Champions Sprint 2017

Congrats to the winner – turned more into a 7F race which suited him to a t.

Harry pulled far too hard and you knew he was going to fall into a hole 1F out – Tasleet ran a screamer and Caravaggio just needs further as he was handy early then got outpaced and ran on, would love to see him over 8F (and that wasn’t something I thought I would ever had said at the start of the year).

Great shouts from Big G and Brixton – well done. Thrilling race.

Can’t understand the ride of Don Triumphant, no chance at that pace from the front, normally held up… Kirby forced in to different tactics by team Coolmore non-triers. But nothing will be done as usual. Harry didn’t settle tracking horses. although Kirby didn’t help himself by going for home too far out off a fast pace. Was a question about him staying the trip on a stiff track on very soft in that wind too. Tasleet ran really well considering he was more prominent than the other principles. Libreeza deserves a big day after going close so often.

BigG wrote:

Thanks all, I haven’t even seen the race yet, but I’m glad that he
finally got his day in the sun. Well done Brixton too Just
managed to see Cracksman win his race, impressive, but I’m offski again
so wont see the last one until later.

Thanks, and to everyone being a bit kind, considering I said “A place would be a result” and “it’s more of a backing-an-old-friend type bet” hahaha… it’s you BigG who actually called it much like it happened and had proper confidence, I was pretty sure Harry would win (but didn’t back at that price) – anyway, rest of today’s bets were more or less a car crash so nice for it to be a real old fave who kept me (slightly) in the black on the day

LostSoldier3 wrote:

Well done Botchy!

Ha ha ha What could go wrong with backing Librisa Breeze eh ?

Well done those that kept the faith. Only had a small bet on him which got my money back from the year. Certainly saved me a new TV, front window and probably the Cat as well.

admin wrote:

I don’t think Harry Angel would have won yesterday in any case but I was watching thinking ‘wait, wait, wait, D’oh’

I think he needs a free hand in front to be at his best, doesn’t seem to settle in behind horses. Coolmore will undoubtedly try to unsettle him like that in future if they have one good enough to take him on with (which is highly likely). I didn’t think he looked as relaxed in the pre-parade either, a bit on edge.

Well done teh Librisa Breezers!

I felt they should just have let Harry Angel go on from the start. Yes, you are burning energy but you are also creating advantage and the horse may settle better in front.

In the end it was neither one thing nor the other, as having tried to anchor him in behind, he then hit for home too early. Either do one thing or the other, not a half assed combination.

Harry Angel tired in the end and that was that.

Caravaggio showed yet again that he’s just not as speedy as Aidan claimed with all the speeding tickets issued on the gallops. He was getting faster every time I read about it and at one stage he was going so fast that he was bending light. He needs a bit of a stamina test and a few times I have felt he would have been vulnerable on the day were it not for the soft ground.

I had a bad feeling about Quiet Reflection going in and I still say her previous run being described as the 2nd best of her career was nonsense. She has simply not looked anything like the same horse this season in my mind.

Well done the backers of Librisia Breeze, I recall him letting me down for a good lift once and I never forgave him. Like much of the meeting, the ground played a part and the form will probably look very different on a sound surface.

With regards to he Diamond Jubilee next year I saw some 6/1 on Harry Angel last night and thought that was an over-reaction. He probably possesses the most scope still and should get very different ground at Royal Ascot.

Even at 5/1 today, he looks good value, as a winning return will see him dropped in price quickly. Caravaggio is one to avoid at 8/1 in my opinion. I feel Harry Angel will improve past him over the winter and be top dog next year.

Don’t think Caravaggio was the biggest, from what I recall of watching him this year. Comes back to the point we were discussing recently about September and how two year olds which are on the small side can be overtaken by their late blooming rivals.

I don’t know if Caravaggio was particularly small, but he wasn’t particularly big either and I think he got overtaken by Harry Angel, who was some way behind him at two but had more physical scope to improve. So Caravaggio had a decent three year old career, you can’t say he didn’t “train on”, but he just didn’t improve that much from two to three so didn’t have the brilliant career he had as a two year old. That’s my view anyway.

But I think my main point still stands- Caravaggio’s three year old career was not as outstanding as his two year old one was.

Or maybe Steve is right- that Aiden’s comments created unrealistic expectation around the horse. Maybe he wasn’t the superstar some of us thought he was, just a very good horse.

I thought it was telling when Ed asked Aiden on Saturday who the best horse he ever trained was on the flat, that he basically implied it was Galileo, and yet when the next big thing comes along in his yard he forgets about all that and basically suggests this one is doing things he’s never seen at home. Despite all the superstars he’s already trained, this horse can do something they never could