The Eclipse challengers

Tanlic said:
I thought Troy had won well on soft before. Why was today so different?
Click to expand...
According to AOB,the ground was much softer than in the Dewhurst.
Did just what he had to,with plenty more in the locker (says RM,who kmows him better than any of us).
 
Tanlic said:
I thought Troy had won well on soft before. Why was today so different?
Click to expand...

'Soft' can be different on different tracks.

I did a quickish survey of the times on the two days (Dewhurst / Eclipse).

On Dewhurst day one race was very slow so I took that out of the equation. The rest worked out at 0.027s per furlong slow.

Yesterday, leaving out the 5f race (different track), the first two races were a lot slower than the others (jockeys assuming the ground was softer than it really was?) so I've ignored them. The rest worked out at 0.04spf slow.

This would suggest the ground was softer yesterday than at the Dewhurst meeting but, as I said, different tracks can be affected differently and the Dewhurst meeting included the Cesarewitch (18f) and three juvenile races (which, naturally, are slower than for older horses). Therefore, it does seem reasonably conclusive that yesterday's ground was some way softer.

Was it soft enough to cause COT to run so far below 'expectations'? Maybe it depends on whose expectations they were and what those expectations were.

My gut hunch is that Epsom was a harder race than it needed to be. I still think COT is a 130 horse waiting to happen but now I'm not so sure if we'll ever see it.
 
CITY OF TROY is a beautiful, good-ground horse and a real fast-ground mover so he's won today despite the ground. It was proper soft ground today, softer than when he won the Dewhurst last season. It was tough today and it was specialist ground. It didn't really go according to plan but in the end I think he won pretty easily. I imagine 'The Lads' will now look at the Juddmonte or Irish Champion Stakes before looking at America where he could finish up in the Breeders' Cup Classic - that's what he's bred to be - Aidan O'Brien, trainer.
 
💯% - cracking trainer, but all he spouts is PR and marketing for an outfit which understandably views their stock more as commercial stallions than racehorses, I never take any notice of a word he says and tbh I do a lot better as a punter as a direct consequence.
 
The draw at Epsom made it a harder race. He's got a good break till the juddmonte so better judged on that. The eclipse not usually run on such soft going so aidan might even give the juddmonte a miss then irish champion with the enigmatic one going to York. Don't think yesterday told us anything bar he toughed it out.
 
That Sue and John Magnier both showed up at Sandown shows how much this horse means to them.
I have not seen Sue Magnier in decades, let alone years.
Brave of them to run the horse; great quote from John that the horse's clothes are off, now it up to him to get into bed and get on with it !.
 
I said prior to the Derby about what a really beautiful mover he is, just floating over the ground. He clearly did not enjoy the ground on Saturday...it was blindingly obvious as he showed by carrying his head awkwardly and hanging. He still won. Sure they do talk up their stallion prospects but on this occasion they are 100% being perfectly honest and accurate.
 
Messrs hannon and gosden are not averse to building up their horses. Gosden especially quotes every excuse in the book when his horses are beaten something aidan gets hammered for on social media.
 
Cot is indeed a beautiful mover. I hope he can get decent ground at York so we can see him stride out. The fact he pulled up quickly shows he was really all at sea on the soft going. Highland reel was 10 to 12 lbs below his best on soft ground but on good to firm won the breeder Cup turf and hong kong vase.
 
I am not prepared to put Troy's poor showing down to the ground. of it had been soft and drying out that is one thing but g/s changing to soft is a lot less holding. Sure he's a good horse but if he runs into White Birch I know which one I will back
 
Tanlic said:
I am not prepared to put Troy's poor showing down to the ground. of it had been soft and drying out that is one thing but g/s changing to soft is a lot less holding. Sure he's a good horse but if he runs into White Birch I know which one I will back
Click to expand...

Say they're going

4/6 WB
2/1 COT
8/1 bar

Which do you back?
;)
 
Tbf to Tanlic, seeing as there's as much chance of them betting like that as there is of me being parachuted into the Cabinet as Minister For Chips, it's an academic question.

I think City Of Troy would just about shade it on ground with Firm accurately in the description and tbh I'd be even more confident White Birch would win if the word Soft accurately appeared.

In either event, they'd make City Of Troy favourite.
 
Ian_Davies said:
Tbf to Tanlic, seeing as there's as much chance of them betting like that as there is of me being parachuted into the Cabinet as Minister For Chips, it's an academic question.

I think City Of Troy would just about shade it on ground with Firm accurately in the description and tbh I'd be even more confident White Birch would win if the word Soft accurately appeared.

In either event, they'd make City Of Troy favourite.
Click to expand...
And.,of course, you and Tanlic kmow better than jockey amd trainer?:LOL::LOL::LOL:
 
reet hard said:
And.,of course, you and Tanlic kmow better than jockey amd trainer?:LOL::LOL::LOL:
Click to expand...
I'm glad you finally understand that and are able to admit it with zero sarcasm!

It's the "reet ('trainer and jockey know best' tug of forelock) hards" who will make the market if they ever meet!

Joking aside, of course O'Brien always knows best - it's not like he's had the last two Derby winners beaten out of sight in the Guineas, is it?

Alright, I hadn't stopped joking.
 
Simon Rowlands's take on those three 10f races at Sandown:

www.attheraces.com

Sectional Spotlight | At The Races

Simon compares City Of Troy's winning time in the Eclipse to past Sandown winners, while passing on some long-awaited good news for sectional fans.
www.attheraces.com www.attheraces.com

I notice he doesn't relate them to any of the other races over the other distances on the card...
 
Back
Top