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I was a huge doubter prior to the guineas, and after aswell, I didnt even consider her for the french derby, but to finish third in what looked a rock solid race, on soft ground over 1m2.5f, its pretty fair to say that she definitely stays a mile, and I would also say she’d stay 1m2f very well on Gd-Fm.
It was easy enough to tell from Famous Names 1,000 guineas trial win in ireland that he was a serious french derby horse, and Vision D’Etat, the horse that beat him in the french derby (who is as yet unbeaten) looks absolutley top drawer. The french derby isnt always a top class race but that race looks like rock solid form to me. James Willoughby also issued a warning in the
Racing Post after the race not to underestimate the form, and I agree 100%. I honestly think Vision D’Etat is possibly the best Arc candidate we’ve seen this year. Obviously New Approach still looks to have plenty of improvement in him too.Natagora, wasnt that far away in third and looked like the soft ground just wore her down towards the last furlong or so. She’d definitely get the trip on faster conditions, and perhaps even a bit further.
I have Natagora, Lush Lashes and Zarkava pretty much inseperable on their best form on Ideal ground conditions, all three would look to have the same ideal ground conditions 1m2f gd-fm and it would be tragic if we never see them face each other on those terms, but we probably won’t.
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I am a great believer in "optimum trips". It makes perfect sense doesnt it? Just look at human athletes. Mark of a fine trainer is nailing down that trip at the earliest possible stage (allowing that it can vary with maturity) so that time and energy isnt wasted with unnecessary defeats. Bolger may have other qualities but this isnt one of them
Mark of a really fine trainer (Bolger, O’Brien, Cecil) is that they are not afraid of going out on a limb and campaigning their horses (Lush Lashes, Peeping Fawn, Multidimensional etc.) over different distances, in different conditions, and often in races closer together than received opinion would dictate.
It’s great to see Lush Lashes, for example, coming out so soon after her Oaks debacle and going down to a mile, rather than a rest, a "back to the drawing board" excuse, and an obvious tilt at one of the 10F single-sex Group 1’s later on. Result? an easy win, outclassing the opposition in the Coronation Stakes, a much more prestigious race than the Irish Pretty Polly or the Nassau.
This is how the breed used to be campaigned – and would be still, if they hadn’t become so fragile in the hands of outfits such as …. well, name your own multi-national organisation!
Zarkava will muller the fillies.. However I don’t think we’ll see them run against each other.
Peeping Fawn would be the only one i’d give a chance to. Given the comments from the trainer and the aparent ease with which she has dismissed the french classic generation I think she has a very good chance in the Arc.
Bolger ran Finsceal Beo into the ground last year running her weekly and it looks as if he is happy to risk doing the same to Lush Lashes – she’ll probably be out again on Saturday at the Curragh. Sure, some horses take their races better than others , but is Jim going to succeed again at bottoming another very good filly ? Fine trainer ?
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Bolger ran Finsceal Beo into the ground last year running her weekly and it looks as if he is happy to risk doing the same to Lush Lashes – she’ll probably be out again on Saturday at the Curragh. Sure, some horses take their races better than others , but is Jim going to succeed again at bottoming another very good filly ? Fine trainer ?
Bottomed? Only to the extent that she very nearly won the Queen Anne last week against a high-quality field! Finsceal Beo’s clearly recovered from her 3-y-o exertions pretty well and bounced back to her best. If we’re going to criticise trainers for not keeping their charges in cotton wool, doesn’t that contradict our customary gripe in the opposite direction?
Bottomed? She’s only ran one bad race in her life on fast ground. Although its surprising to hear their thinking of stepping her back up to 10f again.
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Bounced back to her best????
She is a highly consistent filly who always runs her race but only just gets a mile, the only thing inconsistent about her is her trainer’s placing. (Before anyone quotes her 2nd to Duke of Marmalade, that was run at a walk, and I would have finished 3rd).
Her reward for her consistency…… another run over a distance she plainly doesn’t get. Tell me again how smart Jim Bolger is!
Bounced back to her best????
She is a highly consistent filly who always runs her race but only just gets a mile, the only thing inconsistent about her is her trainer’s placing. (Before anyone quotes her 2nd to Duke of Marmalade, that was run at a walk, and I would have finished 3rd).
Her reward for her consistency…… another run over a distance she plainly doesn’t get. Tell me again how smart Jim Bolger is!Your telling me that a filly who barely gets a mile in your opinion stayed a further two furlongs because of slow pace. I don’t believe that’s possible. You also have to remember that if she didn’t miss the break against Jay Peg in the Dubai Duty free, she would have been even closer than she was was.. and she certainly wasn’t far behind. For my money any horse who barely gets a mile will be in serious trouble over anextra two furlongs.
Im not disagreeing with you on the optimum trip thing Reet but I just dont see the problem with running a horse over a distance that they can give a good account of themselves over…that’s all.
And while its entirely possible that her attempt to do the three guineas might well have made her tired late in the season, its was still a great and noble attempt, good for horse-racing that they nearly pulled off.
SHL
Surely there can be very little doubt that Zarkava will not stay and therefor be little or no chance of her meeting the other two fillies.
She looks to have 1m4f written all over her and for me is the one horse they all have to worry about come Arc day. She absolutely oozes class plus fillies tend to improve more than the colts from July to October and this is no ordinary filly even at classic level.
The reason she hasn’t been tested is I don’t think any other filly could at the moment and the other trainers are avoiding her like the plague.
I backed both her and New Approach for the Arc and will be shocked is one of them doesn’t win.
In my heart I would love to see New Approach win. As good as I believe he is I think he will find Zarkava will have way too much in the tank for him and everything else on Arc day. Soldier of Fortune wouldn’t be on my mind against her.
If it’s of any use to anyone I can assure you I am not alone in my thinking as several good judges I know back home can’t see past her and like myself have already backed her.
As far as Natagora and Lush Lashed is concerned 1m or 1m2f I would go for Lush Lashes. Although Natagora did me a big favour at Newmarket I was no where near as impressed as I was with Lush Lashes.
A Lush Lashes V Zarkova simply won’t happen IMO.
Zarkava is the one horse currently in training that could become a genuine legend. If she can remain unbeaten through the year and lift the Arc with an authoritive win she will retire unbeaten and achieve a status no three year old has for years.
Its impossible to know just how good she is at the moment, until she takes on the best of the colts and beats them I would tend to be a little bit cautious, incredible horses do come along but they are so rare that ninety nine times out of a hundred their limitations are exposed, the bubble bursts and everyone is left disappointed.
I do think she’ll stay a mile and a half no problem and I think this is a year where three year olds could excel over the older horses. Time will tell.
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Zarkava is the one horse currently in training that could become a genuine legend. If she can remain unbeaten through the year and lift the Arc with an authoritive win she will retire unbeaten and achieve a status no three year old has for years.
Well though she finishes, the fact that in the last two outings (against second-class opposition) she’s had to be scrubbed along so hard approaching the straight shows perhaps a lack of mid-race tactical speed which is likely to be her undoing as soon as she meets stronger/mixed competition.
Impressive though she looks sweeping by non-staying 3-y-o fillies, I remain sceptical until we see her do the same against older horse and/or colts.
She looks the part but Irealise it’s alot to ask.
Fillies have done ok in the race and there was a spate of them won the around the same time Akiyda beat Adross a few years back so it’s not as if they can’t hold their own.
She reminds me of Park Top in alot of ways who was just beaten by Levmoss amny years ago.
She goes to sleep for most of the race and seems to explode when asked to quicken.
I just can’t see the older horses like SOF and Getaway being good enough to cope with her or New Approach who seem part a very good crop to me.
The bookies are basing SOF favourtism on his win against Youmzain and Getaway. The form of the arliy season races seldom stand up and McArthur finished very close which makes me think the result was at least dodgy and certainly not up to Arc standard.
I am sure Youmzain will prove better of the two in the long run, Getaway seems to always be knocking on the door. All his early runs were over further which points to him perhaps being more of the staying type, yet he is right up there with SOF and Youmzain as far as form is concerned.
I think they are only running him over 1m4f because they think the opposition is weak
My feeling is they have it right and they are an ordinary lot.
I think siding with the younger horses who look a class above them is the right way to go..
Bolger ran Finsceal Beo into the ground last year running her weekly and it looks as if he is happy to risk doing the same to Lush Lashes – she’ll probably be out again on Saturday at the Curragh. Sure, some horses take their races better than others , but is Jim going to succeed again at bottoming another very good filly ? Fine trainer ?
Bottomed? Only to the extent that she very nearly won the Queen Anne last week against a high-quality field! Finsceal Beo’s clearly recovered from her 3-y-o exertions pretty well and bounced back to her best. If we’re going to criticise trainers for not keeping their charges in cotton wool, doesn’t that contradict our customary gripe in the opposite direction?
Would you say that her form was better at the start of last season or towards the end ?
I wasn’t suggesting at all that trainers should wrap their horses up in cotton wool , but running in 3 Group 1s in as many weeks will leave a mark on many horses – FACT ! Actually its testimony of FB’s toughness that she has performed with credit this year .
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