Well the fifty million dollar horse hardly handed out a definitive answer as whether he'd the real deal, when he took out the G1 Irish Champion Stakes from the game filly Snow Fairy. The 1-4 favourite never really looked as though the race was in doubt, but he had to pull out all the stops to see off the Ed Dunlop charge, who threw down a determined challenge in the drive for the line. So, in light of the outcome, where does So You Think stand, now that the smoke of war has blown clear? I guess the answer to that probably depends on one's perspective of the horse, before yesterday's race was run. For those who didn't place too much faith in the horse's deeds to date, the result would be a confirmation of his fallibility. For those on the other side of the fence, yesterday's race was a reaffirmation of the animal's quality. In his brief sojourn the the Northern Hemisphere, the Aiden O'Brien entire has carved himself a pretty impressive resume. After an facile, initial win in the G3 Mooresbridge Stakes, he strolled away with the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup before his shock second to the ill fated Rewilding in the G1 Prince Of Wales Stakes. He then put the Derby/Arc winner Workforce away after a war of attrition in the Coral Eclipse. And now with another G1 win in the Irish Championship, it's not that easy to write the horse off as a light weight combatant. When it comes to trying to get a handle on the horse, I'm pretty much in the same boat as everyone else. Sure I might have a better understanding of where the vessel has been in the past, but I'm viewing these new ports with the same eyes as my crew mates. What they see, I see. But my memories of long lost destinations give me an insight that others usually only get from travel agent brochures. For reasons unknown to me, the new owners of So You Think seem intent on pressing a claim for ten furlong supremacy; so much so, that every time I pick up a news paper or hit on an online site, looking for information on the horse, I'm inundated with what is now being posited as a supposed given fact, that the horse's best distance is a mile and a quarter. This a point with which I take issue. It seems to me that this is something the breeders want, not what is in fact a truth. Two seasons ago, when the horse was still a growing product, he managed to stroll away with the first of his Cox Plate wins, over the ten furlong trip. His second Cox win wasn't as spectacular as some of his brillance had been washed away, due to an extra years maturity. So here we are a year further down the track, and people's expectations appear fixated on him still being the horse he was a couple of seasons ago. He is no longer a ten furlong horse. The fact that he's getting away with the wins is down to the lack of class he's been up against, or the sheer tanacity he exhibited when he beat Workforce. As for yesterday, I believe the run of Snow Fairy was amazing. Some might want to slate So You Think by down grading the effort of the filly, but I feel that her run was full of merit. Possibly her best run to date.
It looks as though the Cox Plate is now out of the question. The Champion Stakes at Ascot might be the one, as Coolmore seem intent on the 10 f programme. But I'm not sure that a win there is going to make any difference. As he ran a cracker over 2 miles before he left these shores, I certain he'll be much better over the 12f than the 10.
To sum up So You Think's three main challenges to date I was unimpressed, then mildly impressed and back to unimpressed again last night. Underwhelmed may be a more apt description of my emotion in fact. First up his defeat by the ill fortunate Rewilding. A race I'll always associate with O'Briens excuse 'don't blame the horse blame the trainer'. We won't ever know what he was beaten by that day due to tragic circumstances but the defeat hardly warranted the Coolmore hyperbole. The jury was still out, next time we'd be blown out of the water with what this 'superstar' horse could do. Next his defeat of Arc/Derby winner Workforce over ten furlongs at Sandown. I took my cap off to him that day as he showed, at least, he won't shirk a battle. Albeit he was rather workmanlike and we can't forget that Workforces other runs this year haven't shrieked 'superstar' to me. So the jury was still out on the beast from Down Under. Last night produced a great battle between two very high class performers. Snow Fairy is a filly from the top drawer and has Group One colt beating performances in the Far East though I'd be surprised she could do that in Europe. If she did, we should be seeing Midday (a superior filly) winning the Arc hardheld by about ten lengths and I can't see that happening. Nothing, in the history of the world ever, surprised me less than Derrick Smith's comments than 'their was plenty left in the locker in the run in'. Of course not Mr Coolmore spokesperson, to suggest otherwise would make So you Think look quite a costly, grossly overhyped 'wonderhorse' and I'm sure you wouldn't want us to think you forked out that massive cheque to buy that now, would we?! I don't know if any of you heard an interview shortly afterwards on RTE last night by someone I don't know the name. But he could be considered slightly more impartial than Mr Smith as he hadn't invested millions in the massive Coolmore operation and hadn't paid a penny for So you Think. He summed up by saying that this horses only chance of another victory this year would be in the English Champion Stakes, there'd be no point sending him to the Arc on that evidence today as he was all out in the end. I think he'd be found out in the Arc too, let's be honest here folks So you Think is no wonderhorse, he's nowhere near being O'Briens best ever horse, nowhere near. But they spent big, very big, so they have to talk bigger. To me when I think of a superstar, a true wonder horse I know one, as I've seen him. We all have. That horse is Frankel. Anyone defending So You Think answer me this question. Between a mile and a mile and a quarter what would happen if Frankel and SYT met? Anyone that's suggesting SYT would get near, and I do mean near, Frankel is from a different planet to the one you and I reside in. It's really that simple. In fact I'd wonder whether SYT could even deal with Twice Over should they meet in the English Champion Stakes. If that race hadn't been switched from Newmarket I'd be pretty confident old Twice Over would at least put it up to the big horse there. And let's be realistic here, Twice Over is from another school to Frankel. Frankel would simply annihilate So you Think, as Frankel, he is the superstar horse. No need for hyperbole, no lies, no excuses he is a true wonderhorse. We don't hear Henry Cecil wax lyrical about Frankel very often. The difference is folks, he doesn't have to. His horse can walk the walk. So you Think? I really, really don't. Not anymore and neither should you.
Powerful stuff Beefy, can't say I agree with a lot of what you say mate, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been proved wrong.
Of course it is possible that SYT is only ever going to win in workmanlike fashion. Doesn't mean that he couldn't be a great horse because of that. I dont think anyone could dispute that Sea the Stars wasn't a great horse and he won in a similar vein. And Frankel has never raced further than a mile so i dont get how anyone could say he would smash SYT over 10f.
No less impressive than Frankels SJP stakes for example..he won cosily and is a horse of the highest calibre...<fixes tin hat>
We seem to have two So You Think threads running now, but his workmanlike win at Leopardstown would appear to suggest that he is not the "wonder horse" that some Antipodeans have alleged, so I expect that they will take the (supposedly) soft option of the Champion Stakes with him. Taking on Frankel would be too risky and if they want to head for the Cox Plate I assume that they would have to move quick because of quarantine rules. For the record, Sea The Stars always came late and never won by far, whereas So You Think had every opportunity to stride clear when he hit the front with plenty of racecourse between him and the line and did not extend. I do not know how he won in his native land races so maybe he just idles in front like Frankel.
Cyc believe me when I tell you that I'm sometimes wrong myself about such matters I really hoped the horse would fulfill his reputation but to my eyes, we ain't seen it on the track from the big horse. What a gorgeous individual he is by the way, reminds me of Denman, his massive chest and scope.
