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Didnt even have a bet but really got me and shows what jumping is all about.
Big respect to No Refuge though he still has some ability and be good to see him win a race before the season is out.
Best ride of the season for me without doubt.
Despite being a strong backer of Franchoek I’ll wholeheartidly agree that was some run from Lough Derg.
He came back in style – got matched at 149.0 on Betfair
It says lots for the horse that after so many hard battles he’s still up for more. Never seen a horse move so poorly during a race, but what a heart he must have. I wish he could have won the Order of Merit last year, that would have been a result to cheer about!
What a way for David Pipe and Tom Scudamore to break their long losing sequences.What a battler!
Lough Derg has a very strange action. Doesn’t seem to lift his legs very high and rather scuttles along.
It can’t be doing him any harm mind!
I said at the time, once Franchoek hit the front, i never thought he would get beaten, let alone Lough Derg come back from seemingly tiring, and get up to beat both the fore-mentioned, and No Refuge.
Fantastic battling performance from the horse.
Even though I had backed No Refuge there is no way I could begrudge Lough Derg that victory – it was absolutely brilliant and a brave battling run.
Must also add I thought Richard’s call was fantastic – really getting the excitement perfect, although I was wondering if his voice was going to crack at the end!!!
Great race and it silences people who thought he was being overraced last season for financial reasons.
Looked like such a happy horse after the race
A heart-warming performance.
Even if you had a loser in the race, you kinda had to applaud LD…
Zip
Must also add I thought Richard’s call was fantastic – really getting the excitement perfect, although I was wondering if his voice was going to crack at the end!!!
Definitely. Richard’s sounded like he’s full of the lurge on RUK these last few days, and I bet that powerful finish to this call will have hurt a bit.
Another quality piece of commentary from the TRF favourite. Very kind of the Morrison filly to coast to an easy victory in the concluding bumper!
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
What a battler!
Lough Derg has a very strange action. Doesn’t seem to lift his legs very high and rather scuttles along.
It can’t be doing him any harm mind!
Remember that Kit Kat advert years ago, where him out of Eastenders and Allo Allo plays a record company boss and tells a band of atonal urchins, “You can’t sing, you can’t play, you look awful…. you’ll go a long way!”?
Lough Derg is the equine equivalent of that band.
He shouldn’t work on any level as a racehorse. He’s nothing special to look at, the visor’s presumably there for a reason, he moves about as well along the ground as I do in six inch heels and a hobble skirt, and he’s essentially exposed as something of a bunny for better horses at this Graded level of staying hurdles.
But on heart and bottle alone, he deserves whatever contests he does manage to pick up, and as been inferred elsewhere in this thread, it reflects enormous credit on him that he hasn’t soured yet after so many thumpings in the last 12-15 months.
Lorna Bradburne was interviewing David Pipe for Timeform Radio just before the off; and when asked what his New Year’s wish was, with more than a little gallows humour intended he replied, “A winner. Just a winner”. It was hard to overstate how pleased both he and Tom Scudamore – who thinks this gelding is “a geezer” and probably his favourite – were some 10 minutes later.
Jeremy
(graysonscolumn)Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Just been looking at Lough Derg’s record and Tom S has now ridden him 27 times – can’t think of many partnerships like that – quite a few miles they’ve covered togther in total – and he obviously has a great soft spot for him. Long may thy continue to enjoy racing together.
We were near the last fence and said to each other – no he’s beaten – what an absolutely star he is. Fabulous race – Tom’s face when he came in was just great – so obviously full of affection for the horse.
Just get round to watching the race and I can see why some off you guys are raving about it. He must be the toughest horse in training.
Not taking a thing away from him but I was more impressed with the easy he beat No Refuge with than him beating Franchoek.
No Refuges jockey must have thought he was a certainty when he headed Franchoek and he came up the hill like a tiger. Couldn’t believe how Lough Derg just eased his head in front and actually won rather cosily in the end.
As far as Franchoek is concerned he is brilliant to watch. He jumps hurdles so springheeled he looks like a gazelle. When he was having it all his own way last season he fooled alot of people into thnking he is better than he actually is IMO.
Commentator said he didn’t stay but I honestly think he got the trip well and he is exactly what we seen. Not good enough to play with the big boys.
He was exposed by Clelestial Halo and he’s been exposed by two very good if not top notch stayers.
I think the have to find his level again and then he will win races but until then he is up there to be shot at and will struggle.
He’s a great jumper I wonder if Alan Kng has thought of trying him over fences. That might just be his game rather than chasing memories over hurdles.
I’m amazed at Lough Derg I thought all these races last season would end him…..I might just make apolicy notto bet anything heavily when he is in the race…….he could win anything that came down to a slog including the World Hurdle………not that it will………….Will it?
What a horse. Says something when all the other pipe horses seem to be folding up on the home straight this one pulls it out of the fire.
I think it was a few seasons ago when martin pipe was bang out of form he came out and won for him. He must be there saving grace
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