Event of the year?

Tanlic

Tanlic

Senior Jockey
Joined
Dec 6, 2011
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I bet you are all chomping at the bit and can't want to get your glad rags on and head to Ascot.

For this weekend they host the fantastic, grandmastic, maidofplastic Shergar Cup.

Just look at the line up

GBI - Jamie Spencer, Pat Smullen, Adam Kirby
Europe – Olivier Peslier, Vincent Cheminaud, Adrie De Vries
Girls – Emma-Jayne Wilson, Hayley Turner, Cathy Gannon
Rest of the Wallies – Kerrin McEvoy, Blake Shinn, Yutaka Take

Where would flat racing be without the likes of Jamie and Haley going head to head?

Reduced from the normal 7 races to 6 and total prize money for the day less than half that won by Solow at Goodwood the other day.

IMO a waste of a good Saturday fixture
 
Actually, I have to confess to nearly going on Saturday! I only live down the road and a couple of non punting mates are going, so was nearly persuaded but saw sense in the end!
 
I won't go out of my way to watch any of it but I have nothing against the day really as it's just harmless fluff.

Historically, it's always been the Rose of Lancaster at Haydock and the Sweet Solera at Newmarket so apart from diverting one or two jockeys at most, it doesn't detract from those races at all. Besides, there doesn't have to be a Group One every Saturday and there are three on Sunday in any case.

The crowds are always good and as it doesn't appeal to us purists, the bulk of those in attendance will be the newcomers the sport is trying to attract and it's far better for the integrity of the sport to use actual horse racing rather than some washed up 80s pop star.

Still, if nothing else, it provides the apathists with an entertaining annual round of pish-poshing.
 
But what is there to appeal to us purists........Gleneagles V Solow never took place now Oppemheimer says no way to American P V Golden Horn.

No doubt the AOB camp will find some excuse not to send Gleneagles to York and then tell us how he loves Ireland and wants to give the Irish People the opportunity to see him run in The Irish Champion where' he'll have a walkover before going off to stud.......hope I am wrong but it's a distinct possibility

The flat has loads to offer but very seldom puts it on show due to the vast sums involved in breeding.
 
Tanlic said:
But what is there to appeal to us purists........Gleneagles V Solow never took place now Oppemheimer says no way to American P V Golden Horn.

No doubt the AOB camp will find some excuse not to send Gleneagles to York and then tell us how he loves Ireland and wants to give the Irish People the opportunity to see him run in The Irish Champion where' he'll have a walkover before going off to stud.......hope I am wrong but it's a distinct possibility

The flat has loads to offer but very seldom puts it on show due to the vast sums involved in breeding.
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Steady on now. There is plenty of ducking and diving at the festival too. I can't wait for 5 months of guess what race Willie Mullins is sending his horses too. You hedge jumping lovers have very rose tinted glasses.
 
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You're not wrong which is why I prefer jumps over the flat many times over.

But I don't see how the utterly irrelevant Shergar Cup is in any way responsible for this. As you allude to, there is already ample opportunity for the best horses to take each other on. Replacing the Shergar Cup with a new championship standard race will only create another contest for the best horses to swerve.
 
SlimChance said:
Steady on now. There is plenty of ducking and diving at the festival too. I can't wait for 5 months of guess what race Willie Mullins is sending his horses too. You hedge jumping lovers have very rose tinted glasses.
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To be fair, most of the ducking and diving at the festival concerns the novice events and Quevega.
 
Not my cup of tea but it is what it is. No problem with it myself. Footy starting again so good timing.

Still smarting a tad that we never got to see Gleneagles smash Solow.
 
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Bachelors Hall said:
To be fair, most of the ducking and diving at the festival concerns the novice events and Quevega.
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Willie Mullins sending one horse to every race is boring. He's got the nest horses at the moment. Next year you will see no fancy prices on his horses in the ante post races because bookmakers done their brains on them this year.
 
The Shergar is a card of competitive handicaps. If you want a decent bet you'll get laid. That's all I care about. I'll be disappointed if I don't get 4 winners in a Lucky 15 up.
 
SlimChance said:
Willie Mullins sending one horse to every race is boring. He's got the nest horses at the moment. Next year you will see no fancy prices on his horses in the ante post races because bookmakers done their brains on them this year.
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5/4 Faugheen and 6/4 UDS are fancy prices, if you ask me, and the double is the ante-post bet of the season. Both run great when fresh, so WPM won't have to train them hard to get them ready for Cheltenham. This should help mitigate the risk of injury, which the only thing that can get the bet beat.

Tally-ho.
 
Grasshopper said:
5/4 Faugheen and 6/4 UDS are fancy prices, if you ask me, and the double is the ante-post bet of the season. Both run great when fresh, so WPM won't have to train them hard to get them ready for Cheltenham. This should help mitigate the risk of injury, which the only thing that can get the bet beat.

Tally-ho.
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Want me to lay you the £100 I owe you at 5/1?
 
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SlimChance said:
Steady on now. There is plenty of ducking and diving at the festival too. I can't wait for 5 months of guess what race Willie Mullins is sending his horses too. You hedge jumping lovers have very rose tinted glasses.
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No where near as bad as the flat.....The best horse seen around in years SS was taken on in both the Arkle and the QMCC by the best around namely Cue Card and Sizing Europe.

Jezki and co all turned up in the Champion Hurdle to take on Faugheen..........Nicky Henderson sent out Josse's Hill against UDS and those who went elsewhere faced an even bigger obstacle in Vautour.

The Triumph could not have been any more competitive with Nicky sending out all his sqaud all fancied and everything on 4 legs ran in the Gold Cup.

The difference is in preparation top dogs avoid each other sometimes/most of the time but on the big day they turn up.

Can't even be sure Golden Horn will run again the way his owner is talking let alone turn up for the likes of the Arc.
 
SlimChance said:
Want me to lay you the £100 I owe you at 5/1?
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Why does this make feel like I'm walking into a gunfight, armed only with a knife?


Do you have any insight into the wellbeing of these yokes that you should really be sharing with me, Slim?

Not that I'm inferring that you would try to shaft me in such an overt manner, you understand......but you are a filthy sewer-rat with questionable morals, and you might not be able to help yourself.
 
Grasshopper said:
5/4 Faugheen and 6/4 UDS are fancy prices, if you ask me, and the double is the ante-post bet of the season. Both run great when fresh, so WPM won't have to train them hard to get them ready for Cheltenham. This should help mitigate the risk of injury, which the only thing that can get the bet beat.

Tally-ho.
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The form of the Arkle is utter cack. Don't quite know who I'll oppose UDS with but he's way too short.
 
price reflects the potential opposition as much as the horse itself.

if the arkle form is cack the champion chase form is even worse. somersby only a length or so off the winner.

it wouldn't take a whole lot more than 6/4 to tempt me. maybe something else will come out of the woodwork but the division is weak.
 
Grasshopper said:
Why does this make feel like I'm walking into a gunfight, armed only with a knife?


Do you have any insight into the wellbeing of these yokes that you should really be sharing with me, Slim?

Not that I'm inferring that you would try to shaft me in such an overt manner, you understand......but you are a filthy sewer-rat with questionable morals, and you might not be able to help yourself.
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Everything you say is true but I'm not shafting someone that's done me a few favours. If one of them doesn't run this season I'll refund your £100. I can't say fairer than that.
 
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It is the act of a gentleman, a scholar, and a swashbuckler. Not bad, for a fuc*king sewer-rat.

Mark me up.
 
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Euronymous said:
Don't quite know who I'll oppose UDS with but he's way too short.
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You might want to try Superman or Jesus.

UDS didn't run in that Arkle you're referring to. He ran in a completely different race - one on his own, where he won with his head in his chest, thinking it was odd that they made him jump 13 fences on his way to the post.

He will fu*cking LAUGH at anything they put in front of him.
 
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