Joncol would have been my selection but the vibes aren’t good and confidence seems low.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out Paul Nichols has laid out 1833 for this.
He ran him in a 2m4f race he couldn’t possibly win for the first time since Oct 2009.You can bet your life he was well short of peak fitness.
An out and out stayer the cobwebs have been dealt with and all Ruby has to do now is point him in the right direction and if he’s as good as they say he’ll win.
Not that PN has done anything wrong and he’s made no secret of the fact this is his race.
Great Endevour goes here of the back of a good win in the Paddy Power but it must be touch and go if he sees out the trip. He was still in touch when falling 2 out at Cheltenham behind Carols’s Legacy. He looked like being swallowed up at the top of the hill but had the inside berth which allowed him to stay on terms. The way he carries himself and keeps trying makes it difficult to know if he was tiring/running out of stamina or not.
However the actual fall looked suspiciously like that of a tired horse. He jumped it well enough but his legs just caved in on landing.
Beshabar looks interesting but with Neptune Collonges and 1833 likely to be up there things might happen a bit to quickly for him but he’s sure to be plugging on when others have cried enough.
The horse most likely to benefit from a strong pace if they go too fast is Wayward Prince. Ridden just off the pace he stays forever and has a touch of class.
When they both ran in the RSA it would be fair to say Wayward Prince was better prepared having already won 4 competitive chases whereas 1833 had 2 schooling sessions and was then thrown in at the deep end.
Ruby chose not to ride him in the RSA he was easy to back and no doubt PN put him in the race with the attitude that the experience would do him no harm.
No denying Somersby beat 1833 very easily but it served a purpose. The purpose being to get him 100% fit for this. The fact he could stay with Somerby speaks volumes about his undoubted class.
He may not be as short, as Ginger suggests if it wasn’t for PN’s words but I can see why he is getting a bit carried away with him.
At the weights I think he can win this by a country mile with the rest nowhere.
1833
Danger: Can’t see one
Best ew Wayward Prince.