Daily Racing Thread Saturday 28th. Oct. 2017

Fob is the daddy been following him for years. Twisters is my fave. I've had a great weekend following the locals, they may not produce at the festival but I make my money at weekends like this. We at drinking a nice having thanks to foxtail hill cheers.

 

Spencer again! FFS how does that boy get rides?

 

Was it not Gary Lineker that invented the potato whilst out on his Raleigh bike delivering papers in Leicester?

I thought that Roaring Lion threw the race away. When he hit the front he hung to the left and stopped, allowing Moore to do one of his jobs on the favourite to get up close home.

Has the excessive fawning media adulation of Aidan O’Brien died down yet?

What he has achieved is largely a statistical aberration. Did Bobby Frankel run as many horses in as many races to win 25 Group 1 events? I suspect not but I do not have the results at hand to prove it. He probably had two or three good horses that won multiple times supplemented by some others picking up the odd one or two.

This year has been the epitome of mediocrity on the flat in Europe, including most of the inmates at Ballydoyle. So how do you go about winning 26 Group 1 races? Simple – run several horses in virtually every race and play the numbers game because you have been supplied with the blue-bloods of European racing by Coolmore.

In The Derby, 6 of the 18 runners were from Ballydoyle; in the Irish Derby, 5 of the 9 were his and on both occasions Moore was on the wrong one. In The St Leger, 4 of the 9 were supplied by O’Brien but at least Moore got it right on Town Moor. Churchill won a 10-runner 2000 Guineas and a 6-runner Irish 2000 Guineas where both fields included 3 Ballydoyle runners. Winter won a 14-runner 1000 Guineas beating two stablemates, an 8-runner Irish equivalent beating three stablemates and a 7-runner Coronation Stakes beating two stablemates. Four of the ten in the Matron Stakes came from Ballydoyle when Hydrangea pipped Winter. The only horse I could find that had won 2 Group 1s where it was the only O’Brien runner was Roly Poly – the Falmouth Stakes and the Prix Rothschild.

For years, O’Brien has farmed most of the Irish pattern races as the likes of Weld and Oxx get the Aga Khan’s second strings so Irish flat racing is uncompetitive at the top level. In the Moyglare, half the 8-runner field was supplied by O’Brien and he had the first three home. In many of the two year old races, O’Brien wins if Bolger does not have a good juvenile.

It also has to be said there are a lot more Group 1 races now than there were in 2003, so opportunity has increased.

 

QMII - think your final point is the most pertinent in 'numbers' matters such as this record.

 

It is strange that UK and Irish horses don't do better in the Breeders' Cup races? Excuses will follow, I'm sure.

As for Aidan O'Brien, I repeat my congratulations to him, a truly great trainer of racehorses.

He is worthy of the praise he received today; it is churlish to think otherwise.

Good night!

 

Irish Freedom 4/5 fav over there in the early market, double the money on him to win than Hoppertunity so far, hopefully it holds up as Hoppertunity is the same stable.

 

nothing to say on that really!

 

70k on it to win

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Well the horse got it's picture taken....for 2nd place....and lost that too!!

Was on at 9/2 with Skybet....then went to evens, so money was down alright. Found nothing in the straight.
Hope your relatives fared better in the valuable race and got their airfares back!

 

Winner stole race with track craft.

 

It had,but thanks to the resurrection and perpetuation of the issue,which clearly irks thee,it abides.

 

Exactly, Dexter, er, I think.

How are you doing, Dexter, hope you are well! In for a bad time weather-wise down here, howling gale and rain with it this early morning. Oh, got to put the damn clocks back too!

 

I could not disagree more, in fact it is nonsense to say that about the second horse home. Roaring Lion probably hung because he was out on his feet after running the mile in the face of a very strong headwind. The colt gave his all, but was beaten by a thorough stayer who handled these conditions better than the rest of the field. Had it been a tail wind then, possibly, the result could have been different, who knows? I have no idea as to whether or not you backed Roaring Lion, but it does sound like pocket talk, for sure?

 

It does not irk me, I merely pointed out that some objectivity might be in order. Unfortunately we live in an era where sensationalistic journalism seems to be the only type that gets any coverage. If some young person says that Aidan is ‘cool’ on social media, he will soon having a following of O’Brienistas.

 

I never had a bet on the race, so it was not pocket talk, just my observations of the race. I think that the runner-up came to win the race, he passed the eventual winner (who I agree does look like an out-and-out stayer) quite readily but then he just stopped once he was on his own in front. I expect that next time Roaring Lion graces the racetrack he will be delivered much later in the race and I would not be surprised to see him fitted with cheekpieces to try and aid concentration.

Surely they all ran into a strong headwind. I have heard of localised weather but the wind only blowing at one horse really would make the game impossible.

I have to say that I was disappointed with Verbal Dexterity as he never seemed to be going and was being niggled at after a quarter of a mile. I will be interested to see The Pentagon (third) next year as he never got going until the front two had already gone and clearly needs further. So it is not impossible that in nine months time we could be looking back on the Racing Post Trophy 2017 as having been quite a good race if the main protagonists develop into useful three year olds.

 

Agree with your observations except "Surely they all ran into a strong headwind. I have heard of localised weather but the wind only blowing at one horse really would make the game impossible." Now that is silly, young fellah. The winner handled the conditions (which included the very strong headwind) better than the others handled the conditions (which included the very strong headwind). Good grief, you're the bloody end sometimes!

Anyway, enjoy your beer(s) after Sunday Matins!

 

It may have been difficult conditions for 2yos and Roaring Lion may have got the worst of it but it was Saxon Warrior hanging left initially at the pole which handed the advantage to Roaring Lion who then proceeded to do the same thing. Both travelled like good horses and stood out a mile from a long way out but the winner just had too much in the tank, looked the greener of the two and has more scope for improvement going up in distance next season.

It was a class finish with Moore and Murphy as well, ive never been a follow a jockey punter but I have always liked Murphy, the way he speaks and his passion, and he has done me plenty of turns, including when nailing Moore in a finish.

 

I'll be looking for you next week for Del Mar.

So I know what to avoid.

 

Hope you took the 5/1 World Approval, my bet of the season and I only told 3 or 4 ppl, you were one of them.