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Colinf
Thanks for LL.How many more troops do they have at Ballydoyle not counting Support Staff(fillies e.g. LL and LL) I wonder.The Ballydoyle horses are not firing. Some have been scratched because of the ubiquitous stone bruise syndrom others like Bethoven were said by Aidan to have coughed.One way or another the yard seems to be in the doldrums.Derby trials are coming and going and no Ballydoyle.
Nope
Their 2yr olds are incredibly forward this year….i have never seen so many out this early.
With regards the 3yr olds…i get the suspicion that their all needing 1 run to be right. Rocket Man was injured at Chester. Their aiming i think more for the Autumn campaign and aiming all their top horses for America.
I thought Age of Aquarius ran a storming race yesterday considering it was his first run. Can see him beating Habinger whenever they race next
I agree about the AoA but apart from Michael Glinka there seems like an excuse for the rest.What happened to the TWO THOUSAND GUINES horses,Fencing Master, Beethoven, Steinbeck,? Are you suggesting that the Derby will be on the back burner this year,with the exception of SNA? Apart from the Derby how about Ascot? Will his 3yo’s be ready for Ascot?I just don’t believe that story about getting ready for a fall campaign.Dylan Thomas did a fall campaign and more besides.He always had one or two forward tyo’s.He needs to win a classic soon or his 3yo campaign goes down the drain.No more "slight setbacks","foot bruises" etc etc etc.Do you realise how many people are employed to remove stones from the gallops?Aidan said that Beethoven had coughed but everyone ignored that statement.
12 runners in the UK for O’Brien this year, 2nds courtesy of Age of Aquarius and Oracle. Age of Aquarius was entitled to do what he did yesterday but wouldn’t have beaten Harbinger no matter how the race was run. His horses simply aren’t firing right now and he’s got 3 weeks to make sure they are.
In my Humble Opinion i think that the Classics 3yr old races are becoming less and less of a priority for Big Stables bar the Derby.
For Instance….i believe that Steinbeck winning a couple of all aged Mile races is more valuable that a couple of 3yr old only races which are generally early in the season and are Classics.
Everything looks all over the place regarding Ballydoyle at this current Moment. It looks a bit messy a bit rushed and a bit unprepared. But all these plans have been worked out Months Beforehand. St Nicholas Abbey we thought was a freak but he wasn’t.
The Classics are very early in the season but History tells us that O Brien’s get stronger as the season goes on allowing them to win 2-3-4 and sometimes 5 Group 1’s in a row. Horse’s simply can’t do that unless their complete genetic Freaks from early May to late October thats what make Sea The Stars such a great animal.
One Big Race in the 2000 Guineas Lost
Nothing else lost as of yet.
Keep the faith
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Its my thoughts tha Ballydoyle have changed their training approach with their 3 year olds and older horses to have them at their peak in late Autumn therefore meaning they will not be hitting their form as early as previous years.
My main thoughts behind this are down to their lack of success at the Breeders Cup — whenever their horses run poorly at the Breeders Cup they always use the excuse that their horses are coming to the end of a long hard season which is very true, I genuinely feel they are trying to reserve energy here for later in the year..
I wouldnt be too bothered about the ayrds form at present, by them running so bad at the moment it means anyone who supports them will get a much better price on the 2nd run of the season so cant be bad if you have faith in the yard..
Especially with Breeders Cup back on Dirt. As a commercial Stud you give them a Breeders Cup Classic winner on Dirt from Northern Dancer (European Line) they bite your hand off.
America is incredibly important and the results have been very average. The operation could have changed focus
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I would 100% agree and say they have certainly changed their stud focus to American Racing.
Given the uncertainty of the UK economy at the moment the recesion could last a very very long time and therefore potential buyers will have less to spend and as such stud fees will be effected, indeed that comment could be applied to the whole of Europe at present given the mess it is in.
If Labour stay in then cuts will be further down the road, if Cameron gets in the cuts will happen quicker, either way people will have less money to spend.
America on the other hand have already dealt with their situation, the ball is already rolling if you like and therefore Coolmore can do a lot better with a Breeders Cup winner standing in the States then they would with a Guineas or Derby winner in Europe. Giants Causeway currently stands at $100,000 at Coolmore USA, Dylan Thomas currently stands at €25,000, thats a big difference to their bottom line in terms of commanding fees. Imagine what they could command with their Classic Winner if they get it?
Once again I feel their approach to peaking their horses this year is dominated by their desire to win the Breeders Cup Classis, starting RIP at Ascot mid June is an example of this.. they only have one race in mind for him this year.
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With regard to their lack of success at the Guinneas meeting itself, they may not have won the 1000 or 2000 guineas itself but the 1st,2nd,3rd,and 4th in the 1000 guineas where all Coolmore sired..
Ballydoyle’s job is to produce sires so I really don’t think they are too worried just yet… Genuinely feel that although the guineas and Derby etc are important, their main emphasis this year is Breeders Cup.
Coolmore is all about making money ( just like any other successfull business) and America presents a better oppurtunity right now and in the future.
Coolmore are not just involved in breeding. In Ireland there is a site called the "Irish Glass Bottle site" in Ringsend,Dublin. This was targetted by developer Bernard McNamara and bought for a record €412 million in 2006, now worth an estimated €60 million (if even that in a non existant property market, the project is dead), and guess who one of the main investors were………Coolmore Stud
My guess here is Coolmore, like any business need to look at their bottom line and as such adopt to the current economic climate, and change their business model as such where required.
America is supposedly important, but is this the same Ballydoyle operation (with the same trainer) that has still not managed to fix the slow jumping from the stalls when it comes to the Breeders Cup? Mastercraftsman lost last year because of that. The same trainer who has no idea whether to use Lasix or not. 3 significant Breeders Cup wins in how long? And just one on conventional Dirt. And a return to Dirt this year, which will be significant for the race they supposedly desire so much.
At least I’ll have the lay button available for Churchill Downs and the opportunity to back no O’Brien trained winners as well…
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I don’t know that muxh about the effectx of lasix so I can’t comment. Aiden however is a genius and I trust there is logic behind his decisions,perhaps they might change that tactic but whatever the case I would trust his decision over any racing commentator or presenter. Just to confirm yes we are talking about the same aiden o brien and ballydoyle you mentioned, the same aiden and ballydoyle who have and do dominate european racing and their breeding operation who arguably dominate the sport worldwide. The same aiden and ballydoyle who fell just short of equaling the world record of group one winners in a single season. Perhaps not suprising given their incredible amount of success that their horses have fell short when asked to keep going at previous breeders cups. You seem to have a bit of knowledge about american racing, I don’t really, could you tell me who was the last american trainer was to enjoy classic and group one wins in america and also europe in the same season????
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