Hear hear.
I confess I love when Steve goes OTT about one he's latched on to. It's great banter all the way up to the race and great banter congratulating him when he's right or slagging him off when he's wrong. Most of us do likewise now and again. It's one of the things that, over the last dozen or so years, has set this forum apart.
From my own viewpoint, I don't quite share Steve's infatuation with F&G, which I backed heavily in the Derby and was disgusted with the ride it got. I fully expected a different story at the Curragh and so it proved.
However, just as Steve goes with great conviction on the evidence of his own experienced eye, so I go with great conviction on my reading of form and improvement curves. I and one or two others tried to convince the forum of STS's huge ability going into the Eclipse and even the Juddmonte. We gave facts and figures to back up our opinion. Some still doubt them because Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman got close.
I'm on record as admitting that F&G's figure for the Irish Derby is higher than STS's Guineas and Derby. The figures elsewhere still tell me STS will put F&G in his place, all other things being equal.
I was speaking to a good judge - and a huge fan of AOB - the other evening. We hadn't spoken for a few weeks. He asked my opinion of the Juddmonte and to my surprise his opinion was almost exactly as I'd posted on here. "STS is a good five lengths better than Mastercraftsman," he said, and backed it up with just about everything I'd said after the race. (He doesn't visit this forum - he's not an internet kind of bloke.)
Roll on the race. May both horses get their optimum conditions and may we see a real race. I'm as convinced in my own mind that STS will reinforce my belief that he is a superstar just as much as Steve is convinced Fame will give STS a doing. The real shame is that we won't be there together in person to shake hands afterwards, buy each other a drink and look for excuses!
