Someone once posted that you have to ride a start on the flat, as well as riding a finish. That ride of Queally's yesterday that Blue mentions is so typical - good draw, slowly away, tucked in the back and having to come round the whole field. Chucked away the draw advantage by failing to ride a start.
As Queally's ride on Rebellious Gust has been called into question, I thought I'd better take a look. The horse came out of the six gate that day, and couldn't get out of it's own way early on. With a wall of horses in front of them when they all pulled the pin, he looked to have little option but to go around them. As he did so, he found four others also made their runs. They had to get around the leader, so one by one, they hooked deeper and deeper. Rebellious Guest was pushed six deep on the corner. This style of racing begs the question, does he have to race this way? Well I don't know, but I can tell you that in his last six starts, he raced the same way. He showed no real early pace. In these races, the rides were shared by Queally, Spencer, Lane and Vaughan. Unless Queally rode stone cold and refused to make the wide run, he would have had to sit behind the wall and hope for a split at some stage in the straight. As it turned out, that would have been the better option, but who can read the future? For mine, he was the victim of circumstances.
That is certainly a view that could be taken Cyc, for me and I do agree with the idea that how the horse broke he had little control over, my view was that he should have been chased up into a mid position. I would be very interested to read your view on Tom's exploits today. He came in for a mountain of stick and yet Attheraces presenters kept replaying the race from the 4 furlong pole and defending him saying he had no choice but to sit. My view was that the position he found himself in was very similar to the Rebellious Guest ride in that his lack of riding a start caused his own problems later in the race. In the race below he had a distinct opportunity after breaking to push his mount up and take a midfield position but chose not to, he actively chose to sit at the back of the field and this was why the horse lost a race it should have won. The questions for me are was the horse good enough? yes. did it win? no what was the factor that prevented it? jockey. Whats your view Cyc? Wolverhampton 3.45 Coillte Cailin
Well this is certainly a race of a different colour Blue. He was a good thing beaten wasn't he? I really don't know what to make of the race to be truthful. On that film, I thought he might have been another of those horses that has no early pace, but previous races show that he can going early, if asked. I suppose most jockeys ride to instruction, so the fact that he went back, may indicate that he was asked to ease out. Coming to the corner, he had three spread out in front of him. I think Queally put the horse's shoulder into the animal on the fence, looking to push open a passage, which he found, but he was a shot duck. The pair up front had skipped away. As they say, the bird had flown. So what to make of it? For me, the question falls on whether Queally was asked to take the horse back, or whether he was left to his own devises. Some trainers do leg the rider up and tell him to ride as he/she sees fit. They are after all, expected to know the ropes. Others are given explicit instructions. I can't know what happened in the saddling enclosure. If Queally was asked to ride the horse cold, then for mine, he was the victim here. If on the other hand, he was asked to do as he saw fit, then I agree, he got the horse beaten. He should have been more proactive. I guess the above doesn't help too much Blue, sorry about that.
I watched the race Coillte Cailin and was a very bad judgement call on Toms behalf. In my opinion this showed some arrogance feeling he had the superior ride and his or their judgement was costly for all concerned. I have seen Miss Turner get stuffed like this before through a bad judgement call. At the end of the day when the best horse with tons in hand is beaten in this way, its frustrating. Oh well, on with the next race lads.
That does sum it up nicely though Cyc. Haven't watched the race but don't really need to; it boils down to whether he was riding to instructions or he simply ****ed up. If the former, he did a good job. If the latter, then he has a lot to learn. It's easier in the states (apparently) where all the tracks are alike. Over here, knowledge of the track can be significant.
Coillte Cailin is a villain, WTD produced it to win a similar weak maiden on its previous run hitting the front about 2 out down the outside, it downed tools, hung right and got beat by two it should have had the experience advantage over. Obviously has some ability but that will be a tricky ride for anyone, I think Queally would have been told to leave it as late as possible as you just dont exaggerate those tactics like that unless you have been told something about the horse and obviously he left it a fraction too late. If it transpires that this was a particularly quirky horse and I think it will, then he was a bawhair away from a supreme ride.
