As I suggested last night that was a truly dreadful Gold Cup won by a poor 150s horse. Here is what the boys from Timeform have said about it - they dont hold back. This might have been as dramatic a finish to a Cheltenham Gold Cup as theres been in years, all change on the run-in after thered been very little to separate 6 of them at the last, but the bunched finish - less than 7 lengths between the winner and sixth-placed Lyreen Legend at the line - is indicative of a renewal that not only falls well below standard but is one of the lowest-rated Gold Cups in Timeforms history, the form not even top class, and very unusually for this race the rating of the winner sits way down the pecking order in terms of performances from a staying chaser this season; in relative terms the gallop was on the steady side - the leader got to the thirteenth fence only slightly quicker than was the case in the Foxhunter, involving much-inferior horses, that followed - and it wasnt until after 4 out that they got racing in earnest, which coupled with drying ground conditions made for a rather messy affair that tested stamina less than is expected in this race; all in all, its an unsatisfactory renewal of steeplechasings Blue Riband.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 07:34:53 +0000