There is never a dull moment in the Sport Of Kings as we all know by now, though we do seem head and shoulders above all other sports – at shooting ourselves in the foot!
First up to discuss this week and what do you all think of the two-day ban handed down to bryony frost for her ride on Yala Enki, though you can see why I am not a steward because I failed to see anything wrong. Personally (for what it is worth), I felt she just kept her line as is her prerogative (you don’t see Lewis Hamilton moving over to let a rival through, do you), and it does smell of a bit of a witch hunt and if they have any brains (they dont0, then they should swallow their pride and rescind the ban.
On to something close to my heart and to make things clear, nothing untoward has happened, and the example I am using is based on a a trainer I trust implicitly – but the narrative remains the same. Pyledriver put in his final prep race for Hong Kong with a gutsy win over far too short for him at Lingfield, but after the race joint-trainer William Muir was quoted as saying “He wasn’t fit on Saturday as I hadn’t done a lot with him.” Fair enough you may say, but what if he had lost? If the same statement had been made post-race about a loser would we as punters have any comeback for our losses – nope, I didn’t think so. I guess my point is, should trainers be allowed to run horses who aren’t fully fit, is that fair on the horse, is that fair on the punter – and if you wanted to make sure your horses lost, what better drug free way than to send them to the track unfit?
Next up we have another age old question – should those banned from one aspect of racing for whatever reason be allowed to continue in a different guise? Irish trainer Stephen Mahon was banned from training for four years (reduced by six months on appeal), yet he was back in front of racing’s powers again and fined 500 Euros for “acting in an intimidatory manner” to the IHRB Veterinary team at Tipperary while acting as the authorised representative of trainer Pat Kelly, while looking after a horse he used to train. I do get more miserable as I get older but surely this sort of thing portrays racing in a bad light and I know those outside the industry see it as lip service punishment to appease the public, while business goes on as usual behind the scenes. Worse still. It is a worldwide issue as in Dubai Sateesh Seemar, multiple Champion trainer, has been suspended due to alleged links with the Chechen leader – but up steps his assistant to take over the yard and life continues as normal. I doubt there is any substance to the issue (in which case allow him to continue training until found innocent or not, as the case may be), but it still looks like a cover up and I for one am fed up with racing authorities treating us all like idiots.
To round the comment section off, I was sad to see Simon Classie stepping away from the job of clerk of the course at Cheltenham, but wish him all the very best regardless. Through all my years in this game I have never heard a bad word mentioned about him, and form my own experiences he always went the extra mile as needed. He would invariably be there in person at stable tours pre Festival so we could ask him about the ground, and he never ever refused to answer our questions – unlike some I could mention – and was like a breath of fresh air that numerous other clerks could learn a lot from.
Bored of reading – feel free to listen here instead https://postracing.co.uk/2021/11/18/bryony-gambles-landed-how-sakhir-and-selections-for-chepstow-haydock-and-ascot-18-11-21/
And on to the racing….
Friday
1.00pm Sakhir
With over a quarter of a million pounds to the winner out first contest on Friday afternoon is from Bahrain, and sees a star studded line-up of foreign raiders looking to take home the spoils. Godolphin seem pretty keen on winning this mile and a quarter event with four of the fourteen starters, while David O’Meara, Charlie Hills, Richard Fahey, Saeed bin Suroor, Charlie Appleby, and Ralph Beckett all have a runner from the UK, along with Jessica Harrington from Ireland, Andre Fabre from France, and Andreas Suborics from Germany, along with a host of locally trained challengers. If you naively assume that William Buick will have had first choice of the Godolphin team, then you have to assume that Zakoushki is the one to be on. A very easy winner in Listed class at Newmarket last month, that was his first start since winning a Group Two in Dubai in February, and if he strip fitter here, he may prove tough to pass if he gets to the front bright and early.
1.45pm Chepstow
I felt one race wasn’t enough for a Friday afternoon so I have thrown in a novice hurdle at Chepstow – I must be mad. One look at the runners fills me with more dread than excitement but it is what it is, and I will be having the tiniest ever each way bet here. Chanceux is the likeliest winner having hit a top three placing in three of his four starts and including a second at Hereford at the beginning of the month. He isn’t unbeatable on that form yet looks likely to go off at a very short price in this field, while his biggest danger on the formbook, French bumper winner Hititi took a crashing fall at Fontwell and you can never be sure what mental mark that may leave. Dodgy as it is, I will have a little each way on the unraced Whynotnowken, a son of Notnowcato who is related to numerous winners at the winter game, and won’t need to be out of the top drawer to get competitive here for trainer Anthony Honeyball.
Saturday
12.10pm Haydock
Just the six runners in this Listed novice hurdle, but five of them came home in front last time out so it has the look of a pretty decent contest. Although the ground is very different to the heavy he encountered on his hurdling debut at Newton Abbot and his winning margin of 18 lengths needs to be treated very carefully, there is every reason to think Might I may be even better on this ground as a son of Fame And Glory out of an Old Vic mare, and if that is the case he will take some stopping for one of my favourite trainers in Harry Fry.
1.50pm Haydock
Stuck record time – plenty of prize money blah blah blah, decent ground blah blah blah, poor turnout blah blah blah. Four runners is just embarrassing but it is one of the better races of the day and although Itchy Feet heads the official ratings off a mark of 155, but I am quietly confident that we have not seen the best yet from Bravemansgame. His debut over fences was pretty impressive with a six-length defeat of experienced rival Fusil Raffles, and if he improves as hoped, he may yet be the next chasing superstar to come out of the Paul Nicholls stable.
3.00pm Haydock
The race of the day and interestingly, one the Irish haven’t won since its inception in 2005, which makes life all the more interesting with A Plus Tard, trained by Henry De Bromhead, trading as short as 6/4. His second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup to stable companion Minella Indo is clearly the best form on offer here, and you would have to assume he is ready to roll to see him racing this early in the season, all of which are very positive signs. If he is spot on then at the age of seven there may well be a lot more to come, in which case he wins this barring mishaps, though don’t be put off by the quicker ground if you are considering Bristol De Mai – he clocked a decent time when winning this in 2018 and isn’t the mudlark some seem to think, I just wonder if the youngster may have his measure here.
2.05pm Ascot
Two of the three near the top of the betting here are on the comeback trial, with Lostintranslation having his first start since a wind operation for the Tizzards, and Defi Du Seuil looking to put a poor season behind him for the Hobbs team -and he has also had a wind op of some sort. His 2019 form includes wins at the Cheltenham Festival as well as Sandown and Ascot, and I am willing to take the risk that he bounces back this year – and if he does, he may yet be far too good for these.
2.40pm Ascot
One to go and on a day when risk taking seems top of my agenda I have decided after much careful thought, that I will give Goshen another chance because I am convinced he will win again – and I don’t want to miss out when he does. Gary Moore is already having a season to remember with plenty of winners in recent weeks, and although his strike rate has dropped off a little recently, he is still in amongst them, and this might be the best time to catch the now five-year-old. I won’t forget him hacking up in the Triumph Hurdle before unseating at the last in March 2020, and costing his followers a fortune. He hasn’t in all honestly repeated that since, but class is (hopefully) permanent, and if he does win this then all will be forgiven.
Sean’s Selections:
Might I 12.10pm Haydock Saturday
Defi Du Seuil 2.05pm Ascot Saturday
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