Fairyhouse and Irish National

I’m going to keep an eye on Tile Tapper who beat I Am Maximus ( albeit in a bumper I think) way back, although he’s never much of a price. Looking on I Am Maximus’s profile JP only bought him a few days ago. I’d give anything to know the background to all that. Is it obvious that the horse have unlimited stamina? Is it to do with his breeding? Oh to be a fly on the wall sometimes. Either way he didn’t tick any boxes when it came to yesterdays race other than reading comments on previous races but you can’t look into every race a horse has competed in when it comes to a field that size. I wish I could look into the future and see what is going to happen to him in the future.
 
moehat said:
I’m going to keep an eye on Tile Tapper who beat I Am Maximus ( albeit in a bumper I think) way back, although he’s never much of a price. Looking on I Am Maximus’s profile JP only bought him a few days ago. I’d give anything to know the background to all that. Is it obvious that the horse have unlimited stamina? Is it to do with his breeding? Oh to be a fly on the wall sometimes. Either way he didn’t tick any boxes when it came to yesterdays race other than reading comments on previous races but you can’t look into every race a horse has competed in when it comes to a field that size. I wish I could look into the future and see what is going to happen to him in the future.
Click to expand...

Tile Tapper was 3rd to I am Maximus in that Cheltenham Bumper, My Drogo was runner up.
 
Talking of Cheltenham bumpers, Acey Milan who was 6-5 fav for the Champion bumper that Delegate won, won the first at Taunton Vale Point to Point yesterday....he wasn’t even favourite!
 
Was amusing to hear Jerry Hannon briefly referring to Ricci’s little-known “Monkshit” yesterday.
 
Desert Orchid said:
Yes, the fact that PT ended up riding the horse had me looking again a few times but I decided I couldn't justify following the market.

Sometimes that kind of decision works for you, usually it doesn't so it was one of those I could let win without backing it [at the price].
Click to expand...

I'm begining to think we/the punters don't put enough emphasis in the fact that PT is proving to be an extraordinary jockey.

Following in the footsteps of Ruby Walsh who I always regarded as the bet I have ever seen is no easy task to live up to.

However the figures don't lie and unless I am sadly mistaken his current win ration of 31% over the last 5 years is better than Ruby ever achieved.

To top that this season he has a 38% strike rate which makes Rubys 29% average look ordinary.

However such was Ruby's popularity and his obvious great personality we dare not compare without commiting blasphemy.

All I can say is he must be riding better horses :)
 
Walsh spent half his time riding in England, and Mullins wasn’t quite as dominating then, as he is now, so not sure you’re entirely comparing apples with apples.
 
Last edited:
Not over the last 5 years of his career he didn't. Ruby only rode 23 times in England compared to Paul Townend who has ridden 114 times over the last 5 years.

I'm not so sure Mullins is more dominant now than he was when Ruby was riding there full time. Ruby had over 100 winners 5 times PT has only just achieved 100 for the first time this week.
He also appears to be using more jockeys than before

Sure he had 10 Festival winners in 2022 but that was 2 more than he had in 2015 and of those 10 PT only got the leg up on 5 of them.

Ruby is the most successful Irish jockey to date and unless PT wins the Championship for the next 8 or 9 years that is unlikely to change
but he lived in Ruby's shadow for a long time.

He was actually Champion Jockey himself 12 years ago it is unlikely he's be riding in 5 years time.
 
Last edited:
Was it Townend that used to come over and ride Rebecca Curtis’s horses on a regular basis years ago?
 
Back
Top