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Derby 2026

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Viewing 10 posts - 188 through 197 (of 197 total)
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  • #1768305
    homersimpson
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    • Total Posts 3236

    Very spooky with the time capsule found or have I been ODing on the X files.

    #1768306
    Avatar photoCork All Star
    Participant
    • Total Posts 11889

    “What makes things worse is that the Lads never seem to be satisfied when winning a big one like the Derby. It’s just like another day at the office for them.”

    That is the main problem. More often than not they stand around in the winners enclosure and look like they are at a funeral.

    O’Brien is never less than polite with the media but he makes librarians look charismatic.

    Coolmore are obviously good at what they do. But this was another year when they didn’t really have a star and just threw a few darts at the board and hoped they hit the bullseye.

    Whelan joins McNamara and Beggy as a Ballydoyle work rider who has ridden a Derby winner.

    I don’t mean to rain on the parade of anyone who backed the winner but if you didn’t, it is difficult to feel inspired by today’s race.

    I do feel sorry for Epsom, however. They really needed it to go well this year and the weather didn’t play ball. The race and the occasion could do with a lucky break.

    #1768307
    LD73
    Participant
    • Total Posts 4158

    It was just very unfortunate that the weather played such a massive part in the outcome of this race, as I think given good ground we are talking about a totally difference result and a much more positive outlook on the meeting itself as a whole.

    Lets also not forget that today’s ground was in some part also dictated by all the artificial watering that was done to the course, to get it ready not only for the meeting itself but also for Breakfast with the Stars event so the water table would have been higher than it naturally would have been before all the rain fell on the course. Had they left it alone there is a good chance that even with all the rain today that the ground would have been a lot less testing than it ended up being.

    At the end of the season I am not sure that Christmas Day’s rating will be much higher than the 123p he has been given as I wouldn’t see him cutting much ice say in a King George (on decent ground of course) and whilst a soft ground Arc would favour him, as previous posters have said they will also be other horses (higher rated) that will also be just as suited by it too.

    I believe he might end up as another Lambourn.

    #1768308
    homersimpson
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    • Total Posts 3236

    So a horse puts its leg down a hole through no fault of its own and it’s tough.

    One lifts it up in the stalls and its a nr :scratch:

    #1768309
    Avatar photoTonge
    Participant
    • Total Posts 3314

    I doubt the public care about the lack of charisma of “the lads”. Problem is the horses. Last great Derby winner was Sea The Stars. There have always been odd substandard winners but now it’s the norm and I’m afraid the worst are from Coolmore. Christmas Day has a season to prove me wrong but I suspect he’ll be included in the worst list. This isn’t Coolmore’s fault. They target the race. Others don’t. Some say nobody is interested in mile and a half races now but the Arc still attracts international superstars. Why aren’t Japanese owners (for example) keen to win the Derby?

    #1768310
    pilgarlic
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    • Total Posts 915

    On their live broadcast ITV had an overhead shot of Benvenuto Cellini in the stalls. He was buffeting but clearly had all feet on the ground at that stage. It was less than 12 seconds before the start.
    If the horse has created its own misfortune in that short time surely it should be deemed an unlucky turn of events and written off as such. Precedent or not it should have been ignored. Neither should they have taken Moore’s supposed race plan into account.

    Bad luck for Epsom to have to contend with rotten weather when making a fist of reinvigorating the day.

    #1768312
    Avatar photovikingflagship
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    • Total Posts 2994

    homersimpson agree with that crazy rules :scratch:

    Vf x

    #1768313
    Avatar photoCork All Star
    Participant
    • Total Posts 11889

    If anyone thinks the Derby was underwhelming, spare a thought for the Greyhound Derby (which has just been run on the undistinguished track in the middle of the defunct Towcester racecourse).

    A five runner race with a vacant Trap 6 after one of the qualifiers was injured after the semi final. All five runners were trained in Ireland. And the coverage I watched was on a buffering At The Races livestream – which went split screen to a race at Romford as the runners were rounding the home turn.

    And the complete rag pinged out and won. :wacko:

    #1768314
    Avatar photoTonge
    Participant
    • Total Posts 3314

    I’m afraid greyhound racing in the UK is doomed. What with condemnation, not just from extremists but also organisations like the RSPCA, plus nonsense like this. Horse racing needs to take note and take care.

    #1768315
    LD73
    Participant
    • Total Posts 4158

    homersimpson – agree its a idiotically crazy rule but the comparisons you used are not the same as one horse’s incident happen at the end of a race and the other was happening mere seconds before the race had technically started.

    BC’s incident whilst hampering him did not (given it was ground conditions he hates) ultimately affect where he would have finished either way. Personally, it should have been chalked up as an unfortunate racing incident (similar to if a horse had missed the break) but I guess for the boys at least his record shows that he remains unbeaten this season for whatever that is worth. :unsure:

    Unfortunately winning punters have been shafted (well assuming they didn’t get paid out before the decision was officially made) which is the worst thing to happen from the fallout of this whole sorry affair.

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