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it makes you realize that Zarkava’s don’t grow on trees.
Yes, exactly, you should all appreciate me more. There may not be another like me ever again.
I hope she progresses to the Prix Vermeille and wins there as well. Simply because, the Arc must always demand all shades of the rainbow in it’s line-up. Premier older horses, mares, Derby winners, fillies, globetrotters etc etc at their best.
- Total Posts 17716
it makes you realize that Zarkava’s don’t grow on trees.
Yes, exactly, you should all appreciate me more. There may not be another like me ever again.
baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
u nutter- Total Posts 17716
It was hard not to be taken by Zarkava – there can’t have been many who weren’t waxing lyrical after her victory in the Arc – but why does her early season form stand up any better than Stacelita’s?
Other than Goldikova – who didn’t stay in the Diane, improved later in the season to win a questionable Breeders’ Cup Mile and disappointed on her reappearance – she beat little of note in the run up to Longchamp, and even then can only claim to have beaten a nutcase in Youmzain (conceding 11lb), Soldier Of Fortune, Vision D’Etat and Ask who, according to some, won ‘one of the worst Group 1s to be run all season’ at Epsom.
Yes, Zarkava was impressive, but so was Stacelita, and to dismiss her simply because the acknowledgement of her ability may diminish the accomplishments and historical standing of a filly previously thought to be ‘one in a million’ is pure nonsense.
Fist
None of your alternatives have routed any group one field (or grp 2 even?) in that style at any stage of their careers. At 12’s compared with 8’s, i do not see them as an alternative at all, least of all Fame and Glory who was simply well beaten in the derby.
I agree with equitrack about Zarakava. As exciting as she was, she certainly hadnt shown any more at this stage of the season
Also Fist, S is judged to be better ("unbeatable") on soft going by her trainer
She will be laid out for the arc now of course, unlike some of the otehrs in the betting
Cannot believe the rubbish being spouted about Zarkava. How can you possibly say that she had beaten nothing of note at this stage of the season?
She beat Goldikova and Halfway to Heaven in the Pouliches – those 2 went on to win 6 Group 1s between them! The horse in 4th won a Group 2 & a couple of others won pattern races. Oh, and she beat them on the bridle. In the fastest winning time ever. I really can’t understand what more you could possibly have asked of her in that race. The 2nd and 3rd alone went on to beat Lush Lashes, Darjina, Passage of Time, Nahoodh, Saoirse Abu, Kip Deville, Natagora, Sabana Perdida, Paco Boy, Sageburg, Henrythenavigator & Whatsthescript. They are ALL Group/Grade 1 winners.
Those form lines put her ahead of Raven’s Pass, New Approach, Haradasun, Tamayuz & Mount Nelson, not to mention she beat all the other Group 1 winners that year in the Arc.
But along comes Stacelita, beats absolutely nothing and people are raving about her and saying she’s just as good as Zarkava. Don’t make me laugh.
"But along comes Stacelita, beats absolutely nothing and people are raving about her and saying she’s just as good as Zarkava."
no Sir, you’ve completely misinterpreted what’s been said. No-one, that I can see of, is saying she’s as good as Zarkava. What’s been claimed is that, at this stage of the season compared to last year, their form stacks up evenly – that’s a fair comment, no? Sure, Goldikova et al went on to greater things, but who’s to say some of those behind Stacelita yesterday won’t also?
It requires a huge leap of faith to suggest she’ll ultimately match Zarkava. Zarkava was stunningly brilliant, but Stacelita could also be – the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Yesterday’s performance was absolutely exceptional IMO
Calm down Z,- i never understand why people take things so personally about a horse. Its hardly fair bringing up what beaten horses achieved subsequently, maybe the beaten horses in Sundays race will prove a decent lot, who knows?
People will be excited about an unbeaten filly winning a Classic pulling a cart – and rightly so.
Comparisons are pointless – i would be very suprised if she were as good as Zarkava, but she is certainly no forlorn hope for the Arc based on what we have seen to date, which has been faultless. I am personally always taken with horses who do not seemingly have any ground preference.
Ok, we’ll look in 3 months time and if the rubbish behind Stacelita has won more than 2 Group 1s (Halfway to Heaven & Goldikova had won 4 by mid-September), I’ll hold my hands up.
Hold your hands up to what? Read things again, nobody is arguing with you.
And the silly ‘rubbish’ comment about the other filly’s doesn’t do you any favours either, not really neccessary is it.
Zarakava….exactly the same comments were made about your pet horse this time last year
It is beyond me how anyone can already dismiss yesterdays beaten horses as "rubbish".
I think the other posters have summed it up already..anyway
She will have to win the Arc to finally settle it.
To post 2’36 on ground which had cut in it although not soft obviously, was sensational so the pointers to her winning the Arc are very good.
No point in comparing at the present time though there is a lot of time from now till October and they will never square off and one was a hold up horse and one was a front runner.
No one can doubt though Stacelita is a stunning racehorse.
While I would never use the moniker Zarkava I was a big fan. Having said that I like this filly even more. The times on yesterday’s card were all pretty fast. Just taking a quick check thru some figures Stacelita’s would be heads and shoulders above the rest. What is even more impressive is she ran in the teeth of a very fast pace and then accelerated once and again in the straight to blow away the field in less than a furlong. Even more stunning, Christophe Lemaire had time to light up a stogie and order a brew crusing by the stands. The 2nd 3rd and 4th came from the clouds and were all hard at work trying to make inroads while the winner looked to be out on a Sunday stroll. Take Beacon Lodge’s race, the pace there just fell apart and the first four home were the last four entering the straight yet the winner still does not come close to the overall time of Stacelita.
It’s much too early to be making any claims about the competition.Tamazirte was 1/2 length 2nd in a grp. 1 classic to a stable mate and could not even get a sniff in here. Celimene was unbeaten coming in and taking a big hike up in class, in stride.
If Rouget says she is unbeatable on soft then I believe him. Everybody in the UK has now heard of the man but the fact is he has churned out more winners year for year over more than 15 years than any other trainer in France. It’s not even close. 20 years ago when JCR started his first rare forays from afar to the hub of French racing, word got around quick this was a serious player and his horses were always heavily bet and rarely disappointed. The guy is a master trainer, in my mind the best in Europe as he not only trains as well as anybody but he picks out a lot of these himself at all kinds of sales which puts him on another plane. Stacelita was bred by Alec Head and his wife and they know a little about horses. Breeding is first class with Monsun as the sire, just about the most underrated sire of the last 25 years and the dam was quite a good filly in Germany. Both mom and dad loved lots of cut but it did not stop their young offspring from routing this field on fast ground.
On top of that Rouget is one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet. Personally I hope he keeps cleaning up right till the end of the season and from every indication he has finally gotten the firepower to do just that. If Stacelita stays healthy the Vermeille is already in the bag and if she turns up for the Arc with soft in the description the boys young and old are going to be in for another serious ass whippin.
All just my opinion of course.
Great post Brendan
Strikes me that he believes this horse is something very special. Obviously he has plenty of yardsticks and is an extraordinary trainer, but is he slightly liable to get carried away or are his views to be taken very seriously indeed?
Genuine question… which I think is significant…
Clivex,
the man is as down to earth as you are going to find. No "hyperbolic" bone in this guys body. Haven’t spoken to him in years but have seen him inteviewed countless times on Equidia with that same matter of fact friendly style. To tell the truth I have no idea how good this filly is but fact is she’s undefeated and has not been tested in any of her races and in her last two has destroyed the fields at grp.1 level on completely contrasting ground conditions in very good times.
u nutter
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