Wassily Kandinsky

Irish Stamp

Irish Stamp

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Was this horse ridden to obtain the best possible placing?

Was sitting fourth and then driving him to the front only for him to fold very tamely and finish tailed off the best way to have ridden the horse?

Any chance the Chester stewards were going to take a look at the ride McCabe gave him?
 
My thoughts exactly when I was watching the replay, Martin.

But the horse looked so reluctant to do anything the rider asked him to, it would be very difficult to know which would have been the best way to ride him to achieve the best possible position.

He's almost as 'strong-willed' as my wife!!! :luv:
 
Didn't AOB make it pretty clear that WK was being used as pacemaker?
There seems to be an acceptance that when that is the case, the horse isn't expected to be ridden to 'obtain the best possible position'! The first time the Stewards haul in a Ballydoyle or Godolphin pacemaker in these circumstances I'll eat my hat
 
But couldn't the same be made of the horses who go off like scalded cats on a regular basis in maiden hurdles in Ireland?

Sometimes pacemakers do stay on for a place - so I think a stewards enquiry is pretty pointless.

From a punting perspective, if you back a double figure odds pacemaker then surely if he sneaks a place you are lucky, and if he loses completely you cannot complain.
 
Quite agree numbersix. I think punters these days expect far too much mollycoddling - in fact we had a [quite heated] thread about that a few months ago!
 
It doesn't get away from the fact that connections broke the rules, i know that the HRA seems to be full of yes men to the big yards but come on that took the biscuit.

We regularly see smaller trainers like Emma Lavelle up in front of the stewards etc. but no Godolphin, Prescott, or O'Brien.

Numbersix if you back a horse pacemaker or not you expect connections to allow the horse to run to the best of its ability. Did that happen at Chester?
 
Originally posted by Irish Stamp@May 10 2008, 12:46 PM
It doesn't get away from the fact that connections broke the rules, i know that the HRA seems to be full of yes men to the big yards but come on that took the biscuit.

We regularly see smaller trainers like Emma Lavelle up in front of the stewards etc. but no Godolphin, Prescott, or O'Brien.

Numbersix if you back a horse pacemaker or not you expect connections to allow the horse to run to the best of its ability. Did that happen at Chester?
Click to expand...
No rules were broken IS ~ the use of pacemakers is allowed in new guidelines:

The HRA are of the opinion that the Rules of Racing do not prohibit the running of horses as pacemakers as such, provided they are run on their merits as required by Rule 155 (i).

The only stipulations are the pacemaker should be allowed to run on his merits, meaning that the jockey on the pacemaker cannot act to interfere with other runners or allow himself to be passed by his stable companion Formula 1 style or similar.
 
IS - what evidence is there that last place wasn't the best possible placing that WK could have achieved?
 
There is none Gareth but he shouldn't have been beaten a distance - 20 lengths given his form would IMHO be acceptable, but being effectively tailed off coming into the straight is a bit OTT.

I've nothing against his use as a pacemaker as long as it gave the horse the best chance possible of winning - clearly the tactics employed by McCabe didn't do that.
 
Sure, but do the rules pertain to how far a horse is beaten, or merely the position he finishes in? I think it's the latter, and I think that's something of a loophole.
 
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