I don't normally bet ante post, because there is no guarentee il still be alive by the time the race comes round
Not been following this too closely, but do we know whether Dawn Approach will be having a run before the 2000 Guineas?
Im happy to hear Toronado is slow. I think his gritty win over Dundonnell over an enormously inadequate 7f will end up being the evidence that proved he would have the cruising speed in a Derby.. Its all about opinions and iv been wrong plenty of times to worry myself about that. Every now and again a horse catches your eye for some reason. The last one was Lord Windermere who I could just see improving for a longer trip and better ground. Hopefully Toronado will improve as he eases up in distance. Plenty to prove granted, but against who? Foundry and Telescope are my two main dangers, so 16/1 against two rivals will do for me as a speculative, and risky, antepost bet.
He's not entered in anything else, so I'd assume its straight there. Bolger doesn't normally give them a prep, he went straight there with New Approach
He had enough experience last year. Fitness I suppose will be taken care of on the gallops. Does he have a racecourse prep arranged that we know of?
Be nice to see him have a prep race, just to be sure he's trained on. Not as though it's going to wreck him for the season
Bolger did mention coming over for the greenham briefly, which i dismissed as soon as i heard it, but maybe a prep isn't out of the question if it was under the slightest of slight considerations.
Not that I know of Bob, probably will just do it on gallops. Bolger has a fair few horses. I'm sure Bolger has a busy schedule planned for him this season Oddy, so I don't see the point in running him in a prep race, which could risk him being over the top come some of the big autumn races. I've never bought into this 'trained on' thing myself, particularly with a horse aswell bred as Dawn Approach. He was a champion at 2, and he will be a champion at 3, mark my words
If Sir Henry was happy to run Frankel in the Greenham I don't see why anyone should be put off getting a prep run into their charges before the Guineas. It's a Group 1 Classic FFS. I hate how some trainers think about these things. Having said that, the Guineas are a month too early if you ask me.
You are comparing 2 different horses Oddy. Frankel was very quirky and was hard to settle, so they ran him in a prep against weaker opposition in the hope of getting rid of the cob webs, as they knew if he was pulling for his head in the guineas as he did in the Dewhurst he would be voulnreble. As it happened the prep was useless, as they realised he was still to immature to settle in. So they just let him have his head at the start, hoping that by the time he got tired, they'd be so far clear it wouldn't matter, and that's what happened. I still feel a better jockey wouldn't of had the same issues as Queally had, though that's just my opinion. Dawn Approach is not a nutter like Frankel, and is very straightforward, which is surprising considering his sire, and Jim Bolger knows what he's doing. Just because Henry Cecil does something, it does not mean it is the best way. Bolger for me is every bit as skilled a trainer if not more so
Been reading this thread, very interesting!! I don't make many posts but i feel I have to respond to Shergars last comment about Bolger being every bit as skilled a trainer as Cecil, if not more so???? IMO Bolger will never be in the same league as Cecil, in fact alot of today's trainers will never be in the same league as Cecil.
All a matter of opinion, but I've never really bought into Henry Cecil being the best trainer around. Obviously he's had a very succesful career, but I've never rated his ability to place horses well, and that inability was magnified with how he waisted most of Frankel's career running over a mile. He could of win the Derby, The Arc, or any other race he wanted to between 5-12 furlongs
Agree about Frankel Shergar. If Cecil didn't train Frankel he wouldn't have this unwarranted reputation.
I'd of loved to have seen a better jockey on him aswell, and had a better jockey ridden him he could of ran alot more often. Someone like Richard Hughes would have just laughed at the opposition every race, winning a couple of lenghs without coming out of 3rd gear. The way Frankel was ridden particularly in the early part of his career like in the Guineas and the St James's Palace was just ridiculous. Giving the horse a tough race when there was no need for it. Queally clearly couldn't handle him, so they shouldn't have allowed him to ride
Totally agree Shergs and Bob. Perhaps my opinion of the man is tainted by a dislike of serial drunk drivers and criminals.
