Yes especially as the weather has been so good too. It’s not like you can say the cold weather has held them back and they haven’t come in their coats. Everything should be gleaming by now!
Yes especially as the weather has been so good too. It’s not like you can say the cold weather has held them back and they haven’t come in their coats. Everything should be gleaming by now!
tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito
Guineas Weekend At Newmarket, Irish Guineas next week. Hopefully get season really going on here.
I’ll start up a thread for each of the four races. I can give some background to the two fillies races but very sparse on the colts. Who’s got any strong fancies?
Yes.
I wonder where forum member Outsider is? He liked the flat. I hope he is alright.
There are two or three so called handicappers stepping up to take on the group horses tomorrow. They are Escobar and Vale Of Kent.
They are both very good horses.
I might select Vale Of Kent for old time sake. Myself and Outsider had many a debate about him.
My overall theory or hunch is that there is increasingly less and less material difference between a very good handicapper and a group three or even group two horse.
They are usually underbet or underrated when they step up into the group races. I am absolutely sure plenty will step up and win their fair share of races at value odds this season.
Last edited by Marb; 4th June 2020 at 7:46 PM.
Can’t not be impressed with English King today. Handled the track well and has plenty of improvement still.
Also Coronation Cup winner is a beast to look at. Second and third ran with credit too.
tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito
Certainly disposed of the other jf easily enough and they were well clear of the next. I'm not sure it was a hot race but agree about the impression.
I can't believe the Godolphin beast was allowed to go off odds-against given his advantage on all the ratings. Looked a monster in the first half of the race and was always well in control. I look forward to seeing some sectionals although I'm not sure if they have them at Newmarket.
Illegitimi non carborundum
Angus McNae has just contributed a socially-distanced analysis of the sectionals.
He says Ghaiyyath ran 11 successive sub-12sec furlongs, something 'very few horses can do'.
He closed with the word 'monster'.
Illegitimi non carborundum
Should have stuck to training, he was much better at that.
Ah! but a man's reach should exceed his grasp......
I don't watch RTV much, Colin. I take it you're not convinced either by sectionals or by AMcN?
Want to elaborate?
Illegitimi non carborundum
Not a Fan of McNae at all. DO. It's quite a long time since I stopped subscribing to RTV but he always struck me as being lazy with homework and much too smug - his stats as a trainer were quite reasonable (perhaps it was too much like hard work), reet.
I'm quite sure sectionals are invaluable to some but the interpretation and use of them are a bit beyond my old Welsh grey cells.
Ah! but a man's reach should exceed his grasp......
My little cells are almost as grey as yours, Colin, but I'm embracing the value of sectionals. I did subscribe to Timeform's for a season but 90% related to AW racing and there were no Flat ones for Newmarket or Ascot's straight course, which is no use to me. I think that will change.
For me, they give a better quantification of performance over and above bare ratings. If I reckon a horse has won despite the race not being run to suit I put a + next to the rating. Sectionals allow me to put a figure on the +.
That aside and even allowing for a tailwind, eleven sub-12-second furlongs (in a 12f race) has to be pretty special. A lot of tracks have a figure around 60-seconds for their 5f standard time. He's maintained that speed for more than double the distance.
Illegitimi non carborundum
Add to that the fact of doing so on a more or less straight track from the front, no pacemaker involved.
A top performance reminiscent of New Approach's Champion stakes win
Good performance by Far Above there but he definitely looked lame on his near fore coming back into the winners enclosure.
tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito
I just wonder when and where Stoute plans to run Highest Ground.
What Derby trials are coming up in the next week or two?
Last edited by Marb; 6th June 2020 at 3:55 PM.
What's the nearest thing to a derby trial at Royal Ascot?
I am sure there is a 3 year old only handicap over 1M4F?
Who knows.
Last edited by Marb; 6th June 2020 at 4:08 PM.