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AIR FORCE BLUE 11/4
Ran a shocker at Newmarket but i feel he can turn form around AOB had horses run shockers at Newmarket before winning here.And this time see him deliver.Before going to ST James Palace
I agree with you Darren, if he returns to the form pre 2000 Guineas, I think
he wins. The question with him is whether the Guineas was just a one off, or
has he not trained on as expected.The 2000 Guineas was a disappointing race for me, and it just seemed to me to be
too bad to be true. Only 1 of the first ten home was in single figures in the betting.
I can’t work out why that was, I was hugely disappointed with Buratino who I fancied a
great deal, and obviously Air Force Blue ran no kind of race.Galaleo Gold went from being a good horse before the race, but hardly the most obvious
candidate going off joint 5th favourite, to being the new kid on the block touted as
the real deal and a potential Derby winner, although that’s been ruled out now. I’m not
saying that he won’t turn out to be the real deal, just because the fancied horses ran
badly doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t have won it had they ran well. To me there are too
many question marks over the 2000 Guineas form to see him as a 6/4 favourite for this.That being the case, I think that AWTAAD has done nothing but improve and
very clearly knows his way around the Curragh, having won his last 2 starts there really well.
He needs a bit of improvement, but there are no question marks about him, obviously other than
is he good enough, but he is in good form and I think there is more to come. I don’t think the
extra furlong will be a problem, and I reckon 6/1 is not a bad bet.Good luck with AFB Darren if you’re having a bet on him
Air Force Blue has a bit to prove now. Champion two year old but have the others caught up? His run was too bad to be true last time and Aiden is the master trainer but his comments have been a bit contradictive to normal saying he overworked the horse when normally he builds them up over the season. O’Brien fires four here whereas he only had the two at Newmarket which doesn’t strike confidence. Galileo Gold’s pedigree looks more of a later maturing type and his results as a two year old were very good considering this. His 2000 run shows he has improved and I think he will become even better over 10f. The Curragh is a stiff enough track and will suit him and I think he will win.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
Everyone seemed to think that Aidan and “The lads” hyped up Air Force Blue going to Newmarket.
Well, I didn’t see it at all and I was all over the internet, every day, in the build up.
Michael Tabor was at his most confident ever just before the Dewhurst in telling us Air Force Blue was more special than Minding who had won the Fillies Mile earlier. Other than reports that Air Force Blue had filled out and his preparation had gone smoothly, there was little to suggest that they were super confident as we approached the Guineas.
On Guineas day I wasn’t awed by how Air Force Blue looked. I expected a stand out specimen but he didn’t strike me as a colt of physical superiority to his rivals. In the race he never travelled as I recalled him the previous season and he was in trouble a long way out. The previous season he travelled well in behind, drew level in the closing stages and asserted his authority by putting distance between him self and his rivals in the final furlong. All of that was missing at Newmarket.
Aidan seems hopeful of a better performance today. The press are trying to sell it as confidence of bouncing back in their headlines but reading the trainer’s actual words tells a different story.
I think he’s up against it today and 5/2 is a silly price in my opinion. There is Galileo Gold and also the promising Atwaad and Blue De Vega in the field. I am not sure he will even better stablemate Air Vice Marshall today.
In the end I did Atwaad each-way at 6/1 and a small saver win bet on Blue De Vega at 11/1, as I felt they were the value options.
I’d love to see Air Force Blue return to his best but the feeling is that his star burned bright last year and he’s not got the engine to push his bigger and more laden frame now.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
I am with G and Steve on this one !!
AWTAAD for me each way at 6/1.
I don’t see how anyone can back AFB with any confidence and I would have to see it run well before believing all the hype.
Trappy race, leave alone I reckon.
Think the favourite will win and many seem to be underestimating but don’t see what he’s done wrong. Air force blue bubble was burst at Newmarket but as others say he could bounce back.
Unbeaten at the curragh so I can see the logic for giving him another chance but as gamblers you are supposed to believe what is in front of you. And what is in front of you is a desperately poor run in the guineas, a pedigree that questions his ability to train on at three and also get the mile.
Second guessing what is going on behind the scenes at Coolmore is not a successful betting strategy long-term imo.
I am with the consensus here that AFB is way too short considering he has so much to prove. Apart from the tongue-tie there doesn’t seem to be any reason put forward for that terrible display at Newmarket. It may well have just been an off day and certainly Power and Roderick O’ Connor are two examples of Ballydoyle horses who were able to leave their Newmarket form way behind. I was thinking this morning that if you swapped the trainers of the two principals what prices would they be? As much as HP is up and coming I think that if AOB trained GG he would be heavily odds on. I’m not sure Hugo’s horse has been given the credit he deserves for winning the Guineas and his trainer thinks the world of him. It may well be that he is still on the upgrade and I think he is the most likely winner though I will probably just watch. Awtaad has done nothing wrong but he is only a listed winner and so needs to step up against a proven Group 1 performer. Part of me hopes AFB runs well because I don’t want The Gurkha heading to Royal Ascot, but it is just very hard to overlook that Newmarket run.
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The ground is softer now, so I wonder how that will affect them. Atwaad has won on it and Blue De Vega ran OK on it, so maybe that may help them.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
The winner was very impressive, he was running all over them all race. Air Force Blue looks a “problem” horse to me. Galileo Gold has had his day in the sun I think, with likely faster ground in the summer he’ll be done for speed in top Group ones.
St James’ Palace for the winner I’d expect.
Air Force Blue hasn’t trained on. He pulled too hard early anyway but that wasn’t the horse we saw last year and he looks a bust. He was silly odds today.
Atwaad was a cosy winner and the co-commentator on At The Races should make his way to the nearest school for race reading classes. He was talking the biggest load of cobblers I have ever heard in my life just after the race, when he suggested Galileo Gold was unlucky. According to this erstwhile Stevie Wonder, Galileo Gold was travelling just as well as Atwaad but had a troubled passage.
The only troubled passage was his passage of commentary that was an embarrassment to listen to. Galileo Gold going just as well as Atwaad? Was that why the jockey on Atwaad was motionless with his hands on the back of his horses’s neck while Frankie was already laying into Galileo Gold with the whip?
What a load of nonsense and the man should not be commentating on races. We had Atwaad in the race and Atwaat in the commentary box.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Yes Steve you are right Galileo Gold was never travelling anywhere near as well as Awtaad. In fact it was only stamina kicking in that ensured his second place. I’d be stepping him up to ten furlongs if he were mine.
Yes Steve you are right Galileo Gold was never travelling anywhere near as well as Awtaad. In fact it was only stamina kicking in that ensured his second place. I’d be stepping him up to ten furlongs if he were mine.
I jokingly commented that “He’s a mile and a half horse” as they crossed the line.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
The 3yo males look utterly pants this year.
Really? I thought visually at least the winner looked a monster and as impressive as any recent winner of the race
9-2 for the st james palace? mmmm yes please
I am a bit puzzled by the race tactics. The boss gave me no instructions, except not to get there too soon, which I did, but I saw Frankie was in trouble on the rail and I wanted to make it as hard as possible for him,” said Hayes, who punched the air in delight as he rocketed to the finishing line. “He’s the best horse I’ve ever ridden.”
It seems to suggest the winner accelerated earlier than planned because this would increase the gap back to Galileo Gold who was caught in traffic. But normally this acceleration would waste energy versus running steadily so maybe the winning time would have been quicker if Awtaad’s pace had been steadier. So the tactic appears irrational. However, it sounds like the winner was better than even the jockey expected so stayed on well despite the acceleration. So it worked out well in the end.
Well done guys with Awtaad, he done it very easy. Happy for Hayes, he was delighted with that and so he should be.
I wouldn’t be writing off Galileo Gold just yet, he still ran a good race. You can see why O’Brien had the four in the field, they seemed at pains to try and keep GG closed in and for me it disturbed his rhythm whereas the winner was able to flow his way around like a butterfly.
I think he’s worth another go in the St James Palace and maybe step him up after that, when the going gets quicker and the different generations clash.
Where now for AFB…? The going was against him today and I was surprised they didn’t pull him out which must mean they were happy enough with him going into the race.Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
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