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I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard Catt say on Channel 4 Racing that today’s Eclipse was the best ever, I’ve never heard such rubbish. Yes it was a good race but what about Giants Causeway and Kalanisi for example and I’m sure there are plenty more.
I guess working with hopeless Emma Spencer is getting to him.
Its a game of opinions I understand that and fully accept it but that is such a stupid comment it really doesn’t inspire you to respect the mans opinion does it? Sea The Stars vs Rip Van Winkle was much better and it was only two years ago for gods sake.
Dare I even mention Giants Causeway, Nashwan, Dancing Brave etc etc etc.
Wouldn’t even make the top ten.
I was thinking earlier about the reaction to the race.
Have the likes of Cattermole been issued with warning letters from RfC complaining they don’t portray the drama, emotion, passion and thrill of the event in the style necessary to broaden the appeal?
The RP article describes the race as an "epic duel." When So You Think was switched and straightened, he levelled up quickly and won by 1/2l.
It was still brilliant to watch, in-particular from a tactical aspect, but the immediate overreaction is now common-place far too often in a variety of sports.
It was a pretty good race and might well stack up even better in hindsight.
Not ‘best-ever’ but pretty darned good and certainly better (quality) than Giants/Kalanisi IMO
@cormack
Certainly better quality than Giants Causeway v Kalanisi?
Don’t know about that. After all, GC won G1s on his next 3 starts and was beaten a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on dirt. Kalanisi won 2 G1s later that year, incl Breeders’ Cup Turf.
4th horse was Sakhee, who won the next year’s Arc by 6 lengths.
5th horse was Fantastic Light, who went on to win 6 G1s, 2 in America, 1 in Hong Kong and a defeat of Galileo in the Irish Champion.
Only exceptional races can beat that one for depth of quality. Can’t be sure yet but today’s is no certainty to measure up, especially since we’re only really talking about 2 horses because Snow Fairy totally failed to run her race on 1st run for 7 months and after an injury.
Agreed that one was good, but today . Snow Fairy – more to come. Other two = world class protaganists, one from out-of-form stable
Sea The Stars v Rip Van Winkle was a much more exciting spectacle. Mind you, Sea The Stars would have carried both So You Think and Workforce.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
@cormack
Snow Fairy totally failed to run her race on 1st run for 7 months and after an injury.
I thought she ran a blinder all considered…. She most certainly ‘ran her race’.
For a filly to be beaten 10 lengths by an alleged superstar older colt and an Arc winner after a lengthy spell on the sidelines though injury is certainly as good as Ed Dunlop hoped.
This performance in defeat, far
more
than any
victory
I’ve seen by Snow Fairy, puts her right up there with the very best IMO.
The fun part is that both horses needed a Group One over a mile and 2 for their resume before retiring to stud.That was the prise more than the race itself.Both had aimed at this race from the start of their season.Workforce had won his prep and Stoute had entered a pacermaker to ensure a hard race for whoever failed to beat the other.Unfortunately his horse could not produce a Group One finish at that distance and is now exposed.Aidans horse had messed up his prep race and he also had to find a jockey for him.The boys at Ballydoyle also lost bigtime at Ascot and were out to regain their losses.The price at which SYT started was a story in itself;the Coolmore gamblers versus the prince.These factors were what made the race so entertaining to the non backing public like myself.
Mike Cattermole makes Derek Thompson look like a cantankerous, critical misanthrope. But it’s his job to talk everything up.
I do think he could be more discriminating though. Saying it was the ‘Best ever’ is nothing short of nonsense.
Cat is a glorified salesman, nothing more, nothing less. Emma is the eyecandy to the anorak. Racing seems adamant it has to appeal to the casual flicker, as opposed to the diehard.
Just found this thread and as someone who spent more than a few hours in the racing section of Newmarket’s public library going through the Racing Calendar, studying the Eclipse Stakes, it wouldn’t even make it into the top 30.
The lack of a top classic generation representation automatically reduced the contest to the second division in studying the history of the race.Cat is a glorified salesman, nothing more, nothing less.
May be if you tried to take him on in a racing quiz JJM, you’d have a different opinion of Cat’s racing knowledge. Why not get a team of four together, come along to Newbury on the 24th Jan and compare your knowledge?
OK, I think he’s wrong in this instance but believe me, Cat has a good knowledge of our sport.
Value Is EverythingSpookily enough I was going to ask you if that was upcoming again, Ginger! Slip in a few rounds on Pointing this year and I’ll consider it.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
I think Mike Cattermole and Emma Spencer make a really good team. Both are very professional but I’m wondering whether Mike gets paid by the number of times he says "Emma" during their chats and links on Channel 4 programmes.
Perhaps he gets a £10 bonus every time he says "Emma" and a £20 special Brucie Bonus for saying "Emm" and a £50 special achievement award for "Emms". If he IS getting these special payments, he must be worth a fortune by now.
Emma must surely be getting special merit payments for how long she can keep a fixed smile in place for the longest period of time.
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