Forum Replies Created
- Posts
You ae right about the prize money. At Enghien a "normal" novice hurdle is wort about 20k to the winner and at Auteuil even 25k. We ae talking about novice hurdles and not the Tolworth Hurdle. Which incidentally happens to be worth around 25k as well.
This is part of an article that I found regarding Michael Dickinson and his Tapeta surface with a short statement about Vincent O’Brien:
"HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE WITH SURFACES
Michael Dickinson feels he was lucky enough to have been taught about surfaces by the best. His mentors include: Dr. Vincent O’Brien, Ballydoyle, Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland:
As well as training 40 champions, the Derby winner 6 times, L’Arc de Triomphe 3 times and Breeder’s Cup Mile, Dr. O’Brien had a well deserved reputation for soundness in his horses. There were only two fatalities in 28 years."So if Vincent O’Brien just had two fatalities at home in 28 years, can someone tell what went wrong over the past two decades. Things are supposed to become better and safer.
Remember those Sundays with no racing at all, the months without summer jumping and fewer racing during the week. There was a purpose behind that and racing was of very high quality. Though we had no Frankel or Kauto Star the sport was still very exciting to watch.Didn’t see the incident at the start, but why wasn’t the horse checked before the off. Though I think it broke down after running about a furlong or so. Maybe it was just the ground.
Very sad indeed and it yet again another break not jumping related.Interesting reply Gingertipster.
I’m sure that it is be helpful to have two year olds in training, no doubt about that. And it isn’t probably wrong to race them, but it is important to give the more chances to mature. You could run them on tracks that are easy to race on, not undulating, downhill or any stiff uphill tracks. Have them run over easier bends and not galloping over paths or other roads crossing a track. Maybe even reduce the size of fields just in order to make sure they have enough room to manouvre without bumping and crossing each other. Just give them the chance to learn without having them run first time out in a Group race.
Look at trainers that do very well with older horses (like Stoute, Cumani or Weld) – they have a rather poor strike with two year olds, but are very good with their mature horses.
"Not bred for the job" can mean various things like fragile horses already running in juvenile hurdles or four year olds against five and six year olds over fences. Also it means that horses that were supposed to achieve a lot on the Flat and were bought at rather astronomical prices are asked to perform under the jumping code. And if you run a horse over the jumps on an Irish "dog track" and it breaks down just because of the turns and undulations then you must clearly admit that it isn’t bred for the job. More likely it’s the trainer who asks the impossible.Halling (twice), One So Wonderful, Royal Anthem, Falbrav and Sea the Stars won the race in just about the same time.
Halling even made all when winning for the 2nd time and quickened away in some style and he was just facing 5 horses on good ground and not good too firm. Where would you rate him then?
Seriously, I think Frankel would have one in exactly the same time without the pacemakers. So just make me understand why we need them. Why did Excelebration need one in the Lockinge? The horse ran alongside him right behind Bullet Train. So was he making the pace? No, he even got himself covered up behind Frankel’s pacemaker. For what reason? That’s what I want to understand.Why does the O’Brien stable (and any other stables as well) need to employ one or two pacemakers every time they run with a good horse against another good one? There is always loads of pace in British Group I races and what is the use when a 65-rated horse is about half a furlong in front and nobody cares about him cause he will be backpedalling any way??? Three dead horses running in front for about 4 furlongs and the rest not even caring about them. It makes the sport look very stupid and the trainers even more. Maybe someone can explain me why Frankel & Co. are better horses when some other horse stands in their way for the first part of the race.
