Murtagh at Ballydoyle

See Krizon's post above Ardross. All the reporters we have and only she will ask the hard hitting questions :D
 
She makes Lydia look like a pussycat. You can just imagine her wagging her finger - "Now young Tom, don't get in the grip of the icey tenticals of Coolmore"
 
I did rather more playfully ask George Baker if he'd had the magic call, but he surprisingly said he was still waiting. Shurely shome mistake? :D
 
Mildly intrigued at the riding arrangements at Dundalk tomorrow. Johnny M has 6 rides, 1 for the Aga, 2 for Wachman/Magnier and none for Aidan.

Guess Aidan must be concentrating on trying to get Joseph over the finishing line in the apprentice title.
 
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Aragorn - I'd probably agree if I knew anything about Peter Crouch! But he seems as bright as a button, articulate, and generally pleasant. I'd love to see him getting top rides as he'll know what to do - in spite of his height, he can slide down into as slim a bodyline as is needed, and over the last couple of years has really improved his strength in finishing. (All imho, of course!)
 
Aragorn said:
George Baker is a cracking rider. One of the most underrated jocks about.
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I cannot believe the universal acclaim on this forum for George Baker as opposed to the equally unequivocal writing off of Fran Berry. The ride that G Baker gave Citrus Star at Goodwood (winning ride) was probably the worst winning ride I have seen in my life - he tried everything to get him beat!! GB would not be fit to button Fran's silks IMO. Fran is at least as tall, infinitely more stylish, stronger in a finish, brilliant hands, gets his horses to relax through their races, sharp student of form and speaks with intelligence and humility in his press appearances. Always gives connections plenty of time before and after his rides. He may not get the Ballydoyle job now but will land one of the big jobs in the not too distant future. I would have absolutely loved to see him ride Sea the Stars!
 
Two people liking George Baker's riding "universal acclaim"? A bit OTT, OTB! Every jockey rides a shit race sometime - I think we might even have (gasp!) occasionally seen one from an Irish boy, you know. And "equally unequivocal writing off of Fran Berry" - we've had two remarks on George Baker, so don't see anything equivocal about it.

Yes, I'd like to see George getting top rides. Would I like to see him at Ballydoyle? No, but there's no chance of him being offered the job anyway. Why would they import an English rider when there are clearly so many brilliant Irishmen panting to get the job?

Soumillon is definitely out now, so the list seems to be down to one, and we can probably stop conjecturing.
 
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On The Bridle said:
I cannot believe the universal acclaim on this forum for George Baker as opposed to the equally unequivocal writing off of Fran Berry. The ride that G Baker gave Citrus Star at Goodwood (winning ride) was probably the worst winning ride I have seen in my life - he tried everything to get him beat!! GB would not be fit to button Fran's silks IMO. Fran is at least as tall, infinitely more stylish, stronger in a finish, brilliant hands, gets his horses to relax through their races, sharp student of form and speaks with intelligence and humility in his press appearances. Always gives connections plenty of time before and after his rides. He may not get the Ballydoyle job now but will land one of the big jobs in the not too distant future. I would have absolutely loved to see him ride Sea the Stars!
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Two people doesn't constitute universal acclaim OTB!!!!!

I've never said Berry was a bad rider either. I don't think he'll get the Coolmore job though because good as he is, he isn't the best.
 
Berry definitely would have f*cked the Arc ride up on STS given the traffic, the others were "steering jobs".

Agree about Baker though, competent but he constantly gets put up as an "under rated" jockey when in reality, he's no better or worse than most of the AW crowd.
 
They are all 'the AW crowd', Gamla! You won't find any of them turning down work throughout the winter, and that includes Frankie if Saeed wants a 2 y.o. taken out for a debut spin. And of course some are better than others on the surface, hence the AW championships. (Sighs deeply at this level of bias agin anything other than worm-eaten, grub-nibbled, highly erratic grass... )
 
Few of you flatties may find this of interest

Johnny Murtagh has revealed he left the Ballydoyle stable because he wasn't enjoying the experience as much as he once did.
Listen to Colm Murray's interview with Johnny Murtagh and Babs Keating here.
In a special interview, accompanied by his father-in-law Babs Keating, Murtagh told RTÉ's Colm Murray on RTÉ Radio 1 that he felt it was time to move on in his career after three successful years.
Murtagh stated: 'It was just a stage in my life. It was three years. I was on a yearly contract and I was finished in November. For me it was just a time where I wasn't enjoying the way I was. It was my decision.
'There was no pressure put on me in any way and I just said it was time for me to move on. I've a good relationship with all the owners.
'I have a good relationship with Aidan and his family. But I just felt it was my turn to move on before I said or did something I might regret.'
Reflecting on his time with Ballydoyle, Murtagh was happy with the effort he put in throughout the tenure.
'I never found any pressure. You give me a ride of a 6/4 favourite in a Group 1 race or ride a 20/1 shot, there's a bit more pressure on the 20/1 shot.
'I never felt any pressure. The owners were very supportive. I don't think I can look back on any of the races and say "maybe if I did this or maybe if I did that".
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Granger: I'm very glad you put that up, because the link takes you to a fairly long, but immensely moving and eloquent interview with Colm Murray on RTE. He has been diagnosed with Motor Neurone (not Neuron as the site says!) Disease, aka Lou Gehrig's Disease in the USA. It's incurable, progressive, and will eventually take the life of those afflicted, usually after many years. I can't recall seeing Mr Murray before, because he'd be reporting for RTE, but what a stunningly honest yet ultimately uplifting account he's given. It's worth anyone's time to listen, especially for those of us who may have some problems and difficulties, or for anyone we know who does. Thank you, Mr Murray.
 
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