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It was a surprising error by Balldoyle but ONLY with the benefit of hindsight. !
Kieren Fallon was quoted in Saturday’s RP – "If they don’t make it a test, STS
will
win. "
I’m sure he wasn’t the only person who had worked that out – it was pretty obvious?
Two furlongs out, yes.
AOB had every reason to believe they’d pick up STS over an extra half mile.
The Guineas/Derby double hadn’t been done for 20 years and Fame and Glory
had
already won over 12f impressively in the Derrinstown. It wasn’t the slowest derby ever run in the conditions and STS hadn’t won over further than a mile up until then. It’s not as if STS trounced the field on Saturday or in the Guineas for that matter, even though Ballydoyles tactics
played more into the hands of STS.
It was by no means a certain result.
James Willoughby made an excellent point today in the RP
Had the Hawk Wing/High Chaparral Derby been run in the same manner as this year’s renewal, would we all have been hailing Hawk Wing as the "second coming" after an easy victory? Almost certainly imo…
100% spot on mate imo.
Sea the stars can only beat whats in front of him though i suppose,but i think out of the last 5 Derby winners the only one at a lower standard imo was Sir Percy.
James Willoughby made an excellent point today in the RP
Had the Hawk Wing/High Chaparral Derby been run in the same manner as this year’s renewal, would we all have been hailing Hawk Wing as the "second coming" after an easy victory? Almost certainly imo…
100% spot on mate imo.
Sea the stars can only beat whats in front of him though i suppose,but i think out of the last 5 Derby winners the only one at a lower standard imo was Sir Percy.
James Willoughby made an excellent point today in the RP
Had the Hawk Wing/High Chaparral Derby been run in the same manner as this year’s renewal, would we all have been hailing Hawk Wing as the "second coming" after an easy victory? Almost certainly imo…
100% spot on mate imo.
Sea the stars can only beat whats in front of him though i suppose,but i think out of the last 5 Derby winners the only one at a lower standard imo was Sir Percy.
I tend to agree with that with the exception of last years race when I don’t think New Approach was at his best at twelve furlongs.
To be fair to Sea The Stars if he truely does stay twelve furlongs he may win easier and be more impressive off a stronger pace. Time will tell.
Interestingly people are claiming Sea The Stars as a great horse but if George Washington hadn’t run in the Guineas Sir Percy would’ve also done the double. I wonder how many people would’ve proclaimed him as a great horse and mentioned him alongside Nijinsky. It sort of proves the point that winning both doesn’t automatically make you a great horse. It depends an awful lot on the standard of opposition.
Agreed it doesn’t make a horse great automatically, but it’s pretty difficult to do and the acheivement needs to be respected. FWIW, I reckon STS will prove to be a great horse – the Derby was just too slowly run to allow him to properly display his superiority. He would have won by further if the pace had been stronger (IMO, of course).
Incidentally, after the Guineas, everyone was saying what a great race it was and how solid the form was. Has STS gone from being the winner of a very good 2000gns to being the worst Derby winner since Sir Percy?
I guess we won’t find out until he runs again, but I won’t be laying him, that’s for sure.
Agreed it doesn’t make a horse great automatically, but it’s pretty difficult to do and the acheivement needs to be respected. FWIW, I reckon STS will prove to be a great horse – the Derby was just too slowly run to allow him to properly display his superiority. He would have won by further if the pace had been stronger (IMO, of course).
Incidentally, after the Guineas, everyone was saying what a great race it was and how solid the form was. Has STS gone from being the winner of a very good 2000gns to being the worst Derby winner since Sir Percy?
I guess we won’t find out until he runs again, but I won’t be laying him, that’s for sure.
I think the Guineas was a poor one and have always said as much. I think this years three year olds are average especially the milers the middle distance horses its perhaps a little early to tell.
Its not just Sir Percy, New Approach came very close to doing the double as did Golan also. Perhaps horses are now beginning to find the extra distance a little less of a problem? There was a time whn Guineas winners were unsighted at Epsom – Cape Verdi, Entrepreneur, Rodrigo De Triano, Mystiko and I’ve probably forgotten one or two.
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