Saturday's Meetings Ascot Flat 8 Races 1:15-5:25p.m. Gowran Flat 8 Races 1:42-5:35p.m. Newcastle A/W 7 Races 2:00-5:30p.m. York Flat 7 Races 2:05-5:40p.m. Chester Flat 7 Races 2:10-5:50p.m. Lingfield(E) Flat 7 Races 5:15-8:15p.m. Salisbury(E) Flat 7 Races 6:00-8:30p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Shocking King George and if Ballydoyle gave up the game it would look like a Group 3. Meanwhile all eyes will be on Passenger at York.
It could be a sparse week from a betting point of view with the going at (not so) Glorious Goodwood currently Soft or Good to Soft. Not leaving Bluestocking in the Nassau could turn out to be a mistake if they decide that the ground at Ascot is too quick for her as her next entries are at York. In the big race, I would not touch Auguste Rodin at the price as he was stone last in the race last term. Rebel’s Romance has no Group 1 form in this country and Sunway might not be good enough. Over at York, I would not touch Passenger as he won with what looked like a deal in hand last time but injury/illness has not seen him run since and last year’s winner Alflaila is no slouch – plus a mate of mine has backed the Stoute horse ante post for the Juddmonte so stand by for the excuses. It will be no surprise if Simmering is turned over in the Princess Margaret as the Royal meeting form has proved to be unreliable. Friendly Soul now goes right handed after an abject effort going left at York last time. I think I will give the big handicap at Ascot a miss as Bunbury Cup winner Aalto looks like the proverbial gift horse with just a 3lb penalty but his yard has not been as hot lately as it was back then. Having looked at the Dash at York (2:40), I now find that the overnight thieves have had all the 4/1 about Trefor so it looks like a blank betting Saturday.
15:00 Ascot - Of trainer David O'Meara's three runners in this very open 7f affair at Ascot, New Image (Mark Wynn (3) rides), and the rank outsider, Riot, (Hollie Doyle) on board) are the choices. 9/1 New Image top price (Bet354/Wm.Hill) early-doors, on ATR site. 25/1 Riot top price (Coral/Ladbrokes) early-doors, on ATR site. E/W on both best option.
Disgraceful really.... Ascot announced as Good to Firm. AOB just said they walked the course and it was soft in places... who would you rather believe the COC or AOB...
Won at 22/1 SP. Wow, the gallant and consistent Northern Express won a big handicap at last. No horse is more deserving, a fine front-running performance, indeed. Fine ride from Paul Mulrennan who got the winner home by a neck from New Image, who also ran a very good race. Nice win for the Michael Dods stable and the winner's connections.
Goliath impressive winner of the King George. Auguste Rodin is certainly a bit of a dog, one never knows what the hell he's going to do.
Swannie, Classic form- for the most of this century- is all over the place. Today’s King George exemplified this. A Group 3 horse at best laughed at the field , and he made Auguste Rodin look like a selling plater.
Funny old race that York Stakes today. They set off like it was a Fontwell Bumper and it turned into a sprint up the straight. Apparently Passenger suffered a canon bone fracture, not sure we will see him again this season
How that's ever been a Gp 2 I'll never know. Today's renewal was more like a listed event for has beens.
I tend to believe O’Blarney as little as possible. If he walked the course beforehand and there were “soft” bits then (a) why did he run the horse if he thought conditions were against it; and (b) why did he not advise the jockey to go around the “soft” areas? I assume that we are talking about Auguste Rodin, the horse I have had in my notebook for over a year as unreliable – last in the same race in 2023. Is this a different Auguste Rodin to the one that won the 2022 Futurity easily on heavy ground at Doncaster? O’Brien is the biggest bullsh*tter in the history of the sport.
I cannot say that I was that impressed; and I already had last year’s ‘wonder horse’ down as one to avoid. They had a pacemaker and at 2:27 it was not a slow time. There were more negatives in the race than positives and the winner is a Group 2 horse at best. Notable that three of the first four were held up at the back – was the pace too fast and killed off all those up with the lead? The pacemaker was tailed off. Plus Goliath is missing something that he would need to run in the Arc. O’Blarney will be rehearsing his excuses for York if this year’s ‘wonder horse’ comes a cropper in the Juddmonte... how many pacemakers will he run there? He won’t have to beat Passenger, crocked over the course and distance today. If we take the form at face value then Isle Of Jura is the best horse in Europe since he beat Goliath over course and distance last time.
In 1972 4yo Brigadier Gerard won the King George with the top French colt Riiverman, receiving 14lb as a 3yo, in 3rd. 3 years later there was The Race of the Century. The 3yo Grundy, receiving 14lb (as a 3yo), beat 4yo Bustino by half a length. Anyone who was there will never forget it. An outcome of this race was that the Admiral Rous weight for age scale (wfa) which had stood for more than 100 years was adjusted. The chief handicapper in 1975 felt that the 1975 KG was evidence that the wfa scale needed adjusting as it favoured 3yos over older horses. Basically he felt that on merit Bustino and Grundy were equivalent in ability he therefore reduced the difference by 1lb to 13lb. It was a controversial change but went through on the emotion that race aroused. Yesterday there was only one 3yo in the KG field, Sunway, who (despite being hindered in running) finished 4th. Yet he received only 11lb from his 4yo opponents. Have I missed something? When did the wfa change? What was the justification? Have 3yos got better? Have 4yos got worse? As regards stayers I saw only two running in that race yesterday: maybe 3.
I suspect Isle of Jura had the best turn of foot that day. I doubt very much he would have won yesterday's race which was almost 5 secs faster. All the other races at Ascot were all on the slow side but the KG was fast by 2.27s. I don't think Goliath is being given the credit he deserves for that win. That was a decent time and the jockey had a double handful and won as he liked. It would have taken a very good horse to have beat him yesterday, imho
