York - Day 2

Gareth Flynn said:
Held up towards rear, effort over 4f out, pushed along, hanging left over 3f out and bit went through mouth, ridden and headway when hung left 2f out, soon driven and kept on inside fnal furlong to take 2nd last 100yds

Did one cause the other? And which?
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I'd say 99% certain the horse hung and by trying to keep him straight, it caused the bit to go through his mouth rather than the other way round.
 
SteveM said:
I don't often back tips (unless they mirror what I think anyway), but I'm told the Cecil horse wins the 3.45. (Apparently they expected it last time out, but frustrated.) Dettori takes the ride (for those that think that'll make a difference). I've uncharacteristically (for a horse I know nothing about) had some on.
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Fourth... ran okay never a chance with the winner. I'll go back to not backing tips.:(
 
jinnyj said:
I'd say 99% certain the horse hung and by trying to keep him straight, it caused the bit to go through his mouth rather than the other way round.
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Absolutely that way round... and almost certainly hanging in the first place due to not letting himself down on the ground.
 
From Dave Ord's blog on Sporting Life:

1615: Sara Waterson says: "Congratulation to Julie Turner, breeder of Fareer from a very small stud of a only handful of mares. Fans of the horse might like to know 'FarEar' has his own page on Facebook: the Fareer Fan Club".

Cheers Sara - and well done Julie. I'm joining tonight - I need more friends - or more interests - on Facebook.
 
Don't forget there's a full brother or sister currently being cooked by SONGSHEET (the dam version!)... offers over £100,000 will be entertained... wot about a forum syndicate, then? I think I can rustle up £50!
 
Thanks all - got the good news also that Songy's foal was scanned with a heartbeat, which is great - rest is definitely now all up to her! However BARRANTES came up empty, which surprised everyone, so up one minute, back down to earth the next!!

I must admit I hadn't realised you could have Listed handicaps (which shows how much attention I have been paying all these years). I too thought he won with quite a bit in hand but, like Sandown, we've a few days to go yet before talking about Group races, as he has to stay sound and that ground looked fiercly firm to me.

PS There's The FAREER Fan Club and also Friends of Poleshill is anyone has a totally bored out of their skull moment - some great photos taken by Tracy on thePoleshill one. Both are open to all.
 
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The winner of the 5f handicap looks an ideal type for the Stewards Cup. I backed him in the Portland last year but I think he needs gaps between his races.
 
What's this all about?

O'Brien referred to British Horseracing Authority

Racing: Aidan O’Brien was referred to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) after reportedly refusing to allow officials to examine Cape Blanco following his win in the totesport Dante Stakes at York this afternoon.
The Ballydoyle trainer watched from Co Tipperary as Cape Blanco galloped to second-favouritism for the Investec Derby, after which rumours circulated about his well-being.
Television pictures appeared to show the colt being lame and stiff, but representatives from Ballydoyle and Coolmore insisted the horse was fine.
In an attempt to settle the matter, stipendiary steward, Robert Earnshaw, and BHA vet, Lynn Hillyer, both spoke to O’Brien by phone but he was said to have refused for the winner to be examined and declined an invitation for his travelling head lad, Pat Keating, to meet with the stewards.
Earnshaw said: “Our vet is down at the stables but Mr O’Brien has refused to have the horses trotted up in front of the vet. The lad has loaded the horse up and is heading for the airport.
“Mr O’Brien also refused a request for the stable lad to be interviewed by the stewards so the matter has been referred to the British Horseracing Authority under Rule B 83, which states that persons must comply with any instruction given by stewards at a race meeting.”
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Been quite impressed with CH4's coverage. They do too much frigging about at Cheltenham between races (same at Chester) but it was nice to see plenty of air time given to watching Midday and Sariska going down to the start for example. Am I right in thinking this meeting doesn't have a "Ladies Day"?
 
The horse was very clearly stiff/sore/lame, whatever you like to call it, in spite of the THL walking him around, presumably in order to try to walk off any cramps, rather than try to do further damage (possible, if he's not a vet and didn't know quite what was wrong). I can't think why you wouldn't want the vet to check your horse over - the idea the horse was 'fine' was daft, frankly, as it wasn't. It would have had a lot of trouble to raise a trot in front of anyone, let alone the vet, I'd venture. What's gained by spiriting it away and snubbing the BHA, I've no idea. Most odd.
 
Very strange indeed. Not suggesting the Ballydoyle team have anything to hide but surely if you didn't you'd have no objection to the vet looking at the horse? Maybe they were on a tight schedule to get the flight back? Worried about the volcano?!
 
They are like that with their horses - any possible problems or soundness issues will not be wanted to be made public.
 
I can't quite understand why he's being referred to the BHA though - plenty of horses leave the track that aren't right without being checked over by the vet first. I'm not so sure about the rule which states that "persons must comply with any instruction given by stewards at a race meeting" either - sounds a bit like they threw their toys out of the pram and demanded to see the horse to me. I can't see that a racecourse vet would do other than say "yes, it's stiff" anyway - you'd get your own vet at home to treat them once they got back.
 
O'Brien states on the RP site that he thought the horse had possibly caught his heel which had been sore prior to the race. To me the horse looked very sore in front and I (ever the pessimist!), personally would have had a vet look at the horse before he travelled back in case there was some underlying problem that could get worse from standing on a long journey.
BUT, O'Brien employs top class staff and if they felt he was OK, then you have to trust their judgement is right.
 
O'Brien not a happy camper in the paper - he says the vets did check the horse over and trotted him. When that was done they went and got him iced and poulticed when the vets came back again to see him trot. That is when they said no.
 
The stewards seem to have been way over the top. I don't see what O'Brien has done wrong in the slightest.
 
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