Best race of Royal Ascot: pulsating finish to Ascot Gold Cup! Ribchester might remain unbeaten over a mile for the rest of the season! He should be crowned champion miler. I hope Lady Aurelia and Caravaggio meet in either the July Cup or the Nunthorpe! My money's on Lady Aurelia if it does happen!
What can you say about the Chesham? It might as well rain until September... 5/1 for the 2018 Guineas – joke betting in June 2017. The filly had enough toe to get out of trouble today but the middle distance pedigree does not say HQ in May. I suppose that the story of the meeting for the racing correspondents of the Sunday papers will be the brothers Idaho and Highland Reel both winning at the same meeting. It was rather obvious as soon as the Stewards’ Enquiry into the Diamond Jubilee began that Ryan Moore was not going to make any effort to get the result changed. As soon as he told the stewards that his horse was beaten when Limato and Tasleet bumped it was obvious that the result was going to stand. As the whole field bunched into one group, the draw became irrelevant – if I ever did reversed forecasts, I could have won something! Delighted that The Tin Man won again – he seems to like the Ascot six furlongs. Good results for the bookies in the two handicaps – I might be thinking of the wrong horse, but did that Snoano not used to be trained by John Gosden? So the Royal meeting is over for another year and I think that the best three performances were on the first day in the three Group 1 events. Simply in terms of quality of performance, in the very first race I think Ribchester must have been the best horse of the week, there were no sob stories in the race but was it really a Group 1 field as it does not look that strong after the fact. Of the performances by sprinters this week, the most impressive was Lady Aurelia in the King’s Stand as she was able to quicken away from a field that contained a number of previous Group 1 winners. Undoubtedly there will be those making excuses for the St James’s Palace Stakes but the best horse on the day, Barney Roy, won fair and square.
Eh? Beating Lancaster Bomber a length makes him 'one of the best three performances of the week', jaysus I'll take a pint of what you're on pal For me, and I only saw replays for most of it, I'd agree Lady Aurelia was the standout performance but Carvaggio certainly lived up to his billing winning what was billed the race of the week by many, that explosive burst when Moore put the gun to his head two out and surged past the Godolphin pair was beautiful. From a personal punting point of view Willies winner on the first day was nice but Idaho and Seamie going past Moore on the Stoute nag today, at 11/2 last night was possibly even sweeter! Makes up for Thursdays debacle on OOSG
Le Brivido against the track bias was one of the best performances imo. Ribchester had no group 1 milers to beat and wasnt at his best on the ground. Barney Roy had one horse to beat and he didnt run his race, neither are Kingman level milers but half decent. Lady aurelia is a steroid 5f bully, Caravaggio, Harry Angel and Blue Point would slaughter her at 6f. Highland Reel is some racehorse but nothing really top level around to put him away, as much as I like ulysses and Decorated Knight, they are bit below proper Group 1 level. Big Orange was the best result of the week but if I could take 3 home it would be September, Caravaggio and Mirage Dancer.
I'd not seen the race so just watched it on Sporting Life. Simon Holt called it as "Ryan Moore beginning to ask Caravaggio to pick up .... but not instantly" and "Caravaggio has worn down the Godolphin pair". You portray a slightly more romantic version Beefy
Amongst the three year old colts, I think that you might find that Lancaster Bomber has been quite consistent and his second in the Dewhurst does not look so much like a fluke from a pacemaker as it did then. Since Tuesday I have had lime cordial (mixed with water) over ice – you should be able to buy some at your local supermarket. Clearly the replay of the Commonwealth Cup was very different to the live race because I missed the explosive burst and as the first three ran almost to a pound of their best form, there was nothing to suggest that any of them did anything special. The American filly put up the most visually impressive performance of the week but many of her opponents were the same old sprinters who normally take it in turns to win these races.
The “track bias”? You mean the middle of the track ran slower from Wednesday onwards because of over watering, so a horse that had never run on ground faster than good was able to show something approaching his best form because he was not racing on ground that was as fast as the stands’ side. Had it been evenly fast across the track, he may not have won at all and you would be saying the 66/1 shot (that he beat a neck) would not win another race. As Lady Aurelia cannot run on any form of ‘medication’ over here, there was no chemical advantage to her victory. Clearly her connections know that she is a five furlong speedster; hence she will not be contesting the July Cup. I expect there are probably no plans for Caravaggio, Harry Angel or Blue Point to drop to five for the Nunthorpe to take her on.
Harry Angel surely goes for the Nunthorpe. He seems to be fine at six when getting an easy lead but having been pressured by Intelligence Cross in the Commonwealth he got way too lit up and he just didn't stay out the last furlong. Leaving him go as fast as he wants over five would make him very hard to beat.
Same horse this who was beaten on his last 8 starts including 5 times by Churchill by a combined 30 odd lengths? Barney Roy beats him a length and its 'one of the performances of the week' Absolute tosh, the fav underperformed as we know on every formline and the first three home could be covered by a blanket. Very average form indeed, poor for a Grade One unless the second and third have become world beaters overnight. Doubtful. Carvaggio made up about 3 lengths in the last furlong against two pretty fast horses. Mightn't have done it on the bridle but he certainly has an impressive top gear. First three well clear. I was impressed anyway but I guess we all see things differently
Best performance of the week was surely BIG ORANGE. Did it the hard way from the front and when a horse who is almosr certainly superior to him got to his quarters he quite simply would not be denied. Races like that usually leave their mark so that could certainly be his peak but what a stirring display of guts, class and determination it was.
The obvious point that I will make here is that Lady Aurelia will try to make all at York, so does Harry Angel won’t to try to go toe-to-toe with her? They may end up cutting each others' throats and handing the race to an outsider.
The fact that Lancaster Bomber was beaten does not detract from the fact that he is a reliable yardstick in a generation that clearly lacks any superstars. Twelve of those lengths were at The Curragh when O'Brien’s son dropped his hands when he was beaten. Churchill clearly ran four lengths or so below his 2000 Guineas form as Barney Roy confirmed form with Lancaster Bomber but they still did nothing more (at best) than run to form that already existed. The obvious question mark is about whether Barney Roy was disadvantaged at HQ – on a different track he might have beaten Churchill, but that is horse racing. Yes, Caravaggio did win but your exaggerated description of that victory (“explosive burst”) does not really tally with the actual facts, so we do see things differently. If Caravaggio were trained by somebody else, would he be 6/4 for the July Cup and 7/1 bar? All hype.
One horse wouldn't scare them off. Looking at the prices on oddschecker I'd prefer to be backing Harry's Angel. It's a straight track they don't have to race on the same side.
I agree I certainly wouldn't be rushing to take 6/4 on him now (only because you'll likely get better on the day and guaranteed a run for your money) but I also think 6 runs unbeaten including three graded races and two Royal Ascot victories mean he's a bit better than 'all hype'. No doubt if he scoots up in the July Cup the opposition will all suddenly be called 'trees' after the event and he'll still just be another hype horse
Although just slightly 'tilted', we all respect your comments and selections, beeforsalmon, but please, on the morning of this year's July Cup, do take a nice long cold shower. And then, and only then, get to work! Thank you.
