No, obviously. All the times were on the fast side. What I meant was, first time out, only 85% fit, distance and ground not ideal, she could have been caught out by a fit one running over its optimum distance. But she still did it easily
A mummified Dettori would get the ride ahead of Ryan. I am under 12 stone – put me up not that useless Moore!!!
Perhaps not. I must say I find it off putting to see it though and most horses I have backed who have done so normally run disappointingly. I remember the Queen had a filly called Soprano in the mid 80's and her tongue would hang out like a roll of carpet but it didn't seem to stop her.
sandown,4 45: a small but tight field,and CLEONTE gets a narrow vote,as hes at the top of his game right now,so definite shout today.also no qualms stamina-wise.
Make A Wish one gamble landed. Lexi The One second at 20/1 – no support at the track but still beat the stable’s other runner (third). Pempie now best-priced 5/2 in the last at Sandown Last Page still 10/1 in the Haydock 5:00 but the favourite now shortened.
Oh well, you wait a week for a horse to run after it skips a race and it runs no sort of race and the winner turns out a week after finishing second in that race and goes one better! Now I am stuck relying on Ryan Moore in the last at Sandown...
Rab Havlin reported to the Stewards that First Eleven slipped on the bend. Some other jockeys also reported that their mounts had slipped.
I would strongly take issue when you suggest that Varian made a balls up by Running Zabeel prince in the Eclipse – but more of that later. Zabeel Prince is a miler who gets 9 furlongs BUT not 10. He is also a horse who needs specific conditions to perform to his best. He has a career total of six wins at Nottingham, Yarmouth, York, Doncaster, Longchamp’s and Newmarket. Now, with the exception of Newmarket, the remaining tracks have one thing in common, they are all flat galloping tracks, add a bit of give in the ground and you have his perfect conditions. I would not want to back this horse at tracks which place the emphasis on stamina. The owner of Zabeel Prince is Sheikh Obaid Al Maktoum. In addition to Varian he has horses with Hannon, Ryan, and Simon Chrisford, and by all accounts he is a difficult owner. This is the man who removed all of his horses – including Postponed - from Luca Cumani, due to an alleged dispute over training methods and entries. I believe that the owner was blinded by the group one success in France, and it was he – and not Varian that decided that the horse would run at Ascot [ where he had run once before and badly]and also in the Eclipse. Varian is no fool, and if posters on this board knew the horse would not stay 10 furlongs it stands to reason that Varian would know this too. When it comes to running Obaid’s horses he is, to some extent, a hostage to fortune. What does Varian do? Get into a row, and risk a Cumani situation, or let the guy have his way? Commercially it was a no brainer, no trainer wants to lose a major owner, and I imagine Obaid knows this, hence the decision to run the horse at tracks, and at a distance that he was totally unsuited to. Blame the owner – not Varian.
