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Robin Grey isn’t employed on Equidia’s English-language service but he does cover some of the major flat races for an IMG-produced broadcast which is notably used by Dubai.
ATR/RUK both get the Equidia pro service whose commentators include Ian Bartlett and John Hunt as well as the very competent Patrick Ferriday, Richard Swainston and Arthur Cooper.I forgot about Soumillon… He’s really keen on trotting and has raced quite a few times in amateur races.
The disqualification decision in the Cornulier has not created any fuss among professionals here and apparently specialists can clearly tell that Prince Gede had become disunited in the final stages.
Céline Leclerc is a popular winner as she was involved in a nasty traffic accident last summer.Adrian,
The jockeys are specialists and as far as I know there isn’t any interchanging between the two disciplines, apart from a guy called Jeanny Leclet who is about 60 and has mixed the two disciplines with great enthusiasm throughout his career. After retiring from the flat and jumps he made a comeback in mounted trotting races and as such was the oldest apprentice in history…. He’s still riding at Cagnes sur Mer.
Up until just a few years ago the trotting riders used to do rising trot which was a particularly unattractive spectacle to see full-grown men bouncing around on top of horses trotting at speed. Since the new position has come into fashion a couple of seconds have been trimmed off the course records.
Incidentally there are often harness races reserved for gallop racing professionals at provincial racecourses and trainers such as Arnaud Chaillé Chaillé are particularly talented in a sulky!If Manning pulled a stroke like that in the Arc would he be DQ’d?
Very probably indeed. There would certainly be a very lengthy enquiry and if the stewards decided that New Approach had preveted Rio obtaining the best possible placing, he would be disqualified. If Dettori declared that the interference was had minimal effect, they would maybe show more leniency.
Johnston won the Fighting Fifth and County Hurdle with Star Rage back in 1996/7. The horse won a total of 28 races in a career spanning 137 outings over 10 years.
The race (and most of the other Gr 1s of the day) will be on the bbc, as well as the Foret and a couple of Gr 2s on Saturday.
Zambezi sun was undercooked in the Niel but Soldier of Fortune was apparently some way off 100% too and he broke the race record on good ground, so can obviously act well on a decent surface.
I’d love to see Authorized win but can’t quite believe he will (a race too many, exuse of stable coughing already been reeled out in preparation). I find Chapple-Hyam almost too bullish, if we are to believe him this year Dutch Art is a superstar, so is Winker Watson etc etc…Willie Mullins has been by some way the most successful raider in recent years, and comes over regularly when the serious stuff in England and Ireland is over.
He has won the French Champion Hurdle (beating my namesake horse Karly Flight) in 2003 and again the following year with Rule Supreme who had won the R&S Chase at cheltenham.
He was also seriously coming over for the Grand Steeple Chase with Hedgehunter the year he won the Grand National but the horse didn’t recover as quickly as he would have liked from Aintree.
It is a shame more trainers don’t try their luck over at Auteuil when the big events across the channel have finished but it is understandable that such as Kauto Star et al can’t be at the top of their game all through the year and in very different conditions.Karly Flight wrote:
i’m reading Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by japanese writer Haruki Murakami. It’s a collection of short stories so maybe more accessible than his novels which are great if slightly (or very) bizarre.have you read it yet?! I read Kafka on the Shore and loved it, got this for my birthday and have read the first two stories…and i’mreally hoping that i was tired when i was reading them…as i have to admit i got to the end of both of them and did not have a clue what they were about!! I’d be interested to hear how you found them…
I finished Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman a while ago and like the rest of his books I’ve read (all of them!) wouldn’t claim to understand fully what they’re about. Although the title book of this collection is in my opinion one of the less appealing.
The book is definitely worth persevering with for the sheer bizarreness of some of the stories. Tony Takitani is a really good one, very touching at the end and I also liked New York Mining Disaster.
I’m now reading Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin to try and understand a bit more.Apart from my slight Murakami obsession another book I’d thoroughly recommend is The Kite Runner
According to the organisers, there is a possibility that he could go for the Topkapi Trophy at Istanbul, Europe’s most valuable mile race, on 9th September.
i’m reading Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by japanese writer Haruki Murakami. It’s a collection of short stories so maybe more accessible than his novels which are great if slightly (or very) bizarre.
Auteuil is just outside Paris, accessible by the Metro Porte d’Auteuil. It’s about 30 minutes from CDG airport. With those flight times you’d easily be able to do it in a day (I think the Sunday card is much better that the Saturday if I remember correctly).
The disadvantage of doing a day trip is of course missing out on an evening out in Paris.
Auteuil is a lovely racecourse and I can definitely recommend coming over. I haven’t been to the November meeting before but think they get a reasonable crowd, by French standards anyway. Beware though although it is billed as an "international jumping weekend" there are rarely more than a couple of foreign challengers. It is a great opportunity though to see Macaire, Chaillé-Chaillé, Doumen père & fils etc on home ground..May 1st is a bank holiday in France and is always a big day at Saint Cloud. Racing-wise, there’s the Gr 2 Prix du Muguet mile event and the Prix Cleopatre which is a prep race for the Diane. For entries see:
http://www.france-galop.com/REUNIONS/Cal_dat.htm
There will also be numerous entertainments on offer including probably a large parade of local riding schools, kids entertainments and generally a fun, relaxed atmosphere.
The Chantilly card includes the Gr 3 Prix Allez France for fillies and mares and a couple of races for unraced three year olds. Chantilly is currently in the latter stages of renovation so you’ll get a preview of how it should look in a couple of months time for the Diane and Jockey-Club with new paddock, saddling boxes, weighing room complex. <br>Atmosphere is lileky to be a lot quieter, more confined to racing professionals but Chantilly is certainly a beautiful course.
<br>Burroughhill Posted on 7:17 am on April 13, 2007 <br>I’m glad he got a hefty ban. Never mind backing the horse, imagine how peed off the owners/trainer must have felt! A terrible error, and I hope he learns from it.
<br>I don’t expect Sheikh Mohammed will have lost too much sleep over losing out on a couple of grand in a Leicester Handicap!
according to the trainer there’s no chance of him running in more than one race. the same goes for Sybellius d’Artaix who is entered in both the Gold CUp and Champion Chase.
In this case it’s also a touch of realism. If you look at Arnaud Chaillé-Chaillé’s record in England, it’s far from impressive. He’s won one race from ten. Zaiyad, Bonbon Rose and Mid Dancer, all Gr 1 winners and near the top of their category in France have been comprehensively beaten across the Channel. Despite Sean Mulryan’s enthusiasm to have runners at Cheltenham, Chaillé-Chaillé seems to have realised that it’s best to stick to what he’s good at – winning Group 1s at Auteuil. <br>It’s very hard to campaign a horse on both sides of the Channel, the top Doumen horses rarely run at home.
Don’t get me wrong there’s nothing I like more than international competition, I just don’t think you can blame owners and trainers for being reluctant to try it sometimes.
