Royal Ascot

Euronymous said:
I don't want to pocket talk again I really don't but he was too far behind as they swung into the straight again. He got to the lead but had expended so much energy that he couldn't repel the winner.
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Agree looking at it again.

But, that's why I said Dettori is still the best around. He had Colour Vision exactly where he should have been, the 2nd and 3rd were too far back.
 
Hamm said:
Agree looking at it again.

But, that's why I said Dettori is still the best around. He had Colour Vision exactly where he should have been, the 2nd and 3rd were too far back.
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He's on the decline but it's a Federer like one so he's still better than most.

Did Bazalona accept his fate ten/fifteen yards from the line and kind of went half hearted? I don't know. I do think Opinion Poll is the better horse though.

You cannot enter that straight with too much ground to make up. Raven's Pass syndrome.
 
Very pleased with my 20/1 Medicean Man for the Wokingham. I'll probably top up at best price tomorrow with 5 places.
 
davidjohnson said:
For me, Fame And Glory hasn't put up anything like the commanding performances over staying trips to justify him being so short. He had little in hand on Opinion Poll and Colour Vision in last year's Long Distance Cup, and it could be argued both the beaten horses have shown even better form since. Throw in Saddler's Rock and his Doncaster Cup form, beating Opinion Poll by 4 lengths and he's right in the mix. Don't get me wrong, I like Fame And Glory, and fancied him last year, but he was 11/4 on the morning on the race to win a weaker race.

Why do you think he's such a strong favourite?
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The Doctor knew....:ninja:
 
Colin Phillips said:
Mark Johnston has a great record in this race, how does he do that?:whistle:
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He has a stable full of horses that seem to be free running types. He runs them at shorter trips to get them comfortable at racing pace for the big meetings. Racing in the north might just get them better handicapped vis a vis southern horses a la Ferdy Murphy at Cheltenham thru the years.Having won this race before he knows what it takes to win;what mark to get in at, how much you to have need in hand . That or he is just a jammy so and so;)
P.S. On that basis I had him doubled with the Weld filly thanks to OTB , so take no notice of me, just talking through my slightly fuller pocket!
 
Bronze Angel is one to back in the Magnet Cup or Golden Mile. Huge run from a bad draw.

Tomorrow looks ropey. Gatewood might be worth one but it's obviously a far tougher handicap than he's been winning.

Why is Sea Moon 3/1 for the Hardwicke on Sat? Expected 7/4 or 2s.
 
I was amazed at how well Rougemont ran in the KGVH off 105 . Had he been drawn better and not had to circumnavigate the whole field I suspect he would have won .

I like Laugh Out Loud too and I should like to see her beat Irish History in the finish .
 
I like Thomas Chippendale tomorrow, also Tariq Too who won nicely last time after a poor ride at Ascot & Eton Forever in the same race who was murdered last time when coming through to win.
 
Haven't had time to look at the races properly yet other than a quick replay due to work but I'm going on Saturday so would like to know what's it looking like in terms of how the ground is and what's the draw bias like?
 
Have returned to find a sudden upsurge of urgent work which has prevented me from going today and tomorrow. It has also meant less time to really study with the anticipated result. Fennell Bay was a welcome change of fortune-went out to at least 80/1 in running iirc.
Back to basics tomorrow with Primaeval though a better draw would have given more confidence
 
Ardross said:
I was amazed at how well Rougemont ran in the KGVH off 105 . Had he been drawn better and not had to circumnavigate the whole field I suspect he would have won .

I like Laugh Out Loud too and I should like to see her beat Irish History in the finish .
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I wasn't amazed as I had him up there near the top and I made a point of re-checking his form after watching Hughes aboard Crius. I felt he had used Crius, which had little chance on this season's form, to check out the going on the far side and learned that it wasn't any faster. However, the leaders in the handicap, with the exception of Pilgrims Rest, seemed to shun the inner and raced towards the centre of the track and Rougemont travelled just on the outer of the chasing pack. I don't think he was at all disadvantaged by the ride but I wonder if Pilgrims Rest might have been.

I also think it was an exceptionally canny ride by Fanning on the winner.

As for the Coronation, if Homecoming Queen runs to her Guineas form she only needs to worry about Elusive Katie being at her best first time up although Buick rides Fallen For You. I was on Irish History last time and I think she should have beaten Cogito and Stipulate but even if she matched the latter's improvement she'd struggle tio get near Homecoming Queen, who might even be backable after her Curragh debacle.
 
Starscope in the Coronation to put her best foot forward and win. Elusive Kate for the forcast.

Perfect Tribute to win the last, now down to a nice mark based on previous group and listed form.

I'll be in the operating theatre today just hoping I can get out to catch some action.
 
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The Gosden horse looks incredibly short in the Albany. Yes, it was impressive but 2/1 is very skinny for a once raced horse against a field of similarly unexposed 2yos.

I know Astrology beat him at Epsom, but 13/2 on Thought Worthy seems quite big. Noble Mission is an embarassing price. I wouldn't mind a match bet between him and TW. Shantaram at 6s worth a decent bet as on a line through Main Sequence, he has similar form to Astrology. Main Sequence obviously improved on his Lingfield run at Epsom, but the prices are wrong.

Continuing on the theme of backing 2 Gosden horses in a race, I really like Elusive Kate and slightly less so, Starscope in the Coronation. Elusive Kate won well at Longchamp, and I would trust Gosden to have her ready for this. Starscope ran well in the Guineas, and possibly didn't stay next time out.
 
I know many people won't give him a chance, but I guarantee any of you if you have a decent bet on Calico Cat tomorrow at 50/1 you will not be disappointed. It's soft ground now and chances of being heavy tomorrow. He is improving all the time and is a different horse now to when he hated the ground at York and jarred himself up. He breezed nicely this morning and he is absolutely bouncing. Feeling the wet all weather today he tanked up there and then he was loving the wet walkways home. When he feels the wet, he wakes up and comes to life and I am not remotely worried about anything in the field tomorrow and I would be absolutely devastated if he was not in the first three. Paul Hanagan wanted the ride (He turned it down at Chester !) and must have five or six calls all week saying how much he wanted the ride and was offered 2 other rides in the race. This horse has about 10lb to find with some of these, but not all this field want soft ground and this lad really does. If it takes them back 4-6lb , and we know he has improved a good 10lb since his last run (didn't even run to his ability cause he hated the ground) then I have no doubt in my mind he is capable of running to 120-125 tomorrow. I will stress I have ridden a lot of group 1 horses in my life, but no horse I have ever ridden which includes, Tobougg, Zafeen, Queens Logic, Flashy Wings and Barathea Guest give me anywhere near as good a feel as this fella does and he is without any shadow of doubt the best horse I have ever ridden. He will not only prove tomorrow you should never write off a horse because it gets injured and written off, but that if you give horses time and a chance you will be rewarded. This horse goes there with no pressure on him tomorrow and he might be the outsider of the pack, but trust me he'll love the ground, he is good enough, he's improving, has one of the best jockeys in the world on him who believes the horse can win and trust me there may be a few people who think he doesn't belong in that field tomorrow, and there might be a lot of critics who still think he has been flattered and all that bollocks, but tomorrow those critics and judges are gonna have to sit back and finally give the horse the respect he deserves, because today is the eve of the Dawn of the Cat, and I'm telling you now he really will put a cat amongst the pigeons tomorrow and I honestly will be absolutely gutted if he isn't in the first three and I would be shocked if he doesn't win. I am that confident, not because I own 50% of him, and not because I ride him everyday, but I believe in the horse and I know exactly how good he is, and tomorrow we'll take our talking to the track, and we will go out the underdog but WE WILL come back victorious. You can doubt him all you want but you have been told and warned, this is no flash in the pan, this is no one race wonder fluke horse, he is a bloody good horse and a group 1 horse, who has a heart the size of a Lion and doesn't know what the words give up mean, and he will win tomorrow and he'll turn a lot of heads in the process doing so.
 
I could almost hear stirring music in the background as I read that Chris. All the very best of luck for tomorrow, and I for one will be backing him and cheering him home!!
 
Steve T said:
Tariq Too who won nicely last time after a poor ride at Ascot
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Was taken by both the first and second in that Doncaster race, and have had my only ante-post bet of the year on Scarf for the Wokingham tomorrow. Will hope to see the form boosted by TT today.
 
Chris, for all the fact that post makes you sound a bit mental, good luck tomorrow, hope he runs well for you!
 
:D I dig, but Carlton House ran as well as his form entitled him to the other day. And these two animals surely make or break his season.
 
I'll be backing Calico Cat partly out of admiration for Flame's belief - he's making St Jude redundant - and also because I'd be sick as a pig after backing him at well over 200/1 at Chester!
 
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