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Horses can come back from tendon injuries…for one race. The difficulty is getting a suitable race for a less than fully fit horse to win. If you try to get him fully fit he will break down again.
I question the wisdom Of Mark Dwyer in letting the grey horse settle down in front for over a mile. He jumped poorly at that stage. The other horse is probably the fastest hurdler racing. He won the champion hurdle leading from flagfall. He should have gone out and raced the race he did in the Champion and tested the jumping of Detroit City at high speed. If they had jumped together like they did separately he would possibly have jumped the last at least even with the grey. Then the run in would have been a real test of stamina and guts.
I don’t believe Lester was as good as they make him out to be either. As for Gordon what’s his name if the jockeys were any good he would not have set that record . Right? And there was Ali; who did he ever beat ? Nobody equal to today’s heavyweights.The boxers of the sixtees were clowns. Ask George Forman. As for Vincent winning three nationals and three gold cups and three champion hurdles before he decided to go flat racing! Not worth mentioning since they did not know how to train in those days.I mean that was the FIFTIES. The reason we cannot beat their records is because we are so much better.Right!
Dear Racinggirluk<br>What I am going to say may not make sense since I am so frustrated.I only have one or at most two horses in training at a time I was the shallest of small owners. So you can imagine the respect I got from trainers who suppose you are rich because you love NH racing and scrape and scramble to make your monthly payments.<br>One trainer so overtrained my horse for his first race(a bumper) that he won and broke down the next day.The same trainer told me to take my horse to the knackers right in front of my friends.His clients are millionaires to whom he spent the time talking on his mobile phone while my horse was racing.(I started off with him when he needed horses) I really believe most trainers go to work to make a living and want a golden goose to provide them with an endless stream of horses.They go silent or spin you if you enquire about their training methods. You are not paying them enough to be worthy of that kind of attention. When mine was the only entry at a meeting the trainer never turned up. Had to get a load of hay he said.Another time the horse never turned up. Box broke down…Another time I travelled 100 miles in mid winter to see my horse running at the trainer’s local track.No passport no horse running. Had to turn around and drive home again.Again while drinking in the bar with me (the owner) the trainer got a phone call that the horse had just gotten a stone bruise while waiting to be saddled by the "las" Turn around and drive 200 miles home from an evening meeting without even an apology These are all true tales of the turf. I know of what I speak.These incidents were spread between different trainers and my solitary horses at each yard. Another time when I expressed regret at hearing that my horse had broken down I was casually told to get another horse. Also I was told that my horse was small but and I quote "I suppose if he had been any bigger you could not have afforded him" I gave another trainer a fit horse and he ran him 15 times in his first year with him, all his other horses had the bug. After the 15th race he told me the bad news horse broke down. Never did get a second season out of that poor devil!<br>Finally I am out of discretionary funds; spent what remained on a Lexus.<br>Anyone else had such experiences with horse ownership?<br>
I have been involved with 6 horses and three trainers in the last 10 years.All 6 horses have broken down with tendon problems. One othe horse was run mostly on the flat and is still racing. The gamble with NH horses brings also the grief of saying goodbye to them.Is it the highclass blood or what ? I don’t know. I had other NH horses with strictly hunting blood and they raced for 12 years. I believe we need the old farm mares to cross with the blood horses to get proper NH horses. Going to Coolmore for NH studs I believe is the wrong approach. The thoroughbred’s tendons do not stand up to jumping.
I don’t think there is a european requirement. But you need an experienced american jockey to overcome the biases on the european tracks. Also living in Ballydoyle territory can take getting used to. although they have done it in the past for Vincent.
I am trying to find a standard to use to pick a replacement for Fallon. Smullen would hardly leave a nice cushy job to be dumped if Fallon returned If Heffernen was good enough he would have been second jockey and have been promoted before now. Whenever O’Brien had a choice he used the kid Spencer not Heffernan. That does not rule out Heffernan but it does rank him. I believe that getting along with Aidan is the next standard, Jamie failed, that test that rules him out. Also he spends too much time on the sideline. Aidan wants a strong person; Declan is strong and is on the way up. He would have to compete with Kinane for the top rides until Aidan was ready to trust him fully.Would Moore be willing to come to Ireland? He is the champion and never seems to do anything foolish or get suspended The type that Aidan could groom he is.Also he is not committed to a yard yet. MacEvoy is being groomed for Frankie’s job so he is out of the question. I believe the answer is up to Aidan and not up to the owners.It is the top job in Europe right now so the right jockey is critical.I don’t believe it will be filled until they know what is happening to Fallon.
I hate to be a spoilsport but I believe there is a jockey riding in Argentina. he is not an Argentinian, who has ridden more winners than both of the lads you mention here.If I come across his name again I will post it.Sorry not to have the name now.
Is Smullen good enough? I know that he has ridden Group one winners for Weld in Ireland and England and has won for him in the USA. He is related to Aidan I believe also.
Some trivia; I believe that Martin Molony won a flat race at Liverpool and then rode in the Grand National at the same meeting in the late forties. how about some of our present day jockeys trying that! In those days they got two quid a mile riding over the fences.
Miesques Approval looked like a horse with more energy than one get’s from oats. Apparently it was after changing trainers this sudden improvement was noted!<br>I don’t buy it!
"we have never seen a horse like Teofilo before"That could be true depending on who "we" is.For those who didn’t see the horse does he have 5 legs and 3 ears?
Seabird<br>Scobie remarked that it was the only time a jockey was jocked off after winning the Derby. He went so wide after coming around Tattenham corner that some thought he was going to lose contact with the rest of the field. He made up the ground running on his own to win as expected joining the field in the last half a furlong. Forgive me if this sounds like folklore rather than history since I am writing from memory–the worst way possible to write history. Don’t hesitate (The Derby was on BBC that year)to correct me and refresh my memory if you can access the reports of the race.
I did not see the RPT renewal so I looked at the form of the second and third and was not impressed. This led me to thinking it must have been the actual performance of the winner that was so significant. I have seen 3 2yo’s that took my breath away as an observer. Santa Clause, Zarathustra, and Sinndar: in all three cases I knew that I had seen something special. If Authorized is as good as they were nothing will beat him next year. The three I mentioned didn’t just beat the others they spreadeagled the field. Two did the same in the Derby and Zarathustra did it in the Irish Derby and was brilliant when transferred to the Capt.
As I watched the Racing Post unfold on Saturday my mind went back to both the Irish Guineas, They were run in deep heavy going just like the race on Saturday.George pulled muscles in his back trying to cope with the conditions and the winner of the One Thousand has not been heard of since,although she won like a world beater. So be careful drawing conclusions from races run under such conditions.
Instead of knocking Fallon before the trial think of what we will miss. Watching one of the great jockeys riding winners for the next 2 years.<br> To get an idea of how good he is try to figure out who Coolmore will use to replace him. The only likely candidate is Franki! And he panics under pressure.
