If Frankel ran in a handicap they'd have to put Anne Widdecombe and Brian Blessed on his back to make it any sort of contest
Obviously Frankel cannot be considered Great until he has given 3 stone and a beating to all his rivals. I'm sure I learned this rule somewhere.
Australia has its own Pattern, just as the US does. European races are governed by one Committee so you can be fairly confident that a G1 in, say Germany, is of a similar standard to a G1 in the UK. Hence why the Italian G1s keep getting downgraded! The US have the added confusion of "Stakes" races which in our terms would be below Listed class, but they carry black-type in US catalogues so a horse's pedigree can look better on paper than it really is!
Was wonderiNg there has anyone seen any of Yates or ravens pass progenys run also peeping fawns foals run a race yet ?
Yeats' first crop are yearlings, so expect to see plenty if them at the sales. Raven's Pass has 2 year olds and they seem to be going ok. He has yet to have a stand out star though. I'll check up on Peeping Fawn, but I don't think she as anything of racing age yet.
As far as I can see the 2010 Rags to Riches colt (by Henrythenavigator) has not been named. He is in training at Ballydoyle. Her 2009 filly OPULENCE (by Giant's Causeway) has yet to race. Peeping Fawn's first foal -PURELY PRICELESS (filly by Galileo) is also unraced to date
Yes the pattern has changed the face of racing. It is strange to think that the Derby winner of 1960 was entered for the Zetland Gold Cup a week before Epsom. I know it was pre-pattern but indicates that handicaps were seen as more important then. In NH it did take longer but yes Arkle did spend most of his time running in handicaps, and giving all that weight away. I guess you have to go back to Arkle as the most talked about horse before Frankel.
pN Inaugural runs today at Sandown and is out of Anasazi (by Sadler's Wells out of Navajo Princess). The Royal Studs have had her for two cycles as far as I know with their first foal being Analysis (by Dubai Destination) who never went into training. Is there any record of Anasazi's offspring or matings in 2011? Now 19 she needs to produce them a filly they can hopefully breed from. Thanks
Bustino, she was rested in 2010 so has no foal of 2011. She was covered by Nayef in 2011 and produced a filly earlier this year.
pN Thanks that's great. Nayef out of Navajo Princess: nice pedigree Ron Don't understand your comment. I don't think any horse has caught the public's imagination like Frankel since Arkle. The racing public yes, but not the general public.
I think, though I may be wrong, that Ron is saying if you add an "F" and an "N" to ARKLE you get FRANKEL! Correct Princess.
Sorry it's late here and I'm jetlagged after 2 weeks in the old country. Good one. Maybe that's the secret to a good name.
