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What stupid statement? You asked him for a price for DJ to retire at the end of the season after Long Run said he’d do anything but.
You said a national hunt jockey that has ridden thousands of winners can’t present a horse at a fence pretty much. I think that’s a stupid statement. You also said you think he will retire. If you want to play bookies go ahead if you are so confident offer a price like Zark said.
I don’t know who’s doing the schooling at the Hobbs yard but they’re not making much of an impression.
Menorah seems to be learning nothing and Captain Chris’s jumping was so bad there’s clearly something badly amiss that should have been sorted before going back on a LH track or any track for that matter.
The late Harry Bell used to have a contraption that sorted out horses like him. It’s called a rubber hose you smack them across the lug with it every time the want to go right and they soon learn.
Mr Hobbs needs to bring in someone to sort these two out because as far as I can see they’re both going backwards or you could say sideways when they should be going forward.
Wishfull Thinking’s jumping also shows some of the flaws of Menorah and CC – the common factor . . . R Johnson
I thought Menorah might jump better yesterday under O’Brien – so much for that as he got as far as the 3rd.
But the three horses (and some other RJ rides) all show what looks to me very like a complete lack of communication with the jock at some obstacles. They cat-jump,take off too soon and often look clueless, guessing much of the time.
I suspect the end of RJ’s career is not that far away.
You would have a case for RJ to answer if he was the man in charge of schooling the horses..
He may do so now and again, but with his schedule it’s highly unlikely he can afford the time it takes to sort out the problems they have.
Without knowing all the acts you simply can’t point the finger with any degree of certainty.
If I service your car and tell you it’s ready to go and it is not who’s to blame?
No matter how good a driver you are you are going nowhere fast.
Whether he schooled any of the horses prior to them running is unknown
To my mind, it is no different from spotting things in horses that no one else has done. It is absolutely nothing to do with schooling. The three main horses whose mistakes have been much worse this season – Cap Chris, W Thinking and Menorah – do not, overnight, become consistently poor jumpers who suddenly need schooling – they are high class horses, not handicappers.
The only one I’d spotted with a previous issue (while many thought he was a superb jumper of hurdles –
he wasn’t
– ) was Menorah. (Blog post from almost a year ago – http://wp.me/p1o7dN-b)
RJ had 4 rides on Saturday: the form comments of all 4 (one over hurdles) are littered with mistakes/blunders. On Chance Du Roy, I watched him sitting well back at fences a number of times – never a good sign, imo.
There is not yet enough evidence to say he is losing his nerve (a serious assertion) but I believe his nerve is pretty badly frayed and horses are sensing it.
The last time I saw a jock behaving that way was Alan Brown who retired the same season.
I’m not disputing he has been a good and very consistent jock over the years. Nor do I intend to demean his courage (any steeplechase jockey has 1,000 times the bravery I could find in myself). Nonetheless, I try to watch racing with an objective, unbiased eye and, for whatever reason, I’m fairly convinced that horses no longer have a consistent trust in the signals RJ gives them at obstacles.
I believe it is not at all unlikely that AP will quit this year – simply because he has had enough. Under normal circumstances, that would be a huge incentive for RJ to stay on and try and claim at least one title. But I don’t believe his heart is in it any more. We shall see.
I thought Al Ferof ran an absolutely superb race for a novice against older, top class horses at Ascot the other week and Corals offer afterwards of 8/1 for the Arkle was too good to miss!
He is my nap of the meeting in a very eye catching race but great value against Sprinter Sacre, who surely needs far more experience to justify his price??
Finian’s Rainbow and Somersby are a long way from being top class horses.
Well Chief won an Arkle on only his second start over fences.
They have some solid efforts already in the book though Euro, as has Al Ferof!
I’d be concerned if I was on SS because if the bad weather kicks in for a while and he misses an important prep race he could go to the Arkle on the back of two nothing runs really.
You’d have to ask the questions, will he handle the hill in a tough race and what will he find off the bridle in a tough race?
The races he’s won (other than his debut) he’s won easy enough, but including that debut run, the 3 times he’s come off the bridle he’s not found a great deal IMO….
He only just got the better of a Nicholls horse on his debut victory (albeit, one with a bit more experience) but was getting a stone in weight, he only just prevailed by the minimum distance…
His first defeat at the hands of Frascati Park, he found little and Frascati Park won easing down…
Then there was the Supreme where he walked through the last and again found little when the chips were down…..
People are saying he’s a far better chaser, but we’ve yet to see him get in a proper race against battle hardened opposition….If he really is as good as people are making out….saying that he’s going to destroy quality horses like Al Ferof (with rock solid form already in the book) then why is he not going to the QMCC??
2/1….You’re avin a larrrrrrrrrrrrf!!
Yes it’ll be very interesting to see what happens with this bad weather. Already looks like For Non Stop, Cristal Bonus and Binocular, among many others of course, are going to miss out on their preferred Festival preps. If this extends over to next weekend or even a fortnight, Cue Card, Sprinter Sacre, Grandouet, Zarkandar, etc are all going to be utterly screwed.
Yes it’ll be very interesting to see what happens with this bad weather. Already looks like For Non Stop, Cristal Bonus and Binocular, among many others of course, are going to miss out on their preferred Festival preps. If this extends over to next weekend or even a fortnight, Cue Card, Sprinter Sacre, Grandouet, Zarkandar, etc are all going to be utterly screwed.
Factor in the abysmal record of Favs in this race, although it always goes to one of the top 4 fancied runners. SS looks the business, but so have many others in the past and failed – Sybillin odds on is one i remember!
Easy to say but more than likely it goes to the 2nd-4th fav.Favourites have a bad record in the race because usually the wrong horse is the market leader. If PC and SS hadn’t met the former would still head the list. If Seebald had taken on Moscow Flyer in their year it’s pretty certain the latter would have been favourite. It’s a worthless stat.
I agree. Horse looks up, sees his name at the top of the betting & wants to please the people looking for a bigger priced winner? Pffft.
Yes it’ll be very interesting to see what happens with this bad weather. Already looks like For Non Stop, Cristal Bonus and Binocular, among many others of course, are going to miss out on their preferred Festival preps. If this extends over to next weekend or even a fortnight, Cue Card, Sprinter Sacre, Grandouet, Zarkandar, etc are all going to be utterly screwed.
We’ve had an ideal winter and some of the entries have had me puzzled. Would serve trainers right if there were to be more cancellations. If we have last winters bad weather now, it could write off most of February.
Disappointing season so far.
Well everybody was slating Nicholls for running Al Ferof in the VC Chase. How smart does that look now!? Has got a prep under his belt and against the older horses. Very shrewd move.
The only reason AL Ferof got his high mark is because he is the only novice to have ran in against older horses with proper marks.If S.S ran in this he would have got near the same mark.I think Henderson now know that S.S has the beating of Al Ferof because at home he said Finianns Rainbow works like a 3miler and that S.S is a proper 2miler.
He maybe work like a 3 miler but Nicky also said Finian’s Rainbow although bred to stay further was in his opinion actually best at 2 miles as he was very disappointed with him in the Neptune never looking like he’d win at any stage
He changes with the weather as I heard the last time FR will run over 2 miles is in the QMCC.
The truth probably is he’s so confident Sprinter Sacre will rule the roost over 2 miles he’ll cross his fingers and hope he does better over 2m4f-3m that he did as a hurdler.
As far as Al Ferof goes I woudn’t think Nicky Heenderson or Barry would have him on their minds as an Arkle danger. They were very quick to discard his chances when beaten by Finians Rainbow and as far as they are concerned Sprinter Sacre would pick FR up and carry him.
I’d have to go along with that I reckon IF there is a danger it will come from Peddlers Cross because he stays so well or Cue Card because of his high cruising speed and the chance he might be the only horse fast enough to keep up without coming off the bridle.
I have to admit favs do have a bad record but it means absolutely nothing IMO When something really special like this horse comes a long you can forget any kind of stats as there can be only one winner and it will be him. Or I am going to be very
The only reason AL Ferof got his high mark is because he is the only novice to have ran in against older horses with proper marks.If S.S ran in this he would have got near the same mark.I think Henderson now know that S.S has the beating of Al Ferof because at home he said Finianns Rainbow works like a 3miler and that S.S is a proper 2miler.
Would SS have put up a similar or better performance than Al Ferof though, that’s the question you have to ask? I doubt he would have done, because as I put earlier he looks a bridle horse to me who finds nothing when asked a question.
The latter part is nonsense really. Working at home and performing at the track in a proper Championship race is so different it’s untrue. With some of the things Henderson continually comes out with about his horses I would question it anyway!
I’ll ask the question again as it wasn’t answered last time….
If Sprinter Sacre is such this good thing and so clearly miles better than anything else at 2 miles then why is it running in the Arkle and not the QMCC?….Answer…..still a ‘hype’ horse and people getting too carried away with Henderson’s bullshit for me…
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