Anyone remember Dream Ahead in last years Middle Park, what a performance that was! Today's Golden Jubilee is going to be run on botomless ground, and the conditions are getting worse, if only Simcock had stuck to 6fs this race would be there for the taking. Obviously Hooray is in the Golden Jubilee, and she won the fillies equivalent the Middle Park the Chevley park on the same day as Dream Aheads magnificent win, so it will be interesting to see how she gets on. I was a big fan of Dream Ahead as a 2yo, and I let everyone know that he was a star directly after his maiden win, so I'm pretty gutted they have missed the perfect opportunity for Dream Ahead to have his day in the sun. I just know he would piss this race if he was entered!
He would love the drop in trip aswell as the ground out there today. Surely David Simcock knew Dream Ahead wouldn't have acted aswell on the ground in the St James Palace Stakes last week, Although he ran a credible 5th after such a lay off. July Cup?
A rare occasion - I agree with King Shergar. Dream Ahead is a soft ground sprinting donkey. Running him over a mile was a watse of entry fees. Bottomless ground and six furlongs would have given him a chance. If it does not turn up soft at Newmarket in July, they may as well head back to Deauville where he might get his ground.
QM....Whilst he may be better on soft ground, he is still pretty good on good ground aswell, he won a G1 in France beating Tin Horse(French Guineas Winner) very easily on good ground, the only time I'd worry about his chances would be on firm ground! He did finish 5th on Tuesday on seasonal reapearence, so I'm not convinced he doesn't stay a mile, but he will be far more effective over 6 furlongs. Had he been in today's Golden Jubilee I don't believe anything would have got near him, his knee action is so high which allows him to move so well and quicken on soft ground, we seen that in last years Middle Park, he put so much distance between himself and the field in a few strides
King Shergar, when Dream Ahead won the Prix Morny, I doubt very much that the official French good ground was anything like British good. They are notorious for their understatement. Dream Ahead should be entered for the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville as it is about six and a half furlongs and the ground will not be fast.
I never understand the ground in France, France is a hotter country and it rains less yet they always get soft ground
He's always struck me as a sprinter and his breeding certainly suggests he will be better over 6 but last week he looked like he would get a mile easily enough - in my opinion it was a very good run for his first run in 9 months and he wasn't given a hard time at all. My only problem is with his trainer who seems a bit of a muppet, yes the horses seem better on softer going but he's going to struggle to find that ground in the middle of summer, why not let the horse take his chance on good ground and see how he goes. after all he went well enough on it last year.
I'd agree Hardy they just have to enter him in races, and take there chance. It's pot luck if they get there ground, but holding him back til Ascot was silly, even if the ground was to fast early in the season they would have got some vital experience into him, that was only his 5th start on Tuesday, the horses who were infront of him had a few more. I also didn't like the way Simcock ran him in the Dewhurst so soon after the middle park, considering the way he ran it was a very naive training decision to run him. I'd imagine if he gets another 2yo of Dream Aheads quality in the future he won't make the same mistakes
french going reports are laughable if it wasnt so serious though.i study race times a lot and am amazed when i see super fast times in soft going! generally i use this rough guide gd/sf - probably more right then any other going. good - pot luck its good,firmer or soft. very soft - i doubt heavy ,but soft or gd/sf soft - i assume these days its riding much faster ,all the way up to good. falbrav for instance,a proven fast ground performer won the Prix d'Ispahan in 2 secs faster then standard on officially soft going!!!!
I was hoping you would have had an explanation Ron, maybe they just do a lot of watering, or maybe they don't have any drainage systems, I realy don't know
The reason that the going is always a joke in France is because it is their policy (certainly at the major tracks) to water to produce “good” ground; therefore, when it rains this results in false ground that is usually a lot softer than is officially reported. The French use the penetrometer to do their official going, but we know that this is totally unreliable as the readings obtained are dependent upon the type of soil as well as the firmness/softness of it. A reading of 5.1 at Longchamp is not the same as 5.1 at Chantilly. I went to Deauville last season for the Prix Jacques le Marois to see Goldikova, Makfi and Paco Boy. On the morning of the race I arrived in Caen on the ferry from Portsmouth and it was bucketing down with rain. The streets were like rivers as the French do not really go in for drains like we have in the UK. When I got to Deauville, the first two races were on the all weather course that is on the inside of the turf track. I walked across the turf track for the first race and I was sinking into it. In this country it would have been described as heavy ground but I seem to recall that it was reported as ‘very soft’. They would not let anybody across for the second race except a couple of official photographers who argued with them in French for about five minutes.
