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Yeah, yeah, but Arkle is still the daddy !
Yeah, Yeah, but Kauto is his granddaddy!
Zip
Ps,
Didn’t Richard Johnson look in anguish at the end of the King George – why?I don’t think Long Run would’ve won whoever rode him or however he’d been ridden. Long Run just didn’t have the pace to ever go with Kauto. The closest he got was at the end but Kauto had had them racing from a long way out.
Great to see the old boy proving people wrong (me for one). What a legend.
I heard someone on the air waves yesterday say Long Run may well have got up had he jumped the last better which is fair enough.
But he and those who think that should take another look not just at Long Run through their rose coloured glasses or pockets but at Kauto Star.
Approaching the last Kauto was a good 4 lengths in front. Kauto himself and not Ruby didn’t like what he saw in front of him so he slowed down markedly and corrected himself before jumping it. It may have looked like Long Run was gaining ground fast at first glance but it was definitely Kauto slowing down on purpose.
Very clever of Kauto (Probably looked at the fence and thought NOT YOU AGAIN) but it cost a good couple of length as it also meant Ruby had to get after him a bit to pick up and make sure he got home. Kauto obviously a tiring horse by then did just that, slightly quicker than Long Run did after his slight error and held on.
I think it’s fair to say if the had both pinged the last and neither had lost momentum the distance would have been nearer 3 lengths and no matter what Kauto won strictly on merit
An interesting post-race comment from the owner of Long Run:
“We were beaten by the superstar of the 21st century but with two hills and an extra 2½ furlongs, I don’t think Kauto Star will beat us in March.” – Robert Waley-Cohen
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
How much
of the new front running tactics with Kauto to do with forcing Long Run to make jumping errors? Or is it to keep him sweet after because of his bad
season last year?
I heard someone on the air waves yesterday say Long Run may well have got up had he jumped the last better which is fair enough.
Being someone who burnt his fingers on
Somersby
! Again!
My unbiased view of yesterdays King George is that if i had backedLong Run
i wouldn’t have been happy with the ‘effort’ from his Jockey.For as much as Ruby won the race with his years of experience the same could be said for Sam Whaley-Cohens lack of experience in the saddle cost him for allowing Ruby to steal a lead at a crucial time.For the majority of the race Sam had Ruby covered with barely 11/2l seperating them from fence to fence,a couple of mistakes late on allowed Ruby to go 3-4l clear,approching 3 out Ruby steals a peak between his legs to see a comfortable lead at that point Sam should have been at his horse to close the deficit and yet he continued to allow Ruby to maintain a nice lead, for a horse who will stay further Sam should have really been at the most a length down at the last as he showed plenty of tenacity on the run-in to close Kauto down to about a length at the line.Had it been a ding dong finish i would have been up on the settee cheering the old boy home so i’m glad the right horse won but like i say Long run lost nothing in defeat,just his jockey!
I don’t buy this Sam bashing I think its merely looking for excuses. The truth is when Kauto upped the pace Long Run didn’t have the pace to go with him and the faster they went the more pressure it put on Long Run’s jumping.
Sam knows Long Run better than anyone and he’s won a King George and a Gold Cup on him so they obviously aren’t a bad partnership.
Best horse won, simple as that.
I know I’m in the minority here, and I’m expecting the flack I’ve already seen dished out, but none the less I can only say it as I see it.
Firstly let me say that Kauto Star is magnificent, as good a horse as I have seen, I totally love him. That being said, in the King George I do believe that with Barry Geraghty on Long Run’s back yesterday, the result would be different.
Sam Waley Cohen is a very good amateur jockey, and that is exactly what he is ….. a very good "amateur" jockey. I think tactically he was caught out when Ruby decided to go earlier than he might normally, and although Long Run didn’t crash through any fences, he jumped a good few awkwardly and didn’t "ping" many. He also did not seem to be traveling well at times and for a good deal of the race he kept wide rather than tucking in.
Now even with all that, Long Run was only beaten 1 1/4 lengths. Can anyone here honestly say that with Barry Geraghty on his back, it would not have made 1 1/4 difference.
I believe it would, and today we would have been talking of the new King on the block, instead of suggestions that Long Run only won last years Gold Cup and King George because Kauto Star was not at his best. Remember that when Long Run won the Gold Cup, he did beat a few other horses too, the same type of horses that Kauto beat in his Gold Cup wins.
I know I am going to get shot down here, but I think Long Run is at present a better horse than Kauto Star, and I think that he could well be as good as Kauto has been over the years. You have to consider that Kauto Star won his first King George and Gold Cup at 7years. Long Run is still 6 and has already won a King George and a Gold Cup.
If I could ask for one belated Christmas present, it would be that Nicky Henderson pleads with Robert Waley Cohen to let a professional jockey,ie Barry Geraghty, take the reins on Long Run from now on.
Ok….fire away
What’s there to say BigG, you have made your mind up.
I can’t understand why so many people are bashing Sam Waley-Cohen, he has already won a King George and a Gold Cup with Long Run.
It looked to me as if Long Run couldn’t keep up with Kauto Star, simple as. SWC was working hard on him from a long way out. It also looks to me as if KS is indeed a different horse this season. He deserves every accolade that is being given to him, KS is a legend.
Thing is we’ll never know if someone like Barry Geharty had ridden Long Run if he’d have won or not. What I would say is Ruby is a wily old character and would be conserving energy from along way out doing no more than he had to to keep them at bay.
Switch jockeys, come closer than Ruby liked and he’d no doubt have enough in the tank to urge Kauto just to go a 1/4 stride faster and you’d still get the same result at the end of the day.
I thought Sam rode a good race to be honest, presented his horse at his fences ok without taking daft chances like he did at Haydock and there’s not much anyone could do different that would have changed the result.
It’s not like Ruby was getting stuck into Kauto all the way up the straight, he was always in control.
I think one thing that the result showed is Long Run at Haydock as Nicky said before the race was fit. Amazing how they changed to afterwards he needed the run. Trainers can be the biggest after timers in racing.
To me Long Run hasn’t improve 2 lbs from Haydock when you consider the awful heart stopping blunders he made there in comparison to the minor ones he made yesterday.
No one was out to put anyone away they just can’t help themselves from doing a u-turn and making some excuse if one they fancy get’s beat.
Hello all again
thisthatandother, I couldn’t agree more with you, Kauto deserves every accolade that is given to him, he is a true equine legend. I am not trying to put Kauto down in any way, he has been my favourite horse for years. I am also not trying to put Sam Waley Cohen down, as i said previously, I think he is a very good amateur jockey.
I am not even trying to say that Long Run would certainly have beaten Kauto, even with Geraghty aboard, I most definitely have not made my mind up on that. What I was doing was voicing a concern that Long Run, or any top class racehorse for that matter, would benefit from the experience of a top jockey. With the best will in the world, I don’t think that even Sam would claim he is on the same planet as Geraghty or Walsh tactically, or when it comes to getting the best out of a horse.
Decisions at the right time, knowing when to give the horse a breather and when to push, keeping the right position in the race and god knows how many other things that God’s of the weighing room, such as Walsh and Geraghty, know better than your average professional jockey, never mind an amateur. It is not possible that these things don’t have an influence. If Long Run was trained by Nicky henderson, but not owned by Robert Waley Cohen, do you really think that Henderson would even contemplate for one second putting Cohen on the horse ahead of Geraghty.
Hurdygurgyman…I couldn’t agree more with you, we will never know if Geraghty riding the horse would have reversed the result. It’s all about opinions, and mine is no better than yours or thisthatandother, albeit slightly different. You are probably right, Ruby is wily enough to have game plan A and game plan B, just in case.
I even agree with you, to an extent, that Sam did not ride a bad race. The whole point I am making, is that Sam Waley Cohen, nice bloke and good horseman that he is, is not a Ruby Walsh or Barry Geraghty.
I want to make it clear, if I haven’t already, that I accept that no matter what permutation of jockey to horse I come up with, the result may not have changed one bit. Can you not maybe accept that with the addition of a senior professional jockey, in this case Geraghty, that the horse may just benefit. Without changing things we will never know.
I think Sam is a very good amateur riding an exceptional horse. I thing Long Run deserves better.
"This contest also proved a sad end to what should really be the final race in the great career of KautoStar. It was apparent that he wasn´t travelling from some way out as he eventually dropped away before the fourth-last. A happy retirement should beckon. [JOH] "
Apoligies if this has already been discussed, but this is the post race analysis after KS was pulled up at the Punchestown Festival. I was very much in the same camp at the time as the author, so this is not intended as an attempt to be clever with the benefit of hindsight. for me however it makes KS’s achievement yesterday all the mroe remarkable and shows what fools of us animals can make.
It is a timely reminder that as much as non-racing people such as me think we know, it is usually best left to experts, in this case Paul Nicholls, to do best by the horse. As much of a giant juggernaut Nicholls’ regime has become, which may not be to everyone’s taste, especially when opne recalls the achievements of the likes of Tom Dreaper and MVOB with a comparative handful of horses, there is no denying he has a deep insight into his horses’ physical and mental well being, and seems to be able to sense when all is not well and merit remains in persisting with their racing careers.
It doesn’t always end happily, and I still recall Doran’s Pride’s sad demise at Cheltenham when it was palpable the old warrior should have been in a field enjoying a happy retirement.
I must also say that Ruby’s post race comments didn’t sit entirely conmfortably with me. Whilst KS may well be the only true great to have kept performing at the highest level rising 12 years of age, Arkle, Flyingbolt and Best Mate were robbed of such career longevity by extremely tragic events. It is only for the grace of god, and rain softened ground, that Kauto Star did not break his neck in the 2010 Gold Cup.
"This contest also proved a sad end to what should really be the final race in the great career of KautoStar. It was apparent that he wasn´t travelling from some way out as he eventually dropped away before the fourth-last. A happy retirement should beckon. [JOH] "
Apoligies if this has already been discussed, but this is the post race analysis after KS was pulled up at the Punchestown Festival. I was very much in the same camp at the time as the author, so this is not intended as an attempt to be clever with the benefit of hindsight. for me however it makes KS’s achievement yesterday all the mroe remarkable and shows what fools of us animals can make.
It is a timely reminder that as much as non-racing people such as me think we know, it is usually best left to experts, in this case Paul Nicholls, to do best by the horse. As much of a giant juggernaut Nicholls’ regime has become, which may not be to everyone’s taste, especially when opne recalls the achievements of the likes of Tom Dreaper and MVOB with a comparative handful of horses, there is no denying he has a deep insight into his horses’ physical and mental well being, and seems to be able to sense when all is not well and merit remains in persisting with their racing careers.
It doesn’t always end happily, and I still recall Doran’s Pride’s sad demise at Cheltenham when it was palpable the old warrior should have been in a field enjoying a happy retirement.
I must also say that Ruby’s post race comments didn’t sit entirely conmfortably with me. Whilst KS may well be the only true great to have kept performing at the highest level rising 12 years of age, Arkle, Flyingbolt and Best Mate were robbed of such career longevity by extremely tragic events.
It is only for the grace of god, and rain softened ground, that Kauto Star did not break his neck in the 2010 Gold Cup.
First of all, wow, that is a morbid comment.
Second, a little horse by the name of Desert Orchid not only won the King George as a rising 12yo, but continued to win major stakes races through the next year. And of course Red Rum won the Grand National as a 12yo.Morbid yes,but possibly true and that could have happened to him at Exeter, way back then.
Thankfully he’s till with us and while I disagree with retiring him I certainly would not send him to Cheltenham as I don’t believe he has a cat in hell’s chance of winning the race.
I’d try to find a nice easy race for him ten put him away until the Betfair and King George next year.
I could not ask him to climb that hill again but he’;s not my horse so I’ll just have to close my eyes and cross my fingers he doesn’t have another gruelling race like he had last year.
I like Paul Nichols but he does talk some shyte at times. He said to the BBC he’s now in the best form of his life?
The man’s mad.Kauto for example was spot on for the Gold Cup last year, that was as clear as day. It wasn’t until the point where he has used that instant acceleration in the past to shoot clear of his field that he began to falter. The acceleration gone it turned into a test of stamina. stamina he does not have.
Kauto still oozes class and is still a very fast horse but he can’t find that gear that would leave other horses behind like they were standing still any more. If he had an abundance of stamina that would compensate but he simply doesn’t have the right weapons to win another Gold Cup. Unless of course nothing comes through the ranks and Long Run decides to play fence bashing again.
No one will talk PN out of it. He’s the man so I’ll just have to live with it no mater how much I disagree.
I find it damn annoying that this graceful equine hero who we all love is going to be reduced to a knackered jelly legged mule struggling and exhausted trying to get up that Cheltenham Hill for the 3rd time.
I hope Paul Nichols makes me eat these words. I don’t need to be standing in Kauto’s box to know I’m right about what Kauto needs and doesn’t need and he needs another Gold Cup run like he needs a whole in the head.
Morbid yes,but possibly true and that could have happened to him at Exeter, way back then.
Thankfully he’s till with us and while I disagree with retiring him I certainly would not send him to Cheltenham as I don’t believe he has a cat in hell’s chance of winning the race.
I’d try to find a nice easy race for him ten put him away until the Betfair and King George next year.
I could not ask him to climb that hill again but he’;s not my horse so I’ll just have to close my eyes and cross my fingers he doesn’t have another gruelling race like he had last year.
I like Paul Nichols but he does talk some shyte at times. He said to the BBC he’s now in the best form of his life?
The man’s mad.Kauto for example was spot on for the Gold Cup last year, that was as clear as day. It wasn’t until the point where he has used that instant acceleration in the past to shoot clear of his field that he began to falter. The acceleration gone it turned into a test of stamina. stamina he does not have.
Kauto still oozes class and is still a very fast horse but he can’t find that gear that would leave other horses behind like they were standing still any more. If he had an abundance of stamina that would compensate but he simply doesn’t have the right weapons to win another Gold Cup. Unless of course nothing comes through the ranks and Long Run decides to play fence bashing again.
No one will talk PN out of it. He’s the man so I’ll just have to live with it no mater how much I disagree.
I find it damn annoying that this graceful equine hero who we all love is going to be reduced to a knackered jelly legged mule struggling and exhausted trying to get up that Cheltenham Hill for the 3rd time.
I hope Paul Nichols makes me eat these words. I don’t need to be standing in Kauto’s box to know I’m right about what Kauto needs and doesn’t need and he needs another Gold Cup run like he needs a whole in the head.
I’ll remember this post in March. I play armchair trainer sometimes too but I’m not so arrogant to suggest that I know everything about a horse from watching him on TV.
The difference between Long Run and Kauto Star is that for Long Run jumps are obstacles, while for Kauto Star they are launch pads.
Whether or not Long Run would be advantaged by a "better" jockey or not…
11/4 Long Run looks a good price for the Gold Cup.
Already proven over course, trip and likely ground. Already well above average Gold Cup winning standard. Seems a very sound individual.
Main rival will be 12 years old come March and may not stay if given as attacking ride as Haydock and Kempton.Long Run is no certainty, far from it, with some jumping frailties and amateur ridden. But surely has a better than 27% chance of winning?
Value Is Everything
The man’s mad.
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