Forum Replies Created
- Posts
One of the reasons I have come to prefer flat to NH is the over-emphasis on Cheltenham.
I prefer the flat where there are multiple big prizes worth winning, spread over the course of the season. This gives more horses the opportunity to pick up respected Group 1s on a range of courses.
Nowadays if a horse never wins at Cheltenham this is treated as an aberration on its scorecard.
I agree with those who have suggested that some fight has gone out of Zarkandar this season.
Ever since he came to Britain he has been known as a real genuine grafter. Just short of the speed to win the top races over 2m, he has picked up some really good prizes over the years through sheer determination to win.
I have yet to see that Zarkandar this season. I think this is a real shame because I am a real fan of the horse.
I am hopeful that the step up in trip to 3 miles will make it less of a speed contest and his fighting qualities can come to the fore.
Gelded prior to novice hurdling debut at Newton Abbot, September 2019.
You heard it here first.
Mike
Tweet from Chrysanthemum
‘thanks a bunch’
Bit unfair blaming the mare! It’s 50:50 remember, could just as much be Frankel’s fault.
[attachment=1:3b9pdmu6]Pride_Wins_Champions_Stakes_fs.jpg[/attachment:3b9pdmu6]
[attachment=0:3b9pdmu6]pride12-6.jpg[/attachment:3b9pdmu6]My favourite racemare, the gutsy and talented Pride.
She holds a special place in my heart because of her resemblance to my own mare that I owned at the time. She later sadly died of a sudden encephalitis.
Never forgotten.
My most confident ante-post bet on the flat for next year this – I reckon this
My Titania
could be a bit special
Maybe I have rose tinted spectacles on as I love her sire so much but I agree that My Titania looks a classy filly.
I am afraid that I do not see No Nay Never staying a mile.
He has a speedy pedigree and the horse is built like a tank! I wonder if he had been on steriods in the US? He certainly looked pretty different from the domestic 2yos last year.
I also still hate the fingers shown pressing the buttons on the touch screen desk (totally unnecessary and very messy) and the painted on stripes and faded grass superimposed on the track near the winning line. Again, totally unnecessary.
Totally agree. The touchscreen is ridiculously annoying and amateurish. Seriously, who at a TV production company gets paid to come up with this rubbish!! Disgraceful.
Was Hasili any good on the racecourse? Produced 4 individual Group 1 winners including the excellent sire Dansili. Some broodmare
Just got back from Haydock, still smiling! Thanks for the kind comments, and well done to other Cue Card backers.
I’m so pleased for the TIzzards, and for the horse who has galloped most of his critics into the ground today (hang your head, Mark Howard). I’ve never seen him jump better, and credit once more to Joe Tizzard. He’s not the most stylish but, like Cue Card, he has his own way of doing things. As mentioned on the King George thread, Joe takes no chances with CC. If he sees a stride, he’ll ask him up, and I’ve never seen him get anything but a fine leap. But if he’s uncertain of the stride, he’ll let the horse fiddle – the 10th today was a perfect example of this.
Since I watched the horse win on his fencing debut, I was convinced he’d be a steeplechasing star, but every time I see him I learn a wee bit more. After today, I’m pretty sure that going left handed and soft ground are both important to him. He definitely jumps better this way round. He should get his ground in the King George, but I suspect he won’t jump quite so well.
Dynaste surprised me. I’ve never rated him. When Grands Crus was at the Dynaste stage, I suspected he was soft and I’d put Dynaste in the same camp. But given that was his seasonal debut, he could get closer at Kempton where running clockwise will suit him better than CC.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I believed Silv Conti might crack under pressure, but that could well have been a fitness issue today so I’m back to being undecided about him.
Bobs Worth looked superb in the paddock – I thought he had an almost tangible charisma. He’s not that big but looks superbly put together; lovely horse. That ground and track would not have been to his liking, especially the ground. I get the impression he likes to feel confident on take off at his fences from having something ‘solid’ to spring from. He wouldn’t have enjoyed that slipping feeling, and I think you’ll see a completely different horse back at his beloved Festival.
What of Cue Card’s Gold Cup chances? Well he wasn’t stopping today and he probably had an easier race than most if not all of the field. There’s a good dose of stamina on his dam’s side, and there’s a fair chance that staying is where he will finally find the ideal outlet for his huge engine. If the ground is soft in March, I’d bet him in front of Bobs Worth (and I’m heavily into BW ante-post, albeit with a saver on CC just in case he did exactly what he did today).
Long Run looks as though he’s gone now at this trip, and I was glad to hear the National is on his agenda. His jumping frailties shouldn’t hold him back now that the cores have been removed from the GN fences. Those back end leg-drops will just drag loose spruce off, and an extreme test like that should suit him very well unless it is the string of hard races that have dulled his edge, in which case, I suspect he’ll be a PU on the GN results page. He’s a fine looking horse and a great servant. Connections have never been afraid to race him although they might well now be paying the price for putting such a young horse through so many gruelling challenges.
Anyway, for those of you still awake, forgive me for droning on – still high on adrenaline! Roll on the King George
I respect what you are saying, but I really think running such a poor jumper as Long Run in the National simply because he’s too slow to win proper chases any more is not the best idea in the world. No wonder horses get hurt in that race. It’s for certified good jumpers, and Long Run is not one of those. I’m afraid to say I do not approve of this laissez faire attitude to running anything with a few decent runs under its belt in the GN with no genuine assessment of it’s jumping ability. With the GN seemingly teetering on the brink of public opinion, surely trainers need to recognise their horses limitations?
I don’t think I’m coming up with anything new but it seems that C4 / IMG handled the whole thing badly (wonder if JM will now try for wrongful dismissal?) and that Highflyer just wanted to keep the status quo and not change anything.
It will be too late to go for wrongful or unfair dismissal. Applications have to be made by 3 months less one day from the day of dismissal.
Compensation for wrongful or unfair dismissal is subject to a statutory cap of I think £72k. With all the legal fees it is hardly worth it.
With his pedigree I always thought Magician would be better over further than a mile.
He’s just a bit mediocre I’m afraid. Not enough pace to win at 10f or a slowly run 12f.
The form of the Derby was mediocre at best. And I agree with those who say the Arc "hard luck" stories are complete hogwash.
Not excited about his 4yo campaign.
5 length winner of the Arc (not all out), with a neck between Orfevre and Intello (who had improvement in him) and 2 lengths back to Kizuna.
That has to be close to, may be even better than any other performance by a female racehorse.
How about Danedream in the 2011 renewal ? So You Think, Workforce, St Nic, Snow Fairy 5L+ behind ?
Am I correct in thinking that the track record was also smashed that day ?
So You Think was not at his best over 12f, St Nic was a decent horse on his day but just short of top class, Workforce had completely gone backwards in 2011. Snow Fairy ran well that day.
Overall I would say that today’s field was marginally stronger.
Considering she was completely wound up before and during the race and still won on the bridle by 5 lengths I would say it was up there with the best.
Having said that, I think it might be worth doing some scientific studies on the weight-for-age and female allowances as I suspect they are a shade generous.
