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A few might be looking to delete their posts, if not their accounts, at this point!
That is bound to be a salty one for Sir Michael Stoute, who has still not quite shaken off the idea that he is a little bit inept with the two-year-olds. It does blow the Guineas picture wide open though. US Navy Flag has been around the block already, Expert Eye is now unbackable and Emaraaty was ironed-out too. Gustav Klimt and The Pentagon are MIA and their form isn’t working out too well. Elarqam last horse standing?
Perhaps a French horse or an unraced three-year-old will appear on the scene next year.
First horse since Diesis in 1982 to do the Middle Park/Dewhurst double, thank god common sense prevailed when the Middle Park was moved away from this date back to its original spot.
I did notice in the winners enclosure afterwards that US Navy Flag had obviously given everything in that run as he was standing as still as a statue with his head bowed down very low blowing very hard. He seems to also have a lot of speed so would another furlong be what he wants in 2000g or would a drop back to 6F for the Commonwealth Cup be a better fit for him?
Re Expert Eye: After rearing in the stalls just before they opened (was it a bad omen that he also had his own handler to lead him in?) his race was over after the first 2F and it very much reminded me of the first half of Frankel’s Dewhurst when he did the exact same thing.
A few might be looking to delete their posts, if not their accounts, at this point!
Ease up, remember Brian The Snail?
These horses make a monkey of all of us at times.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Stoute managed to sort out King’s Best after running a similarly buzzy race and finishing last. Admittedly, all in all, they don’t normally live up to previous expectations once they blow out in such a way in their big juvenile test, but if he comes out and wins the Craven( quite sure he will run in a trial), then he’s right back in the picture.
A few might be looking to delete their posts, if not their accounts, at this point!
That is bound to be a salty one for Sir Michael Stoute, who has still not quite shaken off the idea that he is a little bit inept with the two-year-olds. It does blow the Guineas picture wide open though. US Navy Flag has been around the block already, Expert Eye is now unbackable and Emaraaty was ironed-out too. Gustav Klimt and The Pentagon are MIA and their form isn’t working out too well. Elarqam last horse standing?
Perhaps a French horse or an unraced three-year-old will appear on the scene next year.
A few fickle folks on here writing a horse off on the back of one run that was way too bad to be true. He’d shown speed and style and excellent form that was being backed up subsequently. I didn’t have a bet in the race but he’s being written off much too soon.
I would agree with you Joe that you shouldn’t write a horse off after one run.. however what would concern me more in terms of his chances in the 2000 guineas is the fact that he seems to lack scope and I just wonder if others have caught up with him and passed him
Often a matter of opinion, Judge, but he has scope enough to my eye. Looks well made, strong and well balanced and I see no reason that he can’t improve physically.
Depending on the severity of the lameness, there must be a chance he was sore before the race and it might explain his early upset demeanour. It could be argued that the jock should have known he wasn’t quite right but I’d guess that lameness behind is much more difficult to detect than on forelegs where, I’d guess, the vast majority of lameness incidents occur.
I just feel that many (not just here) are reacting as though this was an unraced colt who’s homework had got Newmarket buzzing and he has turned up on course and blown out. The horse has proven form, good speed figures and had been working the house down by all accounts.
Anyway, time will tell as it always does.
Absolutely he should be given a pass for today, also remember that the initial plan was for him to of had another run inbetween Goodwood and today so by missing that run it meant he hadn’t run for a couple of months which could be a reason for him being so headstrong today.
In my opinion Stoute has a bit to work on over the winter to get him to settle (maybe he can use the same method that Cecil did with Frankel or a repeat of what he did with King’s Best) as at the moment I wouldn’t be confident going into a 2000g especially if he has to go without a prep race to take some fizz out of him.
As there is currently now no standout favourite for the race it is very much game on and the trials next year could be very interesting/informative.
Racing Post reported the following:
Atzeni said: “He jumped well but was a bit gassy and when I asked him he didn’t pick up like he had at Goodwood. Perhaps it was just one of those days.” Sir Michael Stoute said: “It was just very disappointing. He was a little keen early on even so it was disappointing. That was not him.”
Connections were left bemused by the performance, for which no explanation was apparent despite a brief suggestion the colt was lame on his right hind. Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to owner Khalid Abdullah, said: “They were a bit worried he might be slightly off. They trotted him up back in the yard and he trotted sound.”
Id back him for the guineas, todays run was nonsense in terms of his abillity, i wouldnt baxk him at 4/1 for the guineas but id back him if he was 8-10/1 whatever it is i havent looked
Being far far to harsh on the horse, he has plenty of scope, he has plenty of abillity, he is only 2, he has 7 months to recover and strengthen for the guineas,
Some crazy comments here…
That was just too bad to be true from EE. When you have a trainer as long in the tooth as Sir M getting as excited as he was then you know that you have an unusual horse. If he was injured then he has to be forgiven. Saying that, the winner is just like his sister and improves from race to race. You couldn’t rule him out next May. Also anyone on Elarqam should be feeling happier after today…..
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
12/1 Expert Eye for Guineas apparently
Is a definite good bet, considering the lameness and how unsettled the horse clearly was
Rated 118 today and beaten 3 lengths by a 103 horse….. common sense has to come into it at some point, anyone who thinks theobald improved 18lbs today needs their head checked
I was as disappointed as everyone else re EE – but, watching the replay again, it seems to me that everything that tried to go with US Navy Flag from the start was cooked by 5.5-6f. With the exception of Mendelssohn (who tracked his stable mate), the next three home all came from off the pace. Emaraaty and EE, who were in the vanguard with USNF, both finished in rear. I also noticed – just as did LD73 – that USNF was absolutely cooked in the winners’. His demeanour (head right down, practically motionless, blowing hard) reminded me of Denman post his heroics in the 2008 GC. That horse left everything out on the track today.
I wonder, is this another case of Team Ballydoyle tactics winning out? USNF (G1 already under his belt) goes out hard @ 6f pace to upset EE and take the fav out of his comfort zone; one sits in-behind and the other 2 are behind to pick up the pieces. Result – first 4 home.
Yes Joni – Elarqam! Cardsharp was 3l adrift of USNF in the Middle Park and 6.5l behind today. Noticeably, Cardsharp, who was in the vanguard in the Middle Park, could not get to the front wave today. I’m pretty sure that the pecking order in Middleham would have Elarqam some way ahead of Cardsharp.
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