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Trouble is Cracksman’s Ganay performance wasn’t slow and he’s often shown blistering speed. Last two performances similar, here at 10f to the Corry Cup at 12f; so it can’t really be distance or going (Epsom also softer).
Looks temperament to me, always needed pushing along at some point (even last year) in order to show his brilliance and that laziness has become even more visable in recent races.
Headgear or retirement coming?
Or is it that he’s best at a certain time of year? August to October. That would also fit last year’s races.Value Is EverythingLooks like he is not the same horse as last year. There is no other excuse for losing here. Frankie after his last race told Cracksman does not like Epsom. But I was expecting much more from him at Ascot. Hope they don’t run him now until Champions stakes in Oct. We may never know in their absolute peak who was better between Cracksman or Enable.
They have pulled a long way clear from the others so I can’t have the ground and trip being the problem with him.
I just don’t think that his mind was on the job, Gosden mentioned in the paddock before that he was calling out to the fillies that were coming back to the stables from the previous race and Dettori had to give him a slap to canter off and at the start behind the stalls Frankie was giving him several slaps down the shoulder with the whip.
Gosden has just said the same thing again with the fillies comment and that he has got very lazy and they will need to sharpen him up for the KG.
It’s not a case of being the same horse as last year. It’s a case of not being the same horse as the one in ONE race last year. i.e. The Champion Stakes.
It was soft and sometimes soft ground form proves unreliable translated back to better ground. That has been demonstrated today big style.
Cracksman was not quite top class earlier in 2017, beaten in two Derbies, once by a Leger horse and finishing behind professional underachiever Cliffs Of Moher at Epsom are not scenarios we would have envisaged for the Cracksman who landed the Champion Stakes later in the year.
The Ganay is not as good as we perhaps thought, with Cloth Of Stars being a huge disappointment this season, going on to run to 108 RPR when only 6th of 7 as 11/10 Fav next time.
Cracksman’s Champion Stakes win stands head and shoulders above his other form for me and I feel he now stands as a horse with a lot to prove.
Frankie Dettori can say all he wants that “That’s not the horse I rode last autumn” but asked before the race he said “It’s all good”
If a horse isn’t right in some way, you would feel it on the way to the start. Racing is hype and lies at times as we all know and nobody would admit to having concerns.
John Gosden knew though and he had reservations when asked about a special performance on the cards today. He simply said “Maybe in the autumn”
Soft ground horse and I said it in the Derby last year that the horse looked awkward on a sound surface.
That’s my view anyway and the formbook supports it for now,
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Soft ground horse and I said it in the Derby last year that the horse looked awkward on a sound surface.
Why did you back Cracksman for the King George then?
Value Is EverythingIt was soft and sometimes soft ground form proves unreliable translated back to better ground. That has been demonstrated today big style.
If so, then why was the performance today on “better ground” (firmish) – pushed along early etc – remarkabley similar to the Corry Cup on soft ground?
Value Is EverythingIt’s not a case of being the same horse as last year. It’s a case of not being the same horse as the one in ONE race last year. i.e. The Champion Stakes.
Can’t have that at all. Cracksman posted better closing sectionals in the Great Voltigeur than Ulysses did in the International!
He’s clearly a horse of immense talent.
Retirement beckons, heads not in it, i thought the epsom run was a dislike for epsom, but it looks more a dislike for the game, hes not travelling, atall. Finished 2nd in a group 1 so on any known basis thats an excellent result but its not in this instance and poets word is no slouch, but i highly highly highhhhlyyy doubt hes ran to 125-130to beat cracksman there, cracksmans running about a stone less than his rating
Wont win the arc, that im certain of, not saying id lay him because he obviously has the ability to, but you got your answer today who frankie will be on if enables fit. No brainer
Great performance by the winner who looked a million dollars in the paddock. Cracksman was beaten fair and square by a better horse on the day. He looked fine in the paddock but got quite hot going down to the start and, like at Epsom, he never looked comfortable at any time. Look, horses get beat (unless you are Frankel) and it wasn’t his day today. He just didn’t seem to fire. I hear Steve’s argument that he has only really produced that one standout performance but I think that would be to discount the Voltigeur, The Prix Niel and the Ganay where he also looked very impressive. In those races, whilst he may have hit the occasional flat spot, he never needed to be rowed away at like he has in the last two races. To me it is obvious that he is not the same horse as he was – for whatever reason. That may have something to do with the ground of course but I wouldn’t put it all down to that. Frankel started to get lazy in his last race and it may be that Cracksman is now too laid back and doesn’t have the zip required for 10f on fast ground.
Anyway I can’t wait for the rematch in the King George and perhaps then they will give him a break to bring him back fresh for the Arc.
Obviously I was really disappointed to see him lose but I think we have to give credit to the winner and take defeat on the chin. There will be other days. If anyone can get him back to his best it is John Gosden.
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You can imagine the owner of Cracksman is a right PITA to work with. Hopefully they have not done a Jack Hobbs with this horse. After Epsom last year they said ” he will never run again at Epsom ” then Enable gets injured and they run at Epsom which obviously he does not enjoy.
Winner has run a career best but you take him out and Cracksman is a 8L winner of a G1 race having never been on the bridle – think it is a bit premature to be writing him off and packing him away off to stud.
I do believe the comment from Gosden about him calling out to the fillies as they were going back to the stables could be a salient point on his mind being elsewhere. It was noticeable that he was sweating around his breast girth and down his neck as he went out onto the course but he was still relaxed to the extent that Dettori had to give him a slap down the neck to get him to canter off to the start.
His relaxed state seemed to continue at the start as Dettori was giving him several smacks with the whip as he was ambling around behind the stalls almost as if he was trying to get him to actually gee up and concentrate on the job he had to do – I have never seen that before if I am honest.
No doubt Gosden has some work on his hands to get him prepared for the KG, wouldn’t surprise me to see him fit some cheek pieces to him but if the horse has really had enough he wouldn’t have pulled 8L clear of the third horse.
Lets put it this way, at this stage I would rather take him at 7s for the Arc than 11/2 for Enable who will (if she makes it to the Arc) be going there off the back of one run in either the Juddmonte or Prix Vermielle.
The KG could likely be a truly defining moment for his season one way or the other.
Horse not himself at the moment. I agree ground and trip might not have been ideal for the horse, but his last 2 runs haven’t been right for me. Frankie even trying to keep him on his toes before the race.
Cracksman was not quite top class earlier in 2017, beaten in two Derbies, once by a Leger horse and finishing behind professional underachiever Cliffs Of Moher at Epsom are not scenarios we would have envisaged for the Cracksman who landed the Champion Stakes later in the year.
Finishing 1L 3rd and a neck 2nd in two Derbys not top class? I know you are meaning superstar top class, but they were his 3rd and 4th runs…..you can speak about COM in hindsight, but at the time everyone still expected COM to be very decent.
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Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!I originally said I may lay him for this as I couldn’t have him as a single at the likely price of 4/7 on form ground dropped in trip.
In the end, I went with Cliffs on Moher. I should’ve stuck to my guns in hindsight.
But hey ho, well done winners and Sir Michael Stoute.
He’s turning into a fascinating horse. Whatever the excuses last time, at the end of the Coronation Cup the furthest thing from your mind would be to run him over 10f on fast ground. When the form is reviewed at the end of the season it might show he ran as well as can be expected for this trip/ground.
Poet’s Word is an improver and until he’s beaten we just won’t know the level of that improvement. I understand Stoute is renowned for developing this type of horse.
When hotpots are turned over there’s a tendency to seek excuses, and there’s no knowing the validity of what connections come up with and pundits speculate upon. Cracksman was a touch reluctant to go into the stalls today and, when they opened, simply did not pick up his bit, dwelling slightly and having to be visibly rousted out. Was his last experience at Epsom, when he reportedly gave his head a right bang exiting the stalls in his mind? He came onto the bridle within a furlong today but the experience seemed to panic Frankie more than the horse and it could be that the jockey made too much use of him (even Frankie could be excused that given how long the horse took to pick up last time).
I think Cracksman just needs a proper trip now. He doesn’t have the tactical speed of others and finds it tough when they quicken mid race. I suspect he’d do much better sitting out the back – much like he did at the Curragh – and being brought with one sustained run rather than being regularly hustled to keep close tabs on the leaders.
Some bookies pushed him out to 7/2 for the KG and, given that nobody knows the strength of Poet’s Word over 10f on fast ground, I think that’s a risky move for bookmakers. No question whatsoever that Cracksman will be better suited by 12f and the ground will be no faster than it was today. They’ll go steadier and Frankie will hopefully ride him with a bit more confidence and give the horse a chance to relax.
If anything does need fixing between now and the KG, no better man to do it than Gosden. It will be interesting to see if he resorts to headgear, although if that Epsom stalls experience has remained with the horse perhaps blinkers should be eschewed in favour of a crash helmet.
Is there no one willing to just ponder for a moment that maybe Cracksman isn’t as good as thought?
Calling to the fillies is not an excuse I have heard before.
Someone once told me that it’s impossible to run fast with an erection but I can’t accept that, because I have had to do so on several occasions.
That Great Voltiguer wasn’t a great race, Venice Beach was like a Gondola with no Gondolier in the St Leger and the third home, Mirage Dancer, was beaten as favourite, finishing 5th in a handicap yesterday from a mark of 112. The fourth horse in the Voltiguer was Douglas MacArthur, who was favourite for the Derby after his win in his second start, having disappointed on his first. The trainer said the horse had an engine but I wasn’t impressed myself. As is often the case here, I got pelters for not sharing the O’Brien enthusiasm but I was only giving my honest opinion. The horses can’t all turn out good after all. In any case General MacArthur went to the St Leger and was tailed off, running to 83 on RPR’s. The other two ran so badly there is no point even considering it as relevant.
I don’t really care what sectionals say about a race. If it looks like a weak race to me, I’ll treat it as such.
If we look at Cracksmans Racing Post Ratings, disregarding his first career start, where it is hard to earn 100 plus as a 2YO, we see the figures go thus from second start onwards:-
Last Season
107
118
120
123
118
131
This Season
124
119
121The final figure of 121 is for the Prince Of Wales.
If we take the outliers out of the figures, ie the worst and best figures, as is normal in statistical analysis, we are left with the following sequence of figures:-
118, 120, 123, 118, 124, 119, 121
Now, doesn’t that look like a very consistent run of figures that would be taken as a fit basis for forming an average on in a scientific discipline?
Of course horse racing is an inexact science yet we have to approach the ratings in a scientific manner in order to have any hope of them being meaningful. I appreciate that some punters don’t go by ratings but when the gaps in ratings are big and defined it is usually folly to ignore the figures.
Cracksman’s OR is 130 but only one performance warrants it being that high based on Racing Post figures. I would actually argue that his last two runs actually mean his official rating should be lowered slightly. That notion is strengthened by Frankie Dettori having no explanation other than “He’s not the same colt I was riding last autumn.
Maybe I am simplistic in choosing the ground factor as the most likely explanation but his best ever run being on soft supports that thinking to my mind. Something else may emerge and be the reason but some of the excuses being bandied about are getting on the ridiculous when the horse may come out in the autumn, sluice home in the mud and have most people musing that “He’s a soft ground and/or late season horse”
That’s my thinking and I can only apologise if it upsets people.
I am retiring from writing on Racing matters on Saturday anyway, so readers can rest at ease.
I have been doing voluntary fundraising work for Cats Protection and my wife and I are going to be moving into fostering Cats and Kittens until they can be found new homes. It’s my other area of passion outside horse racing and it’s a good time to switch focus from one to the other.
Be lucky
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
good post steve, I really do just look at it as,on quick ground,over 10f he is very beatable, I believe a better cracksman will always be with a bit of juice over 12. Ok he won the Champion over 10f but that was with plenty of give.
JG is one of the best around but at times they(trainers) do and try and prove us punters/form wrong by keep running horses on conditions that don’t suit(according to form book and us mere punters)Please JG put the horse away and wait for autumn ground
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