- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks, 5 days ago by
.
- Posts
Was he allowed to leave the N.H. course at all? I have no clue what the rulebook says. But, I guess there aren’t many N.H. tracks with a strip of A.W. on its outer part so this could be some sort of loophole.
At 3.10sec in that video you can see him come off the AW to go inside the wing, then weave back onto the AW strip again so it’s legal. He does this quite often in bumpers weaving in and out of the markers to go for fresh turf. Sometimes it works, sometimes it just looks too clever by half and he comes unstuck.
He tried to do it against the pros in the grade 1 novice chase at the DRF, dragging Jimmy du Seuil away from the others to the far rail and a bit on the AW. The horse just looked annoyed at him disturbing his flow and starting yawing at the bit, leaning and looking really pissed off. The pro jockeys did not seem to think it was a jolly wizard plan that they wished they had thought of, and ignored him rather than copying him.
Worth doing it at Limerick in a midweek bumper where heavy is really deep, and tiddling with the rhythm by weaving onto a different underfoot surface probably doesn’t affect the horse as much as in a G1 race over fences.
I assume that as long as the horse goes between the wings where the hurdles would be then he’s entitled to use anything part of the course within the rails. He’ll have checked the rule book and the course diagram in the weighing room. Smart race craft!
“It’s great when it works out, but obviously you run the risk of looking silly when it doesn’t.”
Good grace from Patrick to acknowledge that he’s not the first to think of it and willing to eat humble pie if it doesn’t work so fair dues.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.