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Firstly, I would like to thank Mr Connell for getting my money back on The Tullow Tank. He would have won nothing at the Festival. The way things are going at the moment it might be my best result.
As for the announcement itself it is probably the most stupid decision since someone took on Danny Mullins as their retained jockey.
I think the best term would be naivety on both counts !
Chris Cook of The Guardian left this comment on my blog:
Hi Joe, I had a quick word with Barry at Clonmel today. He said he was reluctant to expand on what was in his earlier statement but said he would not have felt “comfortable” running The Tullow Tank in the circumstances.
I think that’s quite understandable. Barry knows perfectly well that the headlines, if Fenton has a Festival winner, will be all about drugs. What owner wants to win in those circumstances?
He said TTT had paid his way for the season and is one for the future, so missing Cheltenham is no disaster. Barry will still have 8 or 9 horses from other yards running at Cheltenham, of course.
Given the final para, it left me wondering if BC would have made the same decision had Our Conor been with Fenton
The Guardian isn’t that the paper that loves racing so much it prints a couple of races each day?
Personally, I see Cook as just one of the current pack of fawning journalists. Love the comment ‘Barry knows perfectly well that the headlines, if Fenton has a Festival winner, will be all about drugs’. And thanks to the self-imposed ban the headlines now are precisely what?
Would punters be burning the stands down if The Tullow Tank had won? I somehow doubt it. The only fires that would be stirred would be by people like Cook on a personal crusade.
Agree Stilvi – if Last Instalment wins the Gold Cup, and I think he will, there will little or no on course reaction.
The Guardian isn’t that the paper that loves racing so much it prints a couple of races each day?
Personally, I see Cook as just one of the current pack of fawning journalists. Love the comment ‘Barry knows perfectly well that the headlines, if Fenton has a Festival winner, will be all about drugs’.
And thanks to the self-imposed ban the headlines now are precisely what?
Would punters be burning the stands down if The Tullow Tank had won? I somehow doubt it. The only fires that would be stirred would be by people like Cook on a personal crusade.
If you think the "headlines" are bad enough now Stilvi, what do you think they would’ve been had TTT actually won the Neptune?
…And what are they going to be like if Last Instalment wins the Gold Cup?
…And again if and when the "Gold Cup winning trainer" loses his drugs case?
Cook is dead right.
Value Is EverythingI am afraid all of this does revolve around ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Despite what you have said in your earlier posts it really is that black and white. Any sensible person will be waiting until the outcome of the case when obviously people with expertise in the field will be assessing the details. Until then it is up to people like Cook to keep some sense of proportion.
I am afraid all of this does revolve around ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Despite what you have said in your earlier posts it really is that black and white. Any sensible person will be waiting until the outcome of the case when obviously people with expertise in the field will be assessing the details. Until then it is up to people like Cook to keep some sense of proportion.
In what way has Cook not "kept some sense of proportion" Stilvi?
Value Is EverythingI am afraid all of this does revolve around ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Despite what you have said in your earlier posts it really is that black and white. Any sensible person will be waiting until the outcome of the case when obviously people with expertise in the field will be assessing the details. Until then it is up to people like Cook to keep some sense of proportion.
In what way has Cook not "kept some sense of proportion" Stilvi?
I did happen to pop over to another forum and every lifted article was from Cook. That might of course be pure coincidence but in my opinion there is no further mileage in this story until a proper conclusion is reached.
Agree Stilvi – if Last Instalment wins the Gold Cup, and I think he will, there will little or no on course reaction.
Maybe not but there will be a massive press reaction and thats if the horse actually runs as no stone will be unturned from now on.I doubt very much
Last Instalment
will even feature if he does turn up.
All Fenton horses now cleared to run by BHA.
Cue Twitter silence from the 99 percent who applauded the decision by Barry Connell to withdraw The Tullow Tank. Bizzare decision at best, disingenuous at worst.
All Fenton horses now cleared to run by BHA.
Cue Twitter silence from the 99 percent who applauded the decision by Barry Connell to withdraw The Tullow Tank. Bizzare decision at best, disingenuous at worst.
I don’t see as it makes any difference at all.
Really think you ought to get a sense of proportion on this Joe. Fair enough if you disagree with Connell’s decision. But he did what he thought was best for "racing". Not "right for himself", but right for "racing" as a whole. For you to call a man who’s done that
"disingenuous"
might be seen by some as… well you said it.
Anyone would think it is Connell in court.
Value Is EverythingAll Fenton horses now cleared to run by BHA.
Cue Twitter silence from the 99 percent who applauded the decision by Barry Connell to withdraw The Tullow Tank. Bizzare decision at best, disingenuous at worst.
I don’t see as it makes any difference at all.
Nor do I.
Whether you agree or disagree with Connell’s decision, the fact that the tests on the four horses came back clean means next to nothing really. They wouldn’t write to the BHA inviting them to test the horses if they were loaded with yokes.
Ginger, they tested TTT as well – all clear. No reason whatsoever for the horse not to run so far as the racing authorities are concerned.
As I said, had BC lost faith in Fenton, fair enough – but he’s left his horses with him. What’s BC to do now when the ‘possession’ verdict comes through?
Guilty of having steroids on his premises? Might have been for the stable cat as far as proving anything about horses is concerned.
His decision ‘best for racing’? How much cash was done ante-post by those who support racing with their betting money? How many deprived of seeing how good the horse actually is? Do you think he took that into account?
BC’s comment to C Cook "He said TTT had paid his way for the season and is one for the future", seems a bit closer to the motive for my money. I strongly suspect that after a chat with the trainer, the owner reached the conclusion that TTT had little chance at Cheltenham anyway. To hang the withdrawal on the halo of personal principle, when there was plenty time to give the authorities a chance to act…it made no sense to me at the time and makes even less sense now.
As I said originally, it has cost me nothing financially, so quite where you see the disingenuous angle coming from on my side, I don’t know.
All Fenton horses now cleared to run by BHA.
Cue Twitter silence from the 99 percent who applauded the decision by Barry Connell to withdraw The Tullow Tank. Bizzare decision at best, disingenuous at worst.
I don’t see as it makes any difference at all.
Nor do I.
Whether you agree or disagree with Connell’s decision, the fact that the tests on the four horses came back clean means next to nothing really. They wouldn’t write to the BHA inviting them to test the horses if they were loaded with yokes.
Fenton has always maintained the horses are clean and the tests substantiate that view.
Your comment implies that the tests are a complete waste of time. I don’t know enough about the testing procedures to comment other than I presume they are carried out by medical experts. What better tests do you suggest they carry out?
If this is the best they can do you just have to accept that the horses are clean and move on.
Other than Connell this appears to be what every other owner in the yard has already done.
I don’t see as it makes any difference at all.
Nor do I.
Whether you agree or disagree with Connell’s decision, the fact that the tests on the four horses came back clean means next to nothing really. They wouldn’t write to the BHA inviting them to test the horses if they were loaded with yokes.
Fenton has always maintained the horses are clean and the tests substantiate that view.
Your comment implies that the tests are a complete waste of time. I don’t know enough about the testing procedures to comment other than I presume they are carried out by medical experts. What better tests do you suggest they carry out?
If this is the best they can do you just have to accept that the horses are clean and move on.
Other than Connell this appears to be what every other owner in the yard has already done.
The tests are more or less a waste of time and only serve to put people’s minds at ease. Steroids have a long lasting effect and if there was a test that would show if a horse has been given them in the past then we wouldn’t be having this discussion. There is no test they can do. I stand by my statement that these tests prove nothing of any significance.
Because Philip Fenton had steroids in his possession there will now always beva doubt over these horses which is extremely unfortunate. I was a massive fan of Last Instalment as a novice and after his leg trouble it was fantastic to see him back to his best, but his Hennessy win has been tainted which really annoys me because the horse deserves better.
I believe that Fenton is innocent until proven guilty but the tests carried out by the BHA do not confirm his innocence.
I reckon Steeplechasing may be close to the mark with his suggestion that Connell felt the horse had done enough for the season anyway – there were paddock judges in Leopardstown last time who thought he’d gone over the top.
Guilty of having steroids on his premises? Might have been for the stable cat as far as proving anything about horses is concerned.
Not just "steroids", anabolic steroids. Including this one:
http://www.naturevet.com.au/internation … php?pid=81
If you give that to the stable cat, it will eat you for breakfast…
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