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walsworth said:
Is Aidan Obrien the biggest brown nose we've ever seen?
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He would have to be in anyone's Top Ten.

He's obviously a good trainer - though he can hardly fail ever since Coolmore recruited him - but he is basically Coolmore's slave IMO.

On top of training their horses, he is clearly expected to talk up their stallion prospects and even issue cringe like this.

Seems to me Ballydoyle is O'Brien's gilded prison and all the money in the world wouldn't make me want to swap places with him.

I don't actually think Coolmore have any real respect for him - if they did they'd just leave him to train the horses and not expect him to say stuff like that.
 
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Danny said:
Horslaloi111 by very definition means horse all black (I think Ians French language expertise may correct me) and considering his name was followed by the 3rd id suggest there have been at least 3 of them.
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It means outside of the law. My second favourite French horse name next to my all time favourite Sabin du Loir. I never did find out what that meant; even asked a French student that stayed with us, but she didn’t know. Assume it is just a place name.
 
maureen said:
It means outside of the law. My second favourite French horse name next to my all time favourite Sabin du Loir. I never did find out what that meant; even asked a French student that stayed with us, but she didn’t know. Assume it is just a place name.
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Wow all these years I've thought it meant horse all black im sure im remember a commentator saying that and it stuck thank-you you putting me right on that he was one of my favourite horses and now he has a much more suitable name.
 
I’ve just looked up Hors la Loi’s race record. For some reason I’d always thought he was involved in the incident where See More Business was carried out but I was wrong. But looking at the races he ran in what memories it brings back. I’ve probably got most of his races on video because I used to record everything back then. I always thought I’d enjoy rewatching them but they just make me aware of how old I am! I hadn’t realised he’d changed trainer so many times. Back then horses seemed to carry on for years…these days it’s blink and you miss it. Or is that just me getting old again?
 
maureen said:
I’ve just looked up Hors la Loi’s race record. For some reason I’d always thought he was involved in the incident where See More Business was carried out but I was wrong. But looking at the races he ran in what memories it brings back. I’ve probably got most of his races on video because I used to record everything back then. I always thought I’d enjoy rewatching them but they just make me aware of how old I am! I hadn’t realised he’d changed trainer so many times. Back then horses seemed to carry on for years…these days it’s blink and you miss it. Or is that just me getting old again?
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Cyborgo was the horse who carried out See more business. Much to Paul Nicholls merriment.
 
Of course. I did actually know that at one time so my memory is going awol. I do remember thinking at the time, given that See More’s jumping was a bit iffy at times ( I remember him falling in a race once when I was getting ready to go out and was desperately trying not to cry which would have smudged my mascara; thankfully, he got up but it was a worrying few seconds) and in retrospect I felt that he might have ended up taking a crashing fall in that race so perhaps it was meant to be; he lost part of his hoof I believe. I always thought his was an ugly name compared to the ill fated See More Indians, but it didn’t stop me adoring him and I was there to see him win his Gold Cup. But my heart was in my mouth every time he ran.
 
I've been looking at 16 handicaps today.

16.

Oh, and six other races.

I've also been knee deep in data regarding wind speed and direction, times, going stick readings, weather forecasts and local water table readings regarding five different racecourses.

I'm a machine, I tell you, a machine.

Think Jean Claude Van Damme (who I was told I resembled in my hey day, though I couldn't see it myself) with somewhat less muscle, but a form book to compensate.

It's going to be another very interesting weekend's racing.
 
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I've looked at every Class 2 and Class 3 Handicap at Haydock Park, Ascot, Kempton Park and Thirsk and....I haven't got a whole lot to add to what I've said on the forum already.

I have, however, bet Akkadian Thunder and Telemark in the 2.40 at Ascot.

Needless to say I won't be at either Ascot or Kempton Park (both less than an hour away) tomorrow.

I plan to do some food shopping at Odiham High Street Market tomorrow morning, then watch the afternoon racing at home, while monitoring Folkestone Invicta v Whitehawk in the Isthmian Premier, then turn my attentions Stateside in the evening.

Which cheese to buy?

Which artisan bread?

No one knows what a tough life I have.
 
Don't get hung up on the time a 2yo did, what it beat, by how far, on what going. When a colt does what neither of his G1 full brothers (one the best since Frankel) could do and wins as a 2yo debutant, 25s 2,000 Guineas and 33s Derby raises an eyebrow. Raaheeb could be very good.
 
Imagine being so stupid you not only perform the most inept and obvious stopping job in the history of racing, but spend the measly £100 you get for doing it on a tattoo. The lad needs help - and lots of it. He shouldn't ever be leaving his home on his own - he'd be odds against to find his way back by himself.
 
I'm just waiting for the Racing Post to announce they won't be publishing a British edition tomorrow in support of "The Great British Racing Strike" and that the entire RP staff will be on picket line duty outside betting shops all day in case anyone tries to have a bet on Cork.
 
maureen said:
I’ve just looked up Hors la Loi’s race record. For some reason I’d always thought he was involved in the incident where See More Business was carried out but I was wrong. But looking at the races he ran in what memories it brings back. I’ve probably got most of his races on video because I used to record everything back then. I always thought I’d enjoy rewatching them but they just make me aware of how old I am! I hadn’t realised he’d changed trainer so many times. Back then horses seemed to carry on for years…these days it’s blink and you miss it. Or is that just me getting old again?
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Horslaloi was my first ever antepost bet. Id backed him £10e/w for the triumph hurdle at 33/1. As a youngster in the game I thought Francois Doumen horses were the key to me making my fortune. As the story goes Pipe was struggling a bit to retain the trainers title and leased the horse out of Doumens yard and switched his race to the Supreme novices which he won by 17L and im sure it was something like a second slower or faster than Istabraqs time in the Champion Hurdle. Needless to say by the time the festival had come around I was broke and think I had my total bank balance of £5 on him at 13/2 the best thing I can say about that is that the winnings got me through to payday. Fair to say though I think he'd of safely won the triumph. For me the horse was never the same after. I was glad when he won his Champion Hurdle as I think he deserved it even if it was sort of by default at the expense of Valiramix.
 
I always get a bit nostalgic as the St Leger nears - 1978, it was a wonderful and literally unforgettable day for then 15yo, now 62yo, me.
 
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That was some day.

I always get nostalgic on Leger Day - vivid memories of 1978 with my Dad, I could write an essay on that wonderful afternoon from arrival to listening to Sports Report at 5pm on the radio as we drove away from the track going home.

Anyway, I did my dough on both the opener and the Portland today, but nicked a bit back on Marvelman (that Hungerford form is proper decent) and then Scandinavia guaranteed a winning day - just!

Smashing game colt, and in running up double money I've basically got 10/1 Illinois in the Irish Leger now and I'll let that ride.

I won on the AW at Lingfield, sorted out the one-two in the last at Doncaster, but never had a bet in the race - FML - then struck gold on the USA racing.

I had a bit on the 2yo filly who won a G1 at Woodbine at a right price (bet four in the race though) then "bought money" on the nap Notable Speech at the death.

I've been on the phone to "Leafy" half the evening and we've gone through the 2.30, 3.00 and 4.40 at Doncaster forensically.

Once the horses of interest were mutually agreed, "Leafy" came up with an each-way multiple permutation WMD staking plan so evil we'll end up in The Hague if we're caught deploying it.

If all goes to plan it's gonna be "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - but we've said that before.
 
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I had a brutal day yesterday - I'm alright, but I still feel shattered and I will probably spend the rest of the weekend recovering.

I've made an early start today, got everything I wanted to do done, now I'm firmly ensconced Chez YFUSA for the rest of the day.
 
I've just had home made Tuscan sausage pasta for lunch and I am unlikely to be able to move for the rest of the afternoon - my God, I'm a good cook. #dontfeedthenarcissist #becausehefeedshimself
 
To say I'm looking forward to this week is an understatement.

Kerry National tomorrow, Newmarket Cambridgeshire meeting, enough said.

I used to have a ritual of attending the final fixture of the year on Epsom Downs this Sunday (ditto the first, City & Suburban Day in April) - and it's an amazing unique venue - but once you start arriving at a place and it only feels like five minutes since you were last there, it's time to move on to pastures new.
 

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