Forum Replies Created
- Posts
omg, thats heartbreaking news! this man does so much for N.H. racing, and i hope, he will recover quickly….best wishes from germany too..
i think, tramantano has a great chance to get off the mark again. he may not be a regular winner, but he has a touch of class, and i hope, he can bounce back here…
very open as usual, but notre pere was very impressive, and if he takes part, he must have a big chance. as for snowy morning, he disappointed me a few times last season, but if hes back on song, he should run a big race.
exactly graeme! i am a german N.H. enthusiast for nearly two decades now, and a big fan of him for a long time. i hope, he has some good rides tomorrow..but sorry, this is thehayley thread, we should not destroy it, right?..but in the lays and plays section, i just started my new column " andys tipps". it would be a pleasure for me to get your daily opinion about my fancys.
but, as far as i know andy, hes quite a relaxed guy. and i will continue to be on his horses in the future…
oh yes, you mean the "doctor david" accident? yes, was not too godd for me, but hey, thats gone. now is looking forward to the nex big ones for him…
hey, thats great news! i look so much forward to see her back, beating the boys again…all the best, hayley!!
what a fantastic showpiece once again this year!! but first of all, i am very happy, that nothing worse happened to riders and horses, thats the main thing above all..
about the race: yes, a very impressive winner, and a very good ride, tactics-wise! i am sure, we will see much more of him in the future. of the others, comply or die once again ran his heart out. interesting too was cerium, who, after being naturally outclassed in the gold cup, ran a big race to be the fastest horse at the finish. great effort by keith mercer too. my fancy, golden flight form the nicky henderson yard, went through th first hedge, so that was it for me…but hey guys, theres always next year, right?
yes, very difficult race, but i hope so much, that ED finally gets head in front again. he deserves so much to win a race like the bowl. this must be one of the toughest and reliable horses in racing. and id be very happy for my friend jonjo too…
i think, theres not a lot between the leading contenders, but to me, starluck is the one, because the only race, he was not too good, but still brave, was his last. and even then, he ran a race worthy of big respect. so,l think, he can put another 1 to his scoresheet today. for outsider friends, maybe sainglend could be some eachway value…
how did hardy go? had he any chance? but sublimity a real model of consistency, respect.
yes, another big chance for hardy to write history again, and put another highlight on his already outstanding career. what do you think about him today?
unfortunately, i was not able to watch the race. how did the listener fare? i hope, he came back safe and sound. but yes, i am happy too for ED, well deserved,mate!!
yes, its time for the listener again. i am sure, he will run a big race, as he has his ideal conditions. the ground is fine, the field not too big, and equally important: he knows his conquerors very well, which might be an advantage, tactics-wise…so, good luck nick and daryl, i will be cheering for you!!
First of all, I just want to say that I’m REALLY overwhelmed at all the lovely congratulatory messages and postings on this and the other thread, and a huge thank you to you all. Yes, that was me, sweating away in my dark blue suit complete with man-bag (it goes to all the courses with me)!!
You could say that Flipper has ‘outgrown’ his racing back home. We’ve always thought the world of him, but he’s always been ridden in an eyeballs out style. This time however, Jamie thought it would be an idea to restrain him a bit. I disagreed – we’ve always been of the opinion that if Flipper isn’t left to have his own way, then he loses interest. However, perversely, I think the fall in the Tingle Creek may have done him some good. He’s a lot more careful at his fences, but Jamie said he did get close to a couple today. Somehow, he settled when Jamie tried to pull him back a bit. In Germany, he’s always been flat out from the word go, but although I was ready to give the usual command in the parade ring, we decided to try something different.
What evolved was a Flipper that none of us had even seen before. Somehow, and I don’t know how he’s done it, but Jamie kept Flipper restrained, something his German jockeys have never done. This meant that Flipper had some reserves in the home straight. In the past, when Flipper had been challenged for the lead, he’d just given way quite tamely. This was different. Very cleverly, Jamie made sure he was at least level throughout most if not all of the race. I mentioned this to a journalist after the race, to which he replied with a puzzled look on his face ‘What? You’ve had him four years, and you’ve only just found out how to ride him?’. I think that’s a bit harsh, as eyeballs out has been successful in Germany.
Since I joined this forum, I’ve been waffling on regularly about Flipper, and I apologize if anyone thought ‘Why doesn’t he just shut up about this Flipper?’. But deep down, I knew he was special. Very special. I did. Christian did. We all did. What it just needed was possibly the best tactical ride seen on a racecourse in years by one of the best young jump jockeys Britain has to offer.
When Flipper passed the post in front, I took off like I was on fire, and ran across the concourse in front of the main grandstand. Apologies to any people, children or animals whom I may have accidentally belted in my frenzied sprint to get Flipper!
So what next for Flipper? Well, I mentioned to Christian about the Victor Chandler and Game Spirit, however, as we were celebrating Flippers victory, someone from Kempton Park told us that they have a graduation chase there over 2 miles on February 8th, so we’ll have to consider that.
Just to explain exactly who I am – I’m not the owner of Flipper. Basically, I work as the owners representative for those owners of Christians who cannot make it to the UK when their horses run. I should have picked up the trophy today, but I was shaking so much that Christians wife, Claudia, went up to collect the trophy. Afterwards, it was off to a champagne reception, where, regrettably, I hade a few glasses too many. After posting on the forum earlier, I decided that I needed a lie down – half a bottle of champagne coupled with 8 rum and cokes on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea at the best of times!
I got congratulations from some really great people today. Nicky Henderson was really gracious in defeat, and although you could tell he was disappointed that Petit Robin hadn’t won, he joined us for a drink in the bar with the delightful Henry Ponsonby, owner of Fleet Street. Several other well known racing personalities offered their congratulations, most notably Barry Dennis – a great character and a great guy.
It’s actually taken me hours to post this. Why? Simple. My PC is so old and shot that it keeps rebooting itself and crashing. Not any more. Tomorrow, thanks to the winnings, I’m off to the sales to get a brand new laptop, so I can finally post things on the same day that I started!!
So, to sum it all up, it really has been the most astonishing day. I mentioned to Christian before racing that, if any of our horses were to finish in the first 3, it would be a good result. What happened really was beyond our wildest dreams. Saturday 27th December was the day that German steeplechasing changed for good, thanks to Flipper – and one of the best rides from a jockey you’ll ever see on a racecourse! Thank you Flipper – and thank you Jamie!!
PS: I only had the Channel 4 coverage taped (I don’t have satellite), so if there’s anyone from Racing UK reading this, I’d love to get a tape of me leading Flipper in – I did see a camera on us all the way to the winners enclosure, and it would be great to see the footage if possible.
Darren – AngloGerman hi darren and the whole team! first of all, big congrats to your achievement. in a way, i am a compatriot of you and especially christians, because i live in germany. but in all honesty, since i specialized on british racing years ago, i dont care a lot about german racing, only for the live experience, when i am able to get to a course. but maybe, that might change a bit now, as i saw, what good horses we have in germany! once again, i wish you all a good "jump" into 2009, most important health to you all and the horses, and who knows, we might meet somewhere next year. see you soon,
stefan
________________________________________
yes, very good performance. even if i am from germany, i did not think,that he would be good enough. lots of courage.
