King George

EC1 said:
you talking...sooper dooper G1's DO...there are not many of those in reality...and they are above average..not expected levels what you are talking about..imo
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I reckon when you're talking about the internationally recognised top races you should be wanting super-duper ones. By all means there will be plenty of other G1s through the year that will allow [relatively speaking] borderline G1 contenders to have their day in the sun.

Horses like Frankel and Mill Reef/Brigadier Gerard are the ones that are 'way beyond the norm but most years you do get 126-133 types in the better G1s. That's where the King George should belong.
 
Fretter ?
He has 3 horses entered in a top race, one on a 75k supplement.
Only fair that he not run a horse in less than optimum conditions; that is what top trainers do.
It would compare with WPM running Hurricane Fly, Un De Sceaux and Annie Power in the Champion Hurdle.
The 1997 Eclipse was considered one of the races ratings wise to that point as all runners had ratings of 120 or better.
To get up to six in one race is quite an achievement; mid summer is a rest period for many in preparation for Autumn and Arc can suffer from extremes of going.
Those 120+ rated present have all won at Group 1 level so it will take a genuine 125+ performance to beat them all.
One or two may not run to their max ability on the day but all of them hardly wont.
Hence " a great race is in prospect " to me anyway.
(Should that be "For me". Micky Fitz has me all confused )
 
edgt said:
Fretter ?
He has 3 horses entered in a top race, one on a 75k supplement.
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it is what he does though..he puts horses in races....he's only got to work out how fast the ground is and decide whether to run..i can do that sat in me front room..you don't start having collywobbles even before you know what the ground is.....he doesn't know how much water is going on..past experience of royal meeting says they will water to topside good...which he pi$sed in on last time..wtf is there to worry about?..he's not a surgeon with folks life in his hands
 
Bar the Bull said:
The only G1 in Britain in the last 5 years that I can think of with 3+ horses with an OR of greater than 125 is Frankel's last race. Happy to be corrected on that.
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After Sea the stars eclipse the top three were all rated 125, that count?!
 
I have to say i'm in the decent race camp. Best King George for a few years. If Australia was running it would have been a proper british midsummer middle distance championship.

Interesting race as well. Eagle top was impressive but took a bit of time to wind up at Ascot. I like him but not sure if this lot might be a bit streetwise for him. Taghrooda has her dads looks and is a real galloper but watching her Oaks again she's going to need to have some more in the locker otherwise she'll get found out. The other 3yo Romsdal looks a gutsy battler but not classy enough.

Cant quite get my head round Telescope but i'm taking the view it was an average Hardwicke and he put in his best performance yet but he'll still need more to win this. Flintshire and Trading Leather are both good horses and have G1 winning form over 12f but those really were average races for the grade. This is tougher. Leitir Mor runs surely as a pacemaker for Trading Leather and i'm currently of the opinion that will set the race up for Magician.

Each time he's had a strong pace and GF/FM ground he's put in G1 performances. Its a shame Moore isn't on him but Magician looks the bet e/w at current prices although i will only be have a small bet because the 3yo's could well find the necessary improvement.

Three 3yo's must be the most for a few years as well, this was becoming a race for older horses.
 
edgt said:
Fretter ?
He has 3 horses entered in a top race, one on a 75k supplement.
Only fair that he not run a horse in less than optimum conditions; that is what top trainers do.
It would compare with WPM running Hurricane Fly, Un De Sceaux and Annie Power in the Champion Hurdle.
The 1997 Eclipse was considered one of the races ratings wise to that point as all runners had ratings of 120 or better.
To get up to six in one race is quite an achievement; mid summer is a rest period for many in preparation for Autumn and Arc can suffer from extremes of going.
Those 120+ rated present have all won at Group 1 level so it will take a genuine 125+ performance to beat them all.
One or two may not run to their max ability on the day but all of them hardly wont.
Hence " a great race is in prospect " to me anyway.
(Should that be "For me". Micky Fitz has me all confused )
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Sorry Edgt but it's not the same. UDS and Annie Power hopefully have a long career ahead of them, which may or may not be why Hurricane Fly had one last bite at the cherry, so to speak.

Eagle Top doesn't. So unless the ground is stupidly fast, which the course surely won't let it be, then he should run.

Another reason why flat racing doesn't get the pulse racing so much due to stud value being more important than actual achievement but I don't want to open that up again.
 
in last years KG no horse was rated above 120 prior to the race. Novellist was Arc fav afterwards if i remember correctly.
 
EC1 said:
it is what he does though..he puts horses in races..he's not a surgeon with folks life in his hands
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Nothing to do with the race but Peter Ustinov wrote a wonderful book called "The Loser ".
In it he qualified a statement that panic was for lesser people with the following analogy.
"A tenement dweller has a heart attack. His family and neighbours run up and down the street screaming and yelling for help. Emergency services rush through the city alarms and sirens blaring to get the patient to hospital. Orderlies await the ambulance to rush the patient to theatre.
Once in theatre the surgeon takes his time scrubbing and preparing himself for aseptic surgery. Should the patient die the surgeon shrugs his shoulders saying 'It is God's will' "
Just thought I would share that .( 'twas the surgeon reference that did it )
 
Aragorn said:
Eagle top was impressive but took a bit of time to wind up at Ascot.
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Would worry me too.
John Gosden says he has a lot of speed, yet on the other hand, he's entered him in the Leger. Won well off a strong pace in the KE V11, but it doesn't necessarily follow he'll have the same gear change some of these will. Might also be part of the reason for his trainer's rain dance.
The more I look at the race, the more I'm favouring Magician. Has the best 12f form in the race, both at Sana Anita and his unlucky Sheema Classic run, will love the ground, and might even find a little improvement for the stiffest test he's faced, thus far.
 
ground gone good to firm officially but there's black clouds and thunder hovering around the ascot area. would love a massive downpour to secure eagle top's participation.
 
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