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Eric is (was) particularly good in the high class handicaps in France. Since returning from Hong Kong he doesn’t seem quite the rider he was with other jockeys like Soumillon, Lemaire and Peslier dominating the local scene.
Nail on head ClintN. The authorities will have to address this issue ‘ere long.
Meanwhile Longchamp is alive with the most fantastic fireworks show after the end of racing tonight. Sorry, but the French really know how to live.
I didn’t see it that way. They were only about 4f into the race and there seemed to be a general jostling for positions. Eagle Mountain stumbled and Fallon was off. The main issue is how is Fallon – it looked bad and he was still on the ground well after the race was over.
Well done Bosranic. Zambezi Sun by a country mile. But a bit controversial with Eagle Mountain unseating Fallon after about 4 furlongs. The winning margin was emphatic and it must be debatable whether Eagle Mountain would have got close. Another example of French 3yos being aimed at the latter half rather than the first.
Interesting to note that the RP now provides going status according to race times on their Meeting Results page. They frequently vary from the "official" going to the extent that the official is "good to soft" whilst the race times suggests " good to firm". That’s not marginal – it’s totally misleading. Maybe the time has come to ignore the Official and follow the RP assessment that is based on facts over 6 or 7 races rather than some guy’s assessment based on jabbing a stick in the ground.
Aidan O’Brien strikes me as one of the most professional trainers around. I recall the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud last October when, after the first race, he and Heffernan walked the entire course, clearly assessing the state of the ground. Mount Nelson went on to win a couple of hours later. And how many trainers do you see escorting their charges to the stalls (eg George W) or walking them through the pre-race parade (Eagle Mountain yesterday)? As much as I respect the likes of Stoute, Gosden and all the other leading trainers the personal attention that O’Brien invests is notable and should earn the respect of all serious race-goers.
Interesting point that is worth some more fundamental reflection. Is flat racing coming down to an evaluation of what might win the Guineas, and little else? 2-y-os are judged on their ability to win the Guineas or the Derby/Oaks on the assumption that they will be retired soon thereafter. And anything else will be an "also ran". Unless, of course you have something that becomes very progressive, like Sergeant Cecil or Red Evie in which case they are presented as "freaks" that keep the game interesting but are really sideshows to the main game- breeding.<br>LL
Good point, stevedvg. I think there is little debate that the French train for the second half of the season. So they tend to win the Arc and the Opera whilst not bothering too much about the first half Classics or the Lockinge and Ascot. And it starts with the GP de Paris on Bastille Day at Longchamp (eg Rail Link and Bago). Of course there will always be exceptions but that seems to be the overall pattern. I’m not saying that one approach is better than the other – just that that’s the way it is.<br>LL
Is there not also a trend away from the longer distances? Is racing becoming more concentrated on 8-10 furlong (or even less)? Look how the French reduced the trip for the Jockey Club (the French Derby) a couple of years back. It’s now down to 10.5f. If this is the trend for 3yo races how long before it spreads to 4yo+? I’m not suggesting that the Arc will be a 7f sprint anytime soon but…………
It’s the breeders who will determine the future and if horses like Holy Roman Emperor can be retired before 3 who knows what the future holds.<br>LL
Maxilon<br>There is an A/W track – it’s at Deauville and is relatively recent. Its main use seems to be during July and August when all the Paris tracks close and everything moves to Normandy. That means that if the weather is wet the track at Deauville cuts up badly under all the racing that goes on there, hence, I assume, the desire for the A/W. There is the Clairefontaine turf track close to Deauville but that’s a bit "infra-dig" for the hoi-polloi of Paris-sur-Mer. There are a couple of meetings on the A/W during the winter but it doesn’t seem to have caught on. Bear in mind that the turf season here goes on into early December and starts again in early March so the break is a good bit shorter than in the UK (especially if you factor in the February meetings at Cagnes-sur-Mer down on the Med). <br>I suspect that the leading stables don’t see it as a significant asset; France is a very conservative country so it’ll likely be several years before A/W takes off, if at all. <br>LL
You only have to look at Visindar, the French wonder horse in the 2006 Derby. Beaten hollow by Numide in a minor conditions event recently, followed up by Numide being humbled in a Group 3 afterwards. I can see little reason for opposing the view that the 2006 Derby was the worst in living history.
Being based in France I have to agree somewhat sadly to the previous posts. For the major tracks the Racing Post is probably your best source, but the provincial tracks are definitely more problematic. pmu.fr and the paris-turf sites are worth looking at but seem to lack anything worthwhile in terms of databases.
(Edited by Longchamp Lad at 12:57 pm on June 20, 2007)
Zilzal<br>Happy to recover your new shirt and send it back, let me know the necessary. Makes a change from leaving a shirt with the bookie.
In reply to dancarter – I’m an exile from the UK and live right beside Longchamp, in Boulogne-Billancourt (Sarkozy-land of the Haut-Seine). I can’t get into the trotters I’m afraid. Always seems to me to be a bit like Formula One where drivers aren’t allowed to get out of first gear. But it’s quite a sight to see them trotting on the beaches in Normandy.
Tony 25
I’ve never been able to track the pool details on the PMU site (http://www.pmu.fr). All I can tell you is that they paid €6.20 for a win with €2.40, €5.30 and €8.00 for the three places. But you probably knew that anyway. I’ll dig around and will let you know if I find anything.<br>LL
I didn’t see the incident although I saw the result on France-Galop and noted that there had been a fall. I can’t recall Dettori, or any other British jockey, falling at Longchamp in the recent past. Good to hear that all seemed to survive.
(Edited by Longchamp Lad at 8:37 pm on June 14, 2007)
When four horses cross the line with barely a gnat’s whisker between them doesn’t that simply say that if the four were to meet again next week, with varying conditions of track and ground, the outcome would probably be different? If Sir P is that great then so are the other three.
(Edited by Longchamp Lad at 9:23 pm on June 6, 2006)
