From a punting viewpoint, the Arc delivered aplenty with Orfevre easily hitting the Placings at unbelievably generous odds of 3/1. Obviously, from a sporting position, like many others, I would have loved it if he won it all. The race can be replayed time and again and how he lost the race would still be beyond anyone's comprehension. The start of the last straight was a sight to behold as he effortlessly stormed past some of the best middle-distance horses Europe had on offer. I was thinking of another demolition a la Danedream. Better, I was thinking that Frankel was right to stay home. Almost immediately, it unfolded into a nightmare as he idled and hit the rails as Solemia caught him on. World beater turned unlucky second.
Solemia ran the race of the life and deserves more credit than what she's getting, even though it will always be more the race that Orfevre lost and not the race she won. What he showed was he is a genius, albeit a flawed genius. If I hinted Camelot was, on talent, the best horse going in the race, I was wrong. Orfevre will destroy this field anytime if he finds a way to settle on these quirks. What a run from the impossible post position of 18 on a heavy sticky ground he'd never run before. I cannot see how his rider Soumillon can be faulted. He rode the perfect copybook race; he had the whip in the right hand in the straight. His ride deviated and idled through no fault of his.
Rarely does a horse come out of a lost race with his reputation enhanced. Orfevre is now a name that will warrant attention, not only within the shores of Japan. It looks improbable but Soumillon got tongues wagging when he mentioned an encounter with Frankel on British Champions Day. Frankel, Cirrus des Aigles, Orfevre. That would be something. What was interesting, if not intriguing, is Soumillon's assessment in the aftermath of Sunday's defeat that Orfevre was the best horse he'd ever ridden. Whether said in the heat of the moment or not, but it gives a reference point to Orfevre's exceptional talent; better than Dalakhani, better than Zarkava? On Sunday, we got oh-so-close to the realm of fantasy land.
Showing posts with label Soumillon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soumillon. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Monday, March 28, 2011
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!
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!
Friday, February 25, 2011
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
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.
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