General Chat

[Benjy23]

Wodhooh not running in the 3 miler at Aintree is slightly disappointing for my Stayers hurdle bet

 

[Lobos]

Wodhooh not running in the 3 miler at Aintree is slightly disappointing for my Stayers hurdle bet

Injured??

 

[Exar Essay]

That ride on Impaire Et Passe was odd. Seemed to be travelling ok, but Paul was niggling away and asking him for big jumps at virtually every one of the last 6 fences. Perhaps he's a difficult ride, but the horse seemed to have no idea what was required of it by the final fence.

 

[Craigy14]

That ride on Impaire Et Passe was odd. Seemed to be travelling ok, but Paul was niggling away and asking him for big jumps at virtually every one of the last 6 fences. Perhaps he's a difficult ride, but the horse seemed to have no idea what was required of it by the final fence.

Ruby was saying was because he was hanging/jumping to the right so Paul was giving him a slap or 2 down the neck to try to keep him straight.

 

[Lobos]

Wodhooh not running in the 3 miler at Aintree is slightly disappointing for my Stayers hurdle bet

The New Lion didn't exactly advertise his claims

 

[Benjy23]

The New Lion didn't exactly advertise his claims

Stayed on alright...

 

[Exar Essay]

Ruby was saying was because he was hanging/jumping to the right so Paul was giving him a slap or 2 down the neck to try to keep him straight.

Ah fair enough. In which case he must’ve been doing it throughout as Paul was constantly at it.

 

[Lobos]

Stayed on alright...

Yeah, sort of. Alright is about right...... definitely not an aspiring run. End of season though so see what he comes up with next season. His jumping though...... Scary.

 

[Carnage at Taunton]

The new lion in my opinion is probably not as good as maybe some of us thought he was or would be..
Next season over 3m may be interesting but he’s not one for me at the top
Level.

 

[Wayward Lad]

The new lion in my opinion is probably not as good as maybe some of us thought he was or would be..
Next season over 3m may be interesting but he’s not one for me at the top
Level.

Tend to agree, particularly when looking at TheYellow Clay’s performances this year

 

[Lobos]

The new lion in my opinion is probably not as good as maybe some of us thought he was or would be..
Next season over 3m may be interesting but he’s not one for me at the top
Level.

That's the feeling I get as well.

 

[Danman]

The new lion in my opinion is probably not as good as maybe some of us thought he was or would be..
Next season over 3m may be interesting but he’s not one for me at the top
Level.

I've backed him for next seasons stayers, can't say yesterday made me anymore confident of collecting !

 

[Hurricane fly]

Zeus Power is very impressive there but I was also drawn to Jonnys Jury as well! Both look proper stayers and be interesting if Zeus stays over hurdles for a year only being a 5 year old

 

[Eggs]

Zeus Power is very impressive there but I was also drawn to Jonnys Jury as well! Both look proper stayers and be interesting if Zeus stays over hurdles for a year only being a 5 year old

….fingers crossed, I took 100-1 WTAF (Stayers) Into a best 16-1.

 

[Exar Essay]

Zeus Power is very impressive there but I was also drawn to Jonnys Jury as well! Both look proper stayers and be interesting if Zeus stays over hurdles for a year only being a 5 year old

His breeding doesn't suggest that fences would suit. But he was very keen today and would need to learn to race behind the bridle. It's a wide open division though and 16/1 is probably fair enough.

 

[Craigy14]

Zeus Power is very impressive there but I was also drawn to Jonnys Jury as well! Both look proper stayers and be interesting if Zeus stays over hurdles for a year only being a 5 year old

I thought he hurdled poorly? Suppose could mark up his performance given how poor he seemed to jump at times. Would need to watch the Ballymore back to see if it was the same there. There is some engine there though!

 

[Ellisgittings]

A struggle of a meeting for me with the fallers / horses we've lost. Even Impaire and Hitman who've lived to fight another day have been tough viewing, both left me grimacing.

And as for Townend, serious questions need asking imo of that ride out. I know the questions won't be asked, and a relative sense of deflection has already begun, but I'd take that horse being pulled up rather than ridden to the finish all day.

 

[Exar Essay]

A struggle of a meeting for me with the fallers / horses we've lost. Even Impaire and Hitman who've lived to fight another day have been tough viewing, both left me grimacing.

And as for Townend, serious questions need asking imo of that ride out. I know the questions won't be asked, and a relative sense of deflection has already begun, but I'd take that horse being pulled up rather than ridden to the finish all day.

I think the questions need to be asked. But from where I’m sitting (which admittedly is an uneducated seat when it comes to horsemanship) I don’t see what else he could’ve done. Yes it was a big mistake by GD, but the horse gathers its action after a few strides and gallops well to the line.

Only Paul will know with certainty whether he noticed something was wrong, but when watching live and again on the various replays, I seriously struggle to see anything visibly amiss. I didn’t see it any differently to any other shuddering mistake e.g. every other time Majborough or Jagwar run.

Of course Paul should’ve pulled him up in hindsight, but I don’t think he knew that something was amiss until GD’s action went as he crossed the line.

However, I do wonder whether Paul’s riding contributed to the error. He has seemed very very enthusiastic on horses in contention before the last at this meeting - keeping the revs up seems to be what the commentators suggest he’s doing - but then he doesn’t seem to ask them for a big leap. I commented yesterday that he was the same on IEP. I wonder if this has contributed at all to the two horses falling, both of whom had until that point jumped fine. This is only a thought rather than an opinion.

 

[Ellisgittings]

I think the questions need to be asked. But from where I’m sitting (which admittedly is an uneducated seat when it comes to horsemanship) I don’t see what else he could’ve done. Yes it was a big mistake by GD, but the horse gathers its action after a few strides and gallops well to the line.

Only Paul will know with certainty whether he noticed something was wrong, but when watching live and again on the various replays, I seriously struggle to see anything visibly amiss. I didn’t see it any differently to any other shuddering mistake e.g. every other time Majborough or Jagwar run.

Of course Paul should’ve pulled him up in hindsight, but I don’t think he knew that something was amiss until GD’s action went as he crossed the line.

However, I do wonder whether Paul’s riding contributed to the error. He has seemed very very enthusiastic on horses in contention before the last at this meeting - keeping the revs up seems to be what the commentators suggest he’s doing - but then he doesn’t seem to ask them for a big leap. I commented yesterday that he was the same on IEP. I wonder if this has contributed at all to the two horses falling, both of whom had until that point jumped fine. This is only a thought rather than an opinion.

It's a difficult topic to broach and discuss sensibly, definitely. And I also get the argument that he ran on again and ran on straight (?) and true until the line. Imo it was definitely a worse mistake than Maj and Jagwar, but that is subjective on the horse and its constitution also.

Did he feel he went wrong straight after the fence? I don't think he did. Did he feel he went wrong a few strides before the finishing line? Maybe. If he did feel he went wrong a few strides before the finishing line would he have pulled him up? I'd bet my life on him riding him to the finish, to be honest.

I watched it in time and I wasn't 100% convinced he looked right on the run in, and I've watched it back and I'm less convinced. I don't buy the explanation they have provided and I'm not comfortable with the speed of which the stewards and the BHA have jumped to the defence of the ride. Within 1/2 hours the stewards are 'satisfied' with the explanation whilst the BHA are releasing statements saying he did no wrong.

I'm not 100% convinced the ground / track bias is helping either - they feel like they're going very quick in races and the desperation for a prominent sit is resulting in more tired horses which, combined with ground they bounce off when fall, hardly helping. How IEP even got up is beyond me.

 

[robith]

A struggle of a meeting for me with the fallers / horses we've lost. Even Impaire and Hitman who've lived to fight another day have been tough viewing, both left me grimacing.

And as for Townend, serious questions need asking imo of that ride out. I know the questions won't be asked, and a relative sense of deflection has already begun, but I'd take that horse being pulled up rather than ridden to the finish all day.

It's not been great viewing. Seeing IEP's groom walk him back in tears being pushed as a positive was weird for me; it was the first time I've really felt "maybe it isn't sustainable for racing to feel like this".

I don't buy "he didn't know till he crossed the line" at all - Hoiles called it on Comms straights away (with Ruby straight on deflector shield duty), the poor thing was visibly dragging his hind legs in its stride, and Townend jumped off immediately after the line. The day before the National too.

Putting to one side this facet of jumps racing (which I'm in a real "maybe it's not for me any more" mode ATM which I accept makes me more prone to a naturally antagonistic viewpoint), racing has a real issue with protecting ranks on the established order, which is one of the reasons it's shrinking. Skelton cheats all year and the handicapper gleefully cuts his marks, but a smaller trainer tries to have a little bit of a touch and theyll crush em. No doubt in my mind if a more junior jockey did that in a less high profile meet they'd have thrown the book at them.