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The Great Man
- Thread starter Slim
- Start date
trudij
Senior Jockey
Better a cunning plan than a planning….
granger
Senior Jockey
Noble or cunning to pull fact to file today?
Ian_Davies
Conditional
The ongoing obsession with this bloke is so tiresome to me.
How much time do people think he spends talking about those who talk about him?
Ponder that, then get some self respect and debate something else - like how to back more winners and make more money, for YOU.
Anyway, while he's run some good races there, and again yesterday. I don't think Jonbon has ever been in love with Cheltenham, whereas Fact To File is very effective at the Cotswolds picture postcard, otherwise overrated, dump.
The times so far suggest the ground hasn't been as quick as on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day last year when they smashed standard by ten seconds.
Mullins is a great trainer (obvs), but that doesn't mean people have to agree with literally every word he says, or that he's always right.
And no one person is bigger than the game and allowed to dictate what CoCs do in terms of watering - stay-at-home threats are pathetic and should be ignored, and I'd say the same if it was Skelton, Henderson, or any Brit saying it.
How much time do people think he spends talking about those who talk about him?
Ponder that, then get some self respect and debate something else - like how to back more winners and make more money, for YOU.
Anyway, while he's run some good races there, and again yesterday. I don't think Jonbon has ever been in love with Cheltenham, whereas Fact To File is very effective at the Cotswolds picture postcard, otherwise overrated, dump.
The times so far suggest the ground hasn't been as quick as on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day last year when they smashed standard by ten seconds.
Mullins is a great trainer (obvs), but that doesn't mean people have to agree with literally every word he says, or that he's always right.
And no one person is bigger than the game and allowed to dictate what CoCs do in terms of watering - stay-at-home threats are pathetic and should be ignored, and I'd say the same if it was Skelton, Henderson, or any Brit saying it.
Danny
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2013
- Messages
- 2,852
I think it's honest enough pulling him because the ground was good as he did run badly on it in the King George.
However I find Mullins bleating about it and threating not to send his horses is poor. There was a time when good spring ground was the norm at the festival. He wasnt moaning or if he was not too loudly about the ground on Tuesday amd Wednesday when he was mopping up all of a sudden Bambino gets beat and he had to pull a horse who prefers soft he's throwing his toys out of the pram. Unusual from a guy who usually reeks of class.
If they'd of thrown a load of water on it and the rain had been worse than forecast what would we have been looking at for Gold Cup day ? Who wants to see a Gold cup run heavy ? I never wants to see scenes at the festival like I did the day Our connor crossed the line covered in mud.
I think they've done their best in difficult circumstances. And hopefully the ground will be lovely racing ground for the showpiece and it will suit all.
Hadn't seen Ians post haha, fairly similar thinking as we are on nearly all subjects bar milk chocolate against dark chocolate biscuits.
tiggers1972
Senior Jockey
Time of last years Ryanair would suggest it was pretty much good ground though..
Shame the interviewer didn't have the guts to call him out on that.
That interview made him look like a petulant child.
jinnyj
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2004
- Messages
- 6,020
I was surprised at Mullins - he is normally the last person to bleat on about unfairness. Possibly he'd just ad it in the ear from Bambinos owners and that was just a poor knock on effect. It's been one of those meetings though. Like the jockey spat - unnecessary and a shame that either were televised.
archie
Senior Jockey
To be fair, I think it's basically a New Course issue because of the practicalities of when you can water. The clerk has had flak in the past for watering and then getting heavy ground when more rain than expected appears.
Yesterday the rain came lighter and later than predicted so didn't get in the ground soon enough. The stuff they had overnight has probably produced perfect ground for today.
As far as Mullins is concerned, I think it harks back to last year when they called quick ground good to soft on Gold Cup day and effectively ruined Galopin Des Champs' chance. As horses, particularly chasing types, get older their joints are more vulnerable to the percussive effect of quicker ground. It likely wasn't Mullins' decision but I think they were right to pull Fact To File.
Yesterday the rain came lighter and later than predicted so didn't get in the ground soon enough. The stuff they had overnight has probably produced perfect ground for today.
As far as Mullins is concerned, I think it harks back to last year when they called quick ground good to soft on Gold Cup day and effectively ruined Galopin Des Champs' chance. As horses, particularly chasing types, get older their joints are more vulnerable to the percussive effect of quicker ground. It likely wasn't Mullins' decision but I think they were right to pull Fact To File.
Last edited:
edgt
Senior Jockey
Right to pull him; not right to bitch about not watering when up to 10mm forecast.
You would have thought Willie had seen enough rain all winter at home.
You would have thought Willie had seen enough rain all winter at home.
Ian_Davies
Conditional
When Fact To File won the race last year he broke standard by 1.39 seconds - Heart Wood broke it by 0.66 seconds yesterday.
The clock indicates the ground was similar to last year, but it presumably didn't walk that way before racing or ride that way according to Mullins's jockeys in the early races.
Mullins didn't ask to have a microphone stuck in front of him, but hinting he might stop bringing horses over if he doesn't get the ground he wants in the future had an unpleasant odour of trying to leverage his status and equine ammunition about it to me and that's not only a bad look it's something that should be resisted.
He's not the only trainer to do it - John Gosden on the Flat does it regularly and reportedly only met a brick wall when he tried it before a Breeders' Cup and was apparently told to "F off back to Britain and not run, then."
They do some things better in the United States Of America.
The clock indicates the ground was similar to last year, but it presumably didn't walk that way before racing or ride that way according to Mullins's jockeys in the early races.
Mullins didn't ask to have a microphone stuck in front of him, but hinting he might stop bringing horses over if he doesn't get the ground he wants in the future had an unpleasant odour of trying to leverage his status and equine ammunition about it to me and that's not only a bad look it's something that should be resisted.
He's not the only trainer to do it - John Gosden on the Flat does it regularly and reportedly only met a brick wall when he tried it before a Breeders' Cup and was apparently told to "F off back to Britain and not run, then."
They do some things better in the United States Of America.
