Just seen the interview before and after of John Hales. Fantastic!! Great story how some of the family didnt want the horse to run but he felt the horse deserved the chance after his previous run at Haydock. Love it!
Just seen the interview before and after of John Hales. Fantastic!! Great story how some of the family didnt want the horse to run but he felt the horse deserved the chance after his previous run at Haydock. Love it!
I wasn't criticising or complaining. As I said, it was an inch away from being an utterly brilliant ride. It was also a tactic that, it could be argued, ultimately cost it the race but it also got him within an inch of winning rather than being brought down or otherwise hampered out of it. Another angle, as I suggested, is that it wasn't the tactic that cost it the race but idling after going clear. Such is racing life. I backed it win-only and am not complaining about it, just observing.
Illegitimi non carborundum
We can be quite sure that they were confident he was much better than his mark. If the Kim Muir was only his 'prep', and he shouldn't get raised anymore for the National, then you would think he has a bit up his sleeve still. Fantastic little horse though. He absolutely pinged them.
There was a lot of criticism about him on here over the winter.
Welsh and Proud.
He ran like an absolute monkey in a big Saturday handicap when very well backed as I remember. He was pulled up behind Quantitative Easing. The last twice McCoy rode him he failed to complete. The last time McCoy rode him a winner was in Feb 2010. Maybe McCoy was the problem all along.....
Do not mistake my silence for ignorance, my calmness for acceptance nor my kindness for weakness.
Maybe he isn't a two-and-a-half miler and maybe he spat the dummy after being take off his feet in the early exchanges at Cheltenham.
That's how I read the race, particularly in light of his Irish National effort.
Welsh and Proud.
And in the interests of fairness, it should be noted that McCoy has been on board for 5/7 of SHB's wins over jumps.
And it should also be noted that SHB has only won once since February 2010, so it is not surprising that AP hasn't won since then.
Especially given that he has only ridden the horse twice in 10 runs since Feb '10.
Last edited by Bar the Bull; 17th April 2012 at 12:13 PM.
Welsh and Proud.
Anyone think shakalakaboombooom might see out the trip better next year?
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
I heard McCoy on 5 Live on Friday evening, he said that the winner would come from numbers 1-20 and that the horses numbered 21-40 had no chance. Sunnyhillboy was 26.
He was right.
Welsh and Proud.
If we are looking at next year then, of those that finished, I'd prefer Seabass to Shakalakaboomboom depending on what the handicapper does. If Seabass had just dropped the bit a little he'd have gone even closer.
Of those that failed to complete, On His Own, hampered by a loose horse when falling at the 2nd Becher's, was a big eyecatcher. He had made ominous progress through the field and still looked to be travelling strongly.
I think Shaka had a good spin round the course and could go close next year under a more restrained ride.
Jonjo O'Neill reports National runner up Sunnyhillboy recovering from surgery after injury. "It was touch and go for a day or two," he said
Source: Racing Post
Last edited by SteveM; 18th April 2012 at 4:57 PM.
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I never knew he had been injured. Does anybody know what the problem was/is?
Struck into the back of his tendon sheath.