- This topic has 64 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated 18 years, 5 months ago by
.
- Posts
Suggestions of retirement are laughable. Perhaps one of the reasons the ‘spark’ has gone is that his 4/5 yo allowance has too. This is also a horse that has shown this season he he stays 2m+ on the Flat, that given there are plenty of options to try him at 20f+ over obstacles later in the season.
Suggestions of retirement are laughable. Perhaps one of the reasons the ‘spark’ has gone is that his 4/5 yo allowance has too. This is also a horse that has shown this season he he stays 2m+ on the Flat, that given there are plenty of options to try him at 20f+ over obstacles later in the season.
Perhaps you enjoy watching horses in decline – I certainly don’t. If a horse loses his enthusiasm he will find it difficult whatever the level – and from his current level there is only one way to go. The fact that the horse appears to have lost his way jumping fences clearly has nothing to do with any weight allowance – now I am not sure who is chuckling the most.
He been beaten only 4.75 lengths giving a progressive winner 16lb and beaten 1.75 by 2nd giving 9lb,
OR’s
142
145
154If you say RS has run to his mark, the result above suggests Fair Along has run near to his official mark and why people are saying he’s gone, needs retiring is a total mystery
What evidence is there that the horse is in decline? He was racing off 154 over fences today, nearly a stone higher than he’s rated over hurdles. Given today’s mark, what piece of form entitled him to finish any closer than he has today? Although his Cheltenham and Sandown wins were easy on the eye, he was receiving masses of weight on both occasions.
Also Fair Along’s Flat OR, RPR and Tf rating hardly support the view that he’s in decline. Like I say, the problem for him today seemed to be that he wasn’t quick enough. In fact, it’s to his credit that he stuck on as well as he did. Hardly a sign that he’s lost his enthusiasm.
just to add, Fair Along was 4th in on my adjusted ratings
Although i wasn’t as confident as Mounty. He was a lay today at his price if RS and the debut runners brought their A game
2 brought it
You jumped in front of me empty whilst I was compiling my thoughts!
I’d say great minds and all that David, but that would be an insult to you imo
Sad to see the performance of Fair Along. The exuberance he showed not so long ago looks to have completely gone and once you could see he was in no mood to have a cut at his fences the writing was on the wall.
You can’t write a horse of his age and calibre off on the back of a single poor run
It’s quite possible he wasn’t over his run in the Ces (hardly a soft race) only two weeks ago.
I’d also question, despite him having some form on fastish ground, whether he was altogether happy on Exeter autumn going.
Running top weight off 154 against a relatively unexposed field who, at the weights, had form (bare ratings) the equal or better than that of Fair Along meant that on a literal interpretation of those ratings FA would have had to improve to win anyway.
This was his stiffest chasing test so far
For the record Timeform had him bottom rated for todays race.
Apologies Jeremy
My statement is based on RPR’s and the current entries list on RP website
Pablo would have claims off an OR of 150 in a average race
Ah, gotcha. Yep, that stacks up more.
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.
Here’s an interesting stat about Fair Along that applies over hurdles and fences.
He’s never won a race in which the final time was within 10 secs of the Racing Post standard.
AP
Here’s an interesting stat about Fair Along that applies over hurdles and fences.
He’s never won a race in which the final time was within 10 secs of the Racing Post standard.
AP
Interesting stat AP
Would be interesting to hear from sectional guru’s, but at a guess, it suggests he probably needs to dictate and gets found out when the pace is decent
EW,
I’d say it supports the view that he’s not best suited by fast ground, such as he faced today.
But except on very soft ground and given his high rating, it’s hard to think of any race he can contest that won’t be run quicker than that.
AP
- Total Posts 17716
In my view, any horse that finished 2nd in a fast ground Chester Cup shouldn’t have too many problems with most of the ground winter jumping would throw at him. It was also pretty quick when he led the Triumph everywhere bar the last.
Maybe it is just his size but, on the evidence of today and his Arkle run, he just cannot jump as well when taken on from the start by other good horses and, while a step up in trip might help, I think he will struggle from hereon in over fences, at whatever distance.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.