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Strangely enough that crossing has caused problems in our races and similarly the ones at Taunton and Hereford. But then the Arabs are a fickle bunch and far too clever for their own good.
I’m trying to think if I’ve ever seen Tony McCoy give a more tender ride to a horse than the one I just saw on Straw Bear. Nice round of jumping though, I’ll forgive him a slow jump or two.
I’m trying to think if I’ve ever seen Tony McCoy give a more tender ride to a horse than the one I just saw on Straw Bear. Nice round of jumping though, I’ll forgive him a slow jump or two.
I didn’t think Straw Bear jumped that well although as the race went on I thought he jumped better.
McCoy’s ride was definitely one where he looked after the horse and for me didn’t do enough to obtain the horse’s best possible placing. With a proper ride I think Straw Bear probably would’ve won.
Is it an infringement on the rules of racing? Well if the rules state that a horse should be ridden to obtain his best possible placing then IMO yes and to be honest I think action needs to be taken. There is a difference between not being 100% wound up and being "tenderly ridden". This isn’t a green two year old its an experienced horse.
I thought the horse was close enough 4 out if good enough on the day. Didn’t seem to have the change of gear when it mattered, and the fact it finished so close to the winner was due to it idling according to King.
Yes, Straw Bear didn’t get the full pack and rifle by Mccoy, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t ridden to obtain best placing.
Straw Bear jumped quite deliberately at times, but he was steady and can build on this round with more confidence next time.
It may be too early to make such a statement, but, like his career over hurdles, he may struggle against the very best.
I was impressed with The Tother One. He will be better suited by a left-handed track and, like Gone To Lunch, he was quite clever when needed. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him at Cheltenham next time out.
Gone To Lunch, ears pricked, appeared to enjoy himself and will compete against the top staying novice chasers throughout the season.
Gone To Lunch looks a likely type for the National Hunt Chase.
Good Shout. He stays forever and appears to be a straight-forward ride. Ideal for an amateur.
What about The Tother One? He jumped to his left on occasions, but drifted right on the run-in. His stamina was questioned over hurdles and I think he could prove better over shorter.
The Tother One is perfectly adept at 3 miles, he’s just a little bit of a quirky sort.
Remember Nicholls being none too impressed with Sam Thomas last year, may have been at Cheltenham where he got to the front too soon. The Tother One is always going to be one of those horses that isn’t going to do a great deal in front. Nevertheless I think both him and Gone To Lunch are horses to follow this season.
Gone To Lunch looks a likely type for the National Hunt Chase.
Good Shout. He stays forever and appears to be a straight-forward ride. Ideal for an amateur.
Moreover, as Jeremy and Camilla Scott had him in as a point-to-pointer before graduating him to novices’ hurdles last summer, it’s not as if having 12+ stone of amateur on board is anything especially alien to him. I wonder if Neil Harris was watching that race, licking his lips.
However, on what we’ve seen so far this autumn, and with Nicholls likelier to have several better aspirants than him for the Royal & SunAlliance, I think I’d sooner nominate Herecomesthetruth as marginally the better NH Chase type.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Was not impressed at all with Straw Bear.
Cant see him being an Arkle horse but maybe the new 2m4f Grade 2 Novice Chase at Aintree in April could be his forte as 2m is not his best trip over fences.
The Tother One which if you live in the North like i do then the word The is not needed to pronounce it did ok but the track did not suit him and he may be better if he runs in the Towton at Wetherby in February or for one of the Leopardstown 3m Novice events but he could be ideal for the 4m Chase judging by the way he stays.
McCoy nursed Straw Bear today, didnt give him a hard time at all and didn’t get the whip on him once.
Some of his jumps were a bit ‘iffy’ but it was his chasing debut.
Maybe so Jeremy, though I personally think that Nicholls will do well to have "several better aspirants" than Herecomesthetruth in the staying division. He looked an absolute natural at Chepstow, and I don’t think it’s necessarily a formality that he will find himself down the Sun Alliance pecking order at Ditcheat.
Granted it’s early days, but he was certainly more polished than The Tother One, and in terms of Nicholls novice chasers that seem guaranteed to get 3m+, only Big Fella Thanks, Nevada Royale and Forest Pennant would seem to have the requisite class to potentially knock Herecomesthetruth into the National Hunt Chase – and even, I don’t think it’s necessarily guaranteed.
The 3 mile Beginners Chase between The Tother One and Gone To Lunch had that two horse race look about it. I thought they both performed admirably without exactly covering themselves in glory.
The winner seems to be a difficult ride and on the run to the last he wandered into Gone To Lunch. After being a tad sticky over the first few he warmed to his task . Paul Nicholls commented that he’s not the most natural jumper at home and he would be looking at the 3 mile race, at the Hennessy meeting, for him next time out.
At least it was good compensation for the connections after The Nightingale knuckled over, after jumping the last, with the race all but won. A ghastly incident and very good to see both horse and jockey walk away, particularly The Nightingale as he took a bit of time before getting to his feet.
Straw Bear? I just had the feeling from the way Nick Gifford was talking before the race that he would always come for the experience. It looked like Pasco was a bit free early on. Straw Bear jumped well enough and seemed to stay on well. Tony McCoy was not hard on the horse and it all looked compounded by the way Sir Harry Ormesher was idling on the run in.
The stewards held an enquiry into the running and riding of Straw Bear, and accepted Tony McCoy’s explanation. Though as yet, I really don’t know exactly what he said to them.
Some top class racing at Exeter today with the best bit of news that The Nightingale was sound after getting up from that ghastly incident.
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