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Post by waterhazardjack on Oct 6, 2013 1:37:59 GMT
Latest news is that Novellist, The Fugue and Trading Leather are non-runners tomorrow which is a bit of a shame...Novellist is unwell while The Fugue and Trading Leather are inconvenienced by the prevailing soft ground...so the contest has been deprived of some of its lustre but still excites, of course.
I'm intrigued by Intello's preparation as it's very untypical for a Fabre Arc contender...after storming home in the Fielden Stakes at Newmarket in the spring and finishing a gallant 3rd from a bad draw in the Derby at Chantilly, he's been campaigning at shorter distances which makes me wonder if his famously wilful owners have been directing policy...he arrives at the start tomorrow an unknown quantity at the distance and slightly overlooked...I may have a few shillings on for fun...
I'm hoping Viztoria will run a big race in the Foret but am a huge Moonlight Cloud fan so will only be having a fun bet but really like the look of German raider Seismos in the Prix du Cadran...I'll stick my neck out and suggest that if he stays the extreme distance he will win as his form at Munich and Baden was quite impressive and just a little under appreciated, I thought.
But my 'nap' for the the day is that the visiting Japanese crowd will invest so much on their 2 runners on the PMU in the Arc that every other horse will be over-priced, so stipulate PMU if betting anything else and SP if supporting either Orfevre or Kizuna...
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Post by waterhazardjack on Oct 21, 2013 1:04:15 GMT
And so the great race has come and gone for another year, and thrown up an outstanding winner in the shape of filly Treve.
There are many stories from this race, not the least that of Frankie Dettori having to sit and watch 'his' ride being taken by Thierry Jarnet after injuring his ankle in a minor contest at lowly Nottingham, the week before. In the race itself, Treve sweated up badly and had to overcome a difficult, outside draw, and then the slow pace of the race saw her pulling herself into the vanguard of the leaders much sooner than was desirable. As a consequence, she effectively made 2 winning moves rather than the customary one and the way she stretched out on the home straight was as impressive as any we've seen, with comparisons of the great Sea Bird being bandied about afterwards...
Whatever about that, she definitely compares well with fellow 3 year-old fillies Zarkava and Danedream who lit up Longchamp in the last few years. Personally, I thought the race suffered from the absence of Novellist and The Fugue in particular, and thus maybe not as hot as cracked up to be, but it could be argued that the disadvantages Treve incurred as mentioned above cancel that out.
Orfevre ran a gallant race to finish runner-up for the second successive year but really his chance was last year when he threw away an outstanding opportunity to break the Japanese hoodoo in the Arc. My choice Intello also put up a good show in third and Kizuna filled fourth for Japan. Special mention for Al Kazeem who ran well in sixth after almost coming down at one stage. Maybe a surprise that the likes of Leading Light didn't try and take the race by the scruff of the neck when the pace was so pedestrian but we'll never know now...
Elsewhere, Moonlight Cloud produced a devastating turn of foot to annihilate the others in the Prix de la Foret, completing a dream day for Jarnet - seldom can a jockey have ridden 2 such superstar fillies on the one day. And Andi Wohler won the Prix du Cadran for Germany but sadly not with my selection Seismos but Altano who had campaigned sturdily all year over extreme distances.
So...what a great day for the Head family who bred, trained and eventually sold Treve a few months ago for huge bucks and then Freddie who trained Moonlight Cloud...and the exciting news is that both fillies are to stay in training next year after initial reports that Moonlight would be retired to the paddocks. Treve will be aimed at a repeat in the Arc at Longchamp which would be doubly memoarable as it will be the last competed under the iconic old grandstand which will be pulled down immediately afterwards with the 2015 race to be run at Chantilly - kind of ironic as it only fills for one day a year due to the French indifference to horse racing which is funded by the Tierce ( kinda national lottery system) and therefore doesn't need large attendances to pay its way...
Yesterday, we had British Champions Day at Ascot where my selection Farhh proved what a good horse he is by coming back after a 6 month lay-off to beat the tough French raider Cirrus des Aigles in a very exciting finish. Like last year, we had a couple of Irish winners and it has to be said, a great line-up despite the resistance to this meeting from various racing traditionalists.
However, unlike last year, it looks like our Teutonic Correspondent, Brother Nautiker didn't grace the occasion, this time around - or did he?
We should be told!!!
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Post by waterhazardjack on Nov 10, 2014 3:20:40 GMT
No posts lately so just a few words to keep this thread alive...great to see star mare Treve win a second Arc and gain a place in history...this feat hadn't been achieved since Vincent O'Brien sent out the great Alleged to win consecutive versions of the race in 1977/8...and before that by the legendary Ribot back in the '50s...and like Alleged, Treve was coming back from injury and an unsatisfactory preparation, so a great training performance by the first lady of French racing, Criquette Head...and now to cap it all comes news that Treve is to be kept in training next year to attempt an extraordinary treble! And another piece of history as Germany wins the Melbourne Cup with Protectionist, trained by Andi Wohler...the really interesting thing about this is the very successful Monsun bloodline and the growing influence of German breeding and training on the top middle-distance races, world-wide...our 'curator' Brother Nautiker will not be surprised to hear that I had a small investment on the winner, as he knows that I'm predicting a German winner of the Epsom Derby before the decade is over!  |
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Post by waterhazardjack on Nov 21, 2014 3:06:27 GMT
Interesting analysis of the European Pattern Race system today...of 406 pattern races - Britain has 146, France 111, Ireland 64, Germany 44, Italy 30, Sweden 4, Norway 3, Turkey 3 and Denmark has 1...which is a good relative guide to the merits of each nation within the racing firmament, I would say, with the exception of Spain which I expected to see represented somewhere...
On the breeding front, Galileo's dominance as a sire with 32 races won is nothing short of a modern phenomenon...next best were Invincible Spirit and Shamardal with 15 each, Dubawi on 14 and Dylan Thomas on 11...ominously, Sea The Stars makes his debut on the list just below that mark with 9 winners, which augurs well for the future...the late, great German sire Monsun had 7 as his influence diminishes following his death...
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2014 21:22:39 GMT
I have always read that Deauville is one of the major breeding grounds for racehorses. But that's about the only "information" that I have about such things. It seems that QE2 keeps her horses there and spends more time in Deauville than the media would ever admit in secret visits.
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Post by waterhazardjack on Nov 24, 2014 3:20:18 GMT
I have always read that Deauville is one of the major breeding grounds for racehorses. But that's about the only "information" that I have about such things. It seems that QE2 keeps her horses there and spends more time in Deauville than the media would ever admit in secret visits. Well Kerouac, fair to say that Normandy is an important area for the breeding of thoroughbreds, but not specifically centred on Deauville. Where it does come into its own is in the month of August, when the track races most days with lots of high-class races and the renowned Arqana sales take place in conjunction. The Queen may keep some horses there but it wouldn't be the centre of her operations... |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2014 4:53:39 GMT
Actually I wasn't paying attention when I wrote that, because I meant to write Le Touquet and not at all Deauville!
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Post by waterhazardjack on Dec 3, 2014 2:00:59 GMT
Actually I wasn't paying attention when I wrote that, because I meant to write Le Touquet and not at all Deauville! Does this mean Kerouac is a mere mortal like the rest of us?  |
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Post by waterhazardjack on Dec 14, 2014 22:45:46 GMT
Interesting analysis of the European Pattern Race system today...of 406 pattern races - Britain has 146, France 111, Ireland 64, Germany 44, Italy 30, Sweden 4, Norway 3, Turkey 3 and Denmark has 1...which is a good relative guide to the merits of each nation within the racing firmament, I would say, with the exception of Spain which I expected to see represented somewhere... Well, I'll answer my own question as the Spanish 'triple crown' was won recently for the first time in a few decades...however, the 3rd leg was worth a mere 24,000 euro and the winner is to be aimed at 'Listed' and Group 3 events in France next year, so obviously the standard of racing there is very moderate although we've seen some exceptional horses from Spain campaigned in Britain and France in the last decade... |
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Post by waterhazardjack on Jan 8, 2015 2:57:56 GMT
Looks like Italy have been given one last chance to stay in the European Pattern System...the problem is that they stopped paying the due Group Race prizemoney in the last few years...this has always been a snag in Italy as winners are frequently not reimbursed until several months after completing their races, but last year it more or less collapsed when the government cut funding to horse-racing and several bills remained unpaid...hence, they had almost no overseas runners in their Group races in 2014...which means the quality of the races are devalued and their place within the system jeopardised...
As I understand it, this is the last chance for the Italians to get their house in order or they will exit the system - one to watch!
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Post by waterhazardjack on Jan 17, 2015 3:11:16 GMT
A pilgrimage for lovers of thoroughbred racehorses beckons when many of the famous studs of Normandy throw open their doors at the end of the month...free access and tours of all participating studs and a dinner evening at the Arqana sales complex in Deauville...chance to see famous sires like Sinndar, Le Havre, Motivator, etc, and their surroundings...takes place weekend Sat/Sun; 31 Jan/1 Feb... www.laroutedesetalons.com/ |
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Post by waterhazardjack on Jan 22, 2015 3:03:01 GMT
Japan secured the top two rankings in the world courtesy of the wide-margin Dubai Duty Free winner Just A Way (130) - the first time a horse from Japan has officially been the best in the world - and Japan Cup scorer Epiphaneia (129).
There was a three-way tie between Europe's star colts Australia, Kingman and The Grey Gatsby as the highest-rated three-year-olds in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings announced in London yesterday.
The three horses were each given a rating of 127 after enjoying stellar seasons. Australia won the Epsom Derby and the Irish equivalent at the Curragh as well as the Juddmonte International but he was beaten in the Irish Champion Stakes by The Grey Gatsby. Kevin Ryan's grey also won the Prix du Jockey Club.
Kingman, from John Gosden's stable, proved himself the best miler in Europe with Group One victories in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix du Moulin before being retired.
However, Europe provided five of the top 10 ratings with dual Arc de Triomphe victor Treve on 126 and German Derby hero Sea The Moon on 125. Taghrooda, a stablemate of Kingman's, was top-rated three-year-old filly with a mark of 123 after winning the Investec Oaks and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Edward Lynam's Slade Power (119) ended 2014 as the highest-rated European-trained sprinter, by winning at Royal Ascot and the July Cup.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 30, 2015 5:57:57 GMT
Is this just a passion or is it also your profession, Jack?
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Post by waterhazardjack on Feb 2, 2015 4:31:36 GMT
Is this just a passion or is it also your profession, Jack? Neither really, Kerouac, although I do enjoy the sport immensely, as you can probably guess...if you recall, Brother Nautiker started this thread a year or two ago, around the time that the World of Sport section was closed down over at TT...myself and him used to post reports and topics for discussion on the sport over there, but he's too busy at the moment to contribute so I'm trying to keep it alive here on AP... I have no significant travels at the moment, so it's probably the only contribution I can make here, right now...lately, if you notice, I've just been posting brief updates on the international aspect of racing to try and keep it loosely aligned with the nature of the forum... |
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Post by waterhazardjack on May 7, 2015 18:27:06 GMT
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