Kauto Star

[thedarkknight]

Sean – read the blog!

I was merely chuckling at comparing Prufrock to the likes of Beyer and Bull on the one hand and then erm… Mordin and Dave Edwards on the other. How should a man take that?

[clivex]

Probably lighter and faster, but less able to carry weight?
To my unpractised eye, Kauto Star looks much more like a flat racer than Arkle ever did

Well….ill mention Denman then

But fair point. Always though that Arkle looked like a cart horse to Kauto’s chasing frame myself.

(cue hysterical posts from coffin dodgers…)

[Drone]

With humans, it is psychology that has made the difference. There are quite a few emerging research threads that are concluding that exceptional human performance is mostly governed by what the brain will allow us to do. The brain seems to have an overriding function of protecting us from self harm and it has to be ‘taught’ to go into potentially harmful areas. It is this aspect of athletic training that is responsible for much of the progress.

Is there any hard evidence to support my vague notion that sportsmen/women seem more prone to injury nowadays than in yesteryear, despite advances in training, nutrition and medical care?

Racing apart, first-class cricket is the only sport I follow closely and it does seem that injuries are more common than in my youth, when the likes of Trueman and Statham wheeled-away for donkeys years without serious mishap; and cricketers in general retired at a greater age than today.

I suspect the increase in injuries (if true) and earlier retirement is due in equal measure to your point about professionals being taught to psychologically push themselves beyond the brain’s limiting ‘pain barrier’ of self-harm, and the overwhelming amount of competition they’re asked to perform in.

Premature burn-out in other words

[Kautostar1]

Uploaded the race so if anyone wants to see it again it’s here http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eG3BOgzlMiY. Not very good quality but better than nothing.

Still amazing to see!!!

[Charlie D]

Thanks, Charley D.

I was tempted to find the blog, till i read TDK’s post. Now totally confused.

Personally, I think the Kempton time was slow, but conditions may have been the cause.
I note also that a tongue tie was worn. Is this the norm for KS?

Sean Rua.

Here’s his blog Sean

http://betting.betfair.com/horse-racing … ng-tw.html

and take no notice of TDK, he’s jellus of Premier League clockers Mr Mordin and Mr Edwards

[Sean Rua]

Thanks, Charley and TDK.

I found the blog very interesting.

Speed and time figures in horseracing seem a problematic area to me, so I’m unable to make any comment, other than that I have slowly accepted the view that horses actually slow down towards the end of a race; the one that slows the least is the winner in most cases.

A bit rough and ready, and it played hell with my methods based on "turn of foot" and " showed good acceleration" etc.

At present, all I can offer is that it is a long time till the Cheltenham Festival, and that is one unique course, imo.
The leading contenders look very good at this stage.

Btw, I was a bit surprised by the tongue tie.

Sean Rua.

[moehat]

I asked about the tongue tie before his last race, and he usually has one – I hadn’t noticed it until then…

[JimF]

Is there any hard evidence to support my vague notion that sportsmen/women seem more prone to injury nowadays than in yesteryear, despite advances in training, nutrition and medical care?

Drone,

As you say, I guess that as the athlete pushes more and more against the limits it is inevitable that the number and severity of injuries will increase. According to the BBC site, there are more than 10 million sports injuries each year in the UK. Sounds a lot to me, but they don’t say what constitutes an injury!

[Author]

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