[Seventy Four]

I certainly seem to have ruffled someone’s feathers !!!

[Seventy Four]

I have to agree with what Seventy Four has said; I’ve found all the hype quite tedious for a long time, but feel terribly sad now [although very happy for Paddy Brennan; a certain amount of hubris today imo]. It took me a long time to admit to myself how good Kauto Star was, and two things made that sink home. One was to see his record of runs in a book I bought last week; the endless record of 1111111’s with an occasional UR or 2 surprised me, and then a film of him at Ditcheat, not cantering or anything but just walking out of the stable yard with such an athletic swagger and sense of joi de vivre. I’m so glad that he survived that horrendous fall today [thank goodness the ground staff ensured we had safe jumping ground all week]. But I now feel that I’m looking at this golden age of steeplechasing as if it’s in the past, and somehow unreal.

Try not to feel too down Moehat.

Today’s result takes nothing away from Kauto Star’s past achievements – he is still the same horse with the same ability who has compiled an excellent record over the last few seasons, and today was simply not his day.

I will watch the highlights tonight (I haven’t seen the race yet), but am very glad that Kauto Star emerged unscathed and lives to fight another day. If he never ran again, he would live long in many people’s memories for the pleasure he has given them.

It is inevitable that any chapter closes eventually (I felt like that in the late 1970’s after The Dikler, Red Rum, L’Escargot, Spanish Steps etc retired), but another will open soon no doubt, and in the years to come, you will be able to look back with tremendous fondness to this period in your racing life.

In the meantime, why not pour yourself a nice glass of wine and salute Imperial Commander !

[Seventy Four]

I agree with NTD. Channel 4 and the Racing Press have been attempting to turn the Gold Cup into some sort of racing equivalent to the FA Cup final in which everybody has to be one side or other and has to nail their colours to the mast. This rubbish of selling Denman or Kauto scarves at the course is cringe-worthy.

Racing is not Football, and never will be thank God.

Very well said David !

I have been preaching for ages about this kind of thing and the Racing Press and television pundits get swept along with all the hype, presumably on the basis that if they repeat the same thing over and over again, we will start to believe it !

It was the technique used by Goebbels during World War II (i.e. attempted brainwashing) and it is unfortunate just how many people seemed to fall for it. Reading some of the newspapers and coverage of the race, anyone would be forgiven for thinking that there were only two runners in this year’s race – and that Imperial Commander’s chance was so slim as to barely be worth mentioning, if you indeed were even aware that there were another 9 runners apart from the Nicholls hopes.

I noticed the cringeworthy front page of the Racing Post this morning – they’d clearly decided several months ago what they were going to have on it today and nothing on earth would have allowed them to change that, despite Denman’s display at Newbury (which naturally disturbed the carefully planned script for the build-up).

Today has proved once and for all that Kauto Star, good animal that he is, is certainly not the best steeplechaser of all time (when did you ever hear of Arkle falling or unseating his rider ?), and though Golden Miller did have a few mishaps with jumping, those were mainly at Aintree over very stiff fences. Let’s also not forget that the Miller not only won 5 Gold Cups in succession (not 2 out of 4 attempts), but also the Grand National in record time and under top weight.

Credit to Denman today for doing better than I imagined he would, but I believe he will always be outpaced by any horse with speed (such as Imperial Commander),and I cannot see him winning another Gold Cup at Cheltenham.In fact, when you look at the chasers queuing up like Weapons Amnesty, Long Run, Punchestowns and Burton Port (to name those from the RSA Chase), I’ll be surprised if Denman is placed next year, as an 11 year old.

I also think that Carruthers is still a young horse and did well to finish 4th – he should surely improve a bit with age and if he manages to cut out jumping errors.

[Seventy Four]

So much for all the hype and the supposed two horse race !!!

Imperial Commander is a fine horse and it sounds as if he absolutely trotted up there – well done to Nigel Twiston-Davies and Paddy Brennan.This is a horse with a very good record at the course,ran Kauto Star very close at Haydock, and is generally a fine jumper.

I am delighted with the result !!!

[Seventy Four]

Sorry about this but, Kauto to unseat, Denman to be pulled up and Tricky Trickster to be the new stable star, winning in a canter with Mon Mome staying on for second.

Ken, I like your style.

I find the whole Kauto Star v Denman hype utterly ridiculous, and personally, I’d laugh if one of the rank outsiders beat the lot of them !

No race is ever a two horse race, unless only two horses happen to be running in it.

[Seventy Four]

I must admit that though not a fan of the Nicholls "hot-pots", I think that Big Buck’s has a great chance to win today.

However, should there be any chink in the favourite’s armour, I fancy that Sentry Duty might possibly be the one to expose it. He has a good turn of foot, seems to stay at least 2.5 miles (admittedly, this is a step up in trip for him) and always goes well when fresh – plus Nicky Henderson so often seems to come up with the goods at Cheltenham.At his current odds, he might be worth a small each way wager (I don’t bet as a general rule).

[Seventy Four]

To make Friday’s Gold Cup sound like some sort of prize fight between Kauto Star and Denman suggests to me that racing seems to have been dumbed down nearly as much as television !

I accept that Kauto Star has proved himself to be an animal of the highest class (despite my not being a fan), but Denman has won just once in his last five starts and has failed to complete in two of his last three races. Surely, the safe jumping Imperial Commander and Cooldine have every bit as good a chance of unseating Kauto Star than Denman has – and quite possibly a better one.

Friday’s race is a horse race – not a prize fight or a two horse race – and the sooner this ridiculous hype is dispensed with, the better.

[Seventy Four]

I didn’t see the race as I was at work, but reading about it, the result does not surprise me at all.

Big Zeb has always been a horse of great talent (if somewhat indifferent jumping on occasions ),and might well have beaten Master Minded anyway at Punchestown last season but for a blunder at the last.

I simply don’t buy into this "Master Minded – wonder horse" nonsense. The press always get so carried away by just one performance and the next thing you know, the horse is touted as the best steeplechaser of all time (or at least of this century), presumably in an effort to make interesting reading and maybe attract more people to racing. The trouble is that it is difficult for some people not to get carried away by all the hype – I am sure the TV pundits do it, and when he runs, you can tell they have eyes only for him.

All I ask for is a bit of realism and to see things in perspective. No horse is invincible and so called "wonder horses" are very few and far between – they don’t just turn up every season.

Perhaps today’s result might give some a reality check,because it does need it.

[Seventy Four]

Could it just be (terrible for so many Denman fans to contemplate I know ! ) that Denman is not the horse that so many seem to think he is ?

To me, it is crazy to try to make out this year’s Gold Cup to be some kind of prize fight between Kauto Star and Denman, and the hype over all of this has just got to the ridiculous stage, with almost a month to go before the Festival.In my opinion, though not a great fan of either horse, Kauto Star is streets ahead of Denman in ability.

Expecting flames, which I always get whenever I dare to criticise Denman.

[Seventy Four]

I thought I’d manage to think of a few more if I put my mind to it – so here goes !

Isle of Wight – (winning steeplechaser but forgotten when ! )

Isle of Man (good winning steeplechaser for the Queen Mother)

Green Island (two horses of this name – one a filly owned by the Queen and a winner at Haydock for her back in the 1970’s – the other, a winner over hurdles and fences in recent years)

Cuba (winner on the flat and dam of winner Fidel, who used to be trained by Doug Smith back in the 1960’s I think – maybe 1970’s)

Tristan da Cunha (winning filly on the flat in Ireland)

Johannesburg (good winner on the flat for Aidan O’Brien – now a sire)

Tuxford (winning steeplechaser for Owen Brennan, I think)

Newfoundland (winner on the flat in Ireland)

New South Wales [/color:nryte4b0](winner on the flat in Ireland)

Grand Canyon (good ex New Zealand horse and winner of the Colonial Cup, as well as other good races)

New York [/color:nryte4b0](point to point winner in the 1970’s in Scotland)

Chicago (good winning stayer on the flat for Harry Wragg)

Montreal (winner over hurdles back in the 1970’s I think)

USA States

Alabama (winner on the flat)
Kentucky (winner over fences in the 1950’s)
[b:nryte4b0]Louisiana[/color:nryte4b0][/b:nryte4b0] (winner on the flat in the 1960’s)
[b:nryte4b0]Nebraska[/color:nryte4b0][/b:nryte4b0] (Irish point to point winner – may also have won under NH rules there)
New Mexico (winner on the flat)
Tennessee (winner over hurdles for the Dickinsons in the 1970’s )
Utah (steeplechasing winner – I forget which decade)
Wisconsin (I think he was a winner over fences)

I’ll try to add a few more from remote outposts of the globe !

[Seventy Four]

I will probably think of some more, given enough time, but here are a few that spring to mind :

[b:39klovtn]Warsaw[/color:39klovtn][/b:39klovtn] ( two horses of this name – a French filly some years ago and an inmate of Aidan O’Brien’s yard recently – both winners)

[b:39klovtn]Dresden Grey [/color:39klovtn][/b:39klovtn](a winning hurdler trained years ago by Fred Winter)

[b:39klovtn]Canterbury[/color:39klovtn][/b:39klovtn] (St Leger winner or runner-up – cannot remember which – also a good winner on the flat)

[b:39klovtn]San Francisco [/color:39klovtn][/b:39klovtn]- (two horses of that name – a winner on the flat back in the 1960’s and also a winning hurdler and chaser in recent years)

South Africa – winning steeplechaser in the 1930’s

West Indies – winning steeplechaser in the 1920’s I think

Red Rock Canyon – winner on the flat for Aidan O’Brien, and also placed in a number of Group races

Rio de Janeiro – winner on the flat and over hurdles – sadly deceased

Argentina – filly from back in the 1950’s or 1960’s I think – winner on the flat

[b:39klovtn]Saint Germain [/color:39klovtn][/b:39klovtn]- French dual classic winner in the 1850’s I think – maybe 1860’s

Rome – good winner on the flat

Those highlighted in green are places which I have visited.

I’ll try to add some more later.

[Seventy Four]

I honestly cannot understand the hysteria surrounding Denman.

The betting suggested he was expected to win and he did just that, but he is no Arkle.The commentators seem totally unable to keep their feet on the ground and to my mind at any rate, had eyes on just the one horse in the race.

In my opinion,talk about it being one of the performances of the century is laughable, but everyone is entitled to their opinion I know – it is just not one I share.

Flames expected of course, but I’m too old to let them worry me.

[Seventy Four]

Well I want to say a huge "Congratulations" to Red Rock Canyon !

I am delighted he has won a race at long last and will not retire a "maiden". He may well have a mind of his own, but in all seriousness, he was never put in a race last season in which he had the slightest chance of winning, and he did very well to be placed in Group 1 company behind Dylan Thomas in 2007 and Duke of Marmalade in 2008, whilst his prize money alone when placed has earned connections almost £160,000 !

His past record included two defeats by just a neck (one to Teofilio, when making his debut), and also a half-length second, and I really feel that the horse has been unjustly maligned. He is, and always will be, one of my favourites – how boring life would be if we did not have these "characters", and I have no doubt in my mind that though yesterday’s winning margin was only 1 length, it was probably a little easier than that.

Red Rock Canyon thoroughly deserved his day of glory at Roscommon, and I think the trip last night suited him better than the 7 furlongs at Tipperary, which may have been on the sharp side for him. Connections also dispensed with the blinkers last night.

So well done Red Rock – here’s hoping that you may prove all your doubters wrong by bagging another race soon, and then heading for a life of leisure at stud.

(Flames expected and fireproof and bulletproof jackets are on, though I’m really too old to care !)

[Seventy Four]

Yet another very sad loss for a small stable – and clearly, Charlie Bear was much loved.

Although unsuccessful in eight starts over hurdles, he was a winner on the flat at Yarmouth and Salisbury, which must have delighted connections.

R.I.P Charlie Bear

[Seventy Four]

I have only just read about this – another very sad loss for the Jonjo O’Neill stable, and another horse with talent.

R.I.P Fier Normand

[Seventy Four]

I was very upset when I found out about this – Wichita Lineman was one of my favourite horses, a really lovely looking animal as well as being very talented.

What a very sad time for connections, especially Jonjo O’Neill, with losing Exotic Dancer too.

R.I.P Wichita Lineman – I will never forget you.

[Seventy Four]

Two horses that I used to follow through thick and thin back in the early 1970’s were Alaska Highway (owned by The Queen and trained by Ian Balding) and Kentucky Fair (owned by John Manley and trained initially by Barry Hills and then by Paul Cole).

It was a huge thrill to meet Kentucky Fair after he had retired from racing and to know that he was being so well looked after at the age of 21.

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