I got back to bed and back in Golden about midnight on Friday evening I was pretty I was ready for sleep I’m not surprised I don’t know

How I mean honestly one day there’s enough for me it’s it’s no it’s mentally tiring but like you say it’s a Festival to be celebrated this wrap-up show James or producers done a great job of making it a little bit different this show and I I really can’t wait to get stuck into

It because our first section is the debrief I like this and basically you can rank from one to five the five best performances of the 2024 Chon Festival you know you can talk about why you have them in this order just how good the performances were darl we could be about

Uh Kev it could be about a horse that they beat the way that they ran the the way the race unfolded the Finish anything like that but you rank from one to five for the five best performances so darl do you want to start yeah okay I’ve got a couple of different angles

The way I’m going to do this because if you start saying this was the best performance the comment section is going to go absolutely nothing let him off there let him off embrace the comment embrace you got enough abuse this week I have a tick skin don’t

Worry uh number one okay so number one galic Warrior for me um because I think that this horse could come back next year that’s the angle with him come back next year and really really throw his hat into a champion Chase ring that’s been left a little bit uh wide open I

Guess after Al Fabio’s phop he didn’t look like he wanted to go a yard in the champion Chase but gay Warrior put a lot of people wrong like there was a lot of people doubting this horse um and he put him right to the sword I thought I

Thought he jumped well I thought he was always in his comfort zone he looked a class above them and he cleared away very very nicely like it was a proper proper performance the time it’s hard to get any real handle on times to be honest because the ground was just so

Sort of all over the place really so I’m not going to take too too many time figures out of the festival but just to give you a Clarity overall it it was it was much quicker than the champion Chase was run the following day but again hard

To to get a hand on but I don’t know I don’t know what Kev thinks about gay Warrior but I I thought it was um I thought it was a bit of a coming of age for him yeah no I’d agree um because I suppose the thing with G Warrior is he’s

Always looked to have all this talent but he just had all these little little kinks and you know bouts of unprofessionalism that always made you have a little question mark beside him especially going this way around but In fairness he did go a fair way to heightening all of that

Um might not have completely silenced it but jeez there’s only a few Whispers I’d say left um really good I thought really good um dominant um like he he’d been properly good in his first two starts over fences and this was back more like it um in those first couple of starts

Over fences I know we we talked about it on here during the course of the Season that like he he certainly jumped like one that could that could come back in trip um as we progress through the weeks that’s always a bit of a journey this as

We progress through the weeks I remember we we started raising you you get into your Willie Mullins Bingo and your psycho analysis Etc and in other was I started to take the view that maybe they’d be better off going for the two and a half on the new course it might be

A bit more sympathetic to his his tendency to jump right but they ended up in the old course and it didn’t end up really mattering and there wasn’t a whole lot of going out to his right now you would say that the rain that fell definitely would have helped him in in

In a number of different ways and if he did turn up on a champion Chase and good to soft it would be a little bit different um but that’s me with my poy stick out um he he was really really good he was really good and and I

Actually had him right up the top my top end of my list as well so um yeah really and I I tell you I was worried about him beforehand gez I was watching them close and he he was Revy he wasy oh he was well up on his toes worse than leopard’s

Town now I I was very worried about him watching them in the parade ring um but when when he got let go by his Handler and Paul started countering him down to the start Paul said himself afterwards he just was much happier once he was

Once he was left alone with the horse um so that’s probably always going to be in him but look day one a chelam is going to test you like that more so than any place else and he produced that performance on the end of it so um going

Forward even if he does get a bit Revy it’s probably not something to be to be um getting over excited about and yeah look can’t wait I assume he’ll go to punches town now right-handed um it’d be fun to watch there and I don’t see anything to beat him men be interesting

To see what they’re doing because they was talk about the King George wasn’t they last like last year about following got at the king so I wonder I wonder what they what they will do with him but he’s fascinating corbert cross was the second on the list again another horse

That a lot of people doubted beforehand um look you got to put into context of what he’s actually beaten in the National hunt Chase it’s not a lot but he’s done it with some Swagger now I mean he was coming swinging around that home Bend I thought and he was taking a

Pull was it 17 length or something to Embassy Gardens I mean yes 17 LMS yeah he but he was really swinging into that home Bend and it was all it was just such an easy watch like I had shoted me mouth off a bit about him and I was a

Bit nervous I must have been coming see if he was going to start jumping like a snoer table or whatever or he was going to start putting down at fences and it was just such an easy watch from start to finish he just he just absolutely crucial now again he’s another horse

That I think could come back next year and and play a serious role whether it be in a gold cup but I don’t know if he’s going to be more of a national horse Grand National type of horse going forward that could be something to look

At but he was one towards top of the list uh B burn of course like you could not be impressed with B burn again they mentioned he’s going to come back next year champ I’m not sure Champion hdle would be the right the right way I would

Go with him personally I don’t know about you Kev but I I think he looks he tailor made for fences isn’t he um like they’ve talked about kind of the champion hurdle Gold Cup trouble which is which is good and punchy but I I could definitely see a champion hurdle

With him um again like the two you’ve mentioned there were were way up my list as well Bal burn like we we talked about it beforehand like I think we all were unanimous that he was probably the best novice Herer of the whole lot I know

Myself I was just a bit worried about him at the trip I thought Willie was taking a chance um going back up in trip which look it just didn’t matter like yeah you know it was helpful that um some of the better ones ducked and ducked and Dove away from him um Slade

Steel being the obvious one but um like he’s just he was really good really good in terms of raw ability now he’s probably as talented as there is knocking around certainly in the novice divisions and there might only be be a handful more talented than them in the

Open divisions I dare say um I would love to see him go back in trip I think it would be he’d find it even easier back in trip but look it was nice to see him at this level over this trip to know that they have options and um yeah look

We’ll see where he ends up he comes to that pointto point background fences will be there for for him um like look he he is six um you know so if if they’re going to go chasing they might not want to hang around but I’d say h

Look at you end up getting it’s impossible to avoid in the sport of the minute you do end up in in the Willie Mullen psycho analysis and trying to put him in amongst the rest because they have statan they have l m you know they have plenty of ammo knocking around

Amongst the the the two mile hurdler so that might incentivize them to potentially go chasing with him um but but you just you I don’t want to get too much into it now he could do either job love him really talented showed great professionalism here and um very pretty

Much impossible to throw a stone at him as much as I love throwing stones now and um to to briefly SL slap her into reverse um Corbett cross again like not not this similar to pretty much everyone we’ve talked about so far I was picking a pken and throwing stones and um he

Just brought brought all his professionalism to to the counter here did the right thing all the way showed a consistency in his jumping that had been lacking and like absolutely Molly whopped Embassy Gardens um who I don’t know if I want to read it literally just because Embassy gens might not have

Quite got home but that’s not corbus cross’s fault um he absolutely danced home and was great to see I think he would have given fact of file loads to think about in the brown advisory if they had met there um if the as we’ll touch on later I’m sure hopefully this

Will be the last last year where this happens and we see horses that should be knocking heads in the brown advisory and being able to duck and dive each other um because he he is super talented always has looked it just had the whole that he was doing enough wrong to put

Doubts in your mind certainly in my mind thatway as a hearder again as an noice Chaser but um look if this is a sign of of more professionalism to come and yeah he’s going to be he’s going to be a factor in the open stain Chase division

Next season and um yeah look at we’ll wait and see what happens now punches town if what the plans are there is a possibility we might belatedly get to see The Clash I have my little doubts obviously in the same ownership but it would be a fun way to end the season and

Hey why not they’re race horses they have a lovely summer of grass to look forward to get speed so F do it Lance show show to people give them what they want I do agree with that especially this time of year you got the best by

The way but no um B burn was something special but I tell you if you didn’t not like if you didn’t know a lot about horses or you didn’t know Bal burn you didn’t know any of the buzz behind B burn you didn’t know it was Willie

Mullen’s train when he goes down to post you think whoa Keen like head down pulling away you just the oh my and then on the on the RAC trck when the race was off you’re just like wow I mean he um he blew my mind a bit actually because at

The start I thought what is he doing why why is he putting his head like why is he pulling like that the best the best thing about B burn as well is that is that all year we we’ve discussed on this program that the novices have just not

Really been up to scratch like we’ve been struggling to really find any like a decent depth of novices but the thing I like about him is he ears wiping them aside like like you can crab him in like I’ve heard people say w he’s a standout

In a poor year of novices well that might be the case and when that happens you want a superstar to be wiping them out the way and that is really what he’s doing and that’s and and that’s Testament to our to our good he is regardless of how bad the novice crop

Might be you know should look at the F of leopards town like Slade Steely kicked him out of the way absurd kicked him out of the way um like it it reads well and this performance individually reads well it’s good on the clock you know it ticks it ticks the boxes you

Know if you’re go if you’re going to if you’re going to take one up Lion King style and present him to the people this is this this is the one isn’t it definitely and the other thing just a touch on is mentioned before about um about the reason why I don’t think

Statan would ever beat Constitution Hill because Constitution Hill has that long long bursting run from the well so does B burn now so like this if he does go champion this would be a proper proper race this wouldn’t be no sit there and try and pounce this would be hammer and

Tongs from two out wouldn’t it go oh I just got a mental image of that jez that wouldn’t that be wouldn’t wouldn’t wouldn’t that be the first fun Champion hurdle for about 10 years abely rematching with Stan ly M which probably been the mayard but maybe not maybe not

And B bur you know hasn’t met him before and has hopefully bolted up a couple of times next season we’re always looking ahead aren’t we but that’ll be that would be a fun T now In fairness but we still have B burn at number three darl we’re going one yeah

Yes yeah well yeah look I say it’s just it’s just rting on how I feel it’s not to say he wasn’t the best L I saw last week or not but great D in at number four would be happy to know simply on the fact that I thought the race was

Just pedal to the metal from the get-go and I just thought that him and jinny’s Destiny you know jinny’s Destiny going alongside him I just thought they really just show British racing in the best light it possibly could be seen that he didn’t gray dordon didn’t miss a beat

Really Harry scouton was always squeezing always squeezing anything in behind just had absolutely no chance because they weren’t stopping at all all and I just love I love the the ability or the attitude he showed to the spite being squeezed the entire time to just

Go past in his Destiny and sort of I know he was tiring towards the Finish but they went a hell of a clip there that was a real battle like that was that was probably the best race I feel like I watched all week probably because

I was on the winning end of it thankfully but I think even if I was on Jenny’s Destiny I would have I would have you know you’d have held your hands up and said look there is no more that jinny Desy could have done there like it

Was a proper proper race I tell you what watch watching the race oh it was a fantastic race but I tell you watching it live I have to confess when they when they started to really race from whatever it was four out I was thinking to myself oh Lads you’re racing early

Here and I saw that the two the two Irish boys creeping in behind and like oh God F come down the hill quite well didn’t I thought oh but it obviously didn’t materialize like that but um yeah I really like gray Dawning as well wouldn’t have made my top five as such

But um thought he was really good and again like here’s the question for you darl Carter here’s the question for you and I’ll even I’ll even put put a bit of extra spice on it if it had been fact to file versus carbet cross versus gray

Dawning in the brown advisory and I I won’t give you a full set of prices but fact the file would have been fav for sure who would you have been backing I would I would have carbon second five gray Dawning third five I I won’t give you a prices but you know you

Know you know the way you know the shape of it knowing it’s hard knowing what I know now I would I would probably go corit cross but knowing not knowing before I would have probably said great Dawning I would have been against F to

Far I’d be I’d be with you I would have been taking on the F whatever way I going yeah yeah 100% will perhaps just lay the F and everything else run for me because that would have been a some hell of a head of a race but I but I tell you

We’re in the minority because I I put up an old poll I love an old Twitter poll um there a few days ago asking the question who would win if the treated mlash in the brown advisory and like 60% went for fact of file which was a landslide I wasn’t expecting I thought

He’d win the poll but Jesus he absolutely hammered it so there there you go there we might get a chance to make a few quit out of this this this contrarian view of the of this particular group of horses that we have definitely I can’t wait to see him Clash

Um that that was my that was my top four I didn’t have a a fifth um I kind of had a horse who I thought might be worth like almost an eye catcher if you like and that would have been Jal Ander daries in the um in the bumper I think

Is crying out for an obstacle and I think we we’re going to see the best of him when he starts tackling hurdles and fences and I think he’s got a bright future but those would be my top four performances I tell you I I stick in um

I stick in I know the way you’re thinking um we we haven’t got to your one to five yet oh i’ I’ve been I’ve been we we’ve been yeah they’re in they’re in amongst there three of mine were in with darl there and I talked about them

So definit I definitely don’t want to repeat myself so I i’ add in I know the way you’re thinking um because look you know top five it wasn’t one of the top fives on on performance figures or what have you but um how would he have got on in

The brown advisory if he’ run I think he would have been competitive as well uh because this was this was class and the poor old handicapp whichever one of the handicappers let him at a 145 and say they haven’t slept the wig since you know because you know PE you

Know horses with handicaps like this and you know PE people um people you know um cast dispersions about their campaign like he finished thir in the grade one to Gar and let th like he wasn’t H that much that and like and like I wouldn’t I

Couldn’t have had him at a short price I know the chat about him was huge but um like he he he didn’t look particularly well handicapped relative to his hurdle form and he and he you know he’ been he he’d been doing his best over hurdles

You know he’s running in grade ones and that and he just never got beyond the high 130s so you were banking on him being like a substantially better Chaser and there you go those that backed him at the 13 to8 for for Kim mure um were absolutely right and he absolutely Molly

Popped this and what I’m I’m a devil for for derich o Conor waiting right oh God I tell you I don’t think it was by Design though was it yeah he didn’t help it maybe in the first half but he he just Derek like you watch him over the

Years and he just there’s not there’s few sweeter sites now especially in the in in the Kim mure and races like this um when Derek is Happy coming down the hill you know W with with still plenty of horses in front of them you know it’s a beautiful site Pi picking away picking

Away and you know you know turning in that this could be a bit of a show when it was um I see the handicapper has stuck him up to6 which puts him within striking range of all those good novice Chasers so uh JP McManus is absolutely

Swimming in um in in high class V novice Chasers and keeping them apart will be impossible I think they’ll have to clash to some extent but this was very impressive um the fair play to Gavin Cromwell he he had a magic week he didn’t like he didn’t have a lot of

Runners Gavin um how many Runners did he have like he had five eight and he two winners um and a second floor and P bad is it and a third patoro you know fair play to Gavin like that was um that that was some performance now one of the and you I

Heard very little of Gavin CR will get mentioned in the in the debriefs ETC but he he would have been up there for performer of the week I Know Dan Skelton obviously had a mighty week a brilliant week protect I mean that was that that was some that was fantastic R right now

Protector I just thought you’re a devil for you’re a devil for a gray Natalie devil for a gray I am I am AR TI I keep realizing I just thought B Dan and actually what I thought as well with gray Dawning is um Harry I was just really impressed with like his patience

Because like he’s quite an attack attack jockey isn’t he do you what I mean and you attack he attacked there I thought yeah but gray ding’s like an attack an attack horse gry Dawning wants to so absolutely go but I just thought I do I

Loved that race grade on Race I loved um the finish I just loved how how it unfolded I thought it was a proper finish it was so exciting to watch for me but protect you you do well to restrain yourself there in that now because we know how fun you are of gray

Dawn and and when darl started talking about him there I could see but but now you’re show discipline I thought I thought I won’t say anything I and I won’t also tell them that I did I did have a bet on protector I just I just did I thought that obviously the

Team ring of form I thought you know what it’s got a real shout so it was it was a good it was a good race for me and I thought yeah it was a also it was a good story for the week wasn’t it with Dan skeleton especially for us Kev us us

Brick actually look at no no In fairness to Dan he he had an unreal week um like did didn’t have massive numbers but um but Target trained like like particularly well um so look at he he led the charge for the home team and you have in difficult circumstances now

Because you know well does erve difficulties he had to come through but um it would have been a challenging week inside his brain I’d say so to so so to deliver um would have been particularly satisfying for him I’d say so you you you take off your um you take off your

Imaginary cap for sure yeah and Ju Just just to wind up Daryl I’m gonna make my my number five performance of the week lck in the lack in the morning don’t worry viewers he tucked us all away with that oh I tell Dar darl con vinced that I talked everyone away

But honestly if you if you saw the the depression amongst the team on on Tuesday morning and you wouldn’t believe it like it was considered to take him out um and a fair play to to sha mine the owner he just said look we’re here have a crack what’s the worst that could

Happen and um geez he didn’t half travel and um like he won really well and you know you have to always maintain perspective and context like he won a handicap herdle off 122 um so you know he’s one of the lower rated performance in lower rated winners

Of the week in terms of performance ratings but um like God he’d excite you know when um with the prospect of nicer ground um and and it’ll just be a case of see where he goes next he he could could talking about it the other day he

Could go for a Scottish Champion hurdle he could go for a Swinton novic hurdle sorry Swinton handicap hurdle G up to K from that um 130 in Ireland is that it um yeah uh you’d be thinking about a goway hdle maybe might need to go up a few

More pounds but he’ll be he’ll be a very fun horse and I’d say and and it should be said as well like Joseph’s done a particularly good job with him because he hasn’t been easy he um in his comeback run um on the flat C last year

Um like he got a fracture and he and he hasn’t been um he hasn’t been super easy to train at all so uh to get him there in the big day um absolutely boom boxing um after after a tricky preparation now look it’s well established everyone was reading a bit more into those

Non-runners that than there was to read in like you just did want to run them in heavy ground yeah um so it wasn’t it was a fairly um it was a pretty um what’s the word I’m looking for head wrecking few weeks with him there but um look at

All well then as well and I think he’ll he’ll drive on some more and hopefully win another big one yeah I’m just pleased the week before we talked about the water table and the weather because it was true you cannot have have a winter with that much rain it was it was

It was different different conditions um and there were obviously flops in the meeting uh which brings us to our section two our our three we’re going to just pick up three um flops in the meeting from each of the lads why the performance were bad why there were

Different factors why the horse maybe didn’t run the way that you you thought it was um so Kev we start with you uh first of all for flopson meeting that would be that’ be good get your take and darl obviously you too yeah number one toly Hill um toly Hill don’t know what

Went wrong there um I was picking at him plenty now with regard to his jumping I had a real good pick at him and about two thirds the way should race and like I’m in trouble here he’s going to make me look like a clown he’s jumping

Perfectly fine and um all the chat if you if you listen to this sort of chat and I think a lot of the time you’re not you’re better off not listening but he had seemingly like worked better than um then Jesus where’s my brain uh M Power come on

Power not B bur yes B it seemingly worked better than b bur the week before and that was why they ended up where they were and I that that’s pretty established fact now that’s not Whispers that’s coming from the team um and that that was the kind of the explanation

Before any race was run as the why they they ended up being put where they were put um and his jump and held up really well it was perfectly fine I thought it was better than he’s ever jumped like he got the Run of it and and and he just

Went out like a light I don’t know why I didn’t hear anything turnaround it’s got to be that well it could have been but ah God I don’t know I don’t know I never heard anything Afters maybe something with emerge in the fullness of time now

But geez there was long faces long long faces after that so yeah he’d be right up there with the flaps of the week I know he wasn’t one of the shorter price ones now but in terms of in terms of everything around that the chat the fact

That he see everything that he was doing wrong leading into this he was he did right here and yet still disappointed yeah it was a bit it was a bit bambooz thing I don’t think see the very best of them until he goes excuse me I don’t

Think we would see the very best of them until he goes Fon but um yeah geez that was disappointed I agree with that what about what about another one I need three jigo jigo yeah you go you go we alternate I’m going to take this from a

Different angle and I’m going to and and you’re going to have to hear me out and I’m going to say Nikki Henderson and it’s not because of his horses the the the the media frenzy around his horses but it’s because I feel like he got swept up in it at the

Start of the week he was saying you know well look they didn’t really haven’t run anything with M you know with many chances or with much chance in the race yet Luchia ran really well in the champion hurdle you know he was thrilled with that and Etc and then the more I

Saw Lydia Hislop interview him or whoever inter him the more they seemed to push the agenda on him that his horses were running badly and the more he seemed to be concerned about it and concerned about it and then it got to the Thursday and it seemed like he

Decided to throw his toys out the pram and just say right we’re not running anything because things weren’t going their way um now the one thing that was annoying obviously is Sig and everyone knows I’m talking from your pocket with this but um we we crack on but it’s the

Fact that he came out after the race and said uh Sig’s absolutely fine he’s 100% there’s there’s nothing wrong with him but we’re just not going to run because of how the rest of our horses are running now I know obviously I’ve got a be me Bonnet about this sort of thing

But it makes no sense to me it’s particularly when I went back and looked at his 2023 Festival right so Henderson in 2023 had John Bon finished second in an arle and Constitution Hill Win 4 to1 in the champion edle now we also had epon beaten 21 LS Mr Coffee beat in 14

LS Persian time pull up Bal ende beating 10 ls Cory Lord beating 64 lengths Balco Coast beating 17 lims under control beating 22 lims and emry sacur pull up he also had Luchia beaten at 6 to4 and Marie Rock beaten at 9-4 by 15 lengths now if you compare that to just this

Year yeah Jericho d a pull up 11 to1 Exel accelero pull up at 33 to1 if Biro Lord moov to the champion hurdle pull up at 11 to1 Marie Rock again for the second year running pull up at 12 to1 theater Glory 125 to1 jeno blue was well

Out of his depth anyway at 20 one pull up City chief pull up and Russia ruler 80 to1 pull up but he had Luchia finished third in the champion hurdle and seemly run above herself lucky Place beating just three LMS in the coral cup and Bal Endeavor at 51 beating just

Three lengths in the coral cup my point is is I don’t understand what more he was expecting he didn’t have a horse pric under 9 to1 which basically means he had a 90% chance of losing any race anyway so I’m not sure taking your short price horses out of the out of the

Festival told you anything more then you would have told you anything you in my opinion you run if John Bon I can’t remember whether he said John Bon scope correctly or not but if John Bon was fitting well you run him in a champion chase that would surely give you a

Better gauge on on how you would but I felt like Nicki Anderson was a flop this year because I felt like he was throwing his toys at the pr and for no good reason when the horses were 100% And I thought that was disappointing yeah I

You know I I’m inclined to agree like I think this was on look you don’t want to be slagging but like I think this was a this was probably a case of you know negative thought overpowering all else um because if like you could tell and you know we talked about it on

Thursday morning on the podcast like my view was that he wouldn’t run sergino because I just got the and I am not a psychiatrist um but I just got the impression from Nikki and no and Nikki that he was looking for an excuse not to run and like as well as the performance

Of the horses early in the week there like you you watch them and you could just tell Nico was going out with a very negative mindset yeah and and he and and he was he was pulling them up and giving up very quickly because he probably felt

In his mind that there was something there um and I tell you that you know what what was to sound like Mr motivator like the power of positive thought is is a big thing and um and you know I just think if there’s no if there’s nothing

Tangibly you know wrong with them or there’s no concerns which seem to be the case with sergino you got it wrong don’t you yeah you got to you got to run I know look you’ll be deeply annoyed of yourself if you run and it and it goes

Wrong but I think you I think you got to run but look you can run but you can run and you can pull up if you don’t if you’re a jockey you can run you can still go in the race if you think oh this is

All but you’ve got to be in it to win it though you’ve got to you got to I I just think there’s an element of I think when you start to get Negative it’s very dangerous a very dark place to be negativity very and the complete opposite was Harry Skelton riding on a

High and getting protector out over the line like you know like that those are the two two different so for me that was just without I don’t want to I’m not slagging him off I don’t want to I don’t want to slag him off because I respect

Him and he’s a great trainer and he knows a far more and you and you know his his intentions are good and and his and and his his intentions are focused on the horse but you could just tell his head was absolutely fried and he was

Looking for a way out to stop that just to stop the noise in terms of having decisions to make um tough decisions to make and and we we just know what Nikki he generally I’m not again I’m not slagging this is just you know the evidence backs this up is that when

There is when there is uh doubts he he will he will take a pull um and she’ll look hopefully they’re back very soon you know and and back at anry hopefully and can crack on and do their thing but um yeah what it was it it kind of in a

Week where there was plenty to be a little bit um down about I think that the whole the whole tag around Nicki’s horses you know very much added to it yeah not not not an easy week at all um yeah then it would be lots of different opinions on that but uh yeah

Hopefully he’ll get them right but no it’s good to bring it up because I I’m big believer in it that and negative noise it’s um it can it’s amazing how it can actually impact everything and especially as as you said with jockies as well riding wise you don’t want any

Of that negativity going the mind is like the most bizarre thing like anyone that that that’s ever kind of run long distances like will tell you like it’s unbelievable what your mind can do with you if you get you could do the same you know 15K run every day but for some

Reason someday you might just start getting negative and thinking that you’re tired and despite the fact that you’re doing the exact same exercises you’ve done every other day like you get tired your mind just puts you in the wrong place and you physically get tired because your mind’s telling you

Something different you know it’s it’s it’s a matter i’ love to say I can relate ain’t moved out of this chair for weeks what’s your what’s your what’s your second one I reckon we should only do two of these two of these each yeah yeah for sure I’m very Orthodox

Thinking here um reading Tom me wrong don’t know what don’t know what went wrong there but Jesus disappointing um you know Woody didn’t have too many flaps in the week now but those were his those were his big two don’t know what went wrong the vet had nothing to report

Um like on form should have been you know should it should have been banged there and it just didn’t happen like stamina was unproven but J I don’t think it was stamina it could have been but I don’t think it was it seemed to be too

Bad to be true um and yeah again nothing’s come out in the wash but um yeah deep the disappoined I thought yeah he was my second one as well I thought he tra I thought he traveled really well I was very happy to be honest with you

And then he just asked him just just got it got lower in the saddle and it just wasn’t anything there and for me that has to be too bad to be true has to be too bad to be true but we’ll see how the form works out and we’ll find out but

Yeah he was very very disappointed the money came for him as well the money came for two two to one five yeah he did isn’t it goodness me well what about um because it’ll be POS positive points but there’ll also be negative points what about the

Festival as a whole so like what would you change next year anything that you particularly feel strongly about the festival but you know get let’s get a balance let’s see the positive points but of course there will be negative points as well um but it is interesting

To see what changes you think could be made and what you thought of it as a whole yeah look I think they they could tackle this from all sorts of angle like I think you’d like to think You’ well you’d really like to expect that um this

Year would have represented a big wakeup call for the Jockey Club and for the BHA because there has been an awful lot of negativity like there’s people like me to moan every year anyway because it’s kind of a you know we have long-term views on the race program and things

Like that and we we you know I Onan every year um but I think it’s become much wider this time around and like you could do a whole episode on customer experience lots of bad stories there um you know the car Parks were you know was

A point of debate now Jockey Club would defend themselves on the car Parks but it was an unsatisfactory situation if if it had been me I would have been absolutely hop and mad um you know but I think the issues like pricing you know are are are really coming to a head now

You know cost of living crisis crowds have taken a noticeable dip you know they’re going to have to have a real good look at that um but look at my my focus is always on the racing and and I think that there’s been issues there for

A long long time I think they’ve really come to ahead in recent years look every I think everyone knows my thoughts about it at this stage but I I think we’re going to see changes um talk to a lot of people in in places of influence in the

Last week and prior to chelam even I think there’s a real a real drive for change now look at in my experience with these things it’s one thing to kind of get over the wall and say right we’re we’re we’re going to change um actually achieving as much change as you like can

Be tricky um like if I were to if I were to price this up I think there will be like a number of changes to the race program next year they’ll be smaller in nature they won’t be sweeping but look whatever they do is is going to help I

Think and it’s just the case of how how well those that are in the room can battle uh to get as many changes as possible because there’s a whole heap that they could do to make the the racing product better which will excite committed fans more which will draw in

More casuals um and look will ultimately deliver a more exciting result a more exciting product which is what we should all be pushing for that’s in everyone’s interest um so look that’s my that’s my wish list the that Jockey Club BHA um you know Progressive minded

People sit down in the room there in the coming weeks hopefully maybe in the next month or six weeks and start the process and get changes in there for next year to the race program and then Shelton themselves can go and sit down and reflect on on how the week went and and

Start tackling customer experience pricing all the other stuff because by Jesus dly this is a class meeting we all love it and we want and because we love it so much it’s why we pick and poke at it um because we care um you know the

Someone said it to me years ago and it stuck with me they say always listen to your critics because they care um they if they care enough to to critique you um it’s because they care um and I really hope that that everyone involved listens and um and does the right thing

And and we can all push forward in a positive direction because it it has been it has being pretty grinding and and wearing to to to have so much negativity around and I know a lot of it’s coming out of my mouth but again it’s coming it’s coming from a place of

Love and hopefully it leads to to positive changes but what what is really confusing though um we know the problems with racing the race program um we spoke about it it’s really interesting but there is an element of just being very basic about this very very simple bums

On seats or bums standing up right bums on seats right get people onto the race course stop charging people so much money that it’s it’s ridiculous even if you’re wealthy it’s ridiculous you can’t afford to eat and drink there that is wrong you want people in you want people to love the

Sport get addict to the the sport enjoy the sport I don’t want to go to Don Doncaster and see an empty grandstand it looks like a grayon track it’s awful it’s not what any one but how in what other scenario can you charge people that much for food and drink it’s a joke

It’s outrageous when you’ve got people that are they now booking flights to benador for the week to go and watch it on a big screen out there and drink with their mates and because that’s a cheaper option rather than going to chelham you’re like there’s something wrong Kev

Is 100% on the ball with the with the race program and everything changes need to be implemented but the cost has to come down like it’s outrageous you like you’re willing to spend millions of pounds on a shitty advert that goes out on TV to try and

Attract like who come up with that sort of nonsense just R it’s very bloody basic reduce the price find the revenue from elsewhere right reduce the price give people something half decent to eat like don’t make him pay 12 quid for a sausage roll like it’s outrageous basic

Basically I think a lot of race goers at the moment are just feeling like they’re getting ripped off and that I tell you will turn people away from the sport quicker than you know and uh that’s the that’s and looking I think there I think there’s levels as well like as you go

Look at cheltam like hospitality is a massive thing and there will be plenty of people that that are happy to pay you know a few hundred quid to sit at the table and sit in their lunch and that’s A1 but for for the genuine race score

That loves the sport that that might not have a a huge amount of disposable income you know you definitely don’t want to be um you know alienating them you know you want them there it’s the like it’s one of the great things about going racing in Ireland is comparatively

To England like it’s really affordable and the passionate racing fans turn up on those big days and and like it’s the passionate racing fans that make your atmosphere because they’re the ones that care enough to run down to to the banks around the Winter’s enclosure and give

One a proper Roar when it comes in and and we lacked that a bit now last week I have to be honest I don’t think for me and and I was I I hardly left the parader ring all all week that was my station and uh it never caught fire for

Me it never caught fire like like it did you know last year I know there were some kind of exceptional results last year that that that that you know extraordinary results but it never did catch fire and you need passionate fans and speaking to a couple of Pals now

That are you know race race scores true and true Irish people that travel over you know and they felt really tangibly that there’s less Irish people going over like Lads that that would have been real Mainstays for many years youd always know not just that they’ be there you

Know where to find them on the track and they’re just staying home and that’s not good you know those and because that that’s what made especially for so many years because when the Irish weren’t going so well if you had three or four fancied ones going over you’d go over

Them and You’ go over and support them like you were supporting your football team cuz they were fly they were flying your flag and there wasn’t many of them whereas now we’re going over expecting to have um 16 you know 20 winners and I think we’ve lost some of that um some of

That sense of adventure it’s it’s expectation now which isn’t the same thing as as hope um and I know that that’s not Shelton’s fault but um like like yeah I think it all feeds back into what we’re talking about it’s customer experience it’s pricing it’s race program quality of the racing product

But there has to be value you have to like what’s wrong with pint and a pie there’s no offers you can’t have a picture of Guinness you can’t even now you can’t even buy if you want champagne you might you might hate champagne you can’t even buy a bottle you have to buy

The little ones for like did you say a picture you see a picture of Guinness yeah she’s complaining about the size of the bottle of champagne she can get I’m saying I didn’t even drink champagne I promised all right I was in the Guinness Village I absolutely swear my life one

Of my favorite drinks in world is a Guinness but why not a Guinness and pie there’s no offers you don’t feel like anywhere you go you can Source any value whatsoever and it’s just it makes you mad and Matt Chapman put a post on Twitter a few weeks ago about um the

Doncaster SP Doncaster twice but student night and it was packed BS on seats people it is simple business structure I just blows my mind speaking of value how did we get on chz we’re running out of time we get ridiculed this is the anti poost selection recap isn’t

It here we go come on get out get over let’s get let’s get over come on Lads right let’s bring it back up to here the best and the unluckiest antipo selections come on let’s bring it back in the room right I’m going to review Daryl’s then he can review

Mine it’ll be a quick segment for me then so darl go go to there go to absolutely not as quick as mine um darl darl got in Allan into into the into the the the the portfolio very early 14 to one and that that was unfortunate like

Clearly smash the market um Lo looked to be the one and um ran ran great look look I pretty sure was a bit of a signor there he looked the one and then he just his finishing effort didn’t quite um didn’t quite deliver yeah but thankfully

If you look a little bit further down that list I know I I know I know I know I always always read the full book before you tell the story because protector because protector week 15 Oh Lordy gray Dawning corit cross wow gray Dawning was for the wrong race I like I

Had a couple there I was I was playing the game when I like trying to pitch and where they’re going to go to the brown of a you did say that car cross was a whacker In fairness 16 to One Carpet cross that was that was a whacker

Fairness yeah I took a bit of a bit of a chance with him um just felt that JP was moving the chess pieces around and thankfully I just got in there at the right time I think so bit of luck there bit of luck and I I think I think you’re

JP in your side as well because there was a well a well a well-worn racecourse rumor that um that JP had backed anti poost um backed the file for the brown advisor and corbus cross for the national H CH so you you landed you landed on the same your pieces landed on

The same spat and the puzzlers JP thankfully thank corbits cross 16 to one I’m I’m impressed I’m I’m very impressed I’ve got to say um and Kevin yeah no cross Bears no cross spars not am Monte star 12 to one in the in the brown advisory I tell you what

Though I owe you an apology for that I owe you an apology for that because I said no need I said I was willing to lay him and he ran an absolute Stormer like R well In fairness he ran he ran very Well’s he’s a lovely horse and just

Bumped into a super classy One In fairness and Lead he yeah look it was one of those you know well the thing is the thing is you should mention look he’s gone off at what’s he gone off at four to one fours I think yeah yeah four

To one like this is this is part of anti post betting for for the viewers that new to the show but this is this is what you do so you if you back if you’re back in Monty star at 12 to1 come the day and he’s four to one you know you’ve got

That covered you can reassess the race and play it a different way it’s about getting these horses on your side at bigger proes so that when you have a fresh look on the day you can reassess and make better decisions so you know while he while he’s come second it’s

Still a cracking shout mate God he went off turkey into two I thought he went off shter but there you go um anyway he ran he ran Great’s he’s a lovely horse um In fairness um home by the Lee turkey trees and the stairs R about their

Finished herd um not annoyed out but I know I don’t think like we we felt strongly the race didn’t really go for him they crawled around he was in tight quarters all the way that that’s not really him like I think the blinkers really worked and like we were watching

Them very closely beforehand we know him very well we felt he was reacting very well to them in the prelim so we thought it a big run was coming and um they really crawled around it wasn’t really for him and I’d say he ran seconds slower than the PMS it was it crawled

And he he ran great he finished third um probably close to her career best um but look if if you if anyone that’s that’s backed to me way a turkey trees you know that’s not a that’s not a bad result at all and fairness um as bad results go

You we’re looking for winners but that’s not um that’s not the the worst story and brighter days ahead 11 to four smashed up the SP imagine golden a I think all of Devon went mad didn’t they for Jeremy yeah it was it was a lovely result um you know

In terms of the the story um very frustrating result they crawled around in that and all didn’t they they crawled around in that baffled me while why Jack didn’t want to go and really just put it to them really yeah I think I I think Jack and and Paul were looking that each

Other I think I think that was it they were riding against each other and they forgot about the eventual winner um and that’s what happened there turned into a speed test and she got nipped by one that um that didn’t have a penalty she had a penalty we talked about this

Penalty system that I don’t think makes a whole lot of sense they hopefully Rectify that um in the for next year because it doesn’t I think it’s a bit it’s it’s it’s kind of all wrong really for what the mayor’s program is supposed to be that’s not sour grapes it is what

It is we knew what the weights were going in but I just think going forward they they need to change that and um I would be um as confident as confident could be the brighter days ahead will um history will show was very much the best

Horse in this race but a combination of the trip and the the tepid gallop um found her out but um she’s really exciting can’t wait to see her over a fence back over two and a half miles three miles and um that I think we look

Back on 11 to four brighter days ahead as one of those one of those bad beat stories 100% y I agree with that yeah hard not too wasn’t it should we we won’t we won’t give Ryan mchu a mention there no we definitely McHugh’s played a Blinder there last few weeks so we

Better give him a mention he’s in week seven Ryan McHugh was also o um obviously tapping JP mcmanus’ phone and new new to back Factor file for the the brown advisor he took five to one so that’s that was a whacker as well we might have to bring him back um not not

Not just for Impressions we’ll bring him back for some for some for some analysis and and tipping as well definitely definitely and and a few Impressions and we must just me we must just mention because there will be people comment on it yes we have there have been you know

Horses that didn’t make the festival whatnot but as a team we’ve uh We’ve made a healthy profit over the course of this series so yeah and as a team we decided not to mention the losers I I only got to mention my best losers I didn’t mention the worst the

Worst losers exactly as a team we are remaining completely positive and we’ve already got you a 25 to1 anti poost for chham next year joking joking joking got you 12 what what baffles me why RS point is 12 to1 for the stay H or now to hio 3 to

One oh look I know I don’t really want to go down the Irish point to hio trying again where they’re going straight straight to angry straight to a but yeah I like it I suppose the thing you’re going to have to contend with there is I suspect now they they’ve probably set a

Blueprint for tioo and he probably do something similar again and that’s not to say Irish Point won’t run um and of course it have the pass of something going wrong with t Po and he’s got a you’re a Super Sub but um you just wonder might they do might might they

Keep yeah possibly now would they run Irish points in the champion hardle again surely not but um in in in what one assumes will be a far deeper Champion hurdle but look at time withell it’s definitely not a mad price it I love it well I think it’s

Been um such such a fun show to be part of our I’m sad I a bit sad it’s it’s come to an end I really am hopefully we’ll get reinstated next year we see what see what the public says that we see what the public says we

See see see what the comments are like that they can only improve for a Monday’s show why going wrong don’t read comments never read comments never right over the head you’ve got to thick skin need a thick was Low’s like about this Festival um yeah we’ve talked

About the the highs and the lows but overall I think it was absolutely fabulous and hopefully everyone had a really really good week and I wonder how um Brandon Duke got on I want to speak to him I speak to him over the next few

Weeks he he did it right he did it right he do he was doing a tipping coling for us during the week he did all right yeah he did well JY brilliant well we’ve had such good guests as well haven’t we on the show the ab we start this in

November yeah Jes yeah episode one next week yes start start the campaign for Roy laska only better o o like back the flat is back gosh I’m at um I’m at muscle on Saturday not this 20 when 30th Easter Saturday lordy yeah for the for the uh oh what’s

It called is the MUSC cup or something like that yeah great times that’ll be at n for the Madrid handicap we might see another pton who knows oh I love Jesus guys this is chel only better I know just keeps on rolling we’re trans we’re transitioning darl we’re transitioning yeah getting

Our head round uh no it’s been great fun and thank you LZ for such hard work because you have really put in everything and we have covered so many horses it’s been absolutely fantastic no and thank thank you very much Natalie you’ve been a not just a ray of sunshine

Uh whatever whatever the word for multiple rays of sunshine is throughout the process thank you I well I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it I really have I really really have so have a good week Lads and uh keep in touch on our WhatsApp group oh tell you what but thanks for everything and we

Will I’m sure catch up very shortly and Daryl yeah best luck and thanks for all of your input Top Class n Thanks

Hosted by Natalie Green for the final time in the 2023/24 National Hunt season, she is joined by her usual Betfair team of Daryl Carter and Kevin Blake.

The team wrap up the Cheltenham Only Bettor Podcast for another year by going through the best and worse performances of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. They also go through their best and unluckiest antepost selections throughout the weeks to see how they got on during the meeting.

Discussed in the show was the Cheltenham Festival as a whole, what needs changing and was it a success this time around.

For more tips & insight on horse racing head to betting.betfair.com.