Beefy, I cannot deny that Aidan O’Brien has an outstanding record in the 2000 Guineas, but this year’s two runners did not know that! Shame that you were on the wrong one – I was on one from the wrong foreign country! So neither of us followed the money... I now have something of a quandary because my long-term fancy for the Oaks, Found, has been favourite all winter without seeing a racecourse and now has opposition for that role from the 1000 Guineas winner. At the moment I am assuming that Found will go to the Irish 1000 Guineas en route to Epsom. The other dilemma that Sunday threw up was that Jazzi Top won the Pretty Polly very easily and last year’s winner from the same yard went to Epsom and won. I already have a soft spot for Jazzi Top because she is out of a filly called Zee Zee Top, who herself was a daughter of Colorspin.
I had a look at Jazzi Top myself QM. I remember Colorspin, nice filly. And also I'm a great fan of Zafonic. However, I don't know what to make of the mixed pedigree. Colorspin. of course, won the Irish Oaks. Her sire High Top was essentially a miler as was his sire Derring-Do (7-10f) but High Top has produced a St Leger winner as well as an English Oaks winner and Derring-Do's sire Darius won the 2000Gns and was 3rd in the Derby. His grand sire Dante won the Derby but his dam sire Abernant was considered the best sprinter of the 20th century. Zafonic was a top class miler (brilliant in fact) and behind him he has Derby winner The Minstrel. Danehill Dancer doesn't exactly shout 12f but way back in the pedigree I find my old friend Ribot (tough as old boots). I wouldn't mind our friend Bustino having a crack at unravelling that lot
Ron, I was at Newmarket and when I say Jazzi Top won easily, you should have seen the grin on Frankie Dettori’s face. Her racing style tells me that she will get the extra two furlongs. In the unsaddling area after the race the lass that does her was very hopeful that she would turn out to be top class even though the Pretty Polly is only a listed race. It is curious that she is in training with John Gosden as her mother Zee Zee Top was with Sir Michael Stoute, as was the grand-dam Colorspin. I know Zee Zee Top did not run many races but she did win the Middleton Stakes at York over ten furlongs. I guess she will have to get stamina from the dam’s side because dad, Danehill Dancer, is not a huge stamina influence. The other one to note from the Pretty Polly is the fourth Namhroodah as I heard Ryan Moore telling the connections that she needs a lot more time, so I will look for her later in the season.
Just some comments. If it was Zafonic's brother Zamindar there would you be worrying about stamina? Same genes, so potentially can pass on the same stamina traits. Zee Zee Top won over an extended 10f at York as QM says but was a Group 1 winner when she took the Prix de L'Opera so she has sufficient stamina to qualify as a Derby winner's mum. .5he is also half-sister to a Gold Cup winner in Kayf Tara as well as the excellent Opera House. (I covered this family in Take Three Girls). The sons and grandsons of Danzig continually amaze me as to the distances their offspring are best suited to. I was at York the day Oasis Dream won the Nunthorpe and he looked such an obvious sprinter I'd have called for the white coats if anyone had suggested that a few years later he'd have a daughter winning the Oaks. Danehill Dancer has had plenty of horses that have stayed 10-12f. He never really raced over further than 7f so it's difficult to judge what he was likely to sire but his Dad seemed to get plenty of stayers. So the pedigree says 10f to me but she may stay 12f and she may have enough stamina to win an Oaks. But the question I'd ask is " what was the better trial? The 1000G or the PP?'..
Bustino, you should get somebody to correct the spelling of ‘Thoroughbred’! I looked up Danehill Dancer’s stamina index and it is 8.4, but of course this does not take into account what mares are actually being sent to him. If he has a book full of mares that are trying to cross breed their speed, which brings the mean index down, we have to put much more emphasis on analysing the dam’s side. As to which is the better trail, the Group 1 Classic 1000 Guineas obviously attracts the better fillies as opposed to the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes that will attract fillies with middle distance pedigrees and discourages any filly that has already won a pattern race because of the penalty structure. Before Found was turned over by a 25/1 shot over an inadequate seven furlongs on Monday, the front two in the Oaks betting were both in Michael Tabor’s colours; the other being the 1000 Guineas winner Legatissimo (Danehill Dancer ex Yummy Mummy (Montjeu)). So Jazzi Top and Legatissimo share a daddy and both have already won beyond a mile, 10 furlongs and 9.5 furlongs respectively.
I don't know how you put those things up. Can someone give me instructions please. Think I've got the economy package because I can't even BOLD
Bustino - do you not see the toolbar at the top of the quick reply box? This is where all the formatting widgets are. See the picture below
Click on your profile (top right of the screen), select "Preferences" and under "Options" tick the box "Use the rich text editor to create and edit messages" (see picture below).
Returning to the original theme the Greenham form now looks very suspect. Fast times sometimes fool us. Maybe the winner will take the French Guineas and resurrect it, but my feeling was he's probably a 7f horse. Ivawood ran very well and probably not ready at Newbury. From that day's form you have had some positives. The 3rd in the 12f maiden came out and won what looked like a reasonable maiden at Salisbury, while the 2yo maiden 3rd came out and won well next time out. So the first two are probably worth watching and are near the top of the 2yo runners we've already seen pile. Arab Spring's win took a hit with the poor performance of the horse second to him in the Jockey Club Stakes. The Fred Darling looks suspect too. Hopefully things will settle down now. .
