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Thanks guys. Yes Ectot was on several of my TTTF lists after I saw him beat Karakontie in the French 2,000 trial. A big, imposing colt he only does just enough as you would see if you watched that race. Of course he was then fav for the 2,000 but picked up an injury and Karakontie won it in his absence.
I have been keeping a keen eye out for his return as I have a TTTF line in contention with only him failing to pick up any points. The minor injury kept him out all season until I saw him entered for the Champion and QEII but what was really interesting was when the Niel entries came out. He was entered in that race but NOT in the Moulin (8f) or the Dollar (10f) on Arc weekend. This told me that they were definitely aiming him at the Arc and that the Ascot races were his backup if he didn’t stay. Seeing him at 50’s I thought why the heck not!? Then he gets Pricewised, then he gets bought by Qatar Sheikh’s and then he wins the Niel and now he is 7’s! If he wins the Arc I could just win the TTTF so exciting times.
I think Steve is right though – he didn’t 100% prove that he would get a soft ground mile and a half. Watching it live I thought he was going to get swamped but to be fair he found more when Teletext got to him and, as I said, he only seems to do just about enough. Interestingly he has excellent form on soft ground but it might just test that stamina. What was super impressive though was that Frankel-like swoop round the field as they turned in. He looked different class. Were the opposition any good? Well Gallante was a G1 winner as was Adelaide (who admittedly found trouble in running) and the time was by far the quickest of the trials. I think he has a great chance especially as the trainer had stated beforehand she had left plenty to work on. Fingers crossed…..
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
So I normally steer clear of 2 year old races but I saw a very promising debut a few weeks ago by
Yodelling
of Charlie Appleby’s. It was only a small conditions race at Kempton but she hacked up in the style of a potentially useful filly. She runs at Newbury this afternoon and although she is up against a decent field I expect her to run well at a backable price.
This is often the time of year when the Godolphin horses come good (ie normally when it is too late!!!) so I’ll take a chance on the in form
Safety Check
in the race after as well.
£50 win Yodelling 4-1 – 4.05 Newbury non runner
£50 win Safety Check – 9-2 – 4.40 Newbury
£25 win double loser
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
- Total Posts 764
Great thread Joni!
Keen on Safety Check too, seems a good horse and with Goodolphin winning 4 of the last 5 renewals of this race I can’t see past him, especially at generous-enough odds.
I’m afraid I can’t say the same about Yodelling though, yes she lookd very impressive on debut but that was against weak opposition and on the sand, I’m keen on Marsh Hawk and this is a race that’ll be perfect for her, she’ll dominate from the front and extend away whenever Hughes feels necessary leaving the others to trail behind.
I’ve personally done the Marsh Hawk/Safety Check double so hope one of us wins!
Thanks Ben – really appreciate it! You could be right with the Hannon horse but I think mine will get a nice toe in and zip past him 100 yards out.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
- Total Posts 764
The reverse forecast seems obvious now doesn’t it!
A shame mine ended up not running but an impressive winner nonetheless Ben!
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Not much to whet the appetite today. Big field handicaps are not my thing. One horse I think could have his day is
Hillstar
. He has a string of seconds this year but has run against good company and I think he will get his ideal conditions today. Right trip, right sort of track and ground he goes on. I prefer him to Tasaday and my only worry is Cubanita who sometimes goes well fresh and has talent.
£80 win Hillstar – 10-3 – Newbury 1.50
£3,619.37"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
So another good winner yesterday and it went pretty much as I thought. Should have done the tricast!
As you can see if you read the Arc thread I am getting more and more excited about
Ectot
. Every time I watch the Niel he looks more and more impressive especially when you consider it was his first run since April. I honestly think we could be looking at a special racehorse here – he has that superstar quality and I think he will win the Arc in spectacular fashion IF he stays and it doesn’t get too bog-like.
I see today that Longchamp is now soft after rain this weekend so I have had a back-up bet and a further nostalgia bet. Roger Varian has been telling us all year how good
Kingston Hill
is and we are still to see him race on his favoured surface. It it stays soft I expect him to run a massive race. After having had so much joy with her, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if
Taghrooda
won and I hadn’t backed her so she gets some of my pennies too. She is still a high class filly and this has been her aim for some time. I am hoping the break after York will have done her the world of good.
£125 ew Kingston Hill – 12-1 Arc
£50 win Taghrooda – 6-1 Arc
loser
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Another week working abroad but I see
Outstrip
is a big price for the Joel Stakes tomorrow. He has been trying to beat Kingman all year and has not run badly the last twice. He’ll surely find this much easier and his trainer could not be in better form. Worth a tickle methinks.
£50ew Outstrip 8-1 – 3.15 Newmarket
£3,519.37"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
What a weekend this should be. Some fantastic racing at Newmarket and Longchamp and obviously for me it is all about one horse this weekend. I was delighted with the draw yesterday as it will give Benoist all options. They are due a little bit of rain at Longchamp tonight which might be enough to tilt conditions to good to soft but I don’t think it is going to be any worse than that. My confidence in the horse is as high as ever but of course it is often a rough race so he will need luck. If he gets he wins, simple as that. He has an incredible turn of foot this horse and loads of speed. If this was a mile race he would be a short fav but the great thing is he is bred for a mile and half and gets it. I think 6’s is still a good price to be honest.
Today the racing comes with a major health warning. It is going to bucket it down at some point this morning and so I am treading carefully. When it rains at Newmarket just before racing the ground becomes very loose on top making it very difficult to predict who will like it. I remember when I went down to see
Frankel
win the Dewhurst a few years ago and they had a heavy storm just before the first race. Of course the wonderhorse handled it ok but
Dream Ahead
, who had just sluiced home on genuine soft ground in the Middle Park, was all at sea on it.
So there are 2 races that I would like to bet in but I’ll hold fire to race time. I tipped Yodelling for a conditions race last week and she was withdrawn late on because of the ground. I find it interesting that she now starts favourite in a Group 3 which probably shows how much they rate her. If it doesn’t rain too much she is worth a bet at 11-4 as I believe she is Group class.
The Sun Chariot is pretty much a who’s who of my favourite fillies and they have all served me well this year.
Kiyoshi
was fantastic lto but she is a 7f filly and doesn’t quite see out the mile.
Sky Lantern
would win this if she was back to her best and the trainer is bullish but we are surely taking a lot on trust.
Integral
has been brilliant for me this year and she was completely unsuited by the slow pace lto and returned with a bruised foot anyway. The problem is where is the pace going to come from today? So then we have the 3 Fabre horses.
Fintry
is favourite though I am not quite sure why. She seems fairly workmanlike to me and the stable jockey hasn’t chosen her. She is progressive but plenty short enough for me.
Miss France
is imo under-rated. She is unbeaten at the track and is the Guineas winner. She will be very fresh as she has only had the two runs since when she was unlucky in the Diane and then again unsuited by the crawl at Deauville. Again though, where is the pace and will she handle a bit of rain?
Which leaves me with
Esoterique
. I saw her win here on Guineas day and she is ultra consistent. She showed the most speed in that race at Deauville and handles soft ground well. Her run last time out was probably her best finishing just behind three very good colts. She is likely to be my main bet depending on that rain.
I should also mention my dear friend
Cirrus Des Aigles
running in France. He has a pretty lousy record fresh but I still expect him to beat this lot as he should be fairly forward with Champions Day only 2 weeks away. I hope he wins anyway.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Still not sure quite how much the rain has got in at Newmarket but it looks very loose to me so will not be backing Yodelling.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
So quite glad that I held off in the end but delighted to see
Integral
win. She is a super filly and I hope they run in her the QEII as she has to have a chance in what might be quite an open race now. She has also given me a 2nd top 10 entry in the TTTF which is a bonus.
By the same token though I am gutted that those disgusting Frogs chucked out my CDA. I needed to get ahead of the only other entry with
Ectot
in it and my rival didn’t have CDA. That would have done it so I am furious. My one consolation is that he ran a cracker and I think he will take some beating if the forecast stays the same and Ascot stays soft. If it does Australia, The Grey Gatsby and a few others won’t run and it will be between CDA, Free Eagle and my old mate Noble Mission. I know what will happen – Noble Mission will pip CDA and cost me 40 grand!!
Anyway lots needs to happen before that and I am still really looking forward to tomorrow.
Other than Ectot I have has 3 more bets.
I was watching Planet Turf today and it was interesting to hear Alain Royer Dupre talking about
Shamkala
and how he still has such a high opinion of her. He thinks he may have her back to her best and, if she is, she will eat this lot for breakfast. At 8’s I am prepared to take the chance.
I have always been a big fan of
Anodin
and he has hit the crossbar for me a couple of times this season. This looks a good opportunity for him and I think he will go close.
Finally I have to back
Sole Power
in the Abbaye. He has his ground and he is by far the best horse in the race. He’ll need a bit of luck but he couldn’t be in better hands. So:
£50ew Shamkala – 8-1 – Prix De L’Opera
£50ew Anodin – 6-1 – Prix De La Foret
£150 win Sole Power – 5-2 – Prix De L’Abbaye
£3 win Lucky 15 – the above three plus Ectot at 6-1"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Still coming to terms with easily my most disappointing day of racing this year.
Sole Power was blocked, Shamkala was not good enough, Anodin was awful and as for Ectot………!!!!
I still don’t really know what happened with him to be honest. Nothing seems to have come to light so maybe I just completely over-estimated him. There is no doubt that he was all about what he might do not what he had actually done but even so it was a very disappointing effort.
He pulled hard but then he tends to do that. As they were turning in he was still well placed and I expected to see that acceleration but it didn’t happen. Perhaps he bounced, perhaps he didn’t stay, perhaps there was something wrong. Who knows but I hope we get to see him again as I am still sure he is a very decent horse.
Anyway onwards and upwards and I am determined to finish the season on a high. The Champion Stakes looks a fascinating race and the odds at the moment are interesting as the amount of rain we are getting means it surely has to be run on soft ground. This will bring a couple of horses into it and push a couple out of it. Noble Mission, CDA and KH will love it, Australia, TGG, Trading Leather and a few others will hate it. Free Eagle is the enigma as he is bred to like it but all his form is on quick ground.
I am going to back two horses who I know will love it and who are favourites of mine. 7-2 about
CDA
each way is rock solid in my opinion. He ran a blinder the other day on quick ground off a slow pace and he will certainly be there or thereabouts.
Noble Mission
has been saved for this race and, as long as Lady Cecil hasn’t ruined him, I think he will run a big race.
On that subject, nobody is more upset than me to see the staggering demise of the once great Warren Place stable who have had just 3 winners since June and none since August. She has lost her key staff and she will now surely lose her big patrons. I can’t imagine Prince Khaled or Niarchos sending them many decent horses next year. Her figures simply haven’t been good enough. Obviously it is hard to know where it has gone wrong but I can’t help thinking she has brought some of it about herself. I just don’t see her being very pro-active or dynamic. One example is her reluctance to do interviews. Fair enough she gets nervous but she really needed to push and promote herself this year and she just hasn’t done it. I actually wrote to her 3 times offering her some media coaching free of charge. She has never replied. Oh well.
£150ew Cirrus Des Aigles – 7-2 Champion Stakes
£75ew Noble Mission – 12-1 Champion Stakes
£2,654.37
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
£150ew Cirrus Des Aigles – 7-2 Champion Stakes
£75ew Noble Mission – 12-1 Champion StakesBeing a student of psychology and legendary judge of Horses,Wine and Women I am going to give you Joni a free lesson in coaching.
I can see where you are coming from with the above bet……The ‘Frankel’ connection! Yes ‘CDA’ was one of the few to get near your Hero and your line of thought is…Well ‘Noble Mission’ just aint good enough to be compared to his Brother so you stake accordingly.In the scheme of things its not a great wager.TAPK the legend himself would have taken the ‘I reckon Noble Mission
will run em ragged’ approach and gone for the grand finale all Champagne corks poppin and Fireworks by havin £150 e/w on the Cecil horse and just a saver on ‘CDA’.Thats what those of us who follow you would have hoped for but psychologically you have had a setback with ‘Ectot’ and your confidence has taken a bashing.TAPK your King has preached from the highest pedastal about ‘Confidence is King’ and had yours been where it should be at this point of the thread ie,had ‘Ectot’ won the Arc you would have gone the TAPK route.If this thread ends up £5k in profit you have to be proud of yourself……..I know you are thinking ‘Yeh but TAPK achieves that in 4 days at Cheltenham’….Its not about me,I am a Freak! Your King is very proud of your achievements on here as I am of several other young pretenders to my Crown…..
Tommy,THM
,
Darren
,
Bozlike
,when he actually focuses!
Nathan
,
Bobby VTC
,
GDC
and of course there’s the Ginger one who chucks his dummy out cos he aint gettin enough attention!!
I suggest getting stuck into ‘your’ horse ‘Noble Mission’ and going out all guns blazing……Its what seperates the Nobility from the Norm.Great thread either way! Got me laughing out loud again Gord!!!
Hilarious. And you are probably right – my confidence HAS taken a bashing and I would have had a bigger bet on NM if Ectot had won. Glad to see yours hasn’t though oh freakish one!
The only thing I would say though is that the Cecil stable are in such diabolical form that chucking too much at him would be unwise I think. I am quite happy if the thread finishes in profit and don’t quite feel the need as you do to finish with spectacular fireworks risking my hard-earned cash. This year has been much harder for me on this thread. As opposed to the two previous years I started really badly and I have had quite a few ups and downs. I lost almost a grand at the weekend so don’t want to give everything back!
Still if the rains keep coming I could easily top up…..
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
Your King is very proud of your achievements on here as I am of several other young pretenders to my Crown…..
Tommy,THM
,
Darren
,
Bozlike
,when he actually focuses!
I must admit this brought a wry smile to my face here Gord, good to see I’ve not been completely forgotten around these parts
My focus is returning as the time of year approaches though mate. Think of me as a reverse Joni – summer hibernation followed by the winter fireworks
The army is being prepared, it’s time to go to war 
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