Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Can’t even remember a horse of Champion Hurdle potential to become a Grade 1 winning chaser
Sizing Europe
Dawn Run
Menorah too, only 3/1 in the 2010 CH.
Can’t even remember a horse of Champion Hurdle potential to become a Grade 1 winning chaser
Sizing Europe
Dawn Run
Classic stuff from the Channel 4 team this afternoon.
Jim McGrath to Dettori and Balding "He (Dettori) won the King George on Lammtarra , ’95?"
Dettori replied "’94"
Lammtarra won his three Group 1s in 1995.
Then McGrath says: "He beat a horse called Pentire who was a 4 year old…."
Dettori adds "he got 11lbs", and answers McGrath’s question about would he have beaten him without the weight advantage "No".
Pentire was a 3yo in 1995. The weight for age then, as it is now, was 12lbs (not 11lbs).
Balding failed to correct them.
How can the newbie’s they yearn to attract to racing take these people seriously when they cannot be trusted to explain the wfa scale without getting their example facts wrong.
You’d have thought someone in the production gallery would have known?
Your rage is palpable, but explaining that lot to a newbie…..?
Tbh, mego sometimes – and I love racing. Discussions like the above about races held twenty years ago are more likely to alienate rather than engage newcomers.Imho.
He inadvertently trashed all those ‘Lester Piggott, 29 classic wins’ commemorative plates
Funnily enough, I happen to be reading
The Sea Pigeon Story
. His only race in ’72 was the 6th October Duke of Edinburgh stakes over 6f at Ascot for unraced 2yos, which he won by 3L, L.Piggott up. Surely the greatest of the dual-purpose horses ?
But if we’re talking versatility over track, trip and ground, we can’t leave out
Flyingbolt
.
There used to be a theory that top-notch mares rarely gave birth to progeny who came anywhere near the ability of the mother. Supposed reason was that some excess of male hormone had given them that extra oomph on the track, but it would prove a drawback when breeding.
I never found out if there was any substance to the theory. Doubtless at least one TRFr will have some stats!
Urban Sea.
Thing is, take Rock On Ruby.
He’s won and placed in a CH, so fair play to him.
But he’s ever so ordinary, isn’t he ?
He is if it suits your argument
The cheek !
(Original post edited)
Thing is, take Rock On Ruby.
He’s won and placed in a CH, second in a strong Neptune (why I backed him)….so fair play to him.
But he’s ever so ordinary, isn’t he ? He’s rated 170-ish, but it feels as if his rating has been tinkered with to fit in the jigsaw. To me, anyway.
Why on earth would anyone talk Darlan up
because he’s dead?
I gave him a big chance of winning last year’s CH , he was shortish in most lists too.
And I’m sorry, no offence meant, but that list of ‘high-class hurdlers’ that HF has beaten…….I think it makes my point quite nicely.
Gingertipster
said –
"What more does a Champion have to do? Name me a hurdler who would have beaten him, apart from possibly Istabraq"
Well, "the Golden Era" – Monksfield, Night Nurse, Sea Pigeon, Golden Cygnet, Persian War, Comedy Of Errors, Lanzarote, Bula. There’s the Staying Hudlers – Of this generation – Big Buck’s, even Baracouda and Limestone Lad.
______________
Then add See You Then, Alderbrook, and as recently as last season, Darlan, to that list.
HF feels like a low 170s horse to me, but it’s not his fault there’s not been much to beat up to now. I’ll not be too hasty in labelling the upcoming CH a vintage renewal, because we always hear that around this time of year, don’t we ?
Ah, the anticipation…..
Thanks for that Nathan.
I wondered whether PFN would actually know MM’s whereabouts, bearing in mind his falling out with the owner.For years, we’ve been mired in a trough of decidedly moderate hurdlers who take turns beating each other much like sprint handicappers, and it doesn’t look like changing any time soon.
Darlan, you are sorely missed
