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"Storm Cat lost a couple of races by taking a disliking to another horse in a race and trying to bite him in the last couple of furlongs."
Shades of another O’Brien horse, David, but of Vincent O’Brien – a horse called Mariinsky. He was nicknamed Jaws.
(Edited by Grimes at 9:48 pm on Oct. 20, 2005)
Land N Stars<br>Inca Trail<br>Into the Dark<br>Etendard Indien<br>Brooklyn’s Gold
Res: <br>Baron’s Pit<br>Horatio Nelson
(Edited by Grimes at 12:06 am on Oct. 15, 2005)<br>
(Edited by Grimes at 12:17 am on Oct. 15, 2005)
Freeloader – 1.10 S
Ursis – 2.25 C
Boberelle – 2.35 He
Beaver Patrol – 3.45 Y
Reluctant Suitor – 4.55 Y
Reserves:
1. Puskas – 2.10 Y
2. Hunter Street – 2.15 Sa
Yes, but the other two I mentioned seem a classic confirmation of the position of those he appear to decry vaue in favour of winning.
I don’t believe they don’t appreciate the crucial importance of value, but they are trying to point out that a horse quoted at 20/1, that really has no chcance of winning, might as well be 1000/1. The bookies of course know this, but it would give the game away, wouldn’t it.
I don’t mean that CM and C didn’t have the class, but I think the wise ones knew they weren’t up for it.
I think in a race like the Arc, a horse that has usually been a front-runner – as I think Shirocco was – is at a disadvantage, unless he stays like Westerner, perhaps!
(Edited by Grimes at 5:09 pm on Oct. 3, 2005)
Is 100/1 a sensible price for Centifolia? Or 33/1 for Cherry Mix, particularly with the going, good to soft. Barmy prices imo. Also for Shirocco and Mubtaker.
I’d be very surprised if the sheik dismissed Frankie. Top money jobs are always about decision-making; nobody gets them right all the time, including when a decision is made, contrary to orders received from the individual’s principal/line manager.
Frankie was desolate after the race, feeling he’d let his boss down badly when, in fact, the winner actually covered more ground. It was an anomaly, plain and simple, and not an implicit expression of contempt for his employer.
Even though it’s still the case that orders are orders, when particularly specified, I don’t think Frankie’s maverick action comes into the same category as that of the French jockey dismissed by Wildenstein. His was a second offence of precisely the same nature, and I’m not aware that he proferred any explanation or apology to Wildenstein. Fool me once it’s your fault, fool me twice, it’s my fault. It was he who chose "the highway", imo. It was just common sense. Wildenstein effectively had no choice.
But the Godolphin people and Dettori go back a long way, and one, of course, marked by great and enduring success. Apart from these attenuating circumstances (and given that they exist), I suspect a good degree of mutual respect, and affection exists between the parties. Anyway, that’s my take on it.
It is also the case that Frankie is a genius, and his employers evidently recognise it. Neither will ever be the flavour of the month in England, as we get peed of seeing the best horses being bought and trained by furriners, and usually ridden by them too.
<br>
(Edited by Grimes at 9:55 pm on Oct. 1, 2005)
Though I’m prone to overlook them, I think trends are an important factor, among many others, to bear in mind.
What is more to the point by a long chalk, is that, unless I’m greatly mistaken (which, of course, wouldn’t be the first time), our friends, the bookmakers are very mindful of them at all times. Nuff said?
(Edited by Grimes at 5:02 pm on Sep. 27, 2005)
Agreed on both scores, EC: the blood vessel business – who could have been confident in that knowledge. Though I thought Ed Dunlop had been upbeat about her before the race.
Also, I think she would have won the Arc, and I personally doubt if it was, in any degree, sub-standard. In fact, rightly or wrongly, I’m hopeful of Cherry Mix going close; preferably winning.
She was most unlucky not to have won the Arc, having been shuffled right back. That she came so close was astonishing. That is some machine. Better than anything we’ve seen since, outside of America.
It’s a puzzle to me why connections seem unlikely to run her in the Arc this year. She could do the double this time, God willing, with the BC mares and turf (or whatever it’s called). Must be the blood vessels Chris mentions.
(Edited by Grimes at 5:32 pm on Sep. 26, 2005)
I thought LE had a winner or two yesterday, but unless it’s information from a good stable, I can’t understand why anyone would bet blind on even the best tipster’s tips. <br>
Brilliant post, Kotkijet, especially the concluding part. I’m copying it to a file for future reference.
Pembrokeshire is heaven on earth. Well, it werrrr (guttural sound and Yorkshire accent) when ah werrrr a lad… forty odd years ago.
Very sorry to read the trouble you’ve been having at school, Lolly’s Mate’s Girl. That is very depressing. The racism Carribean and Asian British people face is more than depressing enough. The people of this country at every level, but starting at the top, need to learn to respect each other. But the stress most people face daily just increases, because of the criminal business and political culture we have. Anyway, it looks like a nail in the coffin of globalisation and the unemployment and low wages it leads to (two of the main generators of stress in our society), thanks to the French, who know how to get a grip of their leaders. Even without the guillotine.
On a lighter note, one thing that does sometimes makes this country of ours cool, is the wit of its people. How about that photo of Henry Cecil in the Sporting Life drawing on a fag! Or the photo of the young Maister, Aidan O’Brien wishing "the four be with you"!
I hope your mother’s getting better, Seagull.
As regards the recent run of bad luck with your system, as I expect trainers are pretty "quick on their feet", I wonder if they haven’t reacted with slight postponements of their plans; in which case, ongoing fine-tuning might be required, if that’s realistic. And it could be worth checking their results next time they run. How and where they run next might tell a story.
I only speculating in this way, as I know you’re one of the shrewdest dudes on this board, if not the shrewdest – including the knowledgeable lurkers – and would only make yourself a hostage to fortune under the constraints of an arbitrary system for a bit of fun, anyway.
Underestimated importance:
1) Whether the horse is intended to win; wonderfully eliminated, or at least, drastically reduced, in the classics and group one races, but still a top group horse will usually use early races as part of the horse’s campaign build-up.
2) It’s taken me a long time to inwardly digest old Che VDW’s words of wisdom as regards avoiding handicaps. Those handicappers are some shrewdies. Well I still love them, but generally avoid putting much on them.
3) With older horses, I think it’s usually very helpful to look at their profiles in terms of their past performances over the seasons.
4) Absolutely question whether the favourite should be the favourite, as the bookies usually seem to work to a conventional template, to encourage punters with a very short memory span.
5) Unless you get a handicap snip, such as Iffraaj, small fields – if not obligatory, if the draw and price are right – rate for me as a very high priority.
6) Touched upon in 1), but good prize money helps to keep them "straight"!
1) Trainers’ and jockeys’ records at the track.
2) The intelligence (at least worldly) of people in this game. Even bewhiskered old comic cuts characters on tricycles don’t let us know more than a fraction of what they know. I cannot see how anyone could last long as a more or less successful trainer, without being pretty shrewd.
Some of these are still besetting failings of my own.
All I can think of at the moment.
A lot of American Democrats are very purposeful about boycotting Bushco supporters, and have websites devoted to listing their contributions, Kotkijet.
That’s what I like to see. Tories don’t need to be told what to do, nor should socialists or genuine social democrats. I won’t cop Scottish Gas at any price, and have been following Cedric’s British Gas metamorphoses closely. Same with Telecom. I’d rather be out of pocket using another supplier – fat chance with those villains!
Sorry this is in the wrong forum.
Nixer, Bellamy seems to be getting on very well with his team-mates at Celtic.
As regards the earlier controversy concerning his refusal to shake hands with an opposing player after the match, Ian St John made an interesting comment in one of the papers. He said that if we’d been all but kicked off the park, we wouldn’t be over-enthused at the invitation to shake hands with the perpetrator(s). I expect that with his brilliance, he gets quite a bit of stick.
