Irish Flat Season 2012

  • Thread starter Thread starter SlimChance
  • Start date Start date
chroniclandlord said:
I have never seen Ballydoyle with so many Galway entries.
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Do not underestimate how important it is to them that he wins the jockey title. Weld is going to have a tough time this year with Willie Mullins and Aiden O'Brien sending inform teams. I don't fancy Smullen to be top jockey and Weld is not guaranteed to be top trainer either.
 
Bolger has some decent entries too...Weld will saturate the week with entries and win top trainer but will struggle to get to double figures..
 
LUKE said:
I'd still fancy Smullen to win the title.
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In my opinion Joseph is an absolute certainty. I have heard he's seriously struggling with his weight in the last month and apparently they're using every trick in the book to keep him 2-3lb overweight at times. It's unlikely he'll be able to ride many fillies maidens for the rest of the year. That said they have too much fire-power and Smullen simply won't match him from now to the end of the season.
 
Andy Oliver has hit form with a vengeance this weekend. What a training performance to win the Cambridgeshire with a horse on his second start. Add to that his supplementing of the Futurity winner and just being pipped in the loder fillies race sat with a debutant. His time with Mark Johnston was well spent. Now for the future with the big owners taking notice.
"Ballybay for sugary tae and Monaghan for brandy
But Stragane House is the place to go
For flat performers mighty!"
(Apologies to Oliver Wordsworth Brady)
 
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chroniclandlord said:
He is a trainer I think will make it to more at more impact at the highest level over the next few years.
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Very tough to consistently challenge the biggest stables in Ireland...Harrington, Lyons, Lynam, Prendergast, Deegan and now Oliver are more Europa League to the Champions League of O'Brien, Oxx, Weld and Bolger. I wouldn't say there is a glass ceiling more of a reinforced titanium bullet proof one.
 
On The Bridle said:
Very tough to consistently challenge the biggest stables in Ireland...Harrington, Lyons, Lynam, Prendergast, Deegan and now Oliver are more Europa League to the Champions League of O'Brien, Oxx, Weld and Bolger. I wouldn't say there is a glass ceiling more of a reinforced titanium bullet proof one.
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Oxx and Weld took over family operations but have lifted them a level. Ballydoyle too is now operating on an even higher level (in terms of scale at least) than in Vincent's day. But Jim Bolger started off with no background in racing and built up his operation from scratch. So it can be done, even if it's very difficult, especially from a base so removed from the main racing areas as Co Tyrone.
 
He seems to have a very good eye for picking up cheap buys at the sales. A mate's father has been involved in two astute purchases with Oliver at a bargain-basement price. Both horses ended up outrunning their sales price by a few stone.
 
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