Baaeed's swansong - bye to one of the all-time greats!

Mighty Baaeed takes to the turf one last time in Saturday's Champion Stakes and there is no doubt that he will bow out unbeaten with a 11-11-0 record. It will take something cataclysmically unusual to beat him. No opponent comes close; not Derby and King George winner Adayar, not a rising star like Bay Bridge, no-one in the field should trouble one of the greatest 8 to 10-furlong performers of all time. It will be of interestwhat kind of performance Baaeed has in store for the racing world at Ascot. Another explosive performance will elevate his Timeform ratings; maybe he could run Frankel and his own sire Sea The Stars close, starting the much-debated; who is the greatest thoroughbred of them all ?

Thanks for the memories, Baaeed!

Win: Baaeed

Week-end football and racing

The Flat season has started its post-Frankel era since a couple of weeks. No doubt that the mega-star of the past few years will be missed, but this is racing; one goes and there is hope that another gem arises, although it will be tough to surpass Frankel. But just a few years ago, everyone seemed to think that we'd never see the likes of Sea The Stars again, yet the son of Galileo appeared and the rest, they say, is history.

Black Caviar surprisingly left for the paddocks as well earlier this week and so racing has lost its 2 brightest stars. Among the juvenile brigade, there are a few that have shown potential and might emerge with promise; Dawn Approach and Toronado are certainly at the fore-fronts of all minds ahead of the coming Guineas. Among the older brigade, Camelot oozes enigma, and expectations will be high on the son of Montjeu to vindicate claims from his trainer that he's the best horse ever to come out of  Ballydoyle.

Then, Sea The Stars has his first 2-year olds running this year. I personally believe he will become a terrific sire; whether as good or better than his half-brother Galileo, it's difficult to pronounce, but he's definitely got the pedigree and breeder support to make a great stallion. We'll have to wait and let his sons and daughters do the talking. Lots to look forward indeed.

On Saturday, Noble Mission, makes his season appearance at Newbury. It looks to be all systems go for the Frankel's half-brother. The distance will suit and he's clearly got the best form from last year, among the runners. He will definitely be in the top 2, but is worth a punt as an outright Win at current odds.

The Group 3 Greenham Stakes at 15.30 looks to be a race between Hannon's Olympic Glory and Botti's Moohajim. Both yards are in good form but I give a small advantage to the Hannon horse at the seven furlong distance. He's a Win selection as well.

In football, I like Norwich as a Win against sorry Reading. This should put the Canaries at ease in the relegation fight. I think Wigan will sneak something out of their trip to West Ham. They showed good spirit in their loss at Man City and they definitely can match the Hammers. Wigan is a draw-no-bet selection.


Win: Noble Mission, Olympic Glory, Norwich
Draw-no-bet: Wigan

So You Think - The beast

Farrh and Ebony Flyer placed second, but Jackson was the big disappointment and only beat 3 home. At this point, I haven't read anything that went amiss with the Durban July favourite and connections are still scratching their heads on his poor showing. It certainly wasn't the ride because he was ideally placed throughout. Anyway, racing throws a few nuggets here and there at times.

Nathaniel won the Coral Eclipse and I must say that he surprised me with his fitness coming from a long layoff. It remains to be seen if the race has taken a lot from him but if he reproduces that kind of form, he will surely be a leading contender in the top middle-distance races to come.

It was sad to see So You Think retired after his injury that led to his defection from the Eclipse. I've always thought this horse to be a wonder horse and it is a tragedy that Aidan O'Brien took so long to get to the bottom of him. The horse looks like and is a freak. Not wanting to rollback to last year where he lost some of his lustre in some high-profile defeats, but there was an excuse for each and everyone of them.

Prince of Wales's Stakes 2011. Narrowly beaten by Rewilding because was under-done by O'Brien. Self-confessed trainer error.

Arc 2011. 4th to Danedream. Probably wouldn't have won because Danedream was un-catchable that day but was left too much to do at the back by Heffernan. He should have come out second. Pilot error.

Qipco Champions Stakes 2011. Narrow second to Cirrus des Aigles. The race came after only 13 days rest since his Arc outing, so he was tremendous into coming out second. Would have won if the races were further apart.

Breeders Cup Classic 2011. Beaten 3.5 lengths into 6th. He ran honourably considering dirt is not his surface and it was his 3rd Group 1 race in 5 weeks. He would have fared better if he had skipped the Qipco Champion Stakes above.

Finally, Dubai World Cup 2012. Honourable 4th on a synthetic surface that was not to his liking. However, this time, connections should be applauded for taking aim at racing's richest race.

Between all these heart-breaking defeats, So You Think still won 5 Group 1's on European soil. The horse's a legend. Without getting into the British-Aussie squabble as to how good he was, there is no doubt that if one had to select any horse from any era to run a 10-12 furlong race, So You Think would be at the forefront of many minds. Just like the Sea The Stars, Deep Impact, Dancing Brave, Nijinski, Ribot and Sea Bird. To me, he was that good.

Delivery time

Great last week-end with the Lockinge and Preakness delivering the 1-2 punch as expected.

What else to say about Frankel that hasn't yet been said? He's not as imposing as Sea The Stars but his mechanics are just unbelievable. In full flight, he's an unstoppable machine in motion. At this point, there seems nothing to stop him in the Prince of Wales stakes at Ascot, possibly his next stop. Excelebration ran the race expected of him but again had to settle for second place. Unfortunately for him, it looks like there are more runner-up spots in the offing for him each time he locks horns with the Galileo colt.

State-side, I'll Have Another outran Bodemeister in the final strides to complete the Derby-Preakness double, opening the possibility of achieving the Triple Crown. Can he do it? It's a little early to say but I believe much of it will depend on the disposition of Dullahan and Union Rags. Both horses will be fresher for the Belmont showpiece as they skipped Pimlico. The Triple Crown is far from a certainty for I'll Have Another, but he's proved to have lots of ability, and certainly is among the best of his generation.

In football, Chelsea finally won the Champions League after coming close in recent years. Their success had looked so improbable in their encounters with Barcelona and in the final against Bayern, but it seems that it was written somewhere that they would win it. Di Matteo showed all his savviness and when you look at his short managerial career, he's never really showed he was a bad manager. He did well at West Brom and looked unlucky to be sacked there. Whether he stays at the helm of Chelsea of not, he looks destined to be wanted by other top clubs in Europe.

Coming up over the week-end are the Irish Guineas Classics and both colts and fillies races look competitive. With Camelot certain to step up in trip from now on, this year's 3-year old top miler could be making a statement at the Curragh. It will be interesting to see if the returning Parish Hall can confirm all the promise of last season, or if one of the flops at the Newmarket Classic, such as Born To Sea and Power, can redeem himself and take a leading role in the division. There certainly will be no more room for excuses and ability or non-ability will be there for all to see.

Crowning moment

This week-end will determine the eventual winner of the EPL. If Man City win at Newcastle, they'll win it. Anything else will lead to a Man Utd win, I believe. Man City holds the cards here and have their destiny in their hands. Can they win it at St James park where Newcastle has proved so difficult to overcome this season? I have a feeling they won't and will have to settle for 1 point at most.

Man Utd will beat Swansea at home, no doubt. There should be many goals in that one. Man Utd is a recommended as a straight win.

The 2000 Guineas will be the center of attention for racegoers. I persist in thinking that Camelot is not tailor-made for the mile and will be much better over longer distances as his pedigree suggests. He's a very good horse no doubt, but I think he's vulnerable at the distance and he is definitely way too short at his current price. He's a lay in my books. I believe his stablemate Power and John Oxx's Born To Sea are the value punts of the race. There are stamina doubts regarding Power, particularly if the grounds gets worse than soft. But if the conditions dry on race day, this battle-hardened colt has shown enough potential in his 2-year old season to be among the contenders. For punters looking for value, he looks like a good Place punt.

Born To Sea looks destined for great things like his half-brothers Galileo and Sea The Stars. His pedigree suggests that he will have more speed than these two, and a mile should be right up his alley. Like Power, he should be more convenienced with drier track conditions. At his current price, he looks worthy of a Place punt and this is the recommendation.

There are quite a few dark horses in the race such as french raiders Abtaal and French Fifteen. They could very well emulate Makfi and trump them all. But I think that Trumpet Major and Caspar Netscher have been over-cooked in their trial wins and are lays at the same level as Camelot.

This year's Kentucky Derby looks the most competitive it's been for years. I don't think Daddy Long Legs, the Coolmore representative has much of a chance here, unless he's turned out to be a superstar. First post and having flopped on his only start on dirt, do not provide confidence to the son of Scat Daddy. I think Bodemeister and Union Rags are sitting on big races here. Bodemeister was by far the most impressive in the prep races and although he's only had 4 races to date, he's been battle-hardened this year. Union Rags was mighty impressive before his disappointing run in the Florida Derby. I don't subscribe to the majority notion that his awful trip was the cause of his defeat. I think his trip wasn't as bad as perceived and that he was well-beaten on the day. Maybe he was under-cooked on the day, but he looks in prime condition for Saturday's race. Bodemeister looks the least vulnerable of the lot and he is a Place selection.

Win: Man Utd.

Place: Born To Sea, Bodemeister

Classic Countdown

It is a case of "one down, one more to go" as Real Madrid won La Liga, the Los Blancos being heavily tipped to land the title in these pages for a long time. The other one, Man City for the EPL, currently looks a good shout as well, although it is by no means a certainty as their next travel to Newcastle will certainly determine the destiny of the title.

The first Saturday of May one of the most exciting of any year as one side of the Atlantic holds the Kentucky Derby and the other one the 2000 Guineas. Just last year, Frankel gave a scintillating display for the ages in trouncing his contemporaries in the Newmarket classic. The focus this year has been on Camelot who's not put a foot wrong in his 2-year old campaign, not least winning the Racing Post Trophy in a canter. Will he do a St Nicholas Abbey and flop? That is the main question.

The other question is how good is Born To Sea, the half-brother to superstar Sea The Stars? His trainer John Oxx would not send him across the Irish Sea if he thought he'd be going to the wolves. One thing is certain, his pedigree suggests that Born To Sea will have been born with speedier genes than his half-brother and if a mile on soft ground is within his realm, he will be a major player on Saturday.

Stateside, it's the countdown to the Triple Crown race they all want to win, the Kentucky Derby. This looks a very close affair as well with at least 5 main protagonists in my cards; Bodemeister,  Union Rags, Gemologist, Creative Cause and Alpha. I think the winner will come from this group, unless there is an extreme outsider out there that is destined for a good day. Powerhouses Godolphin and Coolmore are represented in this year's race, it would be something if one of them were to land this.

Track and weather conditions are bound to play a big role in these Classics come Saturday; I'll be more confident on my selections as we get close to race-day.

Week-end preview

Fa'iz placed third but Zabeel Park seemed to have suffered a setback on her return and was eased two furlongs from home. Frustrating to lose on Zabeel Park as she seemed to be right in the mix of things until her problem. There's no denying there's an element of risk when backing horses returning from such a long layoff.

The week-end's racing is polarized by the possible outing of Born To Sea in the Killavullan Group 3 race in Leopardstown. The three-parts brother to Sea The Stars was mightily impressive when winning on his debut in a listed race. The talent from the family blue blood is clearly there. The vibes from trainer John Oxx are very good, so if the more-than-softish ground does not prevent him from running, it's hard to see him finishing out of the places. I recommend him as a strong each-way punt.

In football, Man City are set to keep on their wining ways as they host Wolves, who they happen to have beaten in the Carling Cup in mid-week. The main guns like Silva and Aguero look set to start and pile more misery on Mc Carthy's men. It's hard to see anything other than a Win for City, and it is the recommendation.

Man Utd face a tougher task going to Everton and Goodison Park is always a tough place to grab 3 points. Everton have injury problems and had a tough long game in midweek against Chelsea. I don't expect the Red Devils to lose this game, but they might not win it either. I recommend them as a draw-no-bet.

Tottenham host QPR in a London derby and I can't see Neil Warnock's men repeating last week's victory against Chelsea. Spurs are solid at home while QPR's main points have also been garnered in the comforts of home. Tottenham are a strong draw-no-bet candidate and this punt is my recommendation.

In Spain, Barcelona host Mallorca in what should be a straightforward contest. Expect Messi to score a bundle to attone for last week-end's penalty miss, in my opinion. Barcelona is a straight Win recommendation. Real Madrid travel to Real Sociedad with full of confidence and all guns blazing. It would be shocking if The Los Blancos were to lose this game. They should win it and in case they misfire, should at least come up with a point. A draw-no-bet on Mourinho's men is recommended.

In Germany, Bayern Munich are hosts to Nurnberg and will clearly look for 3 points. The gulf in class between the 2 teams is clearly evident and Munich should clearly win this. A Win on the hosts is recommended.

Win: Man City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich

Draw-no-bet: Man Utd, Tottenham, Real Madrid

Each-way: Born To Sea

Kings of bloodstock

I am no pedigree expert but I certainly keep a keen eye on the bloodstock scene. After all, pedigree is one of the 3 most important ingredients when analyzing a race card, in my opinion. Most experts would concur that the best stallion in the world today is Galileo. I believe he is the only stallion with a "private" fee, which gives an indication of the special treatment and regard he is given. His impact as a sire has been very immediate with high-flyers like Soldier of Fortune, Sixties Icon, Age of Aquarius, Red Rocks, Rip Van Winkle etc; very much a lot from the Ballydoyle contingent.

What amazes me with Galileo is that this year, he seems to have reached even new heights with star performers like Treasure Beach, Roderic O'connor and more importantly, the unbeaten trio of Frankel, Maybe and South African-based Igugu.

The exploits of Frankel have been well documented. He's the wonder horse that most believe is unbeatable. Everyone is waiting for his next start. Then there's Maybe, who's added the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes to her resume last week-end. She's unbeaten in five and is favourite for next year's 1000 Guineas. Then, there's Igugu who won South Africa's Golden Tiara, the country's Triple Crown, and whose trainer, Mike de Kock, rates as the equal of Ipi Tombe. Quite a reference to be associated with the wonder filly.

All 3 are worthy champions and are the dominating figures among their peers. Galileo can have his stock win at the highest level from 8 to 14 furlongs, which says a lot of his versatility as a sire. If his great sire Sadler's Wells was known mainly for producing high-class colts and fillies primed for Classic distances, Galileo looks to be able to produce equally-good speedier types.

If Galileo is that good, then one can only dream on the promise of his half-brother, Sea The Stars. There is no doubt that the racing world is awaiting with baited breath the introduction of the sons and daughters of the wonder horse in a couple of years. These are really exciting times for the bloodstock industry.

And talking of sons of Urban Sea, the press has it that Galileo's and Sea The Star's half-brother Born To Sea will be making his debut for John Oxx in a few weeks. His sire is Invincible spirit, so on paper, he should be a very precocious type. Certainly watch for the name on the future race cards.

An Awesome destroyer

He came, he conquered and he convinced. Frankel lived up to his billing and removed any question marks as to who is the best miler in the world. Canford Cliffs had never taken such a beating, he was pummeled into submission by a freak of nature. Doubters can point to Cliff's dislike for the course in hanging left, or to his relative weight surcharge, but in truth, the manner of Frankel's win would indicate that he would win anytime, any place, at weight-level against Hannon's champion.

Only 2 years ago, we were talking of Sea The Stars as being the best that there ever has been. Already, Frankel is being hailed along the same lines. He can lead the field, he can come from behind, this horse is showing he can do it all. The racing world is awaiting with baited breath his next race; supposedly a Champion Stakes race at 10 furlongs, a distance some feel will stretch him. A race that will either enhance his growing legend, or define him to just being a great miler. Bring on So You Think, the voices are clamoring.

Cliffs was trounced and in coming second vindicated the Place recommendation put on him.

The Galway festival is under way in Ireland and on Thursday, I like Anam Allta in the 15:35 Fillies Handicap. She kept on for third on her seasonal debut last month at the Curragh and that race should have brought her on. She has shown a lot of ability in her light 3-race career and looks to among the finishers. She's recommended as a Place.

At Nottingham, I also like Al Mahmeyah in the first race. This 2-year old Teofilo filly ran on to be second on her latest start at Kempton and looks to be the class act in this rather exposed field. The Hannon yard always provides for a formidable string of juveniles and Al Mahmeyah looks set to continue their dominance in that area. The main opposition might come from Ashbina from the Haggas yard who's currently in good form. I recommend Al Mahmeyah as a Place as well.


Place: Anam Allta, Al Mahmeyah

Victory for Japan

That was a superb World Cup meeting. No hard-luck stories, the best on the day won. Japan won the Big One with Victoire Pisa, and there is so much we can talk about regarding this as we go down memory lane. El Condor Pasa gave a glimpse of their rise in the thoroughbred world by nearly winning the Arc. Heart's Cry confirmed their deep talent by winning the Schema Classic. Deep Impact almost put them on top of the world in an ill-fated Arc attempt. Delta Blues and Pop Rock gave them the big breakthrough in the Melbourne Cup. And now Victoire Pisa and Transcend won them the richest race of them all. Fantastic! and I hope there is more to come from the land of the Rising Sun.

Looking at my recommendations, all bar one of them (Gio Ponti/Musir) were correct, and the Place couplings were good as at least one of the horses made the frame (Rocket Man, River Jetez, Mahbooba) at favourable odds. This is how my 10 predictions came through;

1. Bad one to start with. Gio Ponti and Musir were close but ended up 5th and 7th. I thought for a moment that Gio Ponti would win it as he entered the straight menacingly on the outside, but his turn of foot couldn't make the difference as the leaders had enough in the tank with the slow pace. Both were not outclassed but were not good enough on the night.

2. Good lay prediction on Cape Blanco, but just. Cape Blanco ran a brilliant race to come out 4th. He surprised me and almost made me eat my words! I have renewed respect for him.

3. It was always going to be a long shot with Irish Flame as I mentioned.

4. The Duty Free did not go to one of the mares but River Jetez ran as expected but fell to another brilliant horse in Presvis. Raihana was the unlucky story of the race as she couldn't find a clear run in the straight. Had she done so, I think she would have finished 3rd.

5. No contest for Rocket Man there.

6. Mahbooba was in the first 3 as mentioned. Reem was out of it, but overall, great coupling for a Place.

7. The lay on Mendip was spot-on as it was always going to be difficult for him on grass. This horse should rather be tried on dirt in America or stay on the synthetic. I don't know why Godolphin didn't enter him in the DWC itself.

8. De Kock had a good night with a few Place earnings, but failed to win a race. So a "huge" night was overstating it.

9. Godolphin won the races that were mentioned they were most apt to win; the Mile, the UAE Derby and the Scheema Classic. All the stars came aligned on the night on the night for them to win all three. This Khawlah is a filly to follow in England. Same bloodlines as Sea the Stars, so this explains a lot about her abilities.

10. I hope you enjoyed the meeting, I thought it was the best of the past few years!

Before I end this topic, I'm reading the jockey comments concerning the DWC race and a few of them are plainly complaining about the lack of pace in the race doing their mount no favours. From Soumillon (Musir), to Shea (Golden Sword) to Dominguez (Gio Ponti), they are "wishing" the pace could have been quicker. I'm no jockey, but for any punter, it's unnerving to hear such things; if they thought the pace was unsuitable during the race, wouldn't it have made sense to do something about it rather than sit still? Or were they tactically bound to stay put? Being free on the outside, Shea and Dominguez had every chance to make a move but didn't. Demuro on Victoire Pisa made his move to control the race despite an early setback, and the result is a victory that is down to the jockey's tactical prowess as well as alertness.

Finally, I'm amusingly reading about Rooney's yellow card during the Wales v/s England, which rules him out of the next Euro qualifier game. I'm ok with Capello usually reminding offenders before the match whenever they are one yellow card away from suspension. Does him failing to do so, excuse the fact that Rooney did not know about this significant detail entering the game? These footballers are supposed to be "professional"... I think Rooney is an awesome player, but what kind of things going on in a footballer's mind that explains missing something as important as this?

Have a good week!

Week-end Preview

On Thursday, Man City won its Europa league game but had a couple of disappointing results at Meydan. In the first race, Hunting Tower was most unlucky not to get the passage in the straight orelse it would have easily been in the Place money. Soumillon tried to sneak on the inside to no avail, just like his first ride on River Jetez a few weeks back. I mentioned in my preview that stablemate Wonder Lawn was a danger, and at 10/1 duly won the race. Mahbooba came out second in the UAE Oaks. The winner, Khawla, from Godolphin stable, was most impressive, as she won after months of layoff. She has caught my eye with her pedigree as her great-grandma is Urban Sea, and her sire is Cape Cross. So she is bred on extremely similar lines to Sea the Stars! So she's definitely one to follow when she tackles the big English races in a few months time.

There are some good value punts coming up this week-end. In the Premier League, I like Aston Villa's chances against Blackburn. I recommend a draw-no-bet on the Villains who will view this match as a must-win to ease their relegation fears.I also like Man Utd's chances as they visit Wigan. The Latics have never snatched a point from the Red Devils since they have entered the top flight. It will be a chance to see if the Red Devils are starting to huff and puff after below-par performances against Crawley and Marseille. I don't think they will lose this game, so recommend them as draw-no-bet as well. In the Carling Cup final, it's hard to go against Arsenal even though they look like they will be missing Walcott and Fabregas. It looks like they will have too much fire-power for Birmingham. I don't know if the Gunners will need extra-time to win the game, but I fancy their chances of lifting the trophy at the end. So a Final Win for the Gunners is recommended.

In Spain, big tests await Barcelona and Real Madrid. Everyone is talking of a Barcelona mini-slump, and winning convincingly at Mallorca will put this theory to rest. I think they will either win or draw, so a draw-no-bet on the visitors is the recommendation. Real Madrd travel to Deportivo La Coruna who are not the force they used to be in recent years. Real Madrid as draw-no-bet looks safe and is recommended.

CC Final win: Arsenal

Draw-no-bet: Aston Villa, Man Utd, Barcelona, Real Madrid.

Mike de Kock in force

I was mentioning that a Place bet on Monster Crunchie at better than odds-on, would be worth it for punters looking for a bet. The Deep Impact filly came out third and was available at around 3/2 Place last time I checked, so hopefully there were some of you that latched onto it. I could not outright recommend her as a new-comer, but it gives me confidence that my analysis was correct. I tell you, these Deep Impacts are worth watching, just like the Sea the Stars progenies will be in a few years time.

To continue on the racing streak, tomorrow is Meydan day. At the risk of being repetitive, it seems to be another fruitful meeting for the de Kock stable. It will just be a matter of picking the right horses for the stable. "Musir is flying and should go close" according to the trainer. These kinds of bullish comments often mean the expectation is very high. I was not surprised when Mike said that Bold Silvano was his best ever World Cup hope after the devastating win by the son of Silvano last week. But I was a little surprise he did not say that both Bold Silvano and Musir were his best hopes. Anyway, Musir is a classy horse who's only disadvantage on Thursday will be to get rid of cobwebs after a 325-day absence. I recommend him as a Place bet.

Out of other de Kock runners, I like classy filly Raihana to also Place. It will be interesting how she measures with Godolphin's Kingsfort, who I rate very highly. I also like Zanzamar; my only concern is that Richard Hills has a tendency to mess up on short favourites, in my opinion and experience. Golden Sword had a great last race which seems to show that he was back to his best, so is recommended as a Place in a race that seems winnable.

Place: Musir, Raihana, Golden Sword

Great horses of a lifetime...

Both of Thursday predictions won. Milan easily won against Bari and advanced to the next stage of the Coppa Italia and at Meydan, River Jetez was placed 3rd in her race.

The South African filly was very unlucky not to actually win her race as she was short of room at the rails. It reminded me very much a race at Meydan last year with Japanese champion Vodka also being stuck on the inside rails in a race she should have won. Anyway, River Jetez is certainly one to follow as the Carnival progresses. Also to follow is Godolphin's Simon de Montfort who won his race quite handily under Kieren Fallon; as I was writing in my previous post, this is a very classy colt and he does not seem to have lost any of his turn of foot. Godolphin and Mike de Kock are dominating proceedings as I mentioned they would, which is hopefully a good omen for my recommendations as long as I can pick their right horses.

I can't see anything of punting value for Friday. Japan is playing hosts Qatar in the Asian Cup in what should be an interesting match. The Australian Open is in full swing, and in my opinion, Nadal will at least reach the final. No punting or recommendations on this though as I haven't spent time assessing the main candidates to the trophy. I would think it will be between Nadal, Fed and Murray, but that's quite stating the obvious. No, I'm just bracing myself for this week-end's football and racing; in the meantime I'll finally go watch Secretariat the movie. I don't know much about the great horse besides it winning the Triple Crown and winning the Belmont by oh-so-many lengths, that seemed to have made its legend. Ahh, champion thoroughbreds... If I can leave the reality of punting a little bit, and fancy a 12-furlong race on a non-biased synthetic surface (say Meydan)...The Americans would bring Secretariat and Zenyatta, the British would come with Sea The Stars and Dancing Brave, the French with Zarkava and Peintre Celebre, the Japanese with Deep Impact, the South Americans with Invasor, the South Africans with Horse Chestnut and Pocket Power, the Australasians with So You Think and Makybe Diva, and the mighty Ribot would come for the Italians ... A wonder race for the ages... My trifecta would be... Sea The Stars, Deep Impact and Zarkava! and I am sure my selection will not be unanimous among other racing fans.

Ok, I'm off go to watch the movie about the great Secretariat...