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Southwell All Weather Racing PHOTOS – Tues 5th March
A very foggy day with extremely poor visability. I’m not overly happy with a lot of these photos due to that, as I’ve had to adjust them in Photoshop to try and get rid of the fog.
Click Photos to see the whole image, and full size. Hover over Photo for Caption.
Sunday 6th May – Horseracing (1000 Guineas)
Lyric of Light – pic: Racing Post
Well my two selections for the 2000 Guineas were disappointing. As were all the ‘fancied horses’ other than Camelot.
I did state though that I wasn’t overly confident about Power & Trumpet Major.
I do feel more keen on my two for the Fillies equivilant.
The Godolphin pair of Discourse and Lyric of Light. (Both 10/1)
Maybe ‘should’ win, but at 6/4 I won’t be touching her, when you can do an each way and gain 3 places and still gain more value than her price.
Discourse – pic: Racing Post
My 2000 Guineas picks were both drawn high, and I’ve looked where all the winners were drawn there on Saturday and they were: 4, 1, 12, 2, 3, 7, & 8… So Bottom half were/is the better.
My Godolphin runners are drawn 10 and 11.
As I’m doing this the night before it’s a bit of a guessing game with the going, today it was supposed to be Good to Soft, so I’ll use that and Good incase there’s a miracle over night…
Good to Soft winners: Only three: Lily’s Angel, Mashoora, Lyric of Light.
Good winners: 14 of the 18 runners.
100% Course winners: Lyric of Light, Discourse, The Fugue, Lightening Pearl.
Group 1 Winners: Lyric of Light, Maybe, Lightening Pearl, La Collina, Nayarra.
None of the fillies in the field have won at over a mile.
American Bred horses have won 4 of the last 10… Only USA bred this year: Discourse.
One strong Trend is born before April 1st, which rules out 8 runners.
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Kyllachy – pic: Sporting Life
Not Pointers today, just my Sire observations really:
A Sire I rate Kyllachy, has 3 runners out on Sunday, one at each meeting:
3.25 Hamilton Free Zone Has won his last three 5 furlong races, and has finished 1st and 2nd from 2 races on the ground. (3/1)
2.55 Salisbury Tassel steps up a class, but won his first race impressively at Newmarket last month.
4.25 Newmarket First time out for Michael Bell Kimberella.
Sulamani – pic: Godolphin
Fazza’s Sire Sulamani (who was Godolphin’s 100th Group/Grade 1 winner), has one runner out on Sunday, at Hamilton, Jonny Delta. Has been 2nd on 1 attempt on the ground. (7/1)
Sunday 8th Jan – Southwell (All Weather) 63 Photos – Horseracing
Here are my photos from Southwell on Sunday 8th January 2012. (In race card order)
Click Photos for full size image.
NOVAY ESSJAY - George Downing
TUNZA THE LION - Noel Garbutt
SLATEY HEN - Nora Looby
BIRD DOG - Danny Brock
BIRD DOG Winners Enclosure
JOZAFEEN - Lee Newman
MI REGALO - Leonna Mayor
SO IS SHE - Dominic Fox
GENERAL TUFTO Winners Enclosure
NEWPORT ARCH
MAGIC MILLIE
JONNIE SKULL
HAYLEY TURNER
KIPCHAK - Hayley Turner
SOUTHWELL Winners Enclosure
SOUTHWELL RACECOURSE
MAGIC MILLIE - Ryan Powell
JONNIE SKULL - Danny Brock
NEWPORT ARCH - Michael O'Connell
BILIDN - Adam Kirby
MAGIC MILLIE Winner
FLYING APPLAUSE
FLYING APPLAUSE Close Up
MIEREVELD - Robert Winston
PUTIN - Leonna Mayor
VERBEECK - Adam Kirby
VERBEECK Winner
ONE MORE ROMAN - Amy Ryan
ISHIAMIRACLE - Danny Brock
KEY AMBITION - Dale Swift
KEY AMBITION
KEY AMBITION Winners Enclosure
ISHIAMIRACLE Close Up
BANDSTAND
BANDSTAND Rear
ACE OF SPIES
HAYLEY TURNER
ELHAMRI - Hayley Turner
MOTHER JONES - Joe Fanning
AVONROSE - Dale Swift
AVONROSE
LA CAPRIOSA
ACE OF SPIES - James Sullivan
GRANDSTAND
BOOKMAKERS
BANDSTAND Beats Dancing Freddy
LA CAPRIOSA and CHEERY CAT
DANCING FREDDY - Martin Harley
BANDSTAND - Justin Newman
BANDSTAND Winner
BANDSTAND Winners Enclosure
HAYLEY TURNER
1ST
SAKTOON
SAKTOON and Derek Shaw
SAKTOON - Joe Fanning
SAKTOON 2nd Place
SAKTOON
SAKTOON
SAKTOON Close Up
SAKTOON Winners Enclosure
SAKTOON
SAKTOON After Race Drink
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Here are a few other photos from our previous visit to Southwell on New Year’s Day:
SPARTILLA
JAMIE SPENCER
SPENCER
EVEN STEVENS - Graham Gibbons
Kauto Star wins 5th King George IV Chase – Boxing Day
Kauto Star, 3/1 second favourite, secured an impressive win today at Kempton in the day’s big race, to bounce back from third place in last years race (even though it was actually ran in January this year, due to heavy snow last Christmas).
He broke Desert Orchid’s record of 4 King George IV Chase’s, to take his tally to 5 from 6 races, his first being in 2006 at the age of 6, and reversed the form with the King George’s previous winner Long Run.
The soon to be 12-year-old has now beaten his biggest rival on their last two encounters, and kept up his unbelievable record of never losing when racing in December. Now 8 straight wins.
KAUTO STAR – Legend.
KAUTO STAR - Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
LONG RUN closes on KAUTO STAR - Getty Images
RUBY WALSH triumphant - PA Images
RUBY and KAUTO STAR - Getty Images
Classy Lass Third Race + Loyalty (Derek Shaw Racing)
CLASSY LASS on the way to the track
Two-year-old filly, Classy Lass had her third race yesterday at Wolverhampton, in a 7f Maiden.
We were expecting her to build on her two previous visits to the track and show her true ability. All was going well, and she was just off the pack, until the final bend where she hung right and seemed to lose her action.
As a precaution jockey Mark Coumbe eased up on her just before the final furlong marker, incase something really was a miss. As you could see on the AtTheRaces pictures he was concerned and continually looking down towards her near fore leg.
CLASSY LASS being paraded
After the race she seemed distressed and wasn’t walking her usual smooth self. Hopefully she is fine, as the vet checked her out on course and Derek Shaw said he would see how she was over the weekend.
Next time out will be in handicap company, and she should be awarded her mark on Tuesday. If she gets the all clear from Friday’s race, she could be back out before New Year.
I really like going to Wolverhampton Racecourse, it’s a shame they never get a crowd they deserve, and the weather has always been about -5 (slight exaggeration) the times we’ve been, which won’t help their cause to get numbers through the door.
Betting:
As for the on course bookmakers last night, of which there were only 8 of them… For the first race, where the favourite (Baccarat) was 1/3, only four were offering each way betting (one even at a 1/6th of the odds!). All were poor prices compared to the industry SP’s. Yet the ones who were only offering win only, were doubling and trebling the SP, but what was the point, when the chances of anything other than the odds-on fav winning were very slim.
To me they didn’t want to take bets on that race?
On another note related to betting prices, the best option has to be online as you get Best Price Guarantee. One horse last night drifted to three times the price it opened, yet if you had bet in your high street betting shop you wouldn’t have got that increase, just the same as you wouldn’t had you bet on course.
But then on the other hand I’m continually reading on Twitter where online bookies are limiting people to no more than £25 per bet, yet on course I’ve seen people bet over £200. Even at a Point to Point meeting earlier this year they were taking £100 bets!
Surely something needs to be done about this. Racing can’t live without betting/bookies, and bookies can’t live without customers, yet it’s the customers who fund both the bookmakers and courses, and they are getting a poor deal.
I can’t see anything changing though.
(Click Photo’s to see them full size)
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LOYALTY at home.
LOYALTY
A very impressive performance by the 4-year-old today, under a superbly timed ride from Joe Fanning.
Both he and trainer Mr Shaw both only went to Lingfield for the one race, and it paid off as Loyalty came from last position at the start of the home straight, to carve his way through the 9 other runners to win by a neck.
It was a thrilling finish the way he showed an amazing turn of foot to fly past everything in front of him.
Making that 4 wins from his last 7 races, and only out of the top 3 once.
A quality horse, well done to all associated with him.
Frederick Engels – Sold to race in Hong Kong
FREDERICK ENGELS winning Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot - pic: Guardian
Update: 28th Dec 2011:
Frederick Engels will keep the same race name, and will start racing in Hong Kong in the Spring 2012.
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Racing Post announced the shock news tonight, that “FREDERICK ENGELS isn’t expected to race ever again at a UK racecourse, after being sold by Pearl Bloodstock to race in Hong Kong”.
One of the best 2-year-old colts this season, he came to prominence winning the 5 furlong Windsor Castle Stakes, a Listed race at Royal Ascot in June, and then following that up less than a month later with the Group 2 TNT July Stakes at Newmarket over 6 furlongs. Since then things have taken a downward turn. I believe through no fault of the horse or trainer. He went from winning his last 3 races in a row to finishing 6th and 5th in the races that followed. Both of those surprise failures being in at the top-level.
In the days before his Royal Ascot success, he changed hands from his first owner Yorkshire-man Howard Wilson to Pearl Bloodstock Ltd, being bought on their behalf by David Redvers for a six-figure sum. A big return for originally only costing him £12,000.
I thought straight away after this sale that things could change. The first being the trainer. On the basis the new owners might decide to be associated with a more ‘glamorous’ stable. Even though David Brown thinks the world of the horse and had achieved a record of 1 win and two seconds from the horses first 3 races.
I’m no racing expert and don’t claim to be, but I felt the horse should have been rested after the Group 2 win at Newmarket. 5 races in the first 5 weeks of his racing career, surely his best was still to come next year? As it was, it was decided Group 1 level was next on the agenda after a month break, for the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. A race that went wrong for a couple of reasons… Jockey Johnny Murtagh managed to get in a bad position from leaving the stalls, getting boxed in with nowhere to go, and when a gap did finally appear the door was firmly shut when the Kevin Manning ridden Parish Hall bumped the horse into the rail.
FREDERICK ENGELS winning at Newmarket
Only two weeks later it was try for a Group 1 win yet again. France bound this time. The better option must have been the Gimcrack at York? Only an hour up the A1 from the trainers base. But that race was only a Group 2.
Frederick Engels finished a place better this time, 5th, but was never in the race. From leaving the stalls, to finishing the race he went the same pace, and never picked up when asked to ‘go’. This was explained after the race as a respiratory infection.
These are just my views, I don’t expect you to agree with me, or even think I’m right. My main point is, I think maybe the horse has been rushed into winning a Group 1 race by the new owners? Now a better revenue option has come along, and for that they didn’t even need to race him.
His departure will be a loss to UK horse racing, and in particular next years big 3 year-old races. The son of Iceman was one of my favourite horses. Let’s hope Frederick Engels gets back to winning ways when he starts racing in Hong Kong.
Article by @MartWes
Windsor Castle Stakes 2011 – Winner: FREDERICK ENGELS Video Here
