Eleanora Duse
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- Jan 2, 2013
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Talk about the Bolshoi Ballet and Roman Empire (and indirectly High Definition) reminds me of the Noel Murless/Busted story. In July 1966 Noel was at Lingfield tring to get one of his owner breeders' fillies to win her maiden. He went into a tea bar and watched the Irish Derby on the TV. He saw a horse, whose colours he recognised as he trained for the owner, leading the field at a very generous pace and then fading totally. In his mind he was looking for a lead-horse for his 1967 Classic colt, Royal Palace (amazing this in itself, by then Royal Palace had run once and finished 5th in the Coventry Stakes) and considered this colt he'd just seen as a horse that could be purchased. He put it out of his mind later as Royal Palace was owned by Jim Joel and the colt he'd seen was owned by his cousin Stanhope and he felt he could cause an upset if he subsequently improved the colt. That colt was Busted and later in the year Murless met up with his owner and asked him what plans he had for him. When Stanhope Joel said he was planning to geld him and send him hurdling. Murless's response was 'Christ, don't do that. You'd better send him to me'.
Busted was transferred from Featherstonhaugh in Ireland to Warren Place. He became the Champion Racehorse of 1967 and was never beaten again. He famously won the Eclipse and King George on consecutive Saturdays and was as tough as anything.
I recount this because what Murless did was get the horse to be ridden differently to how he'd been ridden thus far. He had always been up with the pace until then but was taught to settle and come with a run from two furlongs out. And I'll put this story together with what the late great Joe Mercer always said that you can only make one run in a race.
Now we see some good discussion here about will this horse stay or will that horse be fast enough. As regards Bolshoi Ballet I get the point that Moore tried to settle his 10f race from 3-4 furlongs out. But what if he hadn't? What if he'd waited another furlong or so, would he still have won or as easily? My view is that he might easily have done so. He wasn't going further away because Moore started his 'run' so early. Now the Dante: Roman Empire set a strong pace but then coming into the straight injected further pace such that he was well clear 2 and 1/2 furlongs out. He could hardly lift his legs in the last furlong and the 3 horses came past him (a bit like Busted in the Irish Derby). Despite this fast pace the race time was nothing special and was slower than the earlier Middleton Stakes where the field had been led sedately by Chamade for the first half of the race. Fast pace setting often doesn't lead to fast times. If Roman Empire had been held onto for another furlong or so would he have been nearer. What is being said is that High Definition needs the extra 2f and will then go past the horses that beat him that day. That may be right that he needs 12f ( though this reliance on dosage figures interests me), but will he be fast enough to get himself into the race so as to be able to exert that extra stamina that will enable him to win the day. He only beat Roman Empire by a little more than 2 lengths. I struggle with this idea.
Ridden correctly I think Bolshoi Ballet could be a Derby winner. How does Moore ride High Definition: when does he start his run? And is it worth running Roman Empire if he gets over his Dante exertions?
To finish off the Busted story he did gallop once with Royal Palace in early 1967 but Murless sensibly decided that if he let them gallop together they'd kill each other.
Busted was transferred from Featherstonhaugh in Ireland to Warren Place. He became the Champion Racehorse of 1967 and was never beaten again. He famously won the Eclipse and King George on consecutive Saturdays and was as tough as anything.
I recount this because what Murless did was get the horse to be ridden differently to how he'd been ridden thus far. He had always been up with the pace until then but was taught to settle and come with a run from two furlongs out. And I'll put this story together with what the late great Joe Mercer always said that you can only make one run in a race.
Now we see some good discussion here about will this horse stay or will that horse be fast enough. As regards Bolshoi Ballet I get the point that Moore tried to settle his 10f race from 3-4 furlongs out. But what if he hadn't? What if he'd waited another furlong or so, would he still have won or as easily? My view is that he might easily have done so. He wasn't going further away because Moore started his 'run' so early. Now the Dante: Roman Empire set a strong pace but then coming into the straight injected further pace such that he was well clear 2 and 1/2 furlongs out. He could hardly lift his legs in the last furlong and the 3 horses came past him (a bit like Busted in the Irish Derby). Despite this fast pace the race time was nothing special and was slower than the earlier Middleton Stakes where the field had been led sedately by Chamade for the first half of the race. Fast pace setting often doesn't lead to fast times. If Roman Empire had been held onto for another furlong or so would he have been nearer. What is being said is that High Definition needs the extra 2f and will then go past the horses that beat him that day. That may be right that he needs 12f ( though this reliance on dosage figures interests me), but will he be fast enough to get himself into the race so as to be able to exert that extra stamina that will enable him to win the day. He only beat Roman Empire by a little more than 2 lengths. I struggle with this idea.
Ridden correctly I think Bolshoi Ballet could be a Derby winner. How does Moore ride High Definition: when does he start his run? And is it worth running Roman Empire if he gets over his Dante exertions?
To finish off the Busted story he did gallop once with Royal Palace in early 1967 but Murless sensibly decided that if he let them gallop together they'd kill each other.
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