Sam Walker has suggested that So You Think might be able to achieve a unique double by taking the Arc and the Breeder's Cup Classic. See the article here. I have always been a massive fan of the horse. I was disappointed that he was beaten at Ascot but i did feel that he improved to take the Eclipse from Workforce. He is undoubtedly a top performer but it will take a horse of the highest calibre to take Europe's premier race, and then go to the States 4 weeks later to win their top race. He has already proven his ability to handle varying distances, and races close together so he would possess many of the qualities to take on the challenge. The Arc is beginning to open up and provided that he confirms his well being in the Irish Champion on Saturday he could well go to Longchamp with a favourites chance. I think he's a very very good horse and would love to see him take his chance in both races. I can see him winning both races individually, but whether he can pull of the double (which only one other horse has ever attempted, Sakhee in 2001) is a different question altogether. If any horse were capable then it would surely be him. It would be a cracking challenge for Coolmore to take on, and if he were to pull it off then you can be certain that their significant investment will be easily recouped. He'd be one of the most valuable stallion propositions in Australia, Europe and America, with form at the very highest level in all three regions. A challenge, most definitely. An achievable challenge, possibly. But i would love to see him give it a go.
I'd prefer to see him kept in training next year. I fear if he wins either the Arc or BC it will be off to stud with him ..................
With Pour Moi out the ARC is the only realistic chance of him winning either of the two.Even with the yanks producing the worst crop of 3 year olds in living memory,its still a bridge too far for horses who have never raced on dirt. It would be good for racing if AOB at least gives it a shot.
I think the Arc is a punter's nightmare this year. Arguably there's not much on th book between Nakayama Festa, Sarafina,So You Think, Workforce, and Nathaniel. I slightly prefer Nathaniel and feel he may have a bit more still to come. Sarafina was unlucky last year in what I feel was a moderate Arc, but that's as far as it goes. The interesting horse is Baraan. I just couldn't believe his position and jockey's tactics in the French Derby. His prep race should shed more light . In answer to your question, I don't think SYT is exceptional, but he does strike me as genuine and consistent.
As anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written about So You Think knows, I'm a huge fan of the horse. But I hope that I'm not swayed by the "media hype" that inevitably comes along with all such horses. In Australia, before the animal left our shores, he was being hailed by the press as the possibly the best horse we've seen since Phar Lap. Complete and utter rubbish. To suggest as much is to cast aside the deeds of mighty champions of the past, horses like Kingston Town, Tulloch, Sunline, Bonecrusher, Gunsynd, Rising Fast, Vain, Todman, Galilee, Makybe Diva etc. So You Think though, is an exceptional racehorse in my honest opinion. (sorry Tam ) His feats in Oz were wonderful and it's great that the UK racing folk are getting a chance to see a little of what he's capable of. But you ain't seen nothin' yet! I don't know where he's going or what they will target, but he'll take a power of beating in anything he contests. Is there another horse in the world who can take on the very best over distances from a mile all the way through to two miles, and be given a real chance in the race? I might be mistaken, but I believe him to be rated the third best horse in the world at the moment. That is an exceptional race horse.
Whilst many have been brainwashed by the Coolmoore hype, I have been able to look at So You Think's form objectively, and whilst I rate him as a top class 10f horse, I don't believe he has lived up to the superstar billing he was given. I don't buy the excuses at Ascot, I just feel he was beaten by a better horse. When an organisation pay millions for a horse like SYT, ofcourse they are going to make excuses to protect there investment. He then went on to defeat Workforce in the Eclipse, and I know beating an Arc winner reads well, but I have always maintained that Worlforce is one of the weakest Arc winners in history, hence why he has only a 40% strike rate in G1s. 10fs is also to short for Workforce, and SYT did make hard work of getting past him, and he was a lengh worse off with Sri Putra from Ascot, which suggests he ran to form at Ascot. I rate SYT as a 128 performer, by that I rate him a very good horse, but when I think superstar, I think 135+. So SYT is a long way short of that. If he goes for the Arc, then he has a chance, as there is no superstar in the race, but I wouldn't be getting carried away about his chances, as I still feel Nathaniel is the one to beat. I wouldn't even bother with the BC Classic, there is nothing in his pedigree to suggest that he will enjoy the dirt, and he could end up running a shocker. If I were Coolmoore I'd run him in the Cox Plate again, where he should hose up, with all due respect to Australian middle distance racing, it's knowere near as strong a race as the BC Classic or the Arc. Then SYT could retire with most of his reputation in tact, and Coolmoore can cash in at stud, which is all they are realy interested in
So You Think is one of nineteen entries that Aidan O’Brien currently has in the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe; however, on Arc Trials Day (11 September) it is notable that So You Think has only been entered in the Prix Du Moulin De Longchamp – the mile Group 1 race – and is not engaged in the Prix Foy, a recognised Arc trial for older horses. This would lead to the obvious conclusion that he will not be taking up the Arc engagement. Tamerlo, Baraan is not entered in the Prix Niel so I do not know where he will be warming up for the Arc, if he is still being considered for the race. The Aga Khan has five other Arc entries including Sarafina, Behkabad and Prix Niel entry Vadamar.
I'm still a bit dubious about SYT. He's a very very good horse, whether he his superstar material, i think he falls slightly short. It's easy to be wrapped in the Coolmore hype bandwagon, but when you get down to bare facts/form this is where facts come racing to the surface and dis-spells the hysteria surrounding the horse. It may very well hack up in the ARC, but there are others with slightly more appeal i.e Nathaniel. I think SYT stands to lose more than it can gain going to Breeders' Cup. As everyone seems to suggest, Coolmore purchased him purely for stud value, if he has a shocker in the Breeders' Cup it could come and bite them on the behind!
I don't think this is the case at all. Aidan O'Brien's only previous Arc winner is Dylan Thomas, and he ran in the Irish Champion Stakes before heading straight to Longchamp. I see no reason whatsoever why So You Think could not follow the same path. I don't think Aidan O'Brien has ever used the 'Arc trials'. I am not suggesting that So You Think will definitely run but i would never have expected to see him taking his chance in an Arc trial. Furthermore, connections have confirmed that the race is 'under consideration'. Firmer plans will be made after his race on Saturday.
Anyone think they've kept him at 10F because they want a 10F champ in the breeding shed? They have the 12F market covered and are looking for a real speed merchant, which I'm not sure SYT really is?
Good point Oddy but Coolmore already have Henrythenavigator,second in the BC classic at 10f,Giants Causeway,Oratorio,Mount Nelson et al who were expert at that trip. Given that he has already finished third in a MC on sft gd over two miles and is by High C'al,breeders are already fully aware of his potential. I agree,with Cyc in that he is a very,very good racehorse...too many on here temper their opinion on a horses ability by the stable he sleeps or is cast in!! For example,Exotic Dancer mentions "hysteria" surrounding SYT...utter nonsense..there has never been such an emotion...hype perhaps,hysteria no...thats the preserve of the Frankelteenies!!
So You Think certainly does not have the pace of a flier like Frankel Oddy, but if he's ridden for speed, he can show a real turn of foot, something the UK hasn't seen from him as yet. When he won his first Cox Plate, he sprinted straight to the front and ran them off their feet. The thing that a lot of people don't know about that win, is that he was officially a three year old, but in reality, he was still only two. That day he beat well seasoned, G1 winning horses. The Cox Plate is the premier WFA middle distance race in the country, so to win it at two, leading from barrier to box, was an outstanding achievement.
You may be right about that as I have been several times and there are often small fields and I cannot think of any of his star performers that I have seen there. The ‘Moulin’ did not used to be on this card but has moved now that the QEII has switched to October. As O’Brien currently has nineteen of the 117 entries for the Arc, he may well run Seville in the Prix Niel if he does not go to the St Leger. He has St Nicholas Abbey and Fame And Glory in the Prix Foy if he needs to start deciding who will be lining up on October 2nd as both of them have not been out for ages. Assuming that So You Think does start in the Irish Champion Stakes, he will probably not be taking up his entry just a week later. Of course if he gets beaten they may scratch Paris altogether or could opt to have a go at Frankel on Champions’ Day.
Not sure he's really proved himself in Europe yet. He's obviously a very good horse, and he has beaten last season's Arc winner, but at the moment he's underpriced wherever he's entered, due to the Coolmore hype. Can't get excited about him yet I'm afraid, and may even oppose him this weekend.
Hmmmm I see what you mean about his Cox Plate win Cyc, but Moore made plenty of use of him at Ascot but was outstayed over 10F by Rewilding (who may actually have been a very very good horse - sadly we will never know). Do you think Moore would have won that race had he gone on even earlier?
He did, in 2007. Interesting how after a period where it seemed to be providing the Arc winner almost every year, it's now been five years since the last Prix Niel winner (or even runner) won the Arc.
No Oddy, the way to ride the horse is to hold him together, then 2 furlong out let rip. He was far better ridden when he beat Workforce. he sat on the derby winner for a long way in the straight, then was eased away for one big sprint. It seems to me that UK racing is very about breaking hearts from a long way out, sort of last man left standing. Over here it's a lot different. We get out faster, then drop anchor, then sprint home the last 3 furlongs. SYT is exceptional at our way of racing, now they have to get his racing adapted to your way of doing things. Trial and error. There is no way on God's green earth, that SYT would have been asked to dash for home so far out, had he still been on Australian hands. AOB learned a lesson that day, one he made sure he didn't make again.
The last Prix Niel winner to win the big one was Rail Link, but looking at it this century, the list features Sinndar, Dalakhani and Hurricane Run. Four from eleven is a pretty good strike rate. The Prix Foy is the race that really is cursed. Montjeu won it in 2000, but he won the Arc the previous year as a three-year-old! Only Zarkava has won the Prix Vermeille and completed the double this century. I missed the 2007 meeting as I missed an EasyJet flight from Luton airport whilst stuck at security for forty minutes behind half of Eastern Europe, who were ignoring the constant announcements to take all the metal stuff out of the pockets, etc. If only they had a separate line for those who are not terminally deaf and stupid to just walk through.
