Chester May Meeting

The amount Murtagh gave Masterofthehorse to do was a mistake clearly, especially when he had ridden one from the front so well the day before and knows how hard it can be to make ground up.
However jockeys go through these patches, R. Hughes is riding well at the moment and he has had his critics in the past.
They are human and Murtagh has not become a bad jockey just because of a few errors in judgement IMHO. He is a great man for the big occasion and I would need more evidence of a decline before I would be put off backing one with him up.
 
Not taking the piss at all. I thought the colt gave his rider every chance today. He wanted to win but was poorly assisted. They used to say that Steve Cauthen rode with a clock in his head, Murtagh's mind seems to be in another time zone.
 
bloodnok said:
The amount Murtagh gave Masterofthehorse to do was a mistake clearly.
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I'm actually prepared to forgive him that ride. They clearly wanted to see how good the favourite was first time out was against a fully fit decent stablemate. The race fit horse won while the other one needs work and will probably progress past him.

That was not the issue with Drumbeat today who looked pretty tuned up after his run at Newmarket and capable of winning.
 
SteveM said:
The kind of ammunition he's got he should be hitting the front where it counts. He's on the best horses and getting patchy results. This suggests underperformance.
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Apart from the two colts at Chester, could someone please list me all these horses he should be winning on this season. Seeing as there are so many of them it should be easy enough...
 
I will always find it very hard to believe Masterofthehorse was beaten for any reason other than he was kept too far behind the pace and for that reason lost when he should have won.
I find it even harder to understand how on the one hand you forgive that ride and yet blame Murtagh for the Drumbeat defeat.
 
bloodnok said:
I will always find it very hard to believe Masterofthehorse was beaten for any reason other than he was kept too far behind the pace and for that reason lost when he should have won.
I find it even harder to understand how on the one hand you forgive that ride and yet blame Murtagh for the Drumbeat defeat.
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Because he backed one and not the other?:ninja:
 
bloodnok said:
I will always find it very hard to believe Masterofthehorse was beaten for any reason other than he was kept too far behind the pace and for that reason lost when he should have won.
I find it even harder to understand how on the one hand you forgive that ride and yet blame Murtagh for the Drumbeat defeat.
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Drumbeat was trained to the bone today, whereas Masterofthehorse needs work. He had a good blow yesterday and will come on to progress past the winner. You can't blame a jockey for losing on a horse that isn't there yet.
 
For all that Murtagh undoubtedly gave Masterofthehorse a poor ride and arguably wasn't at his best on Drumbeat today (though I agree with Gal that he looks a tricky ride), I'd be surprised if Aidan O'Brien wasn't perfectly satisfied with both horses given that they are likely to come on for the run and the fact that trials are treated as very much just that at Ballydoyle (even moreso in the last few years).
 
Well I backed Philipina and Masterofthehorse in a double with Dr. Freemantle so Mr. Murtagh did me no favours this week!

I will still buy him a drink though next week at York... just as a test!!
 
bloodnok said:
Well I backed Philipina and Masterofthehorse in a double with Dr. Freemantle so Mr. Murtagh did me no favours this week!

I will still buy him a drink though next week at York... just as a test!!
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hard luck. I like to think I'm not talking through my pocket today. Some clearly think I am, while others appear to think not.

It's not funny about the drink though... try never to play on a man's weakness.
 
Have a sleep on it.

You might wake up and see that Mutagh's not lost it and you have found your sense of humour!
 
Murtagh rides to exact instructions by the sound of it - I don't think thats always a good idea as today in the 3 horse race it was clear to him, as he admitted afterwards, that he should have kicked on as the horse needed a stamina not speed test - but his instructions were to hold back - if he doesn't ride to instructions then he loses his job

he may well have still lost even if he took it up..though its doubtful he would have lost as far as he did if that tactic had been employed

to be fair...a jockey should be given some quarter dependant on the pace of a race - otherwise you might as well have JS back who rides 98% of his mounts in that way

someone once asked if they had given Piggott orders - the answer was - why would I? - he knows what he's doing

AOB should relax this - to the letter - instruction stuff a little I feel.
 
EC1 said:
Murtagh rides to exact instructions by the sound of it - I don't think thats always a good idea as today in the 3 horse race it was clear to him, as he admitted afterwards, that he should have kicked on as the horse needed a stamina not speed test - but his instructions were to hold back - if he doesn't ride to instructions then he loses his job

he may well have still lost even if he took it up..though its doubtful he would have lost as far as he did if that tactic had been employed

to be fair...a jockey should be given some quarter dependant on the pace of a race - otherwise you might as well have JS back who rides 98% of his mounts in that way

someone once asked if they had given Piggott orders - the answer was - why would I? - he knows what he's doing

AOB should relax this - to the letter - instruction stuff a little I feel.
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I agree with you, but I very much doubt that his orders were to hold him back in the event of them walking round.

You say Murtagh could see what he had to do after the race, the rest of us could see the same at the beginning.

he surely has a bit of common sense.
 
Steve

in the interview afterwards he said that AOB had told him to be held up - not to lead - so..I don't know..it seems to me that he rides to exact orders..AOB a bit of a control freak?

it was funny because I left the room and came back in just after they had set off...I thought they were parading or summat :lol:..it took a good half minute for me to realise they were actually racing.
 
The riding to instructions thing should be taken with a pinch of salt perhaps? An easy thing to say when the trainer is not there himself to have to answer the questions.

I have no doubt Aidan O'Brien told him to hold both horses up....Murtagh will use that as an excuse for Frozen Fire rather than another suitable one in that Frozen Fire is a bit of a so and so who is the worst possible type of horse to making the running. So while today's race did not suit, the horse at least did not have a hard race and will be mentally all there (as much as it can be with a horse like this) for his next and more important target.
 
he were never going to win though Gal - when they really kicked he was left for dead - no way has the horse got that sort of instant speed

i would like to think that AOB does give a jockey some leeway
 
EC1 said:
he were never going to win though Gal - when they really kicked he was left for dead - no way has the horse got that sort of instant speed

i would like to think that AOB does give a jockey some leeway
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Yeah I would agree he was never going to win, I personally dont think he would have won making the running either so its a case of which is the best of two evils. By front running (and getting beat) he puts the horse through a tougher race and also risks frying the horses brain in the process while by holding him up (and getting beat) he at least subjects him to an easy enough debut plus next time he races he won't be overtly keen as can happens after a horse is restrained after previously making the running.

I think it was a no win situation today on a very tricky customer.
 
I was surprised that Frozen Fire was even entered in this race and that he even ran without a pacemaker.

There was no way he was going to win this race with the firm ground and the way things worked out.

I think he will struggle to win a decent Group race this season. He was probably the worst Irish Derby winner in recent memory.
 
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