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Johnr's 2018 racing thread

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    #26
    Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
    I wonder if he will even race twice. My guess is that he will run the Breeders’ Cup Classic and retire given his rather strange ownership (i.e., George Soros has an interest in his stud fees, but not his race winnings)
    ….And he never races again.

    http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com...KuJzlY.twitter

    Injury related but there was no chance of him staying in training as a four year old anyway so connections probably thought why risk anything worse, and as mentioned in previous posts the breeding rights are worth tens of millions. His legacy will be affected somewhat by having never raced against the older horses.

    The King George takes place at Ascot on Saturday. For many years one of the highlights of the flat season it's standing has diminished recently as 12F races have lost their ''Stallion Making'' importance in preference for shorter distances. It's not been helped here by Enable and Derby winner Masar's injuries, plus Cracksman likely skipping it due to the ground being too fast unless the monsoons come. Then next week comes Goodwood (don't really care for it much) and in late August The Ebor at York (favourite of the big flat meets). Hopefully a pretty drab flat season to date starts to picks up.
    Last edited by George; 26-07-2018, 14:09.

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      #27
      Ah, crap

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        #28
        Looks like injury hasn't taken anything off Enable. Onwards to Paris in early October for a showdown with Sea Of Class amongst others.

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          #29
          Some old silks prominent today at Doncaster. Reference Point's (Louis Freedman) in that last race and the runner up in the previous was a great-grand daughter of Time Charter, racing in the same colours.

          The Lloyd Webber (hold your nose) bred and owned filly Lah Ti Dar has been declared for Saturdays St Leger and is generally favourite just ahead of the O'Brien trained colt Kew Gardens. He's already a Group 1 winner, but she likely would have won the English Oaks if it hadn't had been for a bad blood test keeping her out. Offspring from Lah Ti Dar's family are consistently high class, but do have a tendency to be quite fragile. Still, she gets a 3 pound weight allowance here from the boys.
          Last edited by George; 13-09-2018, 19:40.

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            #30
            The aforementioned Lah Ti Dar's 2yo full brother Too Darn Hot races just before his big sister in the group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster tomorrow. He's already won the Solario Stakes (captured previously by this year's Derby winner Masar) at Sandown a fortnight ago, and a big performance here should see him anti-post favourite for the 2019 Derby over the winter. Infact he's already at the ludicrously low price of 6/1 in most markets for that. The tight fisted bastards.
            Last edited by George; 14-09-2018, 12:23.

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              #31
              Kew Gardens prevents a Lloyd Webber double in the St Leger after Too Darn Hot's success 35 minutes earlier. It's probably for the best. Slightly laboured performance by Lah Ti Dar who couldn't quite find the gear required to get herself to the front, and was arguably a little too far back once the pace turned up. It looks like she stays in training as a 4yo next season.



              Moving on the Irish Champion Stakes takes place later today at Leopardstown. This race has become one of the strongest on the European pattern, but today's renewal appears to lack the depth of recent years. Roaring Lion is looking for his third straight G1 win, and with his previous two coming over the same trip of 10 furlongs he's justifiably favourite. 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior (who looked set to be this year's superstar but as disappointed since coming 4th at Epsom) and the French Derby (although it's not really a Derby anymore) winner Study Of Man should be the main competition. The stand out horse of the year so far is Alpha Centauri, who will be going for her fifth straight G1 win in the Matron Stakes an hour or so before. It's a good field but In theory nothing should beat her here.

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                #32
                Hell of a race it was too...



                Although the margin of victory was only a neck the best horse clearly won (for me at least) as Saxon Warrior had a easier passage against the rail, whilst Roaring Lion had to cover more ground going wide. Not to mention SW had a bunch of stablemates to help him with the pace as well. The French horse was nowhere.
                I can't help feeling a little sorry for the runner up though, who got beaten by the winner in a similar manner at the Coral Eclipse. There will be muted suggestions that Roaring Lion should race in the Arc next but it may well stretch his stamina. Best off staying at a mile and a quarter so the Champion Stakes at Ascot seems logical with an intriguing, if unlikely, running on dirt in The Breeders Cup Classic at Churchill Downs a distant possibility in November. This would be on account of his heavy American pedigree being a US bred.

                Arc trials at the redeveloped Longchamp (or ParisLongchamp as it's known now) tomorrow. keeping an eye out for Capri in the Prix Foy who has missed most of this season due to injury but otherwise would have been Ballydoyle's top older horse. The form from last year's St Leger which he won stacks up nicely, and confirm what many thought at the time that it was the strongest renewal of the race in donkey's years.
                Last edited by George; 15-09-2018, 21:42.

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                  #33
                  Arc weekend and Enable is odds on in most markets to repeat last years success. Gosden said she was only at 80% fitness on her comeback victory in a G3 at Kempton last month (where she beat a genuine G1 animal Crystal Ocean by almost 4 lengths), if she's made up the extra 20% she should be good to go. Her stall draw is favourable as well (6), whilst main market rivals Sea Of Class (15) and Waldgeist (13) are more out towards the car park. If she wins this and then follows it up in The Breeders Cup Turf in the US next month she surely has to go down as one of the greatest race mares in living memory. At the very least she's been one of the flat stars of this decade. Broodmare duties almost certainly beckon after that.

                  Anthony Oppenheimer's dodgepot Cracksman is skipping the race on ground issues (too fast), and will show up at Ascot for Champions day in a fortnight instead. After that he'll no doubt be shuffled off to stud to be marketed as the first decent son of Frankel to stand as a stallion. The ''great game'' - rinse and repeat.
                  Last edited by George; 06-10-2018, 10:33.

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                    #34
                    What a wonderful filly Laurens is. That's five Group 1 wins now. How on earth did she go off at almost 3/1? She's also an excellent advert for her sire Siyouni, who apart from being one of the best young stallion's in Europe could also end up being the most important one the Aga Khan's operation as had for years
                    Last edited by George; 06-10-2018, 14:36.

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                      #35
                      Flat racing boring?....





                      ….Pfft!

                      Anyway, poor old James Doyle on Sea Of Class will be castigated in certain quarters (pocket talkers mainly) for delivering his horse just a little too late. A 21st century Greville Starkey on Dancing Brave in The Derby if you like. A few yards extra though and he would have been Pat Eddery on Dancing Brave in the Arc.
                      I suspect Enable was running off the same level as her prep run at Kempton here, which John Gosden's post-race admission that she had suffered a minor setback since then would back up. That she could hold off a clearly exceptional filly like SOC despite not being 100%, as well as giving the runner up 7lbs under weight for age is testament to her class and toughness. Apparently she may stay in training next season in an attempt to go for the hattrick. No horse has ever won three Arc's, although Treve went for it back in 2015. Incidentally seven of the last eight winners of this race have been fillies or mares now, with the only victorious colt being Golden Horn three years ago. If this trend continues only colts that have shown prior form rated +130 should be considered as likely winners of the race - unless it's a really shit field or the authorities tinker with weight for age.

                      Final observations: The fallow period for the quality of French horses continues and apparently the new Longchamp doesn't have enough bogs.

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                        #36
                        ''Future Champions Day TM ©'' at Newmarket today, with an impressive renewal on paper of the Dewhurst the headline race for the 2yo's, and following that the Cesarewitch for lovers of handicap's with huge fields - 33 runners as things stand. Keeping an eye on the Andre Fabre horse - Persian King - in the next race. Fabre infamously fell out with the French turf media in the 80's and has never uttered a word to them since. He still knows how to train a good'un though.

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                          #37
                          Serious beast that thing is. Lit up early, heavily restrained and then looked a bit flat footed hitting the dip two furlongs out but still won with ease. Advertise (a nice hoss) running second nicely franks the form of this year's Coventry Stakes back in June as well. He was runner up that day to Calyx (out injured until next season) and Sergei Prokofiev was third (impressive winner yesterday in a Group 3). All in all an exciting crop of juveniles at the very top end. However, when looking at the ante-post market for next year's 2000 Guineas it's best to remember that some of these horse won't train on as three year olds
                          Last edited by George; 13-10-2018, 15:22.

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                            #38
                            Lloyd Webber and now Rich fucking Richie! Pass the bucket.

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                              #39
                              There was a dead heat in the 1620 at Fairyhouse this afternoon. Tour General and Mandarin Monarch both getting the nod at the same time.

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                                #40
                                Some 'tactical' riding there from Dettori on Stradivarius. Love the horse anyway - what a National Hunt sire he's going to be in time.

                                This means the Gosden Yankee is on, with Lar Ti Dar (Fillies and Mares), Roaring Lion (QEII) and Cracksman (Champion Stakes) making up the other legs. Expect a load of bookies reps appearing throughout the afternoon bleating about how many millions they stand to lose if the thing comes off.

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                                  #41
                                  I'd actually forgotten about this thread.

                                  I'll catch up on it now, thanks George.

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                                    #42
                                    The ground at Ascot today is soft on the straight course and heavy (soft in places) on the round course, which will give ammunition to the detractors of Champions Day. Their argument being that it comes too late in the season for a multiple Group 1 card and that the sight of top class animals ploughing through heavy ground when they need it as fast as possible makes for an unsatisfactory spectacle.
                                    Last edited by George; 20-10-2018, 13:40.

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                                      #43
                                      Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
                                      I'd actually forgotten about this thread.

                                      I'll catch up on it now, thanks George.
                                      Once the hedge hoppers are in full flow I'll be heading into hibernation along with the rest of the flat boys. I might pop in for the odd comment though.

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                                        #44
                                        The Gosden Yankee is off.

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                                          #45
                                          Addeybb, the Lincoln Handicap winner who got mentioned right at the beginning of this thread might be an interesting each-way option in the next race. He's a mud lark and he's got his ground. Price is 6/1 in most markets.

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                                            #46
                                            The noticeable thing about the QEII is Roaring Lion stepping down to a mile after winning 3xG1's at a mile and a quarter. Partially because past sectional times suggest the horse has the tactical speed to do it at 8f, and partially because Gosden has Cracksman running in the Champion Stakes afterwards.

                                            Laurens is racing against male horse for the first time here but her price at 8/1 seems stupid.

                                            Long shots but Stormy Antarctic (33/1) and Beat The Bank (20/1) have also got their preferred ground.
                                            Last edited by George; 20-10-2018, 14:13.

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                                              #47
                                              Splendid beast. He hated every second of that as well and still won.

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                                                #48
                                                Weak looking Champion Stakes next. If Cracksman (wearing blinkers for the first time) doesn't win he deserves to be gelded and sent novice hurdling.

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                                                  #49
                                                  ...He got lucky.

                                                  Emphatic back-to-back victories in this race for the Frankel colt. Still a feeling of what might have been with this horse.

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                                                    #50
                                                    Final note - and of absolutely no interest to anybody here (much like the racing): Magical who won the Fillies and Mares Stakes this afternoon became the 74th individual Group 1 winner for her sire Galileo, who is the current lynch pin of Coolmore's position as the most powerful thoroughbred breeding operation on the planet. In doing so he overtakes his old man Saddler's Wells, Coolmore's original foundation stone and now lies second on the all time list to Danehill (84 winners), who at stud was purchased outright by...yes Coolmore. Hearty congratulations to the Magnier's, Tabor and Smith - you couldn't hope for a nicer bunch, The ''Lads''. At least they knocked Ferguson down a couple of pegs with the Rock Of Gibraltar nonsense.

                                                    Anyway, Galileo - splendid old boy.

                                                    Last edited by George; 20-10-2018, 17:12.

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