‘… unquestionably phenomenal year’?

[Bosra Shambles]

Whatever you think of Paul Haigh’s view of Deep Impact, surely trying to claim the Japanese horse was ‘the unquestonable phenomenon of an unquestionably phenomenal year’ is stretching things a bit. I accept the first statement might have a grain of truth, but it certainly wasn’t a year full of outstanding horses.

[stevedvg]

I thought the flat season was poor and was only ever likely to be poor.

There were very few good 3yo’s who stayed on after 2005, so the strength in depth of the older horses at 8-12f was always going to be lacking.

The 3yo’s of 2006 were a patchy bunch. GW showed quality, but missed a lot of the season.

HN had 2 runs – one he was unfit, 2nd he broke down.

The Derby was unconvincing and the winner was injured before he finally made a (poor) comeback.

The French produced some decent 3yos (Rail Link and Mandesha) but the horse that looked their superstar in the early season never ran after disappointing in the Derby.

Older horses like Pride, Shirocco and Ouija Board ran good races. But we lost others like Electocutionist.

So, all in all, a poor flat 2006 for me.

And, as we’ve not seen Kicking King or Well Chief in 2006 (and seen the end of Baracouda, Azerty and Moscow Flyer), I’d hardly go mad about the jumps either.

Steve    

[Gareth Flynn]

I loved the flat season, but mostly because of some brilliant finishes in the top-class races (Derby, King George, Nassau, Arc, Irish Champion, Dewhurst) rather than one or two outstanding racehorses (Teofilo excepted).

[The Market Man]

I thought it was a good flat season.

I really wish people would wake up regarding Deep Impact though. I better put this in bold :

Deep Impact has never put up any performance to suggest he’s a 130 horse

He is a very good horse but he is NOT an outstanding champion. He’s one of those horses that people get attatched to (mainly because of his visual impressive racing style) and therefore he’s got a false reputation. Deep Impact is around a 128 horse. That puts him below George Washington for a start and way below real greats of the turf.

[Maxilon 5]

I really enjoyed the flat season…counting down the days on the lady jockey’s calendar!;)

The Derby was unconvincing and the winner was injured before he finally made a (poor) comeback.

I’ll forgive him, Steve. Nowhere near his best. Plenty of chances for Sir Percy to prove himself this year in Dubai (x 2) and at Epsom, Ascot and Longchamp.:biggrin:

[Zorro]

Just because our three year olds were pretty ordinary – and that includes George Washington if you measure him by what he beat and what beat him – doesn’t mean it was an ordinary season worldwide. I’m guilty of looking at racing as a global sport these days, and there were some horses around that titillated even my jaded palate.<br>Deep Impact excited me most of course, and I know professional handicappers who disagree profoundly with what they regard as the parochial (largely European) decision to downgrade him. Sadly he failed to prove them wrong in the Arc, but even in running about a stone below his best he still did pretty well.<br> My opinion and I’m entitled to it, just as the handicappers who make arbitrary decisions about certain horses are entitled to theirs.:cool: <br>Will someone clever please explain to me what George W did to get rated as highly as he was?<br>Anyway… jolly yuletide to all

[Zorro]

Even jackane if you’re out there, mate. I’m feeling expansive today.:)

[seabird]

……………..too much red wine last night, Mr. Haigh!?;)

Colin

[The Market Man]

Quote: from Zorro on 6:56 am on Dec. 23, 2006[br]<br>Deep Impact excited me most of course, and I know professional handicappers who disagree profoundly with what they regard as the parochial (largely European) decision to downgrade him. Sadly he failed to prove them wrong in the Arc, but even in running about a stone below his best he still did pretty well.<br> <br>

<br>Zorro at a pound per length are you seriously trying to tell me Deep Impact is a fourteen length better horse than his finishing position in the Arc?

I’m sorry I don’t mean to appear rude or patronising but that is clearly complete and utter twaddle.

[wit]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Phenomenon" has a specialized meaning in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant who contrasted the term Phenomenon with noumenon in the Critique of Pure Reason.

Phenomena constitute the world as we experience it, as opposed to the world as it exists independently of our experiences (things-in-themselves, ‘das Ding an sich’).

Humans cannot, according to Kant, know things-in-themselves, only things as we experience them.

Thus philosophy â€â€Â

[davidjohnson]

Not sure many handicappers would use a pound per length at 12f on the ground the arc was run on but nevertheless I find it hard to see on what piece of form you could rate Deep Impact within a pound or 2 of Sea Bird.

Still he does have one last chance to give Zorro the last laugh.

[Aidan]

George Washington has been hugely overrated for sure

I agree, I personally think he was well capable of hitting 130+ but he never actually achieved it. It will be interesting to see what the International Classifications actually give him.<br>

[indocine]

Didn’t see anything better in ’06 than Discreet Cat in the Cigar Mile 132+; Dutrow brought Silver Train in on his ‘A’ game forcing DC to be hand ridden to tie Easy Goer’s 17-y-o track record.<br>

[Zorro]

I think his run in the Spring Tenno Sho, beating the Japan Cup fourth very easily in course record (by a second) time was worth about 136 (maybe 132 even in the blinkered boys books).<br>Who’s the person who ends each post "I could be wrong of course. It has been known"?:)

[wit]

hmm….even though the Japanese handicapper assessed him at 123 for the Spring Tenno Sho ?

http://japanracing.jp/_rankings/2006/04t.html

best regards

wit

[davidjohnson]

Arguably Invasor’s Classic win isn’t as good as some of Bernadini’s form.

[Aidan]

And neither as good as Discreet Cats…

[Author]

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