- This topic has 19 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 17 years ago by
.
-
Posts
-
The flat season is drawing to an end, and there has been some excellent equine performances on the race track – but what performance do you rate as the ‘performance of the season’?
It’s quite possible that the performance of the season hasn’t happened yet, with some big races still to come, but I think it will take a very special performance to change my mind in the coming weeks.
My selection is without doubt Indian Ink in the Coronation Stakes at the Royal Meeting.
As I have mentioned before I am not a ratings man, nor a time guru, so I don’t know how the performance will compare with some of your selections in that aspect. But from a visual point of view, Indian Ink’s performance was scintillating. Yes, it can be argued that conditions arrived in time, but she still had to perform, and boy did she perform.
As the Racing Post said, it was hard to remember a Coronation Stakes that contained more ‘cream’ than this one. Finsceal Beo was a dual Guineas winner, while Darjina was the French Guineas winner. The race also included the much touted and unbeaten at the time Mi Emma, as well as horses who had faired very well in the Guineas behind the above mentioned winners.
Indian Ink simply routed her rivals, showing an impressive turn of foot to win going away by the best part of 6 lengths. Unfortunately, there was as much talk about the beaten favourites, because of the ground, as there was about the winner, but take nothing away from Indian Ink – you will go a long way to find an easier winner of the Coronation Stakes.
So for me it’s Indian Ink. But what is your performance of the season?
Mike
Manduro’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes win. On their next start, the second and third managed to bag the Eclipse and King George.
Manduro’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes win. On their next start, the second and third managed to bag the Eclipse and King George.
That was very close to being my selection DJ, but I just felt that my heart would have ruled my head on that one as I backed the horse that day.
Regarding Indian Ink, well the horse she beat into 3rd that day, over 6L adrift, was Darjina, who went on to win 2 group1’s in her next 2 starts and has a strong chance today in the QEII.
Mike
The performance of the season so far is obviously Manduro’s in the Prince Of Wales…beating Dylan Thomas on fast ground.
I would expect Authorized or SOF to improve on it in the Arc next Sunday.
Manduro without a doubt…must be the highest rated by a margin
Was thinking today that it feels like its been a good season for impressive performers. Sometimes thats more of a feel than anything that can be calcualted by a slide rule and an anorak but along with the aforementioned, Peeping Fawn, Authorised, Ramonti, Cockney rebel, Dylan Thomas amongst others, have all been inspiring performers for one reason or another
Manduro without a doubt…must be the highest rated by a margin
Two pounds by my reckoning. Manduro was a very good horse but other thjan Dylan Thomas at Ascot he hasn’t beaten the strongest of opposition he’s no machine.
I expect at least one three year old to post a higher figure than Manduro’s in the Arc either Authorized, Soldier Of Fortune or Zambezi Sun will win, Authorized gets my vote.
Authorized also gets my vote for performance of the season for his Derby win, couldn’t have won it any easier.
Flash
How much do you think Zambezi Sun needs to improve? I can’t see what piece of form he has that puts him within a stone of the other 2 you mention.
Flash
How much do you think Zambezi Sun needs to improve? I can’t see what piece of form he has that puts him within a stone of the other 2 you mention.
Quite a bit to be honest. I think he will have to improve a good eight or nine pounds to win the Arc.
He is only a three year old though he could well still be improving and we don’t know straight he was last time out. I expect him to run to a better rating than he has so far achieved, whether it will be good enough to win him the race, I doubt it to be honest.
The older horses all have to improve on their best form if they are going to win an Arc (unless its an extremely poor Arc), I can’t see any doing that there is no real reason why they should so I’d be very surprised if a three year old doesn’t win it – horses that should really still be improving.
With the likely going now soft at Longchamp, the Arc is a straight shoot-out between Authorized and SoF. I hope they pull a dozen lengths clear in a ding-dong battle down the straight and let the best horse win.
Back on topic, Peeping Fawn’s win in the Nassau was probably the one that I’ll remember most fondly. The way she was going so well on the turn-in to the straight that Murtagh just had to let her go, and the way she then took lengths out of the field, killing the race in a matter of strides. Just brilliant, made even more impressive by being straight off the back of two super performances on awful ground at the Curragh. Shame we won’t see her again this season, but I’d rather that than watch an over-the-top version of her struggle.
So far, Authorized gets my vote for his Derby win.
As for the Arc, if Frankie rides Authorized in the same way that he rode Sakhee to win a few years ago (kick away early in the straight), then I can’t see anything beating him.
Also, I think Raven’s Pass will destroy anything that opposes him in the forthcoming Dewhurst.
cant believe no-one else has nominated notnowcatos performance in the eclipse, ok it wasnt a wide margin impressive win but ryan moore outthought some of the best jockeys and horses. the fact i had a wedge on it helps too. even now i simply find it astounding in a race worth so much and with the participants representing such big stables no one else seemed to walk the course!!!. mind you i wasnt complaining (saying that when he charged across the track on the home turn i was screaming at the tv and calling him allsorts) 5 minutes later i was calling him a genius,chipmunk
cant believe no-one else has nominated notnowcatos performance in the eclipse, ok it wasnt a wide margin impressive win but ryan moore outthought some of the best jockeys and horses. the fact i had a wedge on it helps too. even now i simply find it astounding in a race worth so much and with the participants representing such big stables no one else seemed to walk the course!!!. mind you i wasnt complaining (saying that when he charged across the track on the home turn i was screaming at the tv and calling him allsorts) 5 minutes later i was calling him a genius,chipmunk
I believe that if Notnowcato ran with the group, he wouldn’t have finished in the first three.
Manduro’s win over DT was at DT’s inadequate trip. Authorized’s win over DT was just as good. Over 1m4 between the three on good ground would see the undisputed highest rated win of the season imo.
Flash
How much do you think Zambezi Sun needs to improve? I can’t see what piece of form he has that puts him within a stone of the other 2 you mention.
DJ, watch the niel again.. And watch the jockey, tenderly handled is an understatement – There’s more to come with that horse I think. SOF was definitely harder ridden..
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.