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I was the lunatic on the rail about a furlong out. The TV footage does not capture just how bad the rain was…and it got worse. I am not sure how much of that afternoon’s form will hold up. Townend seemed to have an eye for where the better ground was which the home jockeys lacked.
If the blazing fast front-runner Karre d’As turns up and does her usual, this may end up being more of a test of stamina than usual.
Not quite an inappropriate race name, but since the Thyestes Chase has been mentioned…
The original Thyestes was a character in Greek myth who was served human flesh at a banquet. In the 1990s I think, the race was sponsored by Cuisine de France, perhaps not the most appropriate sponsor for it!
Ref Kapgarde’s racing career – the programme for young NH horses in France is such that he would hardly have had the opportunity to race beyond 2m4f anyway.
My grandfather was ship’s bookie on various battleships during the period 1916-26*, and a merchant seaman until well into the 1960s (he spent his later years teaching me how to read racing form and ridiculing my selections). It is fair to say that he had been on more ships than most during his lifetime. Being an intelligent man, he would quickly have worked out what is meant by onboarding, but I doubt he ever considered himself to have done so during his lifetime.
*of course this was not his official rank…
At least today’s running of the Prix Bog Frog at Compiègne was staged on very soft ground. (Bog Frog was a pretty decent staying hurdler back in the day).
I don’t see the non-novice handicaps as a problem, as they are usually well subscribed and tend not to distract horses from the championship events; likewise, the cross-country.
The novice handicap chase was always my favourite amongst the ‘new’ races and I’m glad it’s been restored in the place of the Grade 1 at the same trip, but it really should be a 0-145 and push the championship horses into the championship races.
The Festival would be well rid of the Ryanair and the mares’ hurdle, and I could cope with seeing the back of the Foxhunters’ now that it’s increasingly being contested by the big yards.
Landafar- check out the Circus Maximus and, out of town a little way, the Circus of Maxentius, a Roman racecourse in pretty much its original form.
Haven’t checked this thread for a while but saw the match advertised on the A43 and thought of you guys… hope it goes well.
Make the qualification order for the race based on the amount of prize-money won in handicaps (but have them race off their current handicap mark). This will favour the traditional, experienced National types at the expense of inexperienced horses, and also encourage trainers to run their horses more often in the big handicaps, which could do with a boost to their field size and competitivness.
I don’t think that told us a lot.
Lossiemouth was plainly never travelling well and not at her best, but still good enough to finish ahead of Burdett Road rather convincingly. Constitution Hill travelled better but has been far better than that in the past, and it’s anyone’s guess whether the gap to his very best is because he’s not at full fitness or not as good as he was.
