- This topic has 95 replies, 24 voices, and was last updated 12 minutes ago by
.
- Posts
The last 3 runnings of the Ormonde Stakes have had only 6 runners in each renewal. I don’t think the tight nature of the track should bother him especially in a small field.
If they want to run him this Spring on turf they are running out of options.
Tight track, won’t suit him, sight of the Roman Wall might upset him etc.
He’ll have to face the crowd twice which might not be to his liking…..
The way some of you are carrying on, it’s like you’ve never seen horse withdrawn because of the ground before.
I can somewhat understand if it was over hurdles but it is an actual flat race and they have no evidence that he won’t act on good or slightly quicker ground – he has a fluent action i.e. not a high knee action that quick ground could cause him to be jarred up and I think this is more Nicky’s own fears where he has talked himself into thinking the ground is an issue.
I would be more shocked to see him at Chester as that track is far too sharp for him and even if the ground did get soft he might run into notably soft ground lover and year older Hamish (although his only future entry on the RP is for the Yorkshire Cup).
What do you think the odds are that when the rain does come to soften up the ground we will then hear the reason of ‘too soft, so we will wait for better ground”.
It’s a pity they didn’t make a contingency entry for the Alleged stakes this weekend as there’s plenty of juice in the ground here and more rain forecast. The Vintage Crop stakes is next weekend and the Saval Beg next month. No Kyprios this year either; no doubt AOB will have something in them but life has to get real sometime. If they go to France they’ll run into the older Arc horses having their spring campaigns before the summer break.
Germany maybe?It’s pathetic, Good ground at Newbury (watered) with a going stick reading of only 4.9. A nine year old and they don’t want to run him on that ground.
Maybe they are saving him for the racing league… 🙊
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
No surprise given Nicky’s aversion to risking his horses on ground he doesn’t like But if he doesn’t like good to firm in April his options will be very limited. Northumberland Plate maybe then wait for some Autumn rain. Unless we have an an unusually wet summer CH’s second career might turn out to be a damp squib .
“A nine year old and they don’t want to run him on that ground.”
I was just about to post the same thing! Given his age, can they really afford to be picky and to wait for everything to be just right?
He is unlikely to win anything good now. He will have even less chance as a 10 year old, so don’t they have to strike while the iron is (sort of) hot?
What was Henderson expecting the ground at Newbury to be like in the spring? Maybe it is not absolutely pitch perfect but I doubt it is like a road.
It looks to me like Henderson is looking for an excuse to not run the horse and the ground is being used as the reason.
Not sure why some believe CH wouldn’t act at a course such as Chester especially at a trip over an extended 13 furlongs?
Watching the reruns of Hamish winning the Ormonde Stakes shows you don’t even need to race prominently.
CH is very well balanced horse and not at all fazed in a tight field of runners and well capable of manoeuvring his way out of trouble.
Hamish won the Ormonde on good to soft and then soft so the chances are softer ground is more likely in the North West in May than anywhere down South.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.