Dublin Racing Festival, DRF

I love watching this meeting, it's a great fixture in its own right and tbh I think it's a bit pathetic that the Racing Post remains seemingly fixated with whether or not the DRF races are reliable trials for the Cheltenham Festival.
 
granger said:
and come on

You are a big boy

Do not believe everything you hear Ruby say on TV wwhen it concerns the yard

PT was always going to ride the horse he won the CH on
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With greatest respect that's absolute aftertiming garbage. No decision was made until both horses had done their final piece of work eaten up rested then scoped, their blood checked them Willie asked Paul which horse did he want to ride. You can take that to the bank Willie asks he does not tell
 
edgt said:
All roads lead to 12.40 Sunday ,Straight Home in the Paddy and Maureen Mullins Mares Hurdle.
The other races are simply a "warm up " or "cool down".
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Good luck sir. I was wondering what the feeling is over the soft going? Most of her running has been on less testing ground, by the looks of it.
 
It must be very difficult for PT not to ride State Man given he's won so much on him. I think most of the top jockeys will ride the 'star' so long as it is still running in the big races.

They don't always win but it's a bad look if they desert them. There are certainly loyalties expected of them as well.

Re Ballyburn, I might be wrong but I went very high with his festival win. I think it might be the highest I've ever rated a winner of that race. I suspect, assuming he is fit and well, he will go on to be an extremely high class novice before going on to better things next season.
 
Desert Orchid said:
It must be very difficult for PT not to ride State Man given he's won so much on him. I think most of the top jockeys will ride the 'star' so long as it is still running in the big races.

They don't always win but it's a bad look if they desert them. There are certainly loyalties expected of them as well.

Re Ballyburn, I might be wrong but I went very high with his festival win. I think it might be the highest I've ever rated a winner of that race. I suspect, assuming he is fit and well, he will go on to be an extremely high class novice before going on to better things next season.
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I liked him a lot too

Hopefully a huge showing at weekend but last year's Gallagher's and the GR1 DRF do not look like great races
 
Tanlic said:
You are 100% wrong. The conditions of his agreement with Munir/Soude is he rides ALl their horses no matter who trains them.
On a separate issue go listen to Ruby on the road to Cheltenham site talking about it is up to Paul what he rides not Willie who trusts him to make the right decision.
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Where did you see the conditions of the agreement?
 
Saturday's winners are as follows, free of charge.

1.15 Jasmin De Vaux (ew)
1.50 Sainte Lucie (nap)
2.25 Meetingofthewaters (job)
2.55 Marjborough, Ile Atlantique (dead heat)
3.30 Galopin Des Champs (wow)
4.05 An Peann Dearg (the red pen)
4.35 I Started a Stroke (nb)
 
1:15 - Jasmin De Vaux was the Champion Bumper winner but has been a huge disappointment so far due to piss poor jumping. He got away with it in a maiden at Navan, but was caught out in a Grade1 at Naas. It was reported afterwards that he would miss the DRF and concentrate on improving his jumping at a lower level. That he appears here maybe indicates that his jumping has been sufficiently improved. He must have a good chance in this if that’s the case.

1:50 - Willy De Houelle arrived from France to the sound of trumpets, but has not shown much thus far. He’s a watch, though to see how he’s coming along.

2:25 - Not a clue

2:55 - Majborough is one who I think might go on to great things and he should take this ok on the way. There’s also one in this to watch which is Touch Me Not who I think would have been a lot closer to L’Eau du Sud at Sandown had he not uprooted the fence six out.

3:30 - Galopin Des Champs is a really tough horse who I think is consistently underrated because of the shorter distance preparation utilised by Mullins. He won’t be beaten over the right distant when it matters, though. Another watcher in this is Grangeclare West who showed a lot of promise last season, but who has been as cold as ice so far this season. I’m looking for any sign of his fire being lit.
 
Majborough did win well lto, as did Ile Atlantic.

Maj really did motor in the latter half of the race and with two to jump, they traveling at sprint pace and I must say I think his jumping improved for it. Before there had been a couple of novicey leaps where he wasn't that fluid. Then again, he put in an absolutely prodigious leap at the third last where he stood off a mile and gain probably 2L in the air. Generally, I worry when novices go from novicey to extravagant leaps. I prefer to see a horse that jumps fluidly and economically.

When Majborough came into the yard and they told me this is our Triumph Hurdle horse this year, I'm looking at him and thought, he's a Gold Cup horse, a three-mile chaser. Physically, that's what he looked like. That'll be a few years down the road, we'll let him go novice chasing first - Willie Mullins, trainer.

Interesting comment on him being a future Gold Cup horse. The breeding wouldn't suggest that but Willie should know. That being so, you'd think he'll need stepping up in trip eventually.

Ile Atlantic gave the sort of jumping display that I love; travelling smoothly and getting from side to the other with very little fuss and measuring his fences very well.

It's a tough call, isn't it? My overall impression is that I'd just prefer to be on the side of Ile Atlantic and I'm so looking forward to watching the race.
 
Quite a few Triumph horses (not necessarily winners) have gone on to be stayers over fences.

Tiger Roll won it and Farclas won it and ended up running in the National too.
 
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