The trend continues with the more exposed filly Sacred holding off the ones with the scope. Love Is You was just too slow today and needs another furlong at least. Ventura Diamond ran out of petrol and surely goes sprinting after this. I doubt the Irish lads will have been overly concerned but fair play to Sacred for making a winning return to action after being last in the Cheveley Park on her final start of last season.
Lovely Jubbly won at 2/1. Another AOB fav that drifted in the market. Always find its worth taking them on this time of the season
I think it's clear. You said you didn't think Tactical had the scope of the other horses, yet he beat them. If you are right then what scope for improvement have they got, unless of course they all ran lbs below their ability. The truth is, as has been said several times about Tactical, he has the scope to improve and it appears he has. So I don't know what was the foundation for your comment and subsequent disregarding of his chance today.
I don't get your point at all here. People have opinions and nobody is ever correct all the time. If you think I am putting the members of this forum away then just say so. I had an opinion and my selection didn't win. I don't see the need to point that out. Members can see for themselves. Why didn't you put Tactical up today then? It's pretty poor crack to decry someone else's logic without making a tip yourself. I doubt Tactical had to improve to win today. He came through under pressure to narrowly win a Handicap where he was getting a lb from a horse rated 1 lb higher. If Naval Crown had not been given 4 lbs extra for his recent win, he would surely have won this today. My selection looked ill at ease on the ground today and Royal Scimitar was disappointing. Naval Crown was pushed out to 40/1 for the 2000 Guineas, so this was probably another Free Handicap to have little bearing on the Guineas and that was mooted as likely to be the case coming into the race. I would imagine the Jersey Stakes would be a logical target for Tactical but I preferred others who were getting some weight from him today, in the particular circumstances. I don't see why that needs castigation.
https://images.app.goo.gl/9bVtoV4ey7tV6zAr6 surprised you could find a photo of him without his hood on.
I did put him up in the competition. My point was I couldn't see how you could say he hadn't the scope of the others, which seemed to be founded on the fact he'd run 6 times as a juvenile. If I'm not allowed to question your logic I'll not do so in the future. The fact is that he's a well-made colt with a really good action, who's done well over the winter and was always going to be suited by the going.
Good, good to firm. he won on good to soft and soft last year but his action always screamed out that he’d be better the firmer it was. Soft and heavy ground did not suit him as in France and the October Newmarket races.
Interesting as apparently the times suggested they’d overwatered and it was on the soft side of good.
The report said good, good to firm and there have been some reports that horses were uncomfortable on the ground. I'm dead set against overwatering and believe it is one of the elements that is weakening the modern thoroughbred. I don't know what your garden is like but mine is dry as anything with no real rain for a good few weeks. I was surprised they returned good to soft at Aintree and disappointed that the CoC had watered every evening. Don't see why they have to do this. From memory the Grand National that had least fallers was the 1990 renewal run on good to firm and won in record time. In terms of horses actions you get two extremes; the round action and the daisy cutter. There are far too many round actioned horses now who can only compete on good to soft+ ground. Daisy cutters are hopeless on soft ground but you see fewer of them now. Good actioned horses tend to be very capable on a wide range of going. For example Mill Reef had a terrific action and won on all goings, as did Brigadier Gerard and Sea the Stars. I don't think the sectionals were particularly strong in yesterday's Free Handicap and the Godolphin horse had a fairly easy lead (as he did in Meydan) but the others didn't give him as much rope as they did in Meydan. That may have resulted in the poor times. I know people argue that watering is OK but too often I see false ground, and that's the worst of all worlds. That comes about because they are watering too much and often at the wrong time.
I think the last point there is really important, I don’t understand the watering in the middle of a three day meeting in which the first day times were suggesting it was as stated good (gd-fm) but it’s important to have sensible and safe ground. Times overall yesterday were slower by quite a bit and going into a second day of a meeting you shouldn’t have to guess what level watering has made to the actual going.