Nunthorpe

Maybe not, but he did break the track record there. I'm pleased for him, was not on him but it is nice to see a small trainer, horse and owner win a big one. Also nice for a Northern trainer to come to headquarters and win.

Very very likeble horse too - so genuine and consistent. Wish I owned one like him!

Hope Sakhees Secret is okay, not sure what went wrong or if he was just eased.
 
He smashed the track record and is clearly a damn good horse who has improved for a really strong run race at 5f against Group horses ~ what it does show is that sprinting is simply a very unpredictable pursuit.
 
Wrong shade of blue on the winners back? That horse is fully entitled to his day in the sun and has been putting up pattern efforts in defeat in big handicaps for the past 18 months or so.

Sakhee's Secret was never travelling after missing the break and was eased more or less straightaway. He clearly has some massive problem of some sort.
 
Presume Sakhee's Secret will be retired now?

Do not mean to take anything away from the winner, a very likeable horse.
 
Maybe not but it's always great to see one of the lesser lights have their day and let's face it sprinting probably gives them the best opportunity to do so.

As Rory and David point out he's hardly a slow boat.
 
As for the track record, you'd be disappointed if it hadn't been broken right? I'm guessing there's never been a Group 1 run over C&D and the ground is decent.
 
But they're generally a function of class and ground conditions. I'm reminded of, I think, Soviet Song breaking the track record there over a mile in the first Group 1 Falmouth.
 
All really good posts. I'm just very pleased for connections.

Has Sakhee's got a place at stud then? I know they were in two minds about running him and he seems not to have ever been 100% this season.
 
I may be misinterpreting but I think KingKillone was referring to the possibility of Sakhee's Secret being retired
 
I think it was a much better race than the Yorkshire Oaks

Borderlescott is a 124 in my figures and didnt need to improve today to win this race.
 
Gareth Flynn said:
I may be misinterpreting but I think KingKillone was referring to the possibility of Sakhee's Secret being retired
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OK, I thought the form of the Nunthorpe was being dissed :p

Imo there were a few very good horses in it and with the uphill finish it was a worthy win by Borderlescott who needs things to drop right - he stops in front sometimes - and deserved a Group 1. That grey mare from SA is pretty good too!

Morrison was saying before the race that he thought Sakee's Secret 'would need the run', but the problem must have been much more than possible unreadiness. In retrospect I wonder why he ran him at all - owner pressure? There's been something seriously wrong all season, I'd agree
 
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The form of the Nunthorpe was being dissed :p

I notice he'd barely run at 5f before this season so I guess the switch to Newmarket helped.
 
Robin Bastiment rather ruefully said in the W Enc "We seem to have found the right distance at last!"

The July course 5f is probably quite stiff with that uphill finish, but the horse seemed to relish it - it was pretty amazing to watch him make up that ground in the last furlong, and his head carriage showed he really wanted it today
 
I managed to phone in a bet for Equiano just before the off. His rider seemed to ease off over a furlong out as if something was amiss then the horse ran on again.

That aside, I was pleased for the winner. I backed him a few times when he ran up a wee sequence coming through the ranks a couple of years ago and his handicap form put him ahead of most of these. It seemed one of those races where everything simply fell right for him on the day but to take over a second of a 5f record is eye-opening. OK, maybe they don't run G1s there and I'm inclined to agree conditions favoured a very fast time anyway but it's still a huge margin.
 
Sprinting - esp with an uphill finish - requires a huge physical effort from a horse - there is so little time to recover your race from any slight mistake or a slow start. I think this is why sprinters go in and out of form so spectacularly - when they are 'right' they are spot on, at a sharp physical peak, and tend to run up a sequence. It's pretty impossible for any horse to stay there - you also need a little luck of course

Borderlescott has been far more consistent than most, and connections fully deserve this day in the sun - so pleased the race went to a Yorkshire horse, which seems fitting too :)
 
Nice to see an unsung trainer bagging a Group 1, especially in his final season.

It goes to show that there are a lot of capable trainers about, but they don't always get the quality of horses to show how good they are.
 
I'll second that. I can think of several very good trainers who don't get many chances, and quite a few poor trainers who nevertheless seem to get a lot of good horses. I'm afraid the good old British class system has a lot to do with this! - as does fashion etc, and having a 'grand' yard
 
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