Champion Stakes

Especially as he's arguably better over 1m4f. Don't think he would have landed a blow on Zarkava though and he may have boiled over at Longchamp.
 
Chance he might be kept on in training after that effort or is the Sheikh's need for Galileo blood too great?
 
The fast ground and following wind enabled him to produce a super-fast time of 2m0.13s. Must be close to a course record.
 
Good call re New Approach, Gal. I feared he was gone for the season.

I expect he's straight off to stud now. Bolger, his staff and especially the pony (maybe) have done really well to keep him on the the right side of insanity for so long.
 
NA's speed figure was 124..which is a decent but not special figure...Stimulation ran a 122 today for instance

a good solid time...but one that suggests the others have run a bit below par rather than NA being a flying machine...I'm not running the horse down..he ran nearly that fast as a 2yo..without adding any WFA for instance
 
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would just add

it was a brilliantly carried out piece of pace making which caught the others out...they thought NA had gone too hard with the pace I think...by two out they were too far back to ever get near NA...a masterclass in pace management...visually it was something else
 
It was great to watch. NA was very calm int he parade ring, just following Upton Grey around - I feel they must have had the pacemaker near him for the last 24 hours. His pony took over when they left the parade ring, but Upton Grey took over again on track. There was no display of temperament at all today from NA (not till he got back in anyway and the wall of snappers crowded him in!). The crowd seems a lot further back from the horses in the PR at the Rowley, and I think that helped, along with the sheer size of it. But Bolger said the horse was calm being saddled, for the first time today.

It's such a shame he got that muscle injury in the summer - who knows what we might have seen... I've always loved this horse and believed in him, and I'm delighted he went out on such a high. The crowd gasped when he went on so early - then started to roar when they realised he wasn't goingto stop - and then began clapping somewhere round the furlong pole. It was great, electric - genuine enthusiasm for a real star. And as for Bolger - he's a wonderful trainer imo. His dealings with this horse just underline it.
 
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Looks like New Approach will get an RPR of 131. Seems fair - I think Full Of Gold was the limiting factor in him going any higher. Either way, a clear personal best for him on their ratings.
 
What a horse -I think we never really saw him at his very best-I think there was plenty of improvement left in him.
 
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