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If you ignore the last minute switch and total lack of previous communication it was a great decision. Everyone in the media has done.
I’d probably have it on a par with Coolmore running Camelot in the Leger.
I didn’t consider it a sporting gesture at all but one borne solely out of self interest. Of course we and the King George benefitted considerably by the decision but that was purely a bi-product of the decision.
Sheikh Hamdan does what is best for Sheikh Hamdan, nothing more, nothing less.
Why will Taghrooda not be racing next year?Coolmore running Camelot in the Irish Derby, now that was a sporting gesture.
Whatever you think of coolmore you have to admire their almost old fashioned loyalty to certain Irish group ones.. Whenever there look to be small fields in certain group ones they always support the race and in the case of Camelot probably set the horse back greatly. It’s up to owners to place their horses where they feel but if more showed coolmores spirit regards their races then it would greatly enhance their image.
I’d probably have it on a par with Coolmore running Camelot in the Leger.
I didn’t consider it a sporting gesture at all but one borne solely out of self interest. Of course we and the King George benefitted considerably by the decision but that was purely a bi-product of the decision.
Sheikh Hamdan does what is best for Sheikh Hamdan, nothing more, nothing less.
Why will Taghrooda not be racing next year?Coolmore running Camelot in the Irish Derby, now that was a sporting gesture.
I agree that it had nothing whatever to do with sport. It was simply a logical step for a horse who had blown her rivals away at Epsom and who had nothing more to prove against the same fillies in The Irish Oaks.
It would have been a whole lot more satisfactory for punters if the connections had made the call before odds became available for the Irish Oaks and we had to watch the money pile on her with no indication that the King George was still very much on the agenda.
Sometimes it doesn’t work out for fillies staying in training at the age of four. We have seen Treve have her problems this season and she must be buggering up many a "ten to follow" entry this year.
With that in mind, and the fact that Taghrooda is a January foal, rather than a late developer, it may be wise to retire her at the end of this season, rather than watch her form level out or decline in a 4yo racing career.
Listening to John Gosden, he didn’t seemed that enthused about the prospect of Taghrooda running in the Arc. He said the idea made a "lot of sense" but there seemed little excitement from him about what is surely going to be a rare prospect in a training career.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Anyone backing Taghrooda ante-post for the English Oaks (as I did) knew Sheikh H had other possible runners in the race and might even pull her out if something else proved up to it. As it was two Sheikh H fillies went to post, although neither started fav they finishing first and second. The Irish Oaks is the next logical step for Epsom principals and I dare say Gosden wanted to run. Sheikh H then had the two fillies with the best and second best chances of winning the Irish Oaks, ante-post fav and second fav. They also knew this was likely to be the Irish filly’s only chance of winning a Classic. So why run Taghrooda against her? Gosden’s filly was already a Classic winner and would gain little prestige in winning anyway. Gosden may well have picked up from her home work that Taghrooda had improved quite a bit since Epsom and if this was conveyed to Sheikh H then it is a no brainer. Whether it was said in the press or not, there always going to be a good chance Taghrooda running at Ascot and ante-post bettors should’ve been aware of the situation. I don’t see it as "sporting" or unsporting, just logical.
As for Camelot running in the St Leger: Had he been aimed at any other race there’d have been a relentless clamour for him to run against Frankel. The "best we’ve ever had" would’ve been beaten senseless. Camelot had the breeding and temperament to win the St Leger; beaten only (in hindsight) by a pumped up Zarooni animal. Again, I don’t see it as sporting or unsporting, just logical.
The most sporting owner I know is Jeff Smith. When will we see another horse run in the Mile classics, July Cup and International?
Value Is EverythingThis is a total non thread IMO ……there is no bad news about Taghrooda running in the King George whatsoever…..an owner exercising their perfect right to run their horse where they like……good for them and good for the race.
Sheikh Hamdan of all people owes racing absolutely nothing.
This is a total non thread IMO ……there is no bad news about Taghrooda running in the King George whatsoever…..an owner exercising their perfect right to run their horse where they like……good for them and good for the race.
Sheikh Hamdan of all people owes racing absolutely nothing.
You have clearly missed the point of the thread although I couldn’t agree more about owners running where they want and Hamdan owing racing nothing.
It was well worthy of mention because I was overwhelmed at the weekend by the media stating what a "sporting" decision it was to run Taghrooda in the King George when it was nothing of the sort.
Alastair Down – "Applauds her owners sporting decision"
Sean Boyce – The same
Jim McGrath – "Most extraordinary sporting decision in living memory in the game"
Big Mac – "Exactly, an owner putting racing first and running a horse for the good of the sport and The King George"
Richard Hoiles commentary climaxed with "The sporting nature of the connections are rewarded with a massive prize"
And there were others.
Some (not me) might say that it is unsporting not to run your top 3 year old fillies the following season but as has already been stated that is exactly the reason Taghrooda ran in the King George.
It was nothing to do with a "sporting" decision, the good of racing or to enhance the King George she ran purely for the benefit of her owner.
So how does it benefit Sheikh Hamdan? What WAS his motivation?
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
The best horses should be running in the best races, simple as that. With hindsight they should of ran her in the Derby.
Gaelic Warrior Gold Cup Winner 2026
I feel it was sporting in that she can have only one foal a year whereas Mukhadram could sire well over 150 per season.
If Mukhadram had won the battle for second behind Taghrooda, and hence by her participation been denied a King George victory to accompany the Eclipse, the decision to run her could not be called a commercially successful one given the increased stud fee income over the sales price of one solitary foal out of a filly who already had a Classic to her name. Not many Coolmore fillies have lined up against their colts down the years.
Just my view but an explanation of why I personally felt it a sporting move along with the fact that it was nice to see an unbeaten record being put on the line rather than being artificially preserved. .
I’m just an old romantic though
Would go up even more in my estimations if she was supplemented for the Leger as the path to the Arc !!
With that pedigree would love to see her have a run beyond 1m 4f but am sure that would be a sporting step too far.Perhaps the Sheikh will have a rethink and with that pedigree she will take in the Ascot Gold Cup next year?
Can someone reel off that long list of St Leger winners who have gone on to win an Arc?
Alleged did finish second in the Leger but was significantly better at 1m4f. More importantly he was a relatively fresh horse who didn’t take in a King George.
If Taghrooda wins a King George and Arc how many people are going to be thinking what a pity she didn’t run in a St Leger?
Good points from Mr Hoiles. For me this question would have been more relevant BEFORE the race. What would Sheikh Ham have been considering? Did anyone read the Weekender this week? Nick Mordin found an incredible stat. No 3 year old filly trained in Britain, Ireland or America had EVER won an all aged, all sex Group 1 race over 12f IN THE HISTORY OF RACING before Taghroodha did it! That’s throughout the world by the way. So the stats gave her absolutely no chance.
So the Sheikh had a decision akin to a scaffolder from Widnes on Bullseye. Does he keep the money and win an easy Irish Oaks or risk it all for Bully’s special prize – a speedboat I mean King George? And make no mistake, it WAS a risk. A virtually guaranteed 2nd Group 1 and 100% record verses the possibility of finishing down the field against colts and older horses trying to do somethimg that has never been done before. So it comes down to risk verses reward. What was his motivation? For a man worth 12 billion I think we can rule out money. For me it was the prestige of winning one of the premier races in the calendar. I think that would mean a lot to a man who has been involved in British racing for decades.
So at worst we can accuse him of selfishly wanting to win the best possible race for himself and his horse. Well is that not what anyone would do? But is that a "sporting" decision? Well like the audience claps when my scaffolder says he will try and win his speedboat, so we all do when the Sheikh says "Yes! I’m going to gamble the lot Jim!" Sporting? I’d say so.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
stilvi,
Think Richard was being tongue in cheek about The Leger, hence the exclamation marks
Jonibake,
Weren’t Pawneese & Dahlia 3 year old fillies when they won the King George? Or Danedream & Treve in the Arc recently? Although I’m sure a bit of interesting minor turf trivia for some, not sure it’s much of a factor which country they were actually trained in compared to horses actually winning the races as Taghrooda proved.
How could it be discussed prior to the race, when hardly any reference to the "sporting" nature didn’t appear till after or near the end of the race?
It was purely media driven, I don’t recall connections of the horse making any claim at all that they were making a "sporting" decision.
Think the comments from connections best sums up their thinking.
Angus Gold stated the weight allowance helped tilt Sheikh Hamdan towards running at Ascot instead of the Curragh.
"I said to Richard Hills before we confirm for the Irish Oaks that we must look at the King George and see what was likely to run,"
Gold said "He came back and said with this amount of weight we must tell Sheikh Hamdan and give it serious consideration"
"The more we looked at it, the more I thought that if she was as good as I suspected they’d have to be good to give her that weight"
"Sheikh Hamdan made the call and spoke to Gosden & Weld"
"John made the point that if she was in training next year why don’t we go for the Irish Oaks, but if Sheikh Hamdan was going to retire her go for the big one. It’s Sheikh Hamdan’s policy to retire three year old fillies , hence this came about."
So there we have it, a practical and logical decision made by connections without a hint of all this romantic nonsense that was solely whipped up by the media (as usual).
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