Thanks for the views on Sea The Stars chaps. The reason I was asking is that he only collared Delegator in the last 50 yards at Newmarket and I wonder whether it was the uphill finish that denied Delegator the 2000Gns. With no such hill at Ascot and a relatively short run in I was just pondering over the chances of Delegator against the big guns. He was almost a 2000Gns winner and showed blistering turn of foot to win a 6f sprint this year. Depending on how the race is run is it possible he could spring a shock? No idea what the odds are.
There is no doubt that Canford Cliffs is class. But as you say, the problem with backing against Goldi is that, over a mile, she just doesn't know when she is beaten and will not lay down. Unless CC can go clear, it will be interesting to see his battling qualities when Goldi lays down the gauntlet. I hope the race lives up to expectations and we see a really thrilling race with no excuses in evidence.
Delegator is going for the Golden Jubilee Ron, and not the Queen Anne. I think he may be entered but it is not his intended engagement.
The Queen Anne is two races in one. Goldie vs CC just to watch and admire,which i want Goldie to win. Secondly the other six, pick the one to get a place and bingo great ew returns., One outsider may just have his 5 minutes of glory, don't be surprised if there is an upset. As said before Goldie is being primed for the breeders and i think thats the only race that really matters to trainer and owners. Heads other horse was behind goldie by 6l last time out and at 50/1 something worth thinking about, especialy if Barzalona gets the ride again.I don't follow stats to much but 4and 5 year olds are 10 for 10 in this race and so the age stat is against Goldie.
Should be a cracker but it's just Canford Cliffs for me. I think his turn off foot is that little bit better.
I don't know but I would imagine not many 6yos enter. Have any of the 5yo winners come back to defend their title the following year?
, Ron, Dean Swift was the last horse to defend and that was way back in 1907, only 4 have ,and what i can find out is only 2 girls have won, So goldie will not win ,or she will make some more records for the book. all 5 and 4 yr olds with a few 3 yr thrown in, have won this race. Wiki is a great thing lol
Since 1907 only x 6yos have been in training and considered good enough to compete in this race and none have won. Only 2 girls have won (One being Goldikova) We now have a girl who is good enough and is 6yo. After the race the stats could be saying: Since 1907 only x+1 6yos have been in training and considered good enough to compete in this race and only one has won. Only 2 girls have won (one, Goldikova, twice) Even that would put stats followers off. Stats need to be supported by additional information from which some reasonably logical conclusions can be drawn.
Islanderpei, the stats about four- and five-year-olds having won the last ten renewals of the Queen Anne Stakes will be something of a red herring as there has probably not been a decent six-year-old or older run in the race in that period and it did used to be a Group 2 race until quite recently. In the Prix dâIspahan, they ran Rajsaman in order to gauge whether he was a top class horse as he had beaten Byword at Saint-Cloud on his seasonal debut. Looking for an each-way outsider may prove to be futile because if less than seven go to post the bookies will only pay on the first two so one of the two big guns would have to have a howler to collect on any of the supporting cast. As Zenyatta stated, Delegator is unlikely to contest any of the big mile races this year as I think they have finally accepted that he does not really stay a mile so they will be going after the top six furlong sprints and possibly seven furlong races.
Massive fan of Canford Cliffs so I've been waiting for this clash for a while.... Two concerns to me regarding Canford as a 'good thing' are these. 1. The going. Most recent reports suggest an unsettled forecast for next few days and whilst the clerk of the course seems confident of good going come Tuesday, the one thing I know we can never been sure of is the amount of rainfall that could be have between now and 2.30 Tuesday! Rain is coming, and it's not hard to envisage a few heavy showers beforehand. Soft ground is not impossible and in those conditions I'd fancy the mare to handle it best. 2. Richard Hughes. He is a very good jockey but he does like to leave things late and I still have bruised memories of his 'ride' on Dubawi Gold in Ireland. Leave it too late against the mare and she'll not be stopping at the end... These two factors are enough for me to leave it until the time of the race, at least then the first factor will be determined. BTW I know theres a separate thread but I think Frankel at 1-3 is a crazy bet.
I am going to go for Canford Cliffs but with the rain about at the moment I am not as confident as I was! Rio de la Plata is an interesting each way bet. I think he needed the run at Epsom. Currently 25/1
Ron, if Goldikova wins the Queen Anne Stakes, there will still only have been two ‘girls’ win the race because she is one of the two already. Beeforsalmon, if the ground came up soft at Ascot the prospects of a big upset (neither Canford Cliffs nor Goldikova winning) would increase dramatically. Goldikova’s last three defeats have all come on very soft ground, although admittedly in the 2009 Prix d’Ispahan she finished down the field and she barely stays that distance on decent ground. My suspicion would be that Hannon would pull Canford Cliffs and wait for Goodwood. If Canford Cliffs wants to beat Goldikova, he needs to do what Paco Boy tried to do last year – come late and wide. If he comes alongside her early, she will engage in a battle and then his turn of foot would be his only weapon. As somebody that does not bet odds-on, I will not be dutching the principals in the Queen Anne (combined 1/6) or backing Frankel (1/3). To correct my previous post, when I said “less than seven”, I meant “less than eight”, “seven or less” or “seven or fewer” (just to cover all grammatical options).
It's been raining all week in London Town and it looks like there will be a lot more of the wet stuff next week. The conditions on raceday are likely to favour Goldikova and I can see Canford Cliffs taking a massive walk in the market.
Goldikova has won 6 times on soft or good to soft ground and, IMHO, she put up one of her best performances when winning the Prix dl la Foret at Lonchamp last year. It was very soft that day and she beat a good field doing handstands.
kentuckyfriedbeefcake, I agree that Goldikova put up an excellent performance to win the Prix de la Forêt last year on Arc day. I was there and I can assure you that it was not “very soft” (a term that pretty much equates to “heavy” over here). You must have seen a different race as whilst the opposition were indeed quality it was no cake walk. When she was beaten in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville it was very soft that day as I was there also and it rained for three hours on the morning of the race, which scuppered her chances. She ran commendably but whilst she can handle soft ground it is not ideal and a quality opponent like Makfi, who was clearly indifferent to the going, beat her.
As for the Sea The Stars, he was a class act and won the 2000 Guineas, a race CC was not good enough to win, and Goldikova was beat in the French 1000 also! CC and Goldikova are very good, but neither are special, Sea The Stars was a special horse, and he would deal with Goldi or CC over any trip
