The Leger

Unspeakable ride ! Spencer was hardly any better . I think we have just found out why Kinane stayed at home.

Monitor Closely clearly the best horse in the race and just did not get home.
 
davidjohnson said:
Which bit of my post suggests Shergar didn't stay at Doncaster?
Click to expand...

Your post suggested that Shergar looked as much a certainty. STS is plainly in the form of his life . Shergar had gone . Are you suggesting STS has gone since last week ?
:blink:

Do you think the Shergar in his Irish Derby form had turned up at Donny he would not have been able to beat Cut Above ?
 
I must say this thread was a good read but the Ledger must me one of the worst Group Ones run all year in GB and Ireland. Sea The Stars would have been a 1-7 shot and connections would have need seven million on to justify running him in it.
 
Had to watch Mourayan from behind a pillow. Nice 1-2 for Godolphin. Monitor Closely didn't quite last home - his future is surely now over 1m4f.
 
I'm sure it's worse everytime I see it, his positioning and timing are just awful. There's no real advantage to stick towards the far rail once they've turned for home at Doncaster, it's just a ride devoid of all thought. Truly truly horrendous, Group One jockeys should not be making mistakes (plural) like that at this level.
 
Gamla Stan said:
I'm sure it's worse everytime I see it, his positioning and timing are just awful. There's no real advantage to stick towards the far rail once they've turned for home at Doncaster, it's just a ride devoid of all thought. Truly truly horrendous, Group One jockeys should not be making mistakes (plural) like that at this level.
Click to expand...

I remember saying it before on here, when the pressure is on Fran Berry is not the jockey you want on your side. Sound, decent fella who can rack up lots of winners in a year - but poor tactition when it really matters and can look like he is is flapping around on horse some times at the business end. In saying all that the horse is a bit of a rouge and probably enjoyed the traffic problems.
 
Getting her rouge pen out! I suppose I could flag up 'tactition', too, but I've had a lovely day at Goodwood today, and am in mellow mood. Didn't bet, so didn't win, but just enjoyed the races in the company of some good racing folk, under bright blue and sunny skies, accompanied by tasty smoked salmon sarnies and a decent bottle of plonk, kindly bought by A.N. Other (when it always tastes better!).

Didn't think much of the St. Leger, either. Not an inspired race and I'm sick to death of pacemakers which seem to be sent on kamikaze speed missions. Actually, I'm sick to death of pacemakers, full stop.
 
Euronymous said:
Brigadier Gerard didn't stay 12f but when you have as big a class advantage as he did it doesn't matter.
Click to expand...

Yes, but I think there's a difference the further you go. Brigadier Gerard was able to run to his peak at 10f and got away with it at 12f, as you say, because of his class. Nijinsky was at his peak at 12f and might not have truly stayed the Leger trip (although he did get lots of stayers so maybe he had more stamina than he needed to demonstrate).

STS, in some people's view, 'only' won the Derby because it wasn't true run (therefore his stamina for 12f wasn't really tested) so to go almost 3f more would have been asking an awful lot. That last furlong might have done for STS what it did for Monitor Closely yesterday. MC was going best three out and looked like hacking up two out but he soon came off the bit and started going up and down in one place.

How sad would it have been if STS had come there hacking all over them only to be let down and find heehaw.

I still feel awful watching Crisp's last furlong at Aintree.
 
Last edited:
More pacemaking mischief today in the Prix Vermeille - VOLVER quite clearly ridden tactically and succeeded in contributing to the disqualification of DA RE MI's win. This is such a nonsense - I can't see how it's within any Rules of Racing, as the horses are so clearly not ridden to obtain best position to win, and no disguise is made of the fact that they're not ridden thus. Total tosh. (I know this is the Leger thread - I'm just rattling on after fuming about pacemakers in that, too.)
 
Back
Top