Older Horses 2011

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Big day for St Nick. You would like to see him winning this and winning it well if he is to be any kind of top horse.
 
If someone had told you after his 2yo season that he would go off at 11/8 in that race youd have thought they were mad! I couldnt bring myself to back him and am absolutely sick about it.
 
Took some 13/8. Schooling in public first time out like Fame And Glory last season. People got carried away with the run.
 
I think you're right to omit him (I'd also omit Fame and Glory).

Magnier would never ever sell a share in a horse (and let them run in others colours) if he thought it could have a great season.

Jan Vermeer should go really well this season - interesting AOB commented he made a mess of his prep for Epsom last year - I think the horse is potentially top class.
 
I think Fame and Glory will go for the Ascot Gold Cup. He certainly should go for it at any rate.

I think So You Think could be a bit special.

St Nicholas Abbey and Await the Dawn have been impressive this week but neither beat much. They will have more to do next time out, but I think that there is more to come from St Nicholas Abbey.

Jan Vermeer could be anything seeing how they messed him up last season.
 
Solely looking at the five I have mentioned, I am most excited about Jan Vermeer. Don't ask me why. It will be very intersting to see where they aim him; his Betfair price for the Lockinge has drifted, so probably not at Newbury.
 
There were plans to run Jan Vermeer in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic S. (Grade I) over 9F at Churchhill Downs tomorrow but they decided not to run him there.

He must surely be ready for a run soon. The stable is loaded with older horses for 10f races and further this year.
 
Jan Vermeer had a botched operation on his feet last year and I would be very cautious with him. How many horses have glued on shoes that fall off every race?
 
Hamm said:
I think you're right to omit him (I'd also omit Fame and Glory).

Magnier would never ever sell a share in a horse (and let them run in others colours) if he thought it could have a great season.
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This isn't right. Fame of course was nowhere near his peak on his reappearance. If he wins a Group 1 this year he will have won Group 1s at two, three, four and five. The horse is already a legend and I expect him to show up as strongly as ever this season. Everyone was writing him off last year after his opening defeat at the Curragh, but he soon left that form behind him - running to 105 in that and then 20lb better in his next three races (taking in another couple of Group 1s in the process). Remember too that Yeats won his fourth Gold Cup on the back of a dismal run at Navan. Make no mistake they have big plans for Fame. The Smith/Tabor/Magnier partnership retain a stake. Whether it is a minority/majority stake they are not necessarily anal about running in their own colours (it was initially reported that he would continue to carry Smith's silks despite subsequently running in Hay's colours). It's not as if they haven't done this sort of thing before). (The Hays have bought into Cape Blanco as well by the way.) Magnier knows the horse is eventually Coolmore's. It is to misunderstand how they do business to see this as having diminished interest in the horse. Think of the Hays as guest owners along the lines of Alex Ferguson. He’ll revert to Coolmore for breeding purposes... there is no indication they have lost interest in this.
 
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I beg to differ. For example, would they have given the Hays a share in So you think and let him run in their colours? Not on your nelly, and that is the crux of it for me.

Fame is a very decent horse, but far from a great one and exposed as thus (not a bad place to be exposed at). The last couple of years have shown this and I don't think a horse with his breeding is a priority for Coolmore considering what they have.
 
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