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Current hot potato and it’s not even on here? Read the original article – does anyone know what prompted it?
A link would be handy; a cut and paste would be even better. I don’t even know to what you are referring.
From The Guardian on Tuesday
John Hales, the owner of leading chaser Neptune Collonges, is considering legal action against the Racing Post after one of the trade paper’s journalists accused him of a "graceless, petulant and unforgiveably unsporting display" after his horse finished fourth to Kauto Star, a stablemate in the Paul Nicholls yard, in last Friday’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The remarks in yesterday’s Post, under the by-line of Alastair Down, one of the paper’s most experienced reporters, are thought to be the first public suggestion that Hales harboured misgivings about last week’s Gold Cup.
The precise nature of Hales’s concern is still in doubt, but many observers had expected Neptune Collonges, ridden by Christian Williams, to set an immediate and unrelenting gallop in the Gold Cup, to test both Kauto Star’s stamina and the accuracy of his jumping under pressure.
Instead, Williams set a sedate pace for much of the first circuit, allowing the favourite to slip into the easy rhythm that eventually carried him to a 13-length success. "John has been advised not to comment at this stage," a spokeswoman for the owner said yesterday. "But he is very upset by the comments, and he is taking legal advice."
Hales’s yellow colours are a familiar sight on Britain’s racecourses, and he has enjoyed considerable success with Nicholls in the past, most notably with the victory of Azertyuiop in the Champion Chase at Cheltenham.
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I said to my dad at the time that Neptune Collonges wasn’t going all that quickly in front, but how much of a pace can a soft ground horse set on a decent surface?
Apologies – direct quote from Racing Post:-
‘Finally, whatever the merits of John Hales’s arguments after the defeat of the sterling Neptune Collonges, what manner of man chooses such a moment to rain on the parade of other peoples’ priceless triumphs with such a graceless, petulant and unforgiveably unsporting display?
Mr Hales likes greys – I suspect they all turn that colour when they find out he has bought ’em.’
I suspect it takes quite a lot to lead to that sort of reaction.
I found it very odd that Christian Williams tipped Star de Mohaison as an ew tip for the race on the Morning Line and not his own horse; not sure what to read into it but it made me feel quite uncomfortable.
My view might be slightly prejudiced as am not big on alistair down generally, but he does seem to have a bit of a lack of respect for owners.
I remember he laid pretty hard into the owners of the listener when they moved him out of the Alner yard, pretty much saying that they had no right to move him and made them out to be scum for doing so. I remembered thinking at the time if I had a horse like The Listener (one of those horses who is grade 1 class if everything is right), I would rather have him at a yard where the trainer wasnt in hospital, and thought Alistair Down was bang out of order.
Then a friend of the owners wrote to the Racing Post (letters section), disagreeing with what Down had written, and think they said that the owners were keeping the rest of their horses with the alners, just not the listener, and AD laid into her aswell, pretty much saying that she didnt have a clue what she was talking about, and pretty much laying into the owners once again.
I think to have said that about John Hales, with the whole injury situation regarding Neptune Collonges, just goes to show what a pompous *rsehole down is, and I hope Hales does sue him.
Can anyone enlighten us on the precise nature of Hales’s "graceless, petulant and unforgiveably unsporting display"?
My view might be slightly prejudiced as am not big on alistair down generally, but he does seem to have a bit of a lack of respect for owners.
Apart from Sheikh Mo of course, who he basically worships and defends the success of Godolphin at every point despite their present failings. Can’t think why he does this…
Supposedly someone [a lady] got very irrate in the winners enclosure after the race; all I know is that we go on the Tuesday and Mr Hales is always waiting for his Arkle runner to come back; win or lose all he wants is for them to come back in one piece.
This is not the first time Mr Down has attacked John Hales.
I remember Down criticised Azertyuiop’s owner for daring to criticise his jockey for giving Moscow Flyer too much rope in that great Tingle Creek. In an honest answer to a journalist’s question after the race.Timeform criticised Alister Down in Chasers And Hurdlers 04/05 in their Harchibald essay.
Down described Hales as "pooper at the party" who "let himself down with his snivelling complaints about Ruby Walsh’s ride….a spoilt man’s jarring analysis of a job he would not be able to do if he lived to be Methuzelah".
Whether Mr Down would also be capable of riding Azertyuiop is questionable.
Mr Hales should have every right to express an opinion.
This seems to go back some time. Is it a vendetta?
Mark
Value Is EverythingThink a fundamental question is, is anyone controlling the content of the RP, or do writers just submit copy which is published without any oversight?
Agree with Bulwark, I hope Mr Hales does sue. Maybe if he does it might concentrate the management’s thinking which might bring about an editorial product which actually is worth buying. At the moment, my impression is that most of the content is wriiten without much thought in the spare moments the journos have in between trading on the exchanges, or whatever they do in their working hours.
The RP needs a serious shake up. Hopefully a law suit might help to bring that about.
richard
Well, if he does sue, he’ll almost certainly lose, if Down’s comments are reported correctly.
Pretty bland stuff compared to what’s routinely dished out to the owners of football clubs and F1 teams, not to mention some other (foreign of course) racehorse owners.
The so called sedate pace set by Neptune Collonges was a fraction slower than he set 12 months earlier up until the point Denman took over.
Last year NC was never going to win form that point. He suprised all of us by how well he ran on.
This year taking the going into consideration he has set a less testing gallop but so what?
If he had gone off faster than he did what then?. He would have folded in a heap most likley and ended up tailed off.
The horses has limitations on how fast he can actually go. When Denman took it up last year NC simply couldn’t go any faster so why would Downs think he could have this year?
You could say he set the race up for Denman last year and set it up for Kauto this year but you would be talking absolute garbage especially on the latter.
John Hales, considering how close NC got to KS last year must have fancied his chances mor than a bit this year.
I would imagine their idea was to give the horse a beeter chance this year by not to going off too quickly as they knew he couldn’t sustain it. Then, with a bit in reserve if the horse could increase the tempo on the 2nd circuit he might well get Kauto Star at it.
What Downs has said is his opinion. An opinion I think is absloute garbage. With his experience he should know horses are not machines and you don’t have a fuel injection lever you can pull on at will.
If he is insunuating John Hales was some kind of masterplan to set up the race for Kauto Star then the man is bonkers, totally out of order and should be removed from his post.
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Personally, I have no time at all for Alistair Down and his normal sycophantic bullsh*t, or his penchant for drama where there is none, but I do think he makes a telling point in this instance.
The leading NH trainer had 3 of the main protagonists in this race: Denman: coming back from a heart scare, who was ridden totally different to last year because of it: Neptune Collonges, whom the ground was against, and was ridden totally different because of it: and Kauto Star, who benefited enormously from the way his stablemates were ridden.
Make of it what you will, there was only ever going to be one result amongst the 3 horses who patently had the same single objective – imo, the way the race was run.Ally Down is a pompous old fart at times for instance years ago when bragging on air about not having any satellite racing due to not wanting to put a shilling in Murdoch’s pocket (or words to that effect.) these days columnist for the News of the World.
All that said no one else in racing journalism has Alastair’s turn of phrase he’s out on his own in that respect, a superb wordsmith.
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