The Dewhurst

Galileo said:
What harmed New Approach more was their attempt to settle him out the back, or go against his natural style e.g in the Juddmonte International.
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I don't think anything in racing has ever driven me so mad as Bolger's ridiculous attempts to ride New Approach out the back. Imagine Godolphin did the same with Dubai Millennium?
 
Galileo said:
I do not get this idea that the ground was very much against Frankel? Was it that much worse than at Ascot? He actually hits the ground pretty hard.

He got a bump and pulled hard - he pulled hard in his previous race without any interference. It is just him and does not affect him - indeed it probably makes him what he is. Never did New Approach any harm.
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the ground was lot slower at Newmarket imo

not sure how anyone can really say at this stage that Frankel has a preference

still not sure how Saturdays race is being pulled down compared to his other runs..its his best run to date by far
 
He did not pull hard at Ascot - he settled off a slow pace but Queally decided he was not going to be messed about off a crawl and let out an inch of rein and whoosh he was ahead and went on .

I find it astonishing that a horse that pulls like a train , races on the worst ground mid track and yet still runs a faster time than the Challenge when winning by an easy three lengths without a tap of the whip is being crabbed . It was a terrific performance .

As for the ground I think the point seems to being made that it did not suit DA or Saamidd - the response is it didn't really suit Frankel either not that he cannot handle it- just that they think he will be better on good ground.

He might not train on - that's true but his two year old career has been an unqualified success and he has achieved a great deal more than SNA did .
 
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Ardross said:
I find it astonishing that a horse that pulls like a train , races on the worst ground mid track and yet still runs a faster time than the Challenge when winning by an easy three lengths without a tap of the whip is being crabbed . It was a terrific performance .
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I would not crab the horse at all - it was an excellent performance. What I am questioning is the idea or assumed fact that the horse is much better than he showed on Saturday when there is little evidence to prove it. Plenty of horses came up the middle of the track and won on Saturday, the ground was not fast but hardly bottomless either and he was ridden out hands and heels from a 25/1 shot.

The problem is (and it is not the horses fault) that the RP were predicting on the morning of the race that the highest rating ever given to a two year old was under serious threat when in truth the actual result falls a long way short but doubtably top class at the same time. That is why I guess there is a feeling of being somewhat underwhelmed.
 
Ardross said:
I find it astonishing that a horse that pulls like a train , races on the worst ground mid track and yet still runs a faster time than the Challenge when winning by an easy three lengths without a tap of the whip is being crabbed . It was a terrific performance .
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It is all in the context of the hype before the race. This was the minimum that some expected.

Ardross said:
he has achieved a great deal more than SNA did .
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SNA 1 maiden win, 1 Group 2, 1 Group 1
Frankel 1 maiden win, 1 Group 2, 1 Group 1 and a 10k conditions race with 3 runners.

Earnings 203k for SNA, 266k for Frankel.

Hmmmmm.
 
Post RP Trophy, Racehorses of 2009 quotes him as being 'as short as 2/1 for the Derby and 3/1 for the Two Thousand Guineas'.
 
Frankel has been handed an official rating of 124, one pound higher than his previous mark in the Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes, following his convincing victory in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
Matthew Tester, BHA Senior Handicapper and responsible for assessing two-year-olds, explained: "I appreciate that Frankel looks to have the makings of a superstar and the way he quickened past his field was impressive. It is reasonable to believe that he would have won by further but for getting tired after racing keenly in the early stages. There is every hope that he will prove to be an exceptional horse.
"However, with Dream Ahead and Saamidd clearly not running to their best, the form of the placed horses makes it impossible to give Frankel an exceptional rating yet.
"The runner-up, Roderic O'Connor, was the winner of one of his two races - a maiden at the Curragh - for which he was provisionally assessed at less than 100 in Ireland. The third horse, Glor Na Mara, is still a maiden after six starts. He had a rating in Ireland of 112 before the race and had recently been disappointing. The fourth horse, Waiter's Dream, was rated 109 for finishing third behind Saamidd last time.
"Having talked it over with the Irish Senior Handicapper, Garry O'Gorman, we have agreed to raise the ratings of all the placed horses. Roderic O'Connor will be rated 118. Glor Na Mara will be raised to 113, as will Waiter's Dream.
"Frankel's rating goes up too, from 123 before the race to 124 and it may go higher still. On the solid form of beating Roderic O'Connor by two and a quarter lengths and Glor Na Mara by five, this is the appropriate rating for the achievement rather than for the expectation of better yet to come.
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