Picked two winners and a loser, backed one loser in the first... once the ground turns soft the form book goes out the window. I was at Goodwood in 1993 when Bigstone beat Sayyedati with favourite Zafonic trailing behind having broken a blood vessel; and it was not jumping ground that day! Putting the betting boots away for tomorrow. I will leave Alex Hammond to jinx Winter – assuming that she still runs!
Zelzal could be the one for the BC Mile, shaped liked the best horse today, it would be animal cruelty to run Ribchester in it, QEII for him.
If Zelzal is the best horse as you say then why would they need to travel halfway across the globe to compete in a 2nd rate race like the BC mile? That's where you send a miler if they aren't good enough for the QE2. Ribchester I would agree should not go to America, as he's to big a horse for those turns. Not to mention he's proven good enough to compete for G1s here in Europe so there is no need for them to go globetrotting to America in search of low quality G1s.
Because he should get his conditions there, probably wont at Ascot. Rougets comments pre race said it all, the owners would never have pulled him from this race but I doubt you will see him on soft ground again. And I dont consider the BC Mile a second rate race, horses like Miesque, Goldikova, Wise Dan have made it a proper race. Only a couple of meeting I rate higher than the Breeders Cup.
None of those would have been good enough to win a QE2 for me. It's generally where you send a horse when it struggles to win the top G1s here in Europe. QE2 winners like Frankel, Dubai Millenium, and Brigadier Gerard would blow the doors of anything that has ever competed in the BC mile.
Its generally not, a lot of Europes best milers have ran in the BC Mile, a lot of them have been beaten as well because its not an easy race to win, Ribchester wouldnt be fast enough to win it, hes not the type you need. Ramonti, Charm Spirit, Poets Voice, Olympic Glory have all won the QEII recently, and you dont think Goldikova or Miesque were good enough to win it? Did you put green stuff in your cigar? Zilzal was still unbeaten after destroying Polish Precedent in the QEII and got turned over at Evens in the BC Mile. Excelebration won the QEII and also got beat in the BC Mile by Wise Dan. The QEII doesnt guarantee quality, some years the BC Mile will be the better race even though they are completely different tests. Our very best middle distance horses dont often go, mainly because the most prestigious race of the meeting is on dirt and the timing with the Arc historically has not been good.
Yeah there have been some poor winners of the QE2 but generally speaking it's a much higher quality race. Goldikova for example avoided the race as horses like Ravens Pass and Frankel would have easily dealt with her, so she raced in America instead. Just because there have been some QE2 winners beat at short prices in America, it doesn't mean they've faced tougher opposition. It's usually a case of a horse failing to produce their best after being taken halfway across the world. The fact they are always a short price shows the lack of quality in America for turf horses. As a breeder in America it is not the dream to breed a great turf miler. Their best horses don't even run on turf.
She didnt avoid the race, the BC Mile was her main race every year, Freddie Head rode Miesque to win two. She came over to Ascot twice for the Queen Anne early in the season, beat Paco Boy and ran second to Canford Cliffs. She won 17 of 27 races, won 14 Group 1s and placed in another 8. Goldikova is in the top 5 milers of the last 30 years, one of the best mares of all time. You are out your ****ing nut to be frank, saying she wasnt good enough to win a QEII and avoided the race, one of the most astoundingly absurd things iver ever heard on here.
Lived up to expectation he's not a natural jumper over the bigger obstacle! When crunch came to shove it let him down
Didn't get the winner but some nice place money with 3rd and 4th.Gona have another wager on Denham Sound in the lucky last for shrewdie Charles Byrnes from stall one, 6/1 win.Well done on the winner Wooly!
Oh yeah she beat that great horse Paco Boy Narrowly I might add, clinging on at the end Canford Cliffs just breezed right by her the following year, and he was knowhere near the top 5 milers of the last 30 years. Dream Ahead, a sprinter done her in France, and Immortal Verse a horse Frankel laughed at beat her too. Not to mention Makfi blasting right by her aswell. She wasn't even the best mile fillie in her Guineas, Zarkava beat her with complete ease. Goldikova is what I'd call a very good G1 performer, but to say she was one of the best milers of the past 30 years is just nonsense. She was barely in the top 5 milers that raced whilst she was racing. She had her colours lowered in Europe far to many times, and dominating against a bunch of 2nd rate horses in America at the end of every season doesn't change what happened when she faced the very best in Europe.
He the rest of them fine to be fair to him. I wouldn't be surprised to see him stay over fences. He's a nice mark for a few big handicaps maybe the Hennessey or something. The winner was chucked in by the looks of it so not the worst effort from him.
Have to be worried about it holding up under pressure! He is a very talented horse and his class will probably get him a couple of handicap wins but if you back him it will be a hide behind the sofa race every time he comes to a jump
