Ascot Take Outs Day 1 and 2

[barjon]

DAY ONE

2:30 Notable Speech didn’t like the slow pace and wouldn’t settle. Then, when push came to shove, there was no way through and Buick had to take him across to the rail which was away from the main action.

It's disappointing when you have a race like that and they've gone the pace they have. From our point of view, it was a bit hard to watch. Notable Speech was sat there, travelling like he was, and you knew it was going to turn into a sprint. We will put it behind us and he has run a solid race. I take on board what William said afterwards and, if you wanted to pigeon-hole him into a trip now that he is older and stronger, then seven furlongs is his gig. I still wouldn't walk away without taking a good strong view of the Sussex again, but we all know the City Of York Stakes is going to be one hell of a race this year - Charlie Appleby, trainer.

4:20 The way Field Of Gold leapt away from top class horses as if they were selling platers was the highlight of the meeting for me. It’s difficult not to see him going through his career unbeaten except for that one blip.

5:00 Reaching High was repeatedly denied room in the straight he finished full of running, all dressed up and nowhere to go. Whether he would have won - who knows - he just didn’t get a chance.

5:35 Enfjaar had just started his challenge when the “road closed” sign sprung up in front of him. Took a little while to regain momentum when clear, but it was too late then. Worth another chance.


DAY TWO

3:05 A furlong out Rahiebb looked as though he as going to come through and win it. He didn’t, his trainers comments make it worthwhile keeping an eye on him, I think.

Rahiebb has run a really good race, he's a very nice horse. A horse to look forward to, hopefully for the next year or two in that staying division. He's still a baby, he didn't behave great in the prelims, just showing a bit of immaturity. He was slow from the gates, the draw didn't take his chance away, but made it difficult. He hasn't quite got a clear passage, he didn't really get stopped, but he didn't quite get an open runway. I still thought he would win with two to run. Then he was sort of wandering off a straight line, I don't know if it was greenness or ground, hot day, used a bit of nervous energy before the race. I think when you throw everything into the mix, he's a nice horse who performed very well, a bit frustrating we didn't quite bring it home, but a nice one for the future - Roger Varian, trainer.

4:20 When push came to shove Anmaat took what looked like a winning run, but it didn’t take long for the winner to cruise past. Nonetheless, Anmaat ran a really good race on ground maybe a bit quick for him.

Also in the race See The Fire justified being supplemented for it and ran a cracker into third. She’ll feature again, for sure.

 

[Desert Orchid]

One thing I noticed was how poorly Crowley performed as a jockey. Too often too far back when horses weren't getting competitive from the rear and went too fast in front with Falakeyah. He's very much a hot-and-cold jockey for me. This week he was freezing.

 

[Euronymous]

Day 1:
I thought the Queen Anne was incredibly average and Field of Gold is outstanding. One horse to follow or track is Coppull from the Coventry. Did well to hold off all of his rivals from the stand side the winner apart who drifted to the centre anyway.

Day 2:
I liked a couple from the Queen Mary with a view to a step up in trip, Shine on Me and Eskimo Pie.
The POW wasn't much better than the Queen Anne, there was a big pace collapse, and I want to be against Ombudsman in the Eclipse.
Greek Order ran a smasher in the Hunt Cup after a year in America. He was second in the Cambs a couple of years back and he'd be on my mind for that again.

 

[barjon]

Looking to see if I could get some news about how Anmaat had come out of the race, I found this about one of m favourite horses. Bon voyage.

A fond farewell to Alflaila​

• May 12

This morning marked the end of a very special chapter here at Farncombe Down as we waved goodbye to Alflaila, who has now begun his journey to White Robe Lodge in New Zealand, where he will stand as a stallion.

It's never easy saying farewell to a horse who has given us so much, and Alflaila has certainly done that and more over the past four years. He arrived in the yard as a big, scopey colt and leaves as a Group-winning horse with real presence — both on the track and at home.

He has been a huge character around the yard, a horse full of personality who made sure his voice was heard and his presence felt every day. Horses like him don’t come around often — not just because of his talent, but because of the spirit and energy he brought into the place. He had a spark about him that you couldn’t help but admire, and the whole team here is incredibly grateful to have been part of his journey.

 

[barjon]

More on Rahiebb ex Sporting Life.

Rahiebb (Roger Varian)​

18 June - Royal Ascot - Queen’s Vase

No one wants to undertake a run before a marathon, and that’s the simplest way to describe Rahiebb’s paddock antics.

A deep-chested, burly colt, he had all the physical attributes of an eye-catcher but jogged and pulled throughout the preliminaries, leaving the paddock for the start in a heavy sweat.

It was therefore particularly eye-catching to see the son of Frankel come with a notable run at the two furlong marker before running out of steam and plugging on for a promising third.

Described as green on his first two career outings, it feels the colt is still learning on the job and we may see a streamlined, professional version of Rahiebb by the end of the season – capable of winning over staying