Sean Scanlon

Had a really bad craving last night for a Chinese takeaway and must have ordered half the menu.....and dim sum!

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@KRaff_YSC @itvracing @NdeBoinville @sevenbarrows Sir Gino is close to Constitution Hill ability wise and the latter previously beat Lossiemouth in this race before.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@Notgivingin3 @AtTheRaces Yes she did and she still jumped the last at Punchestown too when she was beaten 4¾L by State Man, which supports my view that she was a fortunate winner of the Champion Hurdle when he came down at the last when 5L clear.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@UpNorthRacing @AtTheRaces Well he has never done it previously. Fall over the old style hurdles, that is.

The new style hurdles do not encourage horses to pick their front feet up because they are unlikely to get hurt if the hit the top bar, due to the new style padding.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@horsequant9 @HillFrank9175 @AtTheRaces I have been saying for ages it is the new hurdles but perhaps it has only just dawned on them now and they need to install some at home.

And sorry, I am not quite sure I follow your second question. CH is 0 falls from 10 over old hurdles and 3 from 4 and a bad mistake over new.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@Notgivingin3 @AtTheRaces Yes its called jumping but can you say Golden Ace's CH win was not fortunate when State Man came down at the last when clear?

And neither of the first two were great at the last in the Fighting Fifth, including Golden Ace, which might have seen Anzadam win with a better jump.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@woody93185 @AtTheRaces .......he has run in 5-7 runner fields nine times over the old hurdles and there have been no fallers. There were 2 fallers from 7, 1 from 5 and 2 from 5 when using the new hurdles.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@woody93185 @AtTheRaces It is possible, but would only explain Constitution Hill's fall at Newcastle.

He still blundered badly at the last at Cheltenham during his first run over the new hurdles and then fell over them at Cheltenham (as did State Man) and Aintree..........

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@UpNorthRacing @AtTheRaces He looked to me like he jumped the first flight well enough yesterday and he completed the course at Punchestown between falls at Cheltenham/Aintree and Newcastle.

They all use the new style hurdles. Punchestown doesn't.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@OnecoJohn @AtTheRaces Yes and The New Lion fell too and for the first time ever.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@Notgivingin3 @AtTheRaces Lossie has only run over them twice and at 2m4f, against her own sex or against inferior rivals bar CH. Plus she fell against State Man and so anything can happen, even with the old hurdles.

And Golden Ace was not great at the last yesterday and has arguably been lucky.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@Novicsam @AtTheRaces Leaving aside reasons are not excuses, wouldn't what Barry Geraghty said be an "excuse" too?

There was no indecision and never has been, the horse took off but did not pick his front feet up high enough because the new style hurdles do not encourage good jumping.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@ColinSh21359363 @AtTheRaces So do you think it is just coincidence that State Man fell for only the second time in 20 races in his only run over them, that The New Lion fell for the first time ever over them and that Constitution Hill has only ever fallen over them?

They do not encourage good jumping.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@woody93185 @AtTheRaces You might well be right but that still does not mean that the new style hurdles could be an issue.

Horses not known for falls are coming down when racing over them and even the first two in the Fighting Fifth were far from fluent at the last, with the second perhaps unlucky.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@winagainwinners @AtTheRaces State Man fell over them on his one and only try so far, when his previous Cheltenham record was 1 , 2 (to Constitution Hill) and 1 and that was only his second fall in 20 races, the first being on debut nearly four years ago.

The New Lion fell for the first time too.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@HillFrank9175 @AtTheRaces But his obvious main targets will have been Cheltenham and Aintree.

I am not sure that they will want to travel to Ireland just to test the theory though and the Christmas Hurdle might be off the agenda now, which used to be over the old style hurdles but I am not sure now.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@LukeDunphy13 @AtTheRaces No excuse but the reason was he finished lame and was eased down.

But the fact he did not fall over the old style hurdles there and neither did he for his first nine wins over them, yet his jumping problems only started with the new hurdles must just be coincidence.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@KeithDa28329015 @AtTheRaces Is that a serious question? 🤔

And I don't mean the Dr Doolittle.

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@smiffy2609 @AtTheRaces You mean a TOP class horseman with over 50 Grade 1 winners for example? 🤔

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@dr_stevejackson @AtTheRaces Would it be sour grapes for State Man and The New Lion too?

[Sean Scanlon @SeanScanlon66]

@StuartBarclay11 @AtTheRaces Do you think it is just coincidence that his jumping problems have only ever been over the new hurdles, considering he was 9 from 9 without them and jumped around Punchestown without them?

And two of the three falls were too early to be considered to be at racing pace really.