Performances of the Week

barjon

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Aug 2, 2020
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HORSE

Has to be Constitution Hill for me. A jaw-dropping performance and it’s a pity DD didn’t stand up because we can only surmise how far behind he would have been. Honourable mention for Facile Vega ploughing through the Wednesday mud.

JOCKEY

Particular because it was in the feature race of the meeting Rachael Blackmore’s patience and courage to stay sitting behind a wall of horses as Minella Indo set sail for home.

TRAINER

After a quiet first day it looked as though Willie Mullins wasn’t going to have it all his own way - he did!

HANDICAP PLOT

Mullins again. His first Gaelic Warrior failed by a short head (to my cost), but his second State Man came in yesterday (unfortunately unnoticed by me - where was Slim when you need him :))


TRAGEDY

Poor Ginto taking a false step and breaking down as he came to challenge. RIP Ginto.

SHOCK

Galopin des Champs falling at the last as I’d gone to count my money.


DISGRACE


The rip off prices for food and sustenance
 
Horse - Constitution Hill, future GOAT.

Jockey - Paul Townend. Its oright being sat on the best horse, you still have to get them home.

Trainer - Willie

Handicap Plot - State Man

Tragedy - Ginto

Shock - How good Constitution Hill was

Disgrace - Got a few

Dan Skelton - Not running a horse all year protecting marks etc. Langer Dan brought down first hurdle, Nube Negra pulled cause of ground. Just run your ******* horses.

Paul Nicholls - Still talking about Aintree.

Just put more on - Clerk of the course to the fellas with the water cannons watering the course.
 
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Horse - definitely Constitution Hill. Even a die hard DD supporter like me couldn't help my jaw dropping at the performance.

Jockey - As DJ says, it's alright being on the right horses and I could have won on half of those that Townend and Blackmore got home but Charlie Deutsch had a great meeting on unfancied horses.

Trainer - Again, Venetia Williams's runners regularly outran their prices. That deserves huge cfredit.

Handicap plot - I have to go for Global Citizen (since I flagged it up!)

Tragedy - any casualty in the name of sport is saddening.

Shock - Hillcrest, but I'll learn to live with it.

Disgrace - I'm like a broken record with this one but watering when rain is forecast is indefensible.
 
Dan Skelton - Not running a horse all year protecting marks etc. Langer Dan brought down first hurdle, Nube Negra pulled cause of ground. Just run your ******* horses.

It was good to see some horses that were campaigned throughout the season get rewarded - LHomme Presse, Edwardstone, Marie's Rock, Coole Cody, Love Envoi - probably not enough but signs that it can be done.
 
Horse - Constitution Hill

Jockey -Rachael Blackmore as cool as they come made it look so easy

Trainer - Willie Mullins by a mile

Handicap Plot - State Man must have cost the bookies fortunes

Tragedy - Ginto

Shock - My banker Galpin Des Champs doing a summersalt

Disgrace - Paul Nicholls getting grumpy with the COTC because thing never went his way.
 
Horses - Constitution Hill, Allaho.

Trainer - Venetia. Yes, Willie was awesome but State Man and Billaway wins left a bit of a taste for me - like when Coolmore used to win those mega bucks sales races.

Tragedy - Ginto

High point - Elimay. My heart was in my mouth when Walsh had to switch before two out. Would have ruined a good Festival if she'd not got up.
low point - Shithouse handicapper bringing down Tellmesomethinggirl

Must do better - Skelton. Third Time Lucki missing, Shan Blue in completely the wrong race, Langer Dan clusterfuck.
 
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Horse Constitution Hill easily. Galopin almost as awesome until he came down

Jockey David Mullins for his masterful ride on Flooring Porter. Rachael Blackmore, Charlie Deutsch also

Trainer Venetia. Willie Mullins obviously awesome but Venetia outperformed massively given the disparity in ammunition

Tragedy Ginto

High Point Elimay getting up from an unpromising position

Low Point Several of these
Winged Leader getting collared
Galopin
Telmesomethinggirl
No shows from Shishkin and Hillcrest

Disgrace Nicholls in particular but other UK trainers also for ducking the Irish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Constitution Hill, Allaho and APT.

Mullins on Flooring Porter was a brilliant ride.

Willie with just the 10 winners.
 
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A Plus Tard and Constitution Hill the most impressive winners

Galopin the most impressive horse without winning

Tom Cannon was superb on Edwardstone proving he should be in a bigger job

Low point was definitely Wednesday, Shishkin PU, Tiger getting chinned and the vile weather
 
Horse

Constitution Hill but Galopin des Champs was spectacular in defeat.

Jockey


For an individual race Danny Mullins on Flooring Porter. Paul Townend's consistancy deserves a mention.

Trainer

Willie Mullins no further comment required.

Handicap Plot

State Man - They say that you can give away weight but not ground, Paul could have tacken him for a tour of the car park and still won.

Tragedy

The four equine fatalities. Ginto was the big name, but they were all stars in their own stables.


Shock
Galopin des Champs' fall. Like Champagne Fever's defeat in the Arkle, I'll still be sitting in ten years time wondering if it really happened.

Highs

Friday, the best day I have ever had on a racecourse. It had everything. (I didn't know about Ginto until I got back to the hotel or that would have put a shadow on it).

I also need to mention Perpetual who supplied me with a Grandstand sitting ticket on Thursday and the view of the races from up there was spectacular.

I first watched the Cheltenham festival in 1973 as a seven year old. (I had been hooked on racing since the previous year's Grand National). It took 49 more years to actually make it to the Cotswolds but I had a great week when I got there.

Lows

The only things that I could complain about were Wednesday's weather and the poor service provided by the train companies post racing. I was later getting to the station on Thursday night as I'd stayed to watch the sales and ended up being coralled in pens for over an hour and a half. Tuesday and Friday's imprisionments were about 40/45 minutes. Trains of three or four carriages were nowhere near sufficient to move that number of people.
 
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Most of my views of horses and jockeys are somewhere above.

Shock - Art bought me a pint in the Queens on Thursday night.

Highs - The chanting of sockless racegoers always brings a lovely hominess to occasions.

Lows - Didn't have the nerve to as Rachael for a selfie in the departure lounge on Friday night.
 
For me, a 3m+ chasing fanatic, it was Stattler.

That was a run right out of the top drawer for me.

The time was outstanding, after being a little rusty for the first two or three fences, he just jumped better and better. To jump so well at that speed is a great sign.

In my opinion, that run puts the horse into the Gold Cup 23 picture.

No?
 
For me, a 3m+ chasing fanatic, it was Stattler.

That was a run right out of the top drawer for me.

The time was outstanding, after being a little rusty for the first two or three fences, he just jumped better and better. To jump so well at that speed is a great sign.

In my opinion, that run puts the horse into the Gold Cup 23 picture.

No?

For sure WPM is blessed with novice chasers this season.
Good year all around.

We have seen as many top performances this year as any; the Novice brigade is up with anything I have witnessed.
Included in that are State Man and Gaelic Warrior, who could be anything.

Tiger Roll's exit was something else also.
Despite the rain he got a fabulous reception after running his heart out.

Low point as always the loss of horses, the disappointment of those caught on the line and fact I was not there !

Danny Mullins deserves ride of the week award on Flooring Porter.

Finally , I never thought a Gold Cup winner could be sixth into the straight, pass four horse over the second last and win by 15 lengths going away.

Breeder is a sister to owner/breeder of Missunited, Vanessa Hutch ( nee Feeney) whose father owned Ardoon Stud near Newbridge and bred same Ardoon.
 
Energumene remains understated for what he achieved in the QM, simply owing to others underperforming. The 2nd had finished a piece closer to Shishkin at Aintree, and they weren't exactly trees in their wake.
I opined after Ascot he was better than Shishkin, and will eventually prove so, long term - is my firm opinion.
 
New / adjusted ORs (UK)

Constitution Hill 172 (+22)
Edwardstone 161 (+2)
Corach Rambler 148 (+8)
Marie’s Rock 147 (+7)
L’Homme Pressé 164 (+5)
Global Citizen 143 (+7)
Third Wind 146 (+5)
Coole Cody 152 (+7)
Love Envoi 139 (+4)
Chambard 142 (+7)

First Street went up 5lbs for running up in the County so State Man probably went up 7 or 8 for winning.
 
One jumps out at me....Imeperial Alkazar 152 finishing 2nd beats a 136 rated horse by a nose
and a 144 rated horse by under 2 lenths which would suggest to me he was over rated by the handicapper and should have been nearer a 146 horse if that.

Coole Cody 145 beats Imperial Alkazar by 6 lengths flat to the boards getting 7 lbs which at best should have him on the same rating as Imperial Alkazar

But making no allowance for having proff Imperial Alkazar has run to a 146 he lumps Coole Cody up with a 152 on a par with Imperial Alkazars 152
that he hasn't even tun close to...........seems insane to me and desperately unfair
 
New Irish ORs:

Honeysuckle –
Brazil 142 (+9)
Stattler 158 (+5)
Sir Gerhard 155 (+5)
Commander Of Fleet 156 (+7)
Energumene –
Delta Work –
Bob Olinger –
Allaho 176 (+2)
Flooring Porter –
Vauban 151 (+6)
State Man 151 (listed as new, ran off UK 141)
The Nice Guy 153
A Plus Tard 180 (+7)
Billaway –
Elimay 152 (-2)
Banbridge 141 (+8)

Be careful with these. especially the handicappers rated below 150. Banbridge, for example ran off 137 the other day, his UK mark. He might be off 145 or 146 the next time he runs here.
 
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