Yes, and as there is no more rain forecast until next Tuesday ........................ One would have thought he would have looked at the weather forecast. It all points to either: (a) afraid of getting beaten (b) something amiss with Gleneagles If (b) why not just say so?
Who wants to send a mare to a sire who has had injury issues? Not suggesting that is the reason by the way, I just think they wanted to swerve meeting Solow at Goodwood on ground with cut in it.
True Nass. Depends what caused the injury. If it's due to a conformation/soundness issue then yes, to be avoided however good they might have been (in a few races). Most likely
The Meydan form was pretty good though, eh? Not keen on baking Solow at the prices, as NoT has to be respected. Not a very mouthwatering Sussex this year, but we could still see an exhilarating performance. Hope so, after the most turgid KG I can ever remember.
Not according to the International Classifications. As of 5th July, Solow is rated 124 and Gleneagles is rated 122. As the weight for age change from June to July over one mile is 2lb less, three year old Gleneagles would still have needed to improve to beat the five year old. One might expect the three year old to be improving but they are rather obviously running scared of the French grey because of the ground: quick ground would have favoured Gleneagles.
"three year old Gleneagles would still have needed to improve to beat the five year old" In someone elses opinion that is, whoever rated them. Gleneagles would have been goodthing to beat Solow getting the weight, dont need any ratings to know that.
Having seen the first two races at Goodwood today, I wish Gleneagles was running so that Solow would be a good price. Being a gelding, Solow has no stud value so he is just running for the £1m prize money. I note that you selectively edited by comments to leave out the bit about “quick ground”. Interviewed by Nick Luck, he was only told three times to ‘listen’ by Aidan O’Brien but the Master of Ballydoyle confirmed that the horse would not have run on today’s ground because it is “dead” in the straight. The track might not necessarily suit Solow so he is not invincible today but unless Gleneagles takes on Golden Horn over ten furlongs, his next race will probably be the Breeders’ Cup Mile as he will not get fast ground for any of the European mile races.
Reading the write-up of Solow’s Sussex Stakes victory in the Racing Post, it would seem that Freddie Head is now going to give the horse a break and will be returning on Champions’ Day for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (when the ground will almost certainly be on the easy side that he favours). That leaves the Prix Jacques le Marois and the Prix Du Moulin open for the others to collect. I note that last year’s Poulains and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie has the Jacques le Marois earmarked as his return race. I expect that Godolphin will be targeting both races with some of the expensive recent purchases; and surely Arod will too.
