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I can't quite believe that such an erudite forum has never had a thread on this, one of the greatest weeks of the year.

I shall give my considered (pinched from someone else) opinion on this as time allows. The inevitable precession of winners at favourable odds to follow.

Precession?

I look forward to this. I presume the festival is in the third week of March as usual..?

LGTrotter wrote:The inevitable precession of winners at favourable odds to follow.

Will these be winning horses or hats? I am so much better at predicting the latter.

Why isn't Sizing Europe more fancied? And Sprinter Sacre has rather overshadowed the rest of the field.

I'm going to sell all of my Real Vinicola 1983 and put every penny on Desert Orchid.

I sincerely hope that more than one person on this forum knows something about horses.

DRT wrote:I'm going to sell all of my Real Vinicola 1983 and put every penny on Desert Orchid.

Oh, wasn't it the best, the only...

Apart from Arkle.

djewesbury wrote:I sincerely hope that more than one person on this forum knows something about horses.

I owned horses from the age of 19 to 35, but never had more than four at one time. I assisted the birth of one of them, James Herriot-style, up to my armpit in horse at 4 am on 28th April 1988.

I am also one of the few people on the planet who has left a racecourse with more money than I went in with. Once. I won £400 from £50 at Musselburgh about ten years ago whilst there with some friends from work. I did the right thing and took them all for a curry and some drinks, which cost me £500.

I am as close as you are going to find here to being an expert in horses.

djewesbury wrote:I sincerely hope that more than one person on this forum knows something about horses.

One of them will not be me. No really, never believe a word I say about horses.

LGTrotter wrote:

DRT wrote:I'm going to sell all of my Real Vinicola 1983 and put every penny on Desert Orchid.

Oh, wasn't it the best, the only...

Apart from Arkle.

Shergar tasted better.

LGTrotter wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I sincerely hope that more than one person on this forum knows something about horses.

One of them will not be me. No really, never believe a word I say about horses.

Ooh. He's playing you Derek. Be very careful.

I once made a lot of money at the Irish Derby but I used to prefer the dogs. Lovely evening out.

And it was less money than I made by correctly predicting the Labour majority at the 1997 Election, at 16-1.

djewesbury wrote:I once made a lot of money at the Irish Derby but I used to prefer the dogs. Lovely evening out.

Ah, all those nights in Great Yarmouth, happy days.

Harold's Cross in Dublin was wonderful. Ballyskeagh in Belfast was fun too before they knocked it down and built a new one and turned it into a "fun day out for all the family".

LGTrotter wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I once made a lot of money at the Irish Derby but I used to prefer the dogs. Lovely evening out.

Ah, all those nights in Great Yarmouth, happy days.

Surely a step down in class from Whippet racing at Wallyford or Trotting at the Appleby Fair?

DRT wrote:

LGTrotter wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I once made a lot of money at the Irish Derby but I used to prefer the dogs. Lovely evening out.

Ah, all those nights in Great Yarmouth, happy days.

Surely a step down in class from Whippet racing at Wallyford or Trotting at the Appleby Fair?

Don't know what you mean I'm sure. It's a gentleman's sport. Are you finishing that Woodbine?

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

LGTrotter wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I once made a lot of money at the Irish Derby but I used to prefer the dogs. Lovely evening out.

Ah, all those nights in Great Yarmouth, happy days.

Surely a step down in class from Whippet racing at Wallyford or Trotting at the Appleby Fair?

Don't know what you mean I'm sure. It's a gentleman's sport. Are you finishing that Woodbine?

I have known many people in the dog/horse racing game. "Gentleman" is not a word that readily springs to mind. Is that a Sovy ring you are wearing?

I was wearing it. You appear somehow to have swallowed it.

djewesbury wrote:I was wearing it. You appear somehow to have swallowed it.

I'll give you it back tomorrow.

Yeah no bovva. Jus run it under the tap. Sorry baht yer teef.

djewesbury wrote:Yeah no bovva. Jus run it under the tap. Sorry baht yer teef.

That sounds like Geordie to me, or perhaps Cockerny. Or possibly Bangalore.

Am I close?

I forgot. You don't go south of the river.

djewesbury wrote:I forgot. You don't go south of the river.

Do you mean saaaaff of the river?

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I forgot. You don't go south of the river.

Do you mean saaaaff of the river?

I forgot. You don't go south of the river.

djewesbury wrote:

DRT wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I forgot. You don't go south of the river.

Do you mean saaaaff of the river?

I forgot. You don't go south of the river.

Sorry, missed the first clue. Paris?

I will be there for the Gold Cup as I have been every year since 1989 (save for the Foot and Mouth) when I did have a decent punt on Desert Orchid. However, my days of spending most afternoons in the company of Joe (Coral) are long gone and so is my knowledge of current form- but not sure I'd be risking much on Sprinter Sacre.

djewesbury wrote:I sincerely hope that more than one person on this forum knows something about horses.

Those are those tallish four legged creatures with the knobby knees, right? The ones that last had a useful purpose back in the time of the Pony Express? The ones that "accidentally" find their way into Ikea's meatballs?


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CaliforniaBrad wrote:

djewesbury wrote:I sincerely hope that more than one person on this forum knows something about horses.

Those are those tallish four legged creatures with the knobby knees, right? The ones that last had a useful purpose back in the time of the Pony Express? The ones that "accidentally" find their way into Ikea's meatballs?

And which you can now buy in instalments from butchers in and around Dartmoor.

For the last ten years Paddy Power has funded my bets at Cheltenham and last year Lord Windemere landed me in real profit. Unfortunately I lost (with help from Patricia) all of it back during the flat season. Unless Paddy Power send me another free bet I will be going through the DT's this year. It has to be the booky's money, dems de rules!

Justin K wrote:For the last ten years Paddy Power has funded my bets at Cheltenham and last year Lord Windemere landed me in real profit. Unfortunately I lost (with help from Patricia) all of it back during the flat season. Unless Paddy Power send me another free bet I will be going through the DT's this year. It has to be the booky's money, dems de rules!

Good rules.

The Champion Hurdle looks well sewn up between Faugheen and The New One, but I might fancy Coneygree for the Gold Cup if it runs.

djewesbury wrote:Precession?

I meant the other one of course. With grumbling thanks to Daniel, the swot.

I have been talking to a stable cat, who has news...

Which of course you have to be immensely coy about and couldn't possibly share here.

The going will be soft to good. I have toyed with Mr Mole but rejected him from serious consideration. The wind is of course significant, there are no easy races at Cheltenham and youngsters can get found out if they have the wind in their faces. Still I wonder; can Sprinter Sacre come back. He will be unbeatable if he finds the form of a few years ago.

Now someone did mention a possibility in the Arkle Chase, but I've forgotten the name of the horse.

The sun shone, the course looked great, the crowd looked happy and the bookies looked glum. Faugheen won by a country mile with a load of other Mullin's horses. A splendid first day.

Owen, did you wear a grey morning suit with a top hat during your visit or is this just a cliché reserved for Ascot?

AW77 wrote:Owen, did you wear a grey morning suit with a top hat during your visit or is this just a cliché reserved for Ascot?

A fez and a smoking jacket in front of the TV.

I do not own a fez. Is this an error?

jdaw1 wrote:I do not own a fez. Is this an error?

Neither do I, but yes. How else will we keep our antimacassars nice?

jdaw1 wrote:I do not own a fez. Is this an error?

You can have mine, I'm quite done with it.

Would not the softening influence of a fascinator would work better for Gwendoline, I mean Julian?

LGTrotter wrote:I might fancy Coneygree for the Gold Cup if it runs.

Now then, what was the name of the horse that won the gold cup?

Shame I never had a bet on it.

Owen,
Likewise I had my best ever Cheltenham, several winners and three long odds places. Couldn't go wrong, shame I didn't have any money on. Well spotted on Coneygree, I had Djakadam.