King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2011

It's something of an unknown quantity, but he handled it in France in his early career, and Tiger Hills generally seem to handle cut at least as well as good or faster ground.
 
AM OB just on Twitter. Joseph O'Brien to ride. Wouldn't have been my first choice but then what do I know...
 
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Before the Irish Guineas I was critical of Joseph getting the ride on Roderic O'Connor, but he did very well that day so good luck to him. I had expected either Seamie Heffernan or Colm O'Donoghue to ride on Saturday though.
 
He is technically still an apprentice.

Does this mean that a Fortune/ Fallon/ Hughes/ Peslier /Hanagan couldn't ride SNA just as well? If you look at the final furlong and half of the Coronation, SNA needed everything Ryan Moore threw at him to get home.
 
DrizzleCity said:
The question I have, is how is JPOB, OBJECTIVELY the best jockey to ride SNA?
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There is of course no requirement for objectively choosing the best available jockey... often a stable is more comfortable with their own rider(s).
 
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No matter how well he rode Roderick O'Connor, and let's be honest, he gave him a peach of a ride (don't know what that means but sure it's right in this context) in the Irish 2000, but it can't be anything but some sort of negative that a 3 lb claimer, unable to utilise that allowance takes the ride, particularly as he doesn't have that much experience riding horses with similar chances in top-class events.
 
davidjohnson said:
No matter how well he rode Roderick O'Connor, and let's be honest, he gave him a peach of a ride (don't know what that means but sure it's right in this context) in the Irish 2000, but it can't be anything but some sort of negative that a 3 lb claimer, unable to utilise that allowance takes the ride, particularly as he doesn't have that much experience riding horses with similar chances in top-class events.
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A peach of a rise entitles the jockey to plum rides in future. HTH.
 
davidjohnson said:
No matter how well he rode Roderick O'Connor, and let's be honest, he gave him a peach of a ride (don't know what that means but sure it's right in this context) in the Irish 2000, but it can't be anything but some sort of negative that a 3 lb claimer, unable to utilise that allowance takes the ride, particularly as he doesn't have that much experience riding horses with similar chances in top-class events.
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Exactly. Even if you fancied SNA to win, I can't imagine you could have a bet with him up.

It is a glaring case of nepotism. By all means put up a stable jockey if you don't want to use an outsider for some reason, but surely it should then not go to comfortably the weakest and most inexperienced of the trio?
 
Soary Stars said:
Whoever rides Nathaniel has the best ride .... that'll be young William Buick.

:)
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I agree he got within a hd of a Derby runner up and Irish Derby winner on a track that clearly didn't suit - is a C/D winner, winning a G2 easily and is better than his O/R 115 in my book. With question marks over WF track, REW space between races and SNA possibly not good enough - He looks the value to surprise. He also comfortably beat the 2011 St Leger winner Fiorente? comfortably :whistle:
 
Hamm said:
It is a glaring case of nepotism. By all means put up a stable jockey if you don't want to use an outsider for some reason, but surely it should then not go to comfortably the weakest and most inexperienced of the trio?
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It's clearly a decision that dad and connections are all behind, so no one's objecting there.

As you point out, the only people who might object are the punters (Ballydoyle has never worried about them) and other jocks who fancied the ride. But if the horse is good enough Jo is good enough not to mess things up - the claim is neither here nor there.
 
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I have to admit I thought that the fact that O'Donoghue was jocked up on two other runners on the card meant he was the likely jock . This strikes me as a bizarre decision .
 
Ardross said:
I have to admit I thought that the fact that O'Donoghue was jocked up on two other runners on the card meant he was the likely jock . This strikes me as a bizarre decision .
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A fair assumption, but it doesn’t seem to work like that at Ballydoyle. Each stable jockey seems to have a group of horses they are preferred for, with one preferred over another for one horse and the other way around for another.
I was sort of assuming that with Moore unavailable Heffernan would ride (as he’s ridden him before, albeit beaten), but Seamie doesn’t always tow the party line (…complaining about his instructions on F&G in the Derby didn’t help in terms of pecking order status).
 
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DrizzleCity said:
He is technically still an apprentice.

Does this mean that a Fortune/ Fallon/ Hughes/ Peslier /Hanagan couldn't ride SNA just as well? If you look at the final furlong and half of the Coronation, SNA needed everything Ryan Moore threw at him to get home.
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Fortune - unwisely said STS was toying with RVW in the Eclpse

Fallon - copybook seriously blotted over the Native Khan affair

Hughes- much too independent minded for AOB surely

Peslier - not a Ballydoyle choice in the past

Hanagan - who ?
 
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