Short blog today.
Curragh Irish 2000gns.
POWER won it well, but ... the time was very modest. Only the 4th best(comparatively) on the card, made to look even worse an hour later when the average h'cap over the same distance was quicker! I do not know what goes on in these races, but the Ballydoyle 'mob-handed' approach seem to be able to upset the the rhythm of a race very successfully? Of course, they have the advantage of knowing in advance what is going happen. In this race Daddy Long Legs looked to take them along at a fast, but consistent pace right up to the final furlong. He was entitled to fade. But how is it the time was so slow? You have to assume, without sectional timing, that he dragged the field along too fast and allowed Power, who probably has a high cruising speed but no exceptional turn of foot, to come through when every thing else had shot their bolts? That is with the exception of the complete outsider, FOXTROT ROMEO, who came from off the pace for 2nd, and REPLY, another O'Brien runner, who had suspect stamina get 3rd spot.
The presence of the 2nd backs up that, form-wise, this result is suspect even if the time did not. The only horse I would take from the race is REPLY as at least he did prove he stays.
Conclusion - Jockeys must learn to ride their own race, and not get drawn into what suits other horses!
EPSOM OAKS
I am with John Gosden here. It was a messy race, and unnecessarily so. Whatever you say about THE FUGUE. you can treble it as far as my ew selection, COQUET was concerned. She was alongside The Fugue when both had to snatch up. Then in the straight, The Fugue went to the outside and Coquet was left to go to the inside off the retreating pacemaker ... for a moment their was a gap, but it closed as the tired horse rolled back on to the rail. Luckily, Havlin was able to snatch her up for the second time, avoiding what could have been quite a nasty incident. From then on it looked hopeless. Last and only 2 furlongs to go. Amazingly, with a clear run she finish as well as anything to get within in 2 lengths of MAYBE. With a clearer runthroughout, who knows, but she is my horse to take out of the race.
The winner, WAS, got a clean run through on the inside and won it well. Not overly chuffed at the interview afterwards ... 'Yes, we thought she would run well(£20,000 each way @ 20/1 anybody?) .. given she had won a maiden, finished 3rd in a modest Group 3, and came into racing the outsider of the party of 5, with only the usual stable comment ..'Ah sure, they are all beautifully bred fillies' beforehand! Nice one.
Two other points. J. O'Brien got 4 days for squeezing out KAILANA early on, quite rightly, but D. Holland did similar on SHIROCCO STAR as she made her run from the outside, which I think affected THE FUGUE's chances, but no action was taken there.
The other point that came over loud and clear from the BBC team, and that was a pronounced bias towards Frankie Dettori and a big negative against M. Barcelona. It stemmed from the gossip that suggested that the former was being squeezed out in favour of the latter, but as we know, Dettori is the media darling isn't he?
Commentator McGrath had Barcelona riding 3 or 4 deep in an earlier race, which got exaggerated to 4 or 5 on the re-run .. In fact he was never more than 3 wide, but given the alternatives of dropping further back, or pressing the button early and hope to get in tighter, sit and suffer was probably the best choice when you are drawn wide. Jimmy Fortune got away with being 'trapped' on the outside' on the disappointing favourite in the first? Then of course there was the repeat showing of the stand up in the stirrups on Pour Moi and Monterosso that was roundly criticised by one and all, but of course Frankie can do his flying dismounts at every opportunity? I know one is during the race the other after, but the jockeys do it because they are confident in their ability to pull it off. I have yet to see Michael Barcelona have the slightest wobble when standing in the stirrups, just because after two great wins the emotion takes over before the line, it seems he is condemned for life.
Oh yes, the short blog
EPSOM DERBY.
CAMELOT well clear on ratings. If he stays, he should win.
There are 4 horses at the front rank in the betting, but on this season's ratings there is only about 4lbs between 6 of them, excluding the favourite. I thought BONFIRE probably had the most improvement in him, given his preparation. MICKDAAM is a big price, being so close on ratings, but whether he can make as much improvement from his earlier run as the others remains to be seen. THOUGHT WORTHY is one that could well run into a place. Let us just hope it is a clean race?
That's it I have had my rant. Have a good day ...
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