Frankie 'motivating' Cracksman before the POW stakes

[wordfromthewise]

Have I missed it or was their really no mention of Frankie Dettori whipping Cracksman down at the start of the POW at Ascot.
I can’t remember seeing anything like this before a big race and not being a horseman I don’t know what its meant to achieve and although they weren’t full on forehand strikes they were more than flicks and it sure did’nt look good and didn’t look like the kind of thing that would help a horses mood.

Luke Harvey mentioned that just prior that Cracksman had stumbled after arriving at the start so maybe Frankie was annoyed but to the uninformed like me whipping a horse just before a big race seems like a way to sour it rather than anything else.

Surprised that the racing PR machine wasn’t required to explain it away.

As it was Cracksman was generally thrown under the bus surprisingly quickly by everyone including jockey and trainer and although sulky at times in the race he was only beaten by just over 2l with 8 back to the 3rd in a fast time and it sounds like we can expect him to turn up next in the full works of concentration aids.

All a bit weird.

[Gingertipster]

Force used less than you suggest WFTW, just an attempt at waking the horse up.

Value Is Everything

[chestnut]

ITV mentioned it a couple of times. I think they even asked Dettori about it.

[Louise12]

I know what you’re saying, wordfromthewise, but he looks like a big ignorant yob at the moment (the horse, not Frankie). I worked more with jumpers than flatties, so don’t have massive experience of colts, but from the small sample I rode out there were some that just went all regal and half sleepy on you – to be honest if you put a bomb under them they’d still be in that superior, aloof state (and you can get geldings like that too, if they are coltish in their behaviour). I don’t think there was much FD could do except try and get him a bit more ‘present’, hence the sharper than usual slaps. Much was made on ITV of the comments about the autumn regarding the ground, but Gosden might also be thinking about fillies not being in season as much at that time.

[stevecaution]

The story I got was that they tried a Horse Whisperer but Robert Redford couldn’t bring Cracksman round.

A new, more forceful, Horse Whisperer was sought but it turned out Brian Blessed couldn’t make it, as he was recording naff World Cup adverts for Paddy Power, so Frankie had to invoke plan C and resort to a couple of smacks of the good old “Lucky Dip”, as they used to do in the old days before there were “Sensitive Viewers” to consider.

Sorry for “Rushin” off, “Moss Go” as Brian would thunder.

Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.

[stevecaution]

The other story was that John Gosden shouted to Frankie “Come on Frankie, give me the true Cracksman”

Frankie misheard it as “Come on Frankie, give him a few cracks man”

Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.

[ham]

LOL steve

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