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The problem is that the people that run racecourses sometimes do not appear to have any idea about equine behaviour.
Anybody with an ounce of horse sense knowns you do NOT wave a flapping flag in the air near a horse. Let alone a hyped up thoroughbred who has has just finished a race.
I was at Cheltenham this year and saw the incident with Daryl Jacob. The course organisers had fixed wooden sponsorship boards below the white railings next to the opening to the all weather gallop track down to the start of the race. The horse spooked at the boards and dumped poor Daryl into the white railings. Again, this was totally avoidable for anybody who has spent time around horses…
When are these course organisers going to learn?!
SO pleased. STS is my favourite racehorse. I literally cried after watching the Arc!
Stunning filly with a real turn of foot.
Nasal strips are quite popular in eventing. Then again lots of riders choose not to use them.
Personally I think they are of limited utility. If a horse is a bleeder the issue is higher up and no amount of sticking plaster on the nose is going to sort that.
The same can be said of laryngeal paralysis of any kind.
Where I do think the nasal strips may help is on a horse with very soft nasal passages. The nostrils tend to collapse more and could well inhibit breathing slightly. In theory the strip holds the nostrils in a stiff dilated position in order to aid the passage of air.
Having said that I have tried the nasal strips on my horses before and frankly I did not notice any difference.
You make very valid points.
I guess we just need to wait and see whether a consistent miler appears this season.
Sorry if I gave the impression I thought the guineas was weak. I agree it was a very strong field.
I simply meant the way the race was run, with the field splitting gave the impression of a messy result.
The odds for Australia seem a little ridiculous.
What I would like to know is why nobody is talking about Kingston Hill any more?
His win the in Racing Post Trophy was to my eye pretty impressive. And the fact that Grey Gatsby has turned his Guineas form around recently bodes well for KH IMO.
But 14-1
I am not a gambler, but even I feel that is worth a punt!
I think you under-estimate Olympic Glory AOTF.
Timeform rated Toronado 133, Dawn Approach 132 and Olympic Glory also on 132.
OG might have only won one G1 in 2013, being an easy winner of the QEII… But was also only a short head 2nd to one of the best mares we’ve seen – Moonlight Cloud. Even if Dawn Approach was below form in 5th that day… There was 1 3/4 lengths back to French Derby winner Intello and neck to 4th placed Queen Anne and International winner Declaration Of War. The performance put up by Olympic Glory that day to be runner-up was good enough to win most Group 1 races at a mile.
Toronado may have the best turn of foot, but there’s nothing much between the two stable mates on form. Indeed, he too "only won one Group 1" (Sussex) and needs to come back from the York disappointment.
Fair points Ginger, we will see how the season pans out. I just get the impression that OG is mercurial and may struggle to put together a run of wins. But then again the same could be said for Toronado!
I think the pair are just short of absolute top class and are benefiting from a weakish mile division. Not sure how either of them achieved ratings of 133 and 132!
Dawn Approach was definitely a better horse than OG (and arguably Toronado), but he blew up in the Derby and was never the same again.
The question is whether there is anything else that can come to the fore in the mile division? I have my doubts about NOT and Kingman in a somewhat messy guineas.
Are there other candidates?
What an amazing story and amazing horse!
I will be cheering him on come the Belmont
Here is the race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKU_BLDwK1QI wonder whether the jockey will hang on to him a bit longer in the Belmont?
To my eye Ride on Curlin was closing at the end. We have seen Triple Crown contenders go to the lead in the Belmont before and then become a sitting duck for a closer.
For me this was a weak renewal.
For Olympic Glory to be Champion Miler last term just shows how weak the division had become with the defections of Dawn Approach and Toronada earlier in the season.
He only won one G1 in 2013. He did not exactly win by miles from some inferior opponents today.
I would not be surprised if that was the 2014 zenith for OG.
I look forward to seeing Toronado later this season or maybe s 3 yo miler will come to the fore.
She never looked like she was travelling in that race to be honest.
I was one who felt that her performance in last year’s Arc was something of a one-off. None of her other races were anything like as impressive.
And when you break down the 2013 Arc field it looks very weak.
Shades of Danedream about her. Still a very good filly, but clearly overrated.
I may be a bit sentimental because I was a massive fan of her sire, but I very much hope My Titania does well in this race.
That interactive touchscreen replay thing.
The way Highflier used replay footage was so much better.
If you have an interest in the past history of the place it is well worth putting some time aside to visit The Hall Of Fame.
Thank you Kenh.
I shall definitely take a look.
Expecting horses to bit 100% fit for every race is not only naive but arguably unreasonable.
Grimes made a very good analogy to comparable human athletes. They follow a structured campaign where they aim to peak at certain big events.
I think people are forgetting the sheer physical demands of the training required to get horses to the racecourse. The amount of work it takes to get them 100% fit is not something that you can maintain for 6 months of the year. Thoroughbreds are fragile creatures and care needs to be taken to not over stress their limbs through long periods of high intensity training.
I have experience of getting a horse fit for three day eventing. The season runs for 6 months of the year. You come out at the first few one day events and the horse definitely "needs the run" and comes on for it fitness-wise. My horse definitely benefits from a couple of runs back-to-back (ie. consecutive weekends) but then I would back off and do lighter work before building up for the next one.
Usually I have one big target for the season, a three day event. These involve a 10 minute cross country course (often up hills) at a fast gallop and the horse has to be as fit as a racehorse to be able to do it. The level of fitness required for the three day event is far higher than for general one days. Therefore I would increase the fitness routine to 2x weekly interval and hill work for the month before the three day event to get to absolute peak fitness.
I would never consider maintaining the increased three day training for the entire 6 month season. This would placed heightened strain on the horse and increase the risk of injury and concussion. In addition, if you overwork a horse for a long period of time they actually perform worse because they burn out. Equine athletes like their human counterparts need to be built up to high intensity work and then have periods of lower intensity work.
So really the rule that some are suggesting, that horses should be 100% every time out is completely infeasible and unfair on the horses.
