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Just further emphasises that the words of trainers and jockeys should be taken with a large pinch of salt
More like buried under several tons of asphalt.
It’s worth noting that David Minton, the bloodstock agent who found Sprinter Sacre in France, is adamant that the horse should go for the Melling Chase either this year or next and thenceforth to the King George.
Not that I’d particularly listen to him either…
Mike
If he were to run against Flemenstar in The Melling would mean actually be able to get a price on the Equine Aeroplane, would gladly take something around the 2/5 mark.
I personally would like him to stay at 2 miles. He is absolutely amazing over that trip, so i’m in the camp of… if it ‘aint broke, dont fix it.
Unlike Frankel and indeed Black Caviar there is no unbeaten record to preserve and therefore there is little to lose in trying him at a longer trip now. Aintree will tell us if he can maintain his superiority over Cue Card, who now looks like a specialist 2 miler. If he can, and does so with the sort of authority with which he has been winning his chases thus far, there is no reason why he cannot then take in the King George.
If successful at Kempton the big question is Gold cup or QM next.
Somebody already mentioned that had connections not elected to go up in trip with Kauto Star we would never have realsied his all round potential. A similar argument can be made regarding Desert Orchid’s career. If there is a prospect of Sprinter Sacre becoming a champion at more than one distance then connections are right to have a go. There is plently of time between now and next March to drop him back down in trip if the experiment fails. Indeed Nick Henderson tried to win a King George with Remittance Man in his second season prior to returning to the minimum trip the following March, and that horse’s reputation remianed intact inspite of his Kemption defeat.
I don’t think this is a Frankel-type situation.
With such blue blood, it was important for Frankel to maintain his unbeaten record at 8-10f for breeding purposes. What was key was that he recorded a number of technically excellent performances.
Obviously, this is not a consideration for Sprinter Sacre. I think anyone who owns such a talent would love to see how much he can achieve and I would expect him to be upped in trip in due course. The idea of three runs a season at 2m, culminating in repeat wins of the Champion Chase at 1-10f would seem such a waste.
Top-class flat racing is a business; top-class jumps racing is still a sport.
Mike
Couldn’t agree more with that Betlarge, to me Quevega is the most depressing horse in training.
Couldn’t agree more with that Betlarge, to me Quevega is the most depressing horse in training.
apart from winning the Punchestown 3-mile hurdle 3 times; C’ham is not the be-all you know. BB could have come to Punchestown
But I agree on the general point; SS should be given his chance to shine a t 3 miles, BB should have gone back over fences, Quevega should have skipped the mares hurdle
Sprinter Sacre v Flemenstar v Cue Card,
IF
it happens that will be a great race at Aintree
Couldn’t agree more with that Betlarge, to me Quevega is the most depressing horse in training.
apart from winning the Punchestown 3-mile hurdle 3 times; C’ham is not the be-all you know. BB could have come to Punchestown
7 races in 4 seasons. 4 of which come in and egg and spoon races.
The Punchestown 3 miler. An ordinary Grade 1, beating the likes of Mourad, Bensalem and Voler La Vedette.
Quevega is undoubtedly a very talented horse, but her campaign has been about as mundane and dull as one could possible imagine. Winning 5 times at the Festival is obviously a very good training performance, but she’s winning egg and spoon races.
Big Bucks is a little over-stated in the media, but let us be clear here ; he deserves far greater accolades than Quevega.
Couldn’t agree more with that Betlarge, to me Quevega is the most depressing horse in training.
apart from winning the Punchestown 3-mile hurdle 3 times; C’ham is not the be-all you know. BB could have come to Punchestown
7 races in 4 seasons. 4 of which come in and egg and spoon races.
The Punchestown 3 miler. An ordinary Grade 1, beating the likes of Mourad, Bensalem and Voler La Vedette.
Quevega is undoubtedly a very talented horse, but her campaign has been about as mundane and dull as one could possible imagine. Winning 5 times at the Festival is obviously a very good training performance, but she’s winning egg and spoon races.
Big Bucks is a little over-stated in the media, but let us be clear here ; he deserves far greater accolades than Quevega.
Punchestown Grade 1 3-miler 2nd only to C’ham 3 miler in quality; howvere I do accept that 3-mile hurdling is ordinary, and the 4th division of NH racing. 2-mile chasing is 3rd div, which is why SS should be exploding onto the 3-mile scene
Given that frankel somehow became the best ever flat horse without going near the derby,king George,arc can sprinter sacre do the same without winning king George’s and gold cups?
I accept that Frankel was possibly the best ever, but did not receive the public profile he deserved because he didn’t travel and didn’t contest the great races. If SS stays, we could be looking at 4 Gold Cups.
I think we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Quevega has become only the second horse in history to win the same festival race five times in a row. This was not lost on her connections when, Big Bucks’ withdrawal notwithstanding, she was still aimed at the mares’ hurdle. The record books now show only her and the great Golden Miller in an exclusive club of two.
Whilst there is an argument she could have been campaigned more adventurously, I respect her connections’ for targeting the record books in the same way the Coolmore team sportingly sent Camelot to Doncaster last September.
I accept that Frankel was possibly the best ever, but did not receive the public profile he deserved because he didn’t travel and didn’t contest the great races.
If by "public profile" you mean familiarity with the non-racing public-at-large then Frankel, considering he’s one of those strange brown four-legged creatures that contest the archaic and atavistic sport of horseracing, became something of a national treasue, relatively speaking
Of recent horses, Flat horses specifically, I’d contend that Sea The Stars who presumably did meet your dubious criterion and "contest the great races" viz those that are regarded as the ‘best’ due to no more than the dictates of fashion and tradition, was and is all but unknown outside our lovely but gated village
Mention has been made of Usain Bolt, the well-known two-legged non-stayer. Unlike horseracing, it’s the sprints in humanracing that are regarded as the ‘blue-riband’, again due to no more than the whims of fashion and tradition
It’s all a nonsense: an ‘all time great’ is ‘great’ at whatever distance/discipline it/he/she is great at. Versatility is a virtue; but a virtue supplementary to and not more worthy than excellence in a narrow confine
it’s the sprints in humanracing that are regarded as the ‘blue-riband’
I clearly remember that when Coe, Ovett and Cram were dominating middle-distance running, the 800m and 1500m were the ‘blue-riband’ events.
Nowadays, of course, the true blue riband events are to be found only at the velodrome or on the lake…
Mike
I think we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Quevega has become only the second horse in history to win the same festival race five times in a row. This was not lost on her connections when, Big Bucks’ withdrawal notwithstanding, she was still aimed at the mares’ hurdle. The record books now show only her and the great Golden Miller in an exclusive club of two.
Whilst there is an argument she could have been campaigned more adventurously, I respect her connections’ for targeting the record books in the same way the Coolmore team sportingly sent Camelot to Doncaster last September.
Respect? What are we to respect? Going for a useless and boring record when she could have been in a better race? Mmm kay. Her connections have willingly gone for this record in an attempt for public glory, when better and harder challenges exist elsewhere.
Who honestly cares that Quevega has won 5 Mares Hurdle races? They wern’t special races. They wern’t compelling races. She’s not a horse you’re going to remember in 20 years time because of a particular race. Goldikova got a little overstated because of total Group one win’s, but she was campaigned in the best races regularly.
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