Good day all & welcome along, another Monday has arrived with the weather not playing ball (well ceatainly here in Bracknell at present).
Every Monday I will be reviewing the previous weekends Horse Racing action so again I hope you find what I have to say intereseting & you check back in the future.
The place to start is in Australia with the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes & for me persoanlly I can only really talk about my antepost selection for the Melbourne Cup; Waldpark who ran an immense race in first time blinkers aught on the inside of the whole field he was swinging off the bridle as the runners came into the straight & up until around the 2 furlong marker but was continuly denied a clear run, he's rider quickly expcepted the outcome as a further 7 runners finished in front of him so a finish of 8th place would not normally leave me happy but Waldpark showed great promise he is still available at 66/1 for the big event & I will certainly be investing a little more on him (see racenet.com.au for their thoughts on Waldpark's run). As for the winner Foreteller the race alomst fell into his lap as for the first time in 5 Australian starts Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune was beaten according to his jockey because of being a little fresh he still seems unikely to stay the 2 miles of the main event though. The ex Sir Micheal Stoute Sea Moon stumbled badly leaving the stalls & from then on was always fighting a losing battle while former 2011 St Leger winner Masked Marvel was never likley to feature at the 1 mile trip (See race below)
Leopardstown on saturday night lived up to its billing with some excellent racing highlighted by the brillant display by The Fugue with rain coming down I was unsure if she'd be risked by my word she was so impressive, she must now be ranked among the truly great fillies & will surely remain unbeaten for the rest of her career. I would guess Longchamp may well be too wet this year & that the Breeders Cup either the fillies turf event or taking on the colts in the Breeders Cup Turf would be where she'll end up with maybe a glorious swansong in the Japan Cup.
As for Al Kazeem I think other horses he was beating when he was fully wound up at the start of the season are now improving past him that's not to say he's on the decline but he has had a hard season. His run on Sat was very good as his runs always are but he just lacked the gears at the end & he rates for me most likely to run in the Arc over 1m4f in which the 14/1 he has now been pushed out too is quite appealing for this consitent top flight performer but more so for a place as all of the rivals above him in the betting have raced less than him & will arrive at the Arc fresh (most will have one race before this coming weekend on Arc Trials day)
On a less positive note it was very sad to see Kingsbarns lose his action & be pulled up on his belated return to action, it has to be a doubt whether this promising animal is seen on a racetrack again.
Continung with Leopardstown former Derby favourite Free Eagle's exceedingly high reputation was left in tatters after he was blown away by the best son that Ouija Board has produced by a long way; Australia held up off the 4 runners Joseph O'Brien let rip up the home straight & Australia zoomed away to win in a canter. He reportadly won't have to run again this season so it will be interesting to see how his price for next seasons classics contracts or lengthens over the winter if he does not run again depending how his stablemates Great White Eagle or War Command get on. As for Free Eagle well I doubt he'd beat Australia again but stranger things have happened after all Ouija Board's other offspring are none to consistent so with Dermot Weld having siad that Free Eagle won't run again this year maybe he will strengthen up & improve enough to be competitive.
The Matron Stakes was a sub-standard Group 1 everyone knows that but they still need to won & I doubt anyone who really looks at form can begrudge La Collina her second top flight victory she is a model of cosistency which is what led me after a few hours of debating to take the 33/1 on offer...you may ask why? well I looked back at last year's race in which she finished an unlucky 5th to Chachamaidee / Duntle / Emulous & Laugh Out Loud; this year's race didn't have 4 fillies of that quality to start with, she had horses priced up ahead of her on their stablesreputation not form & laughably a perviously 8 race maiden who had won a poor listed race at Killarney (Wannabe Better) was half the odds of La Collina plus then take into account her wily trainer said he really fancied her so as I said at 33/1 she was worth a bet.
Other notable performances came from John Oxx's Sea The Stars 2 year old filly My Titania who put her experience to good use to beat another Sea The Stars filly Afternoon Sunlight with an extremly promising run back in third from David Wachman's debutant Lahinch Classics who should be capable of winning a maiden next time. The following colts maiden also produced a decent looking winning performance from Agena who was all over the place for most of the race but he really hit top gear late in the straight to win quite cosily. Clearly both these maiden winners will be tried in a higher gradenext time out.
In England all eyes were on Haydock for the Betfred Sprint Cup to me it was a fairly unsatisfactory race with Gordon Lord Byron spreadeagling them under another canny ride from a certain J.Murtagh to me around 2 furlongs out he pinched it knowing how well Slade Power was travelling down the centre & knowing his own horse gets further he took real advantage to streak clear. Slade Power is a Group 1 winner waiting to happen & I will stick with until he does which of course could prove costly but I am convinced he is a top sprinter. Lethal Force was very disappointing ground & a few hard races may well be to blame.
The Old Borough Cup looked a little below standard to start with & was won by a horse who at the age of 6 seems better than ever in Platinum, I can't see him holding sway over Pallastor if they meet again however as this giant of horse looks primed for the Cesarewitch after a very encouraging run, he is ungainly in his running style but I suppose being 17"3 is no help. The last race on the card produced a nice staying performance from an improving young horse with a talented trainer, the horse Nearly Caught could well be a stayer to follow next year just the type that Hughie Morrison excels with. I should also mention Top Notch Tonto's surprise win in the Group 3 a first for the excellent Brian Ellison who has improved this horse no end but when you look back at the race there were reasons behind the surprise 1: he made all on rain softened ground 2: Montiridge lost the plot 3: Tawhid is a rogue 4: Hay Dude came from to far back & could not pick up.
Kempton's big flat meeting of the year produced a cracking finish between the Godolphin pair of Prince Bishop & Royal Empire with the former just prevailing under a srtong drive from the evergreen Kieran Fallon in truth I think he out rode Silvestre De Sousa, Royal Empire lost little in defeat & remains on course for Melbourne. Masterstroke was bitterly disappointing again so it looks like he will join the long list (some of the most recent disappoinments Aesop's Fables / Cavalryman / Dark Orchid / French Navy) of promising ex Andre Fabre inmates who fail to reproduce their top class form for Godolphin (I would have inculuded Sain Baudolino but he has only had the run so far so he might still be able to race at a decent level).
Down the road at Ascot Clive Brittain popped in another nice looking 2 year old in the shape of Stealth Missile who made all to win going away from a very promising debutant in the shape of the Tom Dascombe trained Art Of War who was very green at the start / the middle of the race before the penny dropped, the consistent Flying Bear won another nursery, Redvers showed his liking for the straight track at Ascot with another victory & Godolphin struck with a prominsing looking 3 year old Excellent Result in the staying handicap,
in that race it seemed best to be in the first half dozen as the favourite Cafe Society was ridden like a Group horse, last of the whole field & really finished with some purpose in a never nearer 5th. Another to catch my eye was Eshtiaal in first time blinkers he was caught out wide & flat footed when the pace quickened but he stayed on strongly to grab third this was much more like it, he strikes me as a needing further, 1m6f would see him win again & maybe 2 miles next year may see him improve quite a bit more.
Congratulations also to all the connections of Danadana, Lost In The Moment & Producer for there victories in Istanbul over the weekend proving that travelling can earn you a nice payday.
I also can't forget Jonnie Skull who won a 2 mile novice hurdle at Stratford by 42 lengths adding to his 6 wins already this year on the flat, what a horse, he is exactally the type of animal I would love to own & is a great advert for this wonderful sport.
Horses to follow from the weekend:
Lahinch Classics 2yo B Filly Gaileo x Lahinch - Back next time out
Pallasator 4yo B Gelding Motivator x Ela Athena - Follow for remainder of season
Eshtiaal 3yo B Colt Dynaformer x Enfiraaj - Back when stepped up to 1m6f
Art Of War 2yo B Colt Invincible Spirit x Chica Roca - Back next time out
Remember you can
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