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Surely the unspoken disappointment of the BC was the riding of Murtagh. He rode like a robot.Suffering from too much instructions in my opinion.He was late out the gate on Westphalia and did not know how to recover.He rode Soldier of Fortune like he was brain dead,.no need to follow his pacemaker so closely.But he never made a decision that worked all week.He seemed to be tied to instructions even when the races called for improvisations.Even Velasquez suggested that he got too much instructions from his trainer and that if he had known his horse better he might have beaten Ravens Pass!
No one knows what instructions Murtagh got from O’Brien.
Personally I didn’t think there was anything wrong with his ride on Westphalia, for a jockey who "did not know how to recover" he came mighty close being robbed only on the line. His ride on Solider Of Fortune wasn’t bad either IMO the horse just wasn’t good enough and was never likely to be on fast ground despite O’Brien’s claims that its a myth that SOF is a better horse on softer ground.
Watch the start of the Westphalia race. From a perfect draw he got out late and gave away his advantage.But all I can say about that race is it was a very poor job.
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His ride on Solider Of Fortune wasn’t bad either IMO the horse just wasn’t good enough and was never likely to be on fast ground despite O’Brien’s claims that its a myth that SOF is a better horse on softer ground.
I wouldn’t be sure that AoB was at all wrong on that score?
All of SOF’s form indicates that he needs a stiff test at 12f (His best performance coming in the Irish Derby, when it was all of that) and the sharp Santa Anita track was never going to be in his favour. The fast ground on the day just emphasised the lack of a stamina test, and he ran quite well, accordingly.
As the St Leger winner, Conduit, was outstanding on the day, it might suggest that the BC Turf was a proper test, but the raft of 10f horses close-up suggests that SOF was done for speed, rather than anything to do with the ground.
To me, anyway, if not to FoF.
Well he’s not my cup of tea but I actually agree with you 100%.I’m suprised they bothered sending him but I guess with him having a light season and all that they thought why not. Probaly ran as well as AOB expected. As far as JM is concerned he gets it right a lot more often than not and I am not for armchair amature bashing.Guy wouldn’t be in the job for 5 minutes if they thought he wasn’t good enough and they are much better judges than anyone on here.
Of course he does.Of course they are.What I am saying is that at the BC he had a very poor meeting.Getting it wrong all of the time.
Going from a perfect draw (3)to third last at the clubhouse turn was a disaster in my opinion.If he had gotten out of the gate he would have controlled the race.From there (third last)he went up the inside and had to find a way out,he went for his race and had nothing left .Perfect how not to do it from a disaster start.Remember Lester from a disaster start on Royal Academy?Cash and Lester were second last and last from the start.Cash went up the inside and Lester did not panic and went around the field on the final bend. Made only one effort which took him to the winning post.Murtagh
made three moves First he went up the inside,second he had to get out, third he had to win.Result,guaranteed to fail in group one company.A jockey should ask for one run only, which ends at the winning postGoing from a perfect draw (3)to third last at the clubhouse turn was a disaster in my opinion.If he had gotten out of the gate he would have controlled the race.From there (third last)he went up the inside and had to find a way out,he went for his race and had nothing left .Perfect how not to do it from a disaster start.Remember Lester from a disaster start on Royal Academy?Cash and Lester were second last and last from the start.Cash went up the inside and Lester did not panic and went around the field on the final bend. Made only one effort which took him to the winning post.Murtagh
made three moves First he went up the inside,second he had to get out, third he had to win.Result,guaranteed to fail in group one company.A jockey should ask for one run only, which ends at the winning postWestphalia is not a horse that wants to hit the front too soon and hitting it earlier or being handier would have seen him beaten further.
But even allowing for it, it was hardly an "awful" ride and Murtagh was fine bar SOF on the night. He was brilliant on Heart Shaped.
Soldier of Fortune is a cup horse in 12f clothing. In my opinion Murtagh did nothing wrong and the soldier was done again for toe. If he’d held him up he would have been beaten further.
Difference of opinion I guess.I think that Henry the Navigator got the best ride of all of Aidans horses.I agree that Heart Shaped got the best of Murtagh’s rides.Since Aidan gives instructions and Murtagh follows then Aidan cannot complain like he did about Kinane.Pat Smullen was brilliant on his winner.
The weather found Soldier of Fortune out this year( he loves the heavy).He was put aside for the Arc and it rained all summer.When the Arc came the ground was good and also at Santa Anita. So they plan to keep him around for next year and maybe race him in the wet summer weather with the heavy going like this year.
I think it was more a case of you can only pee pee with the willy you’ve got.
Sometimes we ecpect too much from AOB and co. They just had another disaster down under and simply the horses wern’t good enough.
Even Duke of Maramalade had people talking about him being some kind of onder horse but the truth is he was shown to be quite ordinary at the end of the day.
Aragorn got it right when he said SOF is a cup horse in 12f clothing and you couldn’t really expect much more of him.
Even Duke of Maramalade had people talking about him being some kind of onder horse but the truth is he was shown to be quite ordinary at the end of the day.
Duke Of Marmalade ran miles below form in the Arc and Breeders Cup…all formlines point to that. But sure ignore those to suit your arguement.
Fist wrote:
Sometimes we ecpect too much from AOB and co. They just had another disaster down under and simply the horses wern’t good enough.
Fist, I agree Ballydoyle had a disaster, a fearful one! But, I can’t believe you really believe that Viewed and Bauer are better horses than Septimus!
O’Brien has admitted that he has a lot to learn about Australian racing and winning this race in particular. Perhaps he will reconsider the timing of the travel and the need for an Australian prep. I hope he learns from this horrendous mistake. I hope also that his three horses are not shattered by the experience.
Perhaps next time O’Brien will use Australian jockeys, let them get to know their horses in a prep or at least in work riding, and let them race ride instead of giving them too many instructions!
In truth, you couldn’t really call DOM anything other than an average G1 winner. It’s fair to say he beat nothing of any substance apart from a clearly out of sorts and poorly ridden Youmzain in a King George.
A case of right place, right time for this over rated multiple group one winner. It happens.
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