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Europe doesn’t exactly have a top class middle-distance arsenal.
If he turns up, he wins.
Europe doesn’t exactly have a top class middle-distance arsenal.
If he turns up, he wins.
Flippin heck lol we haven’t even seen the three year olds yet (not at any sort of level anyway).
Getaway and Soldier Of Fortune will set a pretty good standard too.
Excellent points made all round here guys (and gals?).
I think that this years middle distance division is lacking, and we need a three year old to come through to offer some spice. The retirements of Dylan Thomas and Authorised, and possibly Notnowcato who I’ve not heard news about, as well as the unfortunate injury to Manduro, means that nothing stands out in my opinion, and Curlin stands every chance if he handles the track and ground. Big ifs though.
The 4yo+ division does look weak this year admittedly, with 50% of last years truly class 3yo’s being retired (Authorized) but to say Curlin just has to turn up and he wins is wide of the mark.
Getaway, Peeping Fawn, Rail Link (I think), possibly Archipenko and a new wave of Ballydoyle and Godolphin (Schiaparelli, anyone?) are exciting prospects for the Arc.
Then there is an awesome 3YO brigade rushing through. Locally, horses like Thewayyouare and the exciting Tamayuz plus Full Of Gold, and list the lot from the British Isles.
No Arc can ever be described as weak. Curlin would need to have his A-game roaring to perform.
Getaway, Peeping Fawn, Rail Link (I think), possibly Archipenko and a new wave of Ballydoyle and Godolphin (Schiaparelli, anyone?) are exciting prospects for the Arc.
Schiaparelli I don’t know – haven’t looked at that one yet but it has never struck me as having that really top talent required for Arc. I’d need to see something special from it before the Arc. Oriental Tiger is very interesting after last week’s monster performance when dominating a G2 at Cologne in a huge time. My standard times are pretty accurate and I did chuck out the 4 slowest races of the day so it’s certainly not an inflated figure. This one seems to be over its head problems that stopped it winning after its maiden at 3 and that was Group win number 2 this year. Spoke to its work rider last year who said it was easily the most talented animal he had ever sat on – all they needed to do was stop it doing things like trying to bite other horses during a race. It’s certainly an interesting outsider. It achieved the joint 3rd fastest figure I have recorded in 4 years in Germany. Don’t forget Getaway is also German-bred so it’s a very good source of middle distance runners – a lot more important than people realise..
Curlin’s Arc entry has a fair bit to do with his trainer’s dislike of synthetic surfaces ( on which this year’s BC Classic will be run) and connections may just be keeping their options open.
There is already much talk in the US of a Big Brown/Curlin showdown. And ,obviously, a lot is going to depend on the way the season pans out and whether BB can add to his lustre in forthcoming races , but the Jockey Club Cup is an obvious event for the two to meet in – a race run only a matter of days before the Arc – so it is hard to envisage Curlin traveling to France if the next few months run the course all race fans ( US ones, anyway) are hoping .
I believe the brother(Cash) of Curling’s trainer has a very good record riding in France.That would help the preparations also.
Curlin’s Arc entry has a fair bit to do with his trainer’s dislike of synthetic surfaces ( on which this year’s BC Classic will be run) and connections may just be keeping their options open.
There is already much talk in the US of a Big Brown/Curlin showdown. And ,obviously, a lot is going to depend on the way the season pans out and whether BB can add to his lustre in forthcoming races , but the Jockey Club Cup is an obvious event for the two to meet in – a race run only a matter of days before the Arc – so it is hard to envisage Curlin traveling to France if the next few months run the course all race fans ( US ones, anyway) are hoping .
Would the Breeders Cup Classic be a better race for them to meet?
Curling does not have to prove anything so he will follow his own agenda. Of course if Big Brown wins the TC the press will put the pressure on and sometimes people make bad decisions when the press imposes on them. (Remember Ruffian)
Check Ruffian (the horse) in Wikipedia for details.Read Ruffian; Burning from the Start: a sad reflection on the sport press.
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