Prix D'amerique Paris Today

Actually, keeping to the trotting gait is less stressful on a horse than galloping - trotting's 2-time beat means that as a horse's legs hit the ground, they do so in pairs, so halving the concussive effect compared to the 1-2-3-4 of the gallop.

Most of horses running in the Prix D'Amerique today ran wholly, or partially, unshod (has to be declared, like blinkers etc). They've got pretty hard and well-conformed hooves, as a rule. Great big fiddle heads as well, a lot of them, but you can't have everything I suppose.

I don't think there's any mental stress either, it's harder to persuade a recalcitrant or unhappy horse to do something he feels uncomfortable with when you're driving him, than when you're riding him.
 
Very interesting comments about trotting Ven, I'd never really looked at it like that.
I still wonder how they train them not to canter tho :suspect:

Thanks for posting the link, I'll have a look in a mo - I've got a fillum on right now!
 
That was pretty amazing to watch - what a huge crowd! The only think it vaguely reminds me of is the Palio in Siena, don't know why. Maybe because they had so many false starts!! - one Palio I luckily didn't attend went off when it was almost dark.... I found the sequence between the two starts, when the handlers were getting the horses back into line, really fascinating

A superb horse, he floated over the ground didn't he? And the race was longer than I'd imagined. I'd have liked to have seen more of what happened after the race, how they celebrated. You'd have to be pretty brave to want to do that for a living, a pile-up must be horrible to suffer LOL

I wonder what kinds of bits they use. They seem to have two reins, or was it more? - will watch again tomorrow.
 
Hope they don't show too much Italian trotting though Ven - since their top horses keep going missing ie. kidnapped. Most recently Equinox Bi (since been recovered). The Italian stuff sounds particularly dodgy.

For fans of French jump racing there's plenty of stuff up on youtube - particularly liking the Lyon cross-country races :)
 
Just watched it again - a very rough race, but I think OD would have won however it was run.

Some stats from the Prix d'Amerique:

Attendance at the track was 31,510.

Total amount bet on the race (in France, on and off-course) was €36.4 million (what would the Tote give for that?!).

Quinte (first five) in the right order paid €816,288 for €2! Any order paid €6,802.

Kilometre rate for the 2700 metre race was 1'12"1 (roughly 1'56" per mile).
 
Bloody hell Irish Stamp - how do you manage to keep up to date on all the latest stories on every form of racing (and sport!) from everywhere around the world? I'm impressed!!
 
Colin, it's the *anoraks* on these forums which give them their value :P What would we do without them!
I'm a 'generalist' but I love the way so many delve into obscure corners of equine achievement, competition, breeding, etc
 
Venusian, I always imagine you in elderly, understated and once very expensive tweeds...
or maybe well worn-in cords from some shop in Bond Street [and a velvet smoking jacket in the evenings...] - but never an anorak :P
 
At this moment, I'm elegantly attired in a Kew sweatshirt and a pair of £5 Jeans from Quality Seconds in Redhill. I've just taken off my Makita work boots. Never owned anything tweedy!
 
Originally posted by Venusian@Jan 29 2008, 06:08 PM
At this moment, I'm elegantly attired in a Kew sweatshirt and a pair of £5 Jeans from Quality Seconds in Redhill. I've just taken off my Makita work boots. Never owned anything tweedy!
Click to expand...

Ach God, there's another fantasy bubble punctured then - next thing you'll be telling me you *do* own an anorak :rolleyes:
 
Today sees the running of the 350.000 Euro GI Grand Prix de Paris, over 4125m at Vincennes, roughly equivalent to the Ascot Gold Cup, off at 13.45 UK time. Another big crowd is expected for this popular stamina test.

Unlike the Ascot Gold Cup, the Prix De Paris doesn't give off so many negative vibes to breeders, and Exploit Caf, recent winner of the G1 Prix De France over 2100m and Orla Fun who finished third, look big players, as well as a number of other Prix D'Amerique runners (though no Offshore Dream). With the retirement of Jardy, the race has an open feel this year.

If I were able to place a bet on the race, I'd go for an ew on Niky, who hasn't met with much luck in running recently and is a lot better than his bare form figures suggest. He likes to come late and over today's distance has a reasonable chance of not finding trouble. Forecast odds are around 20/1, which seems good "value", but it's all rather theoretical, I'm afraid!
 
I know nobody's interested, but in the spirit of European integration, the result reads: 1st Orla Fun, 2nd Exploit Caf, 3rd Niky, the victory boosting the 6-y-o mare's earnings to over 700,000 euros. Time for the 4125m was 5.14.50.

There, I got you the Trio up (14.50 to a 1.5 euro stake). How about that?
 
Wow - some horse eh? :clap:

What was that worth? and which stadium would that be held in?
- it was the Spanish trotting championship I presume?
 
No idea which track it was at and it was genuine TB racing from what I could make out. There's an all-weather track on the inside of the main course though :)
 
Grand Prix de Paris:
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=bPLESy5_fnI

I really love Exploit Caf - such a lovely trim way he moves, not a wasted movement, no head bobbing or turning, just total economy. He didn't really deserve to lose that!

But Orla Fun was great too at the end, such a triumphant long swinging stride after the line, and her driver leaning forward to bash her on the bum, tail all over his face, magic :D

What's the surface Ven? I've seen the French for it is 'cendrier', ie cinder, wonde rhow it's made up

Two showings of the Gran Premio de Andalucia on YouTube:
http://ie.youtube.com/results?search_query...08&search_type=

I assume that's Mirjas, isn't that their only premier track?
 
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