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I see a quote in the Telegraph which attributes K.Fallon as saying Dylan Thomas is the best horse he’s ridden.
Surely not.
If Fallon thinks that, then who are we to argue.
He has ridden many good horses in his time.
Falbrav, Hurricane Run, Ouija Board and Peeping Fawn –
to name but a few.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Who does Fallon work for? Coolmore. Any hint of a smart horse and they are talked up as one of the best they have ever seen!
Golan: Best RPR=129, 2 Group 1s (1 all-sex/all-age)
Russian Rhythm: Best RPR=123, 4 Group 1s (1 all-sex/all-age)
Bosra Sham: Best RPR=130, 3 Group 1s (1 all-sex/all-age)
Ouija Board: Best RPR=124, 7 Group 1s (2 all-sex/all-age)
Hurricane Run: Best RPR=133, 4 Group 1s (2 all-sex/all-age)Dylan Thomas: Best RPR=130, 5 Group 1s (3 all-sex/all-age)
Going by that he’s right up there. Hurricane Run, and then only on the day of his Arc, is the only one I’d put significantly ahead of him personally.
Bar Ouija Board, please tell me what Dylan Thomas has beaten?
For me he is just short of being a genuine Group 1 performer and he was exposed against the likes of Authorized and Manduro. Good horse but Fallon must be in a dream world to call him the best he has ever ridden.
he was exposed against the likes of Authorized and Manduro
He was indeed – exposed as a very very good horse.
Of course if you don’t rate DT, ask yourself what has Manduro beaten – Holocene and Turtle Bowl?
And Authorized? Eagle Mountain, Raincoat and Charlie Fairnsbarns?
It’s as if we need a way of "rating" horses not just by who they beat, but by how far…
‘Of course if you don’t rate DT, ask yourself what has Manduro beaten – Holocene and Turtle Bowl?
And Authorized? Eagle Mountain, Raincoat and Charlie Fairnsbarns? ‘
They were still good enough to beat Dylan Thomas though weren’t they?
Pat Eddery, Lester Piggott and Willie Carson have all been asked at one time or another which horse they considered the best they have ever ridden. They have all given different replies at different times.
I have only heard three flat jockeys to consistently give the same answer to that question.
Joe Mercer – Brigadier Gerard.
Geoff Lewis – Mill Reef.and
Pat Glennon, who, many years after his retirement, was asked by an Australian journalist to give the best horse he had ever ridden, replied. "Sea – Bird – not only best horse I’ve ridden mate, but the best I’ve ever seen."
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
‘Of course if you don’t rate DT, ask yourself what has Manduro beaten – Holocene and Turtle Bowl?
And Authorized? Eagle Mountain, Raincoat and Charlie Fairnsbarns? ‘
They were still good enough to beat Dylan Thomas though weren’t they?
The difference being that I *do* rate Dylan Thomas, and I also believe that it’s not just who you beat but by how far and in what way – hence Manduro slamming Turtle Bowl by 5 lengths, Authorized doing the same to Eagle Mountain and Dylan Thomas doing the same to Youmzain isn’t something I gloss over without a second thought.
I don’t know what it is but DT just does’nt have that bit of magig I expect to see from a great horse maybe it will come but until then not a great fan of him
Dylan Thomas is a top class group one horse. He’s got to be up there with anything Fallon has ridden.
I would ignore RPR’s though or at least take them with a pinch of salt.
To be fair Himself, it was a bit of a no-brainer for Mercer, Lewis and Glennon!
Well, er, yes !
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
He is engimatic, that’s for sure, but I don’t think you can really fault Dylan Thomas with regard to raw ability – any horse who can boast a victory over the likes of Ouija Board has to be a serious animal.
The stark comparison between RPRs and race victories employed previously does not act as a suitable tool for assessing just how good any one horse is. Racing is about more than just figures and, as British governments continue to prove, figures can be manipulated to show anything you want them to.
Dylan Thomas may not have beaten much in some of his races, though this is becoming an ever more annoying catchphrase for the chronic pessimists among us, but he has edged out one of the best fillies of recent times and chased home a damn fine animal in Manduro. He may not have done it with the flamboyance and poise that the likes of Russian Rhythm and the like did, but show has nothing to do with class.
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