I dunno, I should be ordering trumpets & announcing a fanfare for greatness achieved -
If the King George hadn't been moved into January this year, then Long Run would have been the first 5yo for 60 years to win it and he did so in a time faster than 3 of Kauto Star's. Then he becomes the first 6yo to win a Gold Cup, in course record time too, amazing, brilliant....
3:20 - totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase Grade 1
3m2½f, Class 1, £285,050.00
1
Long Run 7/2F
2 Denman 8/1
3 Kauto Star 5/1
NR: Albertas Run (IRE)
13 ran Distances: 7l, 4l, nse
TIME 6m 29.70s (
fast by 9.30s)
Jockey: Mr S Waley-Cohen
Trainer: Nicky Henderson
New course record.
But all it revealed to me - things were going just dandy (bar the official going description for Weds, when it was a lot softer) while we were using the Old course up until Friday - I had no reason to question anything, then they started using the New course & the results came in and it was all downhill from there...
How can a horse break a 10 year-old course record, beat absolute legends in the process, carry 11lb more than the winner (officially rated 145 with a 7lb claimer on) of the Grand Annual & come away with a 2lb/pt higher speed figure, according to the Racing Post
Seems to me that the standard times used by the RP for the New Course - it's just one big can o' worms which has been doing my
ever since, it's an insult to the horse....