The 2014 Punchestown Festival

C/mon digger he was being trained for one race and wouldn't have been 1oo% in either race..........It's a nonsense to say AP who has won the championship more times than most punters havev been on the planet is any sort of negative for any horse...........If the horse is good enough you couldn't ask for a better pilot if the horse isn't good enough! the same applies.
 
Went down fighting - I'm happy. Stick him in a paddock please. :cool:

Great performance from Jezki. Class act.
 
Willie Mullins

"Hurricane Fly will now be put away for the summer and any decision on his future will be made at the start of next season"
 
Jezki brilliant today as was McCoy . Never has so much crap beaten spoken as about AP being a negative on that horse .

AP was apparently the one who suggested he needed to be ridden as he was at Cheltenham and judged the race superbly today .
 
Apache Stronghold is gonna be some chaser. I'd want a nice price for Cheltenham given his trainer but he's a great prospect.
 
Double Handful said:
McCoy is not my only reason for opposing Jezki today.......

But I'm convinced he is a negative.

And like you I think everything about today's conditions will suit the Fly.
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Well we just have to take it on the chin :lol: You were talking shyte about AP and I was talking shyte about the Fly :lol:

well done those who backed the young horse
 
Diamond Geezer said:
Willie Mullins

"Hurricane Fly will now be put away for the summer and any decision on his future will be made at the start of next season"
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I'm convinced they'll retire him.

He's lost that killer turn-of-foot he once had, and at times looked like he was only just managing to stay on the pace, once McCoy started to wind it up. Old bones is old bones, and he has done vastly more than enough, to justify spending the rest of his days in a field and opening Powers shops in Wexford.

He battled like a lion though, and did himself, connections and all his supporters proud. That would do for me.
 
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Father time has caught up with the Fly. Time to retire. Been a legend of a horse.
Well done to Jezki. Am glad AP won. Some cobblers you read about AP on him.

Vautour did it ok enough. No doubt Apache Stronghold is a fair tool.
 
Ardross said:
Jezki brilliant today as was McCoy . Never has so much crap beaten spoken as about AP being a negative on that horse .

AP was apparently the one who suggested he needed to be ridden as he was at Cheltenham and judged the race superbly today .
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If ''judging the race superbly'' means ceding your opponent every conceivable advantage, then AP certainly qualified today. All he actually proved was that he was on the best horse on the day, who'd have won no matter how he was ridden.
 
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I have to say, I agree with reet. When McCoy set such a sedate gallop early-on, I thought he was playing right into Hurricane Fly's hands. That said, it might also have reflected a degree of confidence too.

As rides go, it was fairly neutral, imo.
 
It was a pretty straight forward ride. I think the point is though that Jezki was always going to be seen in best light at Cheltenham. Just so happens AP chose the wrong one. Would AP have won on him at Cheltenham - Yes imo
 
McCoy is a fantastic jockey and he would normally never be a negative for me - quite the opposite in fact - but by his own honest admission, he'll never be a Ruby or Barry so I thought Jezki's chances were diminished today in a race like that but I still couldn't have the fly beating him given the from of the JH horses.

Would he have won with Barry instead ?. Absolutely but so what ?, on the day AP rode a perfect race and proved he isn't just all push and shove.
 
wilsonl said:
McCoy is a fantastic jockey and he would normally never be a negative for me - quite the opposite in fact - but by his own honest admission, he'll never be a Ruby or Barry so I thought Jezki's chances were diminished today in a race like that but I still couldn't have the fly beating him given the from of the JH horses.

Would he have won with Barry instead ?. Absolutely but so what ?, on the day AP rode a perfect race and proved he isn't just all push and shove.
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Different styles, just like in most sports. Take tennis, Ruby would be a Federer and AP a Nadal. Who is better? Both superb champions but one makes it look a lot easier than the other.
Less we forget Ruby has a lot of Aston Martin rides where as AP is on top of Skodas most days up and down the country.
 
Frankel said:
Father time has caught up with the Fly. Time to retire. Been a legend of a horse.
Well done to Jezki. Am glad AP won. Some cobblers you read about AP on him.

Vautour did it ok enough. No doubt Apache Stronghold is a fair tool.
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The problem is where do you run him if you do keep him in training.

There's plenty good races pre Cheltenham run in Ireland but now we have Jezki on the scene plus, for talkings sake Vautour, WM has to think where will he run him.

I suppose it's possible he could aim Hurricane Fly at the Irish trials as per usual and send Vautour or Faugheen across the water to try and pick up a couple of the English ones. With MTOY very likely to go chasing the English prizes could be there for the taking with the likes of the New One being the only serious contender left.

Jezki if following the same sort of campaign next season is unlikely to be 100% all season and can't run in everything.

I can't see why they would want to retire The Fly just yet. There was no great confidence behind him yesterday in the market and much will depend on how he comes back in after his break.
 
Hurricane Fly is one of the best hurdlers we have ever seen. Even now he would beat the vast majority of hurdlers in training. Some chasers when age catches up with them have the option of vet's or even PtP but ,if I am right, not so for hurdlers. Not my call, but don't the greats retire at the top or just after. I hope and wish that the Fly gets the long and enjoyable retirement he has earned.

Jezki is a bloody good hurdler that still has a lot to do to be counted amongst the greats. I'll enjoy watching his exploits and good luck to him!
 
This is the Punchestown thread however since it contains several posts re AP's riding of Jezki I'm posting re that debate on here. It is a debate and everyone is entitled to an opinion but let's not avoid facts.

Jezki's hurdling career encompasses 12 race of which he has won 9.
Geraghty has a 5/5 record on the horse
Robbie Power has a 1/2 record being beaten by CF and MTOY in the Supreme
AP has ridden Jezki 5 times and he has been beaten twice, both times against HF.

AP yesterday, rode a fine, well judged race on Jezki. one that you would expect from a talented multi Champion jockey. However that proves nothing about the rides he gave the horse in defeat earlier this season.
I have prefaced earlier comments with the phrase 'he might well have been following instructions' and iirc have not said he would have beaten the Fly. The point I make is that in those 2 races he has not given Jezki the optimum chance of winning. In of one them, as I see it, he puts the horse behind horses as the Fly starts his run.

Given the above I would rather have Geraghty on the horse than AP.
 
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