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If you watch the video of the race again, you’ll clealry see Bowlby rein his mount back on several occasions, when ahead of the favourite, and then urge him on with great haste when Scu got ahead of him.
The fact that the Pitman team was not found guilty ranks alongside the disqualification of Royal Gait at Ascot as one of the worst I’ve ever seen in racing.
Quote: from yquem21 on 2:15 pm on Sep. 28, 2006[br]If you watch the video of the race again, you’ll clealry see Bowlby rein his mount back on several occasions, when ahead of the favourite, and then urge him on with great haste when Scu got ahead of him.
The fact that the Pitman team was not found guilty ranks alongside the disqualification of Royal Gait at Ascot as one of the worst I’ve ever seen in racing.
I suppose the question is thus…found guilty of what?
SHL
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Quote: from SirHarryLewis on 2:25 pm on Sep. 28, 2006[br]I suppose the question is thus…found guilty of what?
<br>The Jockey Club enquiry was into allegations that Golden Freeze ran as a "stalking horse" who was sent out to specifically disrupt another runner and was not running on his own merits. As I said, watching the race again (I still have the video) leaves me in no doubt whatsoever that this was the case.
(Edited by yquem21 at 5:31 pm on Sep. 28, 2006)
When a horse is described as a ‘pacemaker’ as in the Derby, is that an official term (such as I saw in the London marathon), does the trainer inform us he/she is a pacemaker or do bookies/pundits just assume that because a horse is the trainer’s ‘third string’ then he/she is probably going to be the pacemaker?
Are there any rules behind it?
I only ask because in my opinion, ‘At First Sight’ & jockey didn’t look like they were just there to make up the numbers.
I’m not complaining, I’m just curious.
I think it is just an assumption, like in Big Buck’s assuming Buzzword was a pacemaker.
On the issue of rules, each horse has to be ridden to attain the best possible position, so I suppose that technically rules out running like a bat out of hell.
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I think it is just an assumption, like in Big Buck’s assuming Buzzword was a pacemaker.
Don’t think Tom Segal thought Azmeel would have been a pacemaker when putting it up a selection either.
At First Sight was considered a pacemaker due to the fact Aidan normally has an outsider to ensure to the pace for his other horses so that its a true run afair, At First Sight was a pacemaker for Midas Touch and was well beaten, it was easy to assume this was his role at Epsom and no talk of him in the build up either by trainer, media jockeys etc.
- Total Posts 17716
At First Sight was considered a pacemaker due to the fact Aidan normally has an outsider to ensure to the pace for his other horses so that its a true run afair, At First Sight was a pacemaker for Midas Touch and was well beaten, it was easy to assume this was his role at Epsom and no talk of him in the build up either by trainer, media jockeys etc.
I was intrigued by the scrupulous care with which AOB saddled and prepared him: the RUK coverage focused on the whole saddling process, by happy chance. The trainer certainly took
at least
as much care with At First Sight’s final preparations as he did with his two well-fancied runners. Impressive, and informative… I thought then, this is no 100-1 chance (easy to say now, I know!)
This is a really interesting issue for me. I remember as a lad watching the King George at Ascot ( I think around 1975) involving Grundy, Bustino, Star Appeal and Dahlia. Dick Hern used a couple of pacemakers to aid Bustino (might have been Highest and Kinglet). If I remember correctly they went off like scalded cats and were beaten out of sight even before the straight. Does anyone know what the punishment could have been as they clearly were not running to obtain the best position for those 2 horses
This is a really interesting issue for me. I remember as a lad watching the King George at Ascot ( I think around 1975) involving Grundy, Bustino, Star Appeal and Dahlia. Dick Hern used a couple of pacemakers to aid Bustino (might have been Highest and Kinglet). If I remember correctly they went off like scalded cats and were beaten out of sight even before the straight. Does anyone know what the punishment could have been as they clearly were not running to obtain the best position for those 2 horses
It was Highest and Kinglet and as far as I know no questions have ever been asked about their tactics in setting up what turned out to be a hard fought defeat by their stable companion. Quite the reverse.
The whole area needs a huge review. How the rules allow a horse to be rode like Rockhampton was in the King George last year, I don’t know. The way certain pacemakers are rode they are just non-triers.
I don’t like what pacemakers do to races.
Pinza – I’ve watched O’Brien prepare horses in the paddock at Epsom on many occasions and he takes the same meticulous care every year with every runner. He attends to every detail, mostly himself, and it is intriguing to watch.
Regarding pacemakers – I’d much rather see them used and overlooked (by the stewards from a rules perspective) than have falsely run races with ‘odd’ results. Although I do accept that pacemakers can produce the occasional ‘odd’ result themselves.
The thing with pacemakers is they have to be of reasonable ability or else they can get ignored altogether. In the past two Derbys Golden Sword and At First Sight did all the donkey work but were good enough to hold on a long way up the straight. This means the opposition can’t give the likes of a Golden Sword too much rope. The Dixie Musics of this world just can’t do the job as well and therefore might as well be completely ignored by the rest of the field. Personally I like to see them to prevent races from turning into farcical events like that infamous Ormonde Stakes last year at Chester
Indeed Corm – as I understand it when racing AOB takes as much time with his 12f 3yo Handicappers as he does with the major Group 1 horses.
Pacemakers take tactics out of Racing. It’s simple as to why I don’t like them used how O’Brien generally does – if he has a horse good enough, and he’s scared of a slow pace, there’s never been anything stopping the good horse making all the running.
The Frozen Fire issue happened due to the field size as much as anything. The best horse still probably won that race on reflection.
Take the Sea The Stars vs Mastercraftsman race last year. Without the pacemakers the race would have been billed as a fascinating tactical duel, which I’m sure it would have been. It would have been a great spectical.
However, the Chester incident did racing no favours at all. If a pacemaker had been deployed then the public would atleast have been content with the fact Frozen Fire had been beaten in a true run race, no excuses. The bad publicity created as a result of that race made racing (wrongly) look like a circus imo.
And if Frozen Fire wasn’t a freakish head-case, who has since proven that by losing the plot, he could have made the running at a genuine pace. Murtagh would have had the confidence in the horse to continue to run on and attempt to hold off the challengers.
The race was more of an issue for me because of the number of runners. 3 runners for a Group 3 race?!
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