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I wouldn’t just put Rachel as the best female jockey of all time. She is the best jockey I have seen since Ruby Walsh who I would rate as the greatest of all time. Phenomenal.
I’m glad you didn’t mention McCoy…. or Lizzie Kelly
McCoy was a grafter. I have never rated him as one of the most talented jockeys. I’m not a McCoy fan and never have been.
Leaving aside the detrimental effect on the quality of races the extra day and races has had in the steeplechase sphere – one of the first ‘victims’ of the dilution over the smaller obstacles had been the Fred Winter’s impact on the Triumph, where unextended winners of smallish field trial races throughout the winter once had to face a crazy big field cavalry charge. It made that event a real knots in the stomach one, with an active ante- post market, with prices listed everyday in the major bookmakers adverts from December onward. Ironically some detractors of the event would cite Fred Winter himself, who once said the race could ruin a horse though Timeform’s highest rated hurdler of all time and their joint second highest rated, both ran in the event.
Now, in the older novice hurdle arena, that stupid, greedy decision to introduce an event for 3m novices ( along with the Mares Novices hurdle) has at last predictably left us with the feel that the proper Supreme and Sun Alliance Novices Hurdle have also morphed into races with no more excitement than the trials for those races once had.
So, all in all, imo the feel is that the whole Festival is an event on a one way path to not only flattening the first half of the UK season, but also destroying itself through becoming too big for its boots – far more so that than anything to do with the current strangehold Ireland have on the event as the balance of power can shift so quickly by just two or three owners leaving the game and new investment concentrating in a different locations, allied to general economical changes.
Put The Kettle On fighting back to overcome Nube Negra and Chacun Pour Soi in the Champion Chase.
Rachael Blackmore’s superb riding of Honeysuckle amongst many others as already mentioned. Well deserved top jockey.
Vintage Clouds winning the Ultima, Tiger Roll the Cross Country and Envoi Allen getting to his feet after falling at the 3rd in the Marsh Novices.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...“Rachael Blackmore pretty much riding Harry Cobden’s horse as well as her own”
Love that greenasgrass
cormack15
1) Boring as hell
2) An abject failure of GB trainers to even take part let alone compete.
3) Highlighting the laughable handicap ratings our horses get for winning egg and spoon races against one another and being fawned over by jobsfortheboys presenters.
4) Worrying that a top trainer actually thought Lostintranslation was worthy of even lining up.
5) A sad spectacle that will get worse before it gets better.Denise Fosters ability to get them right for the big day will live long in the memory
Of all the demolition jobs we saw this week I do think Allaho’s stands out. There was something raw and primal about it. Between that one and Minello Indo we are spoiled at the very highest level right now
Rachael Blackmore, Tiger Roll, the Irish dominance and Henry De Bromhead becoming the first trainer to win the Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase and the Gold Cup in the same year.
For me, outside of the likes of Blackmore being top jockey, Tiger Roll enjoying himself, and Minella Indo doing me a favour with style, it’ll be that I started out the week in silence and quietness at home (both from fan noise and the atmosphere actually in my home) and ended the week with people joining me.
Tuesday everything was quiet, just me watching the races. Wednesday, I’d call one person when the race was about to begin and they’d watch just the race. By Friday everyone in the house was in the room and watching the TV. I think that sums up this Festival for me. It started off slow, with little buzz except outside of horsey people. By Friday, with the media coverage of the amazing stories that happened, all natural stories from the racing, not invented by TV, people were interested because of what was happening and it felt more like a proper festival.
Appreciate it looking like a champion of the future,the utter domination of the Irish and how much the ground decided the big races. Sharjah must have gone very close if the rain hadn’t come on the weekend and the ground wasn’t soft enough for al boum photo imho.
The utter dominance in the saddle of Rachael Blackmore whose ruthless tactical intelligence made the rest of the weighing room look like they were part of some sort of Special Needs Convention at times.
I reckon she nicked definitely one – and quite possibly two – Grade 1s this week, winning on what wasn’t actually the best horse in the race.
Wakey, wakey, fellas!
This girl’s mugging you all off in cold blood!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"(Cue outrage from the humour free)
No real memory other than the lack of atmosphere. I can’t believe those that say it’s virtually irrelevant …
It’s also a massive pity for the great achievers this week.
For me blackmores and de bromheads achievements were the highlights of course but this wasn’t a festival with too many races to savour.
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