- This topic has 23 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 7 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Just seen this article about Voy Por Ustedes back in training –
Appears that a few problems were discovered that have now been resolved. Now with Nicky Henderson.
- Total Posts 17716
This is good news, cause the thought of him back at his best is exciting
It is great to see him back, especially at the start of the season, it seemed that we would never see him back on the racecourse again.
One of my all time favourite horses, who i have loved seeing work over the years, and i dont think there has ever been a keener horse at home when schooling and going around the outdoor school when warming up.
It’s great to hear that he still retains the enthusiasm that we have seen from him at home, and i personally wish Nicky Henderson and Sir Robert Ogden and other connections, all the best with the horse. Although it is a shame he is no longer with Alan, never felt the same when walking down the barns and Voy Por wasn’t standing in his stable.
Aintree would be great for the horse, and it would be brilliant from a personal point of view, to see him back on the track.
This is good news. Along with Monets Garden seemingly on the mend and Walkon racing again, things are looking up. We’ve lost far too many old [and young] favourites this year. Fingers crossed for Petit Robin as well.
I was gutted when I first heard he was not going back to Alan, really the end of an era and without Alan always believing in him VPU would never have reached the heights he did, or belonged to Sir Robert.
Chocs and he were a dream team too, Chocs adored the horse, always says he paid for his house, and he came back soon after breaking his collarbone because he refused to let anyone else rider the horse.
The story is a little messy, and I really hope no one blames Alan for not finding out what was wrong with the horse. I had a club horse there at the time and they did every possible investigation into what might be bothering VPU, but nothing was found. These things can be hard to spot, and some vets are better than others. No knowing what really happened, or when.
It was heartbreaking to see him running so badly last season though. I’m sure Alan and Chocs are gutted not to have him and not to have found out how to help him. But he is in good hands and his new work rider and lass adore him already. Nicky is being quiet about him, no idea whether he will come ‘back’ or not, but let’s hope so. I’m sure Alan will wish him well too. Racing is like this.
I hope Alan can find another one, Barbury Castle deserves to be back at the top.
May as well retire the beast, unless you want to see the horse hacking around in handicaps that is.
Someone said that the thought of him being back to his best is exciting… well hold that excitement mate, the horse will have one or two runs and then connections will come to the sensible conclusion, hence a retirement.
There’s absolutely nothing nice about this story. The only way this story could have been happy is if it included the horse being fit and that it will never run again.
But it seems not. Very surprised that connections want to run the horse again.
Why? He is not that old, and plenty of horses fracture their pelvis, it is a very common injury which can even occur in the paddock at any time. He is lightly raced too. Just remains to be seen if after all this time he still wants to do it, some do and some decide they’ve done enough.
He’s in good hands and if they think he is not working well enough then he will be retired. Sir Robert has alot of money but he does not give up on his racehorses until he has tried a few other tactics. Maybe this is good …. maybe this is bad.
Oh, you don’t get it do you?
Being lightly raced is one thing.
Being young and lightly raced is another thing.
Being 10-year-old (or is he 11) and having a handicap mark that he has is just unmanageable, and therefore not worth persevering with.
I appreciate people go from the heart, but just don’t forget this thread when the head means a retirement for VPU. Thanks for the memories.
- Total Posts 17716
You’re the one who doesn’t get it. You wouldn’t have a clue how the horse is or what signs he showing that indicate he’s up to run again.
The horse will tell Nicky Henderson if he’s good enough to compete again and he thinks it’s waste of time he’ll soon tell the owners but you are making a wild uneducated guess……nothing more nothing less.
Just because he’s back in training doesn’t mean he actually has to win anything. His owners aren’t short of a few bob and their reasons aren’t neccessarily finacial…….let’s just retire all the 10 year olds why don’t we?
- Total Posts 17716
Just because he’s back in training doesn’t mean he actually has to win anything.
You do realise this is a multiple group winning horse, you wouldn’t bring him back unless he was able to win a race, especially with those training fees of Henderson.
Being 10-year-old (or is he 11) and having a handicap mark that he has is just unmanageable, and therefore not worth persevering with.
His current mark of 160 is lower than that off which he has contested any handicap (three tries) to date – they were all taken in off marks from 163 to 173.
It might still be stretching credibility to regard 160 as a gift per se, but at the same time it’s not as if we have on our hands here a patched-up animal returning on a career-high rating.
As Fist infers, he’s in good enough hands for his comeback to be pulled outright if he doesn’t send out suitably encouraging signs in his home work. This isn’t the embarkation of a venture that pushes at the peripheries of common sense.
It’s the Shock! Horror! Horse has moved! element of the reporting that has nonplussed me the most. Sir Robert Ogden has never been backwards in either spreading his risk or pinging jaded / losing animals off to other trainers if he thinks they can benefit from it – Just For Men to Martin Todhunter, Scarborough Fair to Richard Guest and Sagalyrique to Donald McCain Jr are three to spring to mind instantly. All lower grade animals, granted, but I trust the basic point still stands.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Yes, he also moved Star De Mohaison from Paul Nicholls.
I think it is just shocking (at least to me for sure) when the horse in question was so much loved by the yard they have moved him from. But he owns them and he can do what he likes with them. I don’t personally think this would include running him in a handicap again. Sir Robert very rarely attends NH meetings anymore and I reckon he would only want to if one of his were running at a high class meeting.
Finding something wrong with him does explain his poor runs, and you have to say that the horse is incredibly brave to have kept going if he was feeling something at the time.
I’d be happy if he were wrapped up safe in some green paddock, as I am so very fond of the horse. But it would also be wonderful if he could win again and finally, perhaps, get the credit he deserves.
So what’s the latest on VPU?
Is he going to return and hack around at the back of races because he is fit and that’s what the owners want to see (Fist thinks so)
Is he going to run in the Champion Chase, the Gold Cup, or the Ryanair Chase (now, let’s see what price he is)?
Or will the horse be retired, like I said he would be?
Hands up, who wants to see this horse running at the back of some decent races, trying his hand at Fox Hunting, or being sensibly retired? I guess the majority of you will go for the latter. Fist on the other hand just doesn’t get it… and never will
He can
hunt
, if connections so wish, but he can’t follow the natural course from that of participating in hunter chases or Point-to-Points until next season at the earliest – the penalty values of his 2009 Ascot Chase and Melling Chase victories count against that.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
- Total Posts 17716
I think he’ll win the grand national
It looks like he’s most likely to run in the Grand Annual at Cheltenham, although he holds a number of entries, including in the Coral Cup.
Lets hope that he can do himself justice wherever he goes
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.