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This horse put up an absolutely sublime performance four years ago. His owner was talking him up as an all time great that was going to emulate Dawn Run.
And now connections are fretting about getting into a novice race at Southwell.
As Elton John once sang “It’s a sad, sad situation. And it’s getting more and more absurd”.
Never before has such a mundane AW maiden attracted such scrutiny. I have never considered the ballot system for a race but as they say, you learn something new everyday.
The more I know the less I understand.
Henderson has just had a 30/100 shot beat at Musselburgh …
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
I’ll be punting against him if he gets in , he’s a crazy price therefore I’ll be playing the e.w value , who’s riding the Mullins horse
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
If I was lucky enough to be the owner of a horse of this class I would be flat out embarrassed about this farce. I guess Mr Buckley and NH are long term friends but even so I think I would have been looking for a new stable a long time ago.
It’s just all very disappointing mostly
Early on Buckley lost a lot of very good horses (many being in the what might have been category) that it got to the stage that he decided to change his colours from the Black/White quarters and checked cap to the ones we know today (white, black cap) in the hopes that it would bring about a change in luck.
With his marquee horse hitting the deck in three of his last four races, I can understand him being ok in going this flat route to ensure that he actually gets to Cheltenham before having what could potentially be a last throw of the dice over hurdles.
The proposed run has unnecessarily been turned into a right circus as connections could have quite easily found a similar (and more low key) type of race to run him in without drumming up all the fanfare. On the RP website the racecard for the race has him as the 4-6 fav (along with Daddy Long Legs at 7-2 and Tripoli Flyer aat 13-2), which quite frankly are idiotic prices.
I do hope that he runs respectively, whether that is winning the race or finishing close up to where they can then move on to Cheltenham where we will likely find out what code his future lies under.
Constitution Hill’s chance of making the cut received an early boost after Hughie Morrison told the Racing Post that Secret Squirrel was “doubtful” to run following his Kingwell Hurdle third on Saturday. The trainer is set to rely on Star Artist.
VF x
I agree with LD there was no need to create such a high value race let’s face it even an £8k race would have given him prize money something he hasn’t achieved for a while.
The more I know the less I understand.
16th in the ballot and now requiring two non-runners to actually get in the race proper, although Secret Squirrel unlikely to run so potentially only needs one more to drop out – both Daddy Long Legs and Tripoli Flyer are both in which is kind of amusing given that CH being aimed at this likely got Mullins and O’Brien interested to run in the first place.
“Early on Buckley lost a lot of very good horses…”
A lot? The only ones I can remember are The Proclamation and Mutare, who both fell fatally at Ascot. What others were there? 🤔
Buckley has also had the misfortune to have lost some good horses on the track, among them the 1976 Hennessy Gold Cup winner Zeta’s Son (injured in the Grand National later that season)
VF x
Running in a flat race on the all-weather tells you nothing. If I were the owner I would have run in a hurdle race and if he came dowm I would call it a day.
And if he gets hurt or killed where does that leave you … He can’t jump that’s why we are here , Amir Khan was a great technical boxer however he had the chin of a toddler …. A flaw is a flaw
Pick 3 on Saturday champion 2025/2026
I can’t see why the Hill’s connections are pinning so many hopes on the Southwell race unless there are still underlying plans that a good performance will lead to him running at the imminent spring jumps festivals. There will be plenty of other Flat races he could contest in a couple of months if they are serious about an attempt at a Flat career.
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