Here’s a question for forum members. Who in this sport, that we call horse racing, is underrated and overrated??? Or under appreciated and over appreciated if your prefer. Incidentally to say some is overrated doesn’t mean that you don’t like or rate them but instead that their media profile or perceived place in the sport doesn’t match their actual accomplishments.
Underrated
Mr Henderson – anyone who rates this man 99.999999999/100 is underrating him. A genius. A legend. A gentleman. The best ever. The forum’s favourite. The forum’s idol.
Binocular – the record books dictate that he won 1 Champion Hurdle but in all honesty it should have been 4. THAT man stuffed up on him twice and those ‘unfortunate circumstances’ robbed him of probable victory in ’11.
Sam Waley-Cohen – for years derided by many but his record in the big contests matches almost anyone’s CV. Also the best rider around Aintree I’ve ever seen. He’s a huge plus on any horses back in my opinion.
Gleneagles – looked majestic in winning the 2,000 Guineas and then added the Irish 2,000 (on ground he hated) and the St James Palace. His ‘rep’ slide somewhat after this though with a couple of end of term defeats (although there were genuine excuses both times). I always rated this Classic winning, 4 time Group 1 winning son of Galileo extremely highly though and I can see him being a huge success in the old breeding sheds.
Overrated
A P McCoy – competent journeyman who got ‘lucky’ via associations with Martin Pipe and his ‘special’ friend Mr McManus. Consistently out performed by old boys Ruby and Barry when it really mattered.
Dan Skelton and Harry Fry – we are always being told they are ‘Champions in waiting’. About time they delivered.
Best Mate – good training performance to get him to line up in 3 CGC’s at the peak of his powers but won possibly the worst trio of renewals of this heat in my lifetime. Got lucky with the level of horse he was competing against.
The bint who calls herself The Princess Royal – wasn’t even recognised on my horse racing radar but Cheltenham obviously rate her as they named their new Grandstand after her. Shocking decision. Rename it post haste say I.
Graham Cunningham – the worst pundit on any sport ever, in my opinion. Never answers any question preferring instead to babble some pre-rehearsed sound bite. Offers nothing but Blandness with a capital ‘B’.
Underrated
Mr Henderson – anyone who rates this man 99.999999999/100 is underrating him. A genius. A legend. A gentleman. The best ever. The forum’s favourite. The forum’s idol.
Binocular – the record books dictate that he won 1 Champion Hurdle but in all honesty it should have been 4. THAT man stuffed up on him twice and those ‘unfortunate circumstances’ robbed him of probable victory in ’11.
Sam Waley-Cohen – for years derided by many but his record in the big contests matches almost anyone’s CV. Also the best rider around Aintree I’ve ever seen. He’s a huge plus on any horses back in my opinion.
Gleneagles – looked majestic in winning the 2,000 Guineas and then added the Irish 2,000 (on ground he hated) and the St James Palace. His ‘rep’ slide somewhat after this though with a couple of end of term defeats (although there were genuine excuses both times). I always rated this Classic winning, 4 time Group 1 winning son of Galileo extremely highly though and I can see him being a huge success in the old breeding sheds.
Overrated
A P McCoy – competent journeyman who got ‘lucky’ via associations with Martin Pipe and his ‘special’ friend Mr McManus. Consistently out performed by old boys Ruby and Barry when it really mattered.
Dan Skelton and Harry Fry – we are always being told they are ‘Champions in waiting’. About time they delivered.
Best Mate – good training performance to get him to line up in 3 CGC’s at the peak of his powers but won possibly the worst trio of renewals of this heat in my lifetime. Got lucky with the level of horse he was competing against.
The bint who calls herself The Princess Royal – wasn’t even recognised on my horse racing radar but Cheltenham obviously rate her as they named their new Grandstand after her. Shocking decision. Rename it post haste say I.
Graham Cunningham – the worst pundit on any sport ever, in my opinion. Never answers any question preferring instead to babble some pre-rehearsed sound bite. Offers nothing but Blandness with a capital ‘B’.
........I am now shutting-up............loud and prolonged 
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