And dont forget that this is probably Rewildings minimum trip

I can also point out that he beat the 113 rated Sri Putra by 6 lengths. Previously at the Curragh he beat the 116 rated Campanologist 4..5 lengths. Both runs suggest his rating of 126 is about right on what he has achieved over here

If I ignore he trounced Planteur and Twice Over, I agree with you, but I don't. Therefore I think he rated higher in the Prince of Wales than 126, I think both So You Think and Rewilding rated around 132

God help us!

They call us Whingeing Poms - have you taken a listen to yourselves recently???

You're pin up boy got beaten fair and square by a decent, but not brilliant proven Group 1 animal, bred, trained and raced in the Northern Hemisphere. Deal with it.

Have you lot shut up about Bodyline yet?

funny how 99 percent of the forumites on here bigging up this horse before yesterday were english and their only sighting of so you think was on youtube.

probably even funnier was that aiden o brien was calling it the best horse he'd ever trained and he'd only had it a few weeks, it must have done some sensational gallops for a horse who supposedly wasn't even fit yesterday.

You obviously know nothing about Planteur

I know he was the one many "good" judges said would pose the greatest threat to So You Think.

Didn't turn out that way, well beaten. Obviously a Group 2 horse by Aussie standards.[:p]

Not sulking but a Serious question - Can someone who follows European racing with some knowledge explain -

Why was the advantage O'Brien was trying to gain by employing a pacemaker when his horse has an amazing turn of foot?

Coming from a country where pacemakers arent allowed it would make sense if your horse was a superior stayer that needed the pace on. Not a horse that possesses a lethal dose of acceleration particularly off slow speeds. (The way Aus horses are trained).

Seems like a poor idea performed poorly.

Depends if they employ that ridiculous pacemaker garbage tactic, you can't do it in Australia I know that for sure. Let SYT lead or sit just off the leaders, he's far too good to need another horse to pile on the pace.

That race was set right up for Rewilding, SYT will improve with conditioning.

He was a top horse down under Sterling.

Best ever.

no prices then ??

As an equine great
As a worldbeater
Best of a generation
Best of the year

Funny how it was your trainer and your press that put these expectations on him.

I don't care that he is australian lol. I just think you have to accept there are legit excuses from this race. There are top group 1s to be won this year by this horse and I will continue to bet on it. If I am wrong, I am wrong. But please don't assume every australian who is defending the horse is defending becos it's australian, although no doubt some are.


Irrespective of price, its going to be overbet each time, you just know that

Alf, O'Brien is a formulaic one trick pony that's why he employed the pacemaker.

His horses run as a tag team, not as individuals.

Cheers Hippie.

Surely you have to taper tactics for each horses characteristics. Thats why what O'Brien did seemed so odd. Each animal is different after all.

The fitness thing seems a copout rather than blaming his tactics & his sons ride. As well as congratulating the winner.

PRINCE OF WALES SECTIONAL DATA
Posted on June 15, 2011

SO (what do) YOU THINK (happened)?

Rob Dove and his editing software have struck again and provided us some sectional data for today’s big one, The Prince of Wales stakes. Many thanks to Dove for his tireless efforts and immense racing knowledge in helping put this post and yesterday’s Frankel piece together.

Before falling on his sword and taking the blame for So You Think’s defeat, trainer Aidan O’Brien was asked a question: did he think jockey Ryan Moore moved too soon?

Let’s look at the data we have. Usually when a rider seemingly moves too soon it’s the result of a very fast early pace. In the Prince of Wales we did have a solid early gallop, though not like what we saw in the St. James Palace yesterday (even accounting for the shorter distance). The chasing pack appeared to go about 48.1 (including a RUG, run-up-guesstimation). The pacemaker was probably a second ahead of that. That’s an honest pace for sure. But since the pacemaker was fairly well ignored, you can’t really call it more than that. The early pace can be called slightly fast, as can the middle section of the race where So You Think ran 3f in 37.3 and Rewilding in 37.7.

When Moore asks So You Think for run, he goes from being about 3 lengths ahead of Rewliding to about 4 lengths ahead of him. This is hardly some maniacal charge, more just the kind of tactical riding you’d expect to see from a jockey who is winding up a stayer. The clock shows he’s not even really quickening, just galloping along at the same pace. Debussy tiring created the illusion Moore was throwing it down and going on with it.

As for the final section of the race, it was only slightly slow. So You Think’s come home furlongs were 12.6/12.6/12.9 up the hill, last three in 38.1. Rewilding went 12.8/12.8/12.4, last three in 37.6.

So what conclusions can we draw? 1) Ryan Moore rode a great race, got beat by a better horse on the day. 2) The slightly fast/slightly fast/slightly slow flow of the race created optimal conditions to run a fast time 3) Few horses could live up to the hype foist upon So You Think coming in to this race. For a horse foaled on planet Earth, he ran great. And if O’Brien is right about his fitness, he could still turn out to be the superstar some were expecting.

What evidence is there that Australian Middle Distance Racing is on the same level as Europe?

Prizemoney is a small factor, which has as much to do with how racing is run in the country as the quality of it.

Breeding is at least as important .How valuable are the stallions who have only raced in Australia? I'd guess much less than those who have done it in Europe and America . If they were contenders in The Arc or The Breeder's Cup surely they would be more valuable. That they don't run in those events i always assumed was down to them not being good enough. Maybe i am wrong.

As it is , all  we have to go on is one of  Australia's very best middle distance horses ever , getting beat by Rewilding, a horse i would not have in the Top 50 of UK trained horses at the distance during the last 25 years.

I think he is better than Rewilding, but he has a long way to go to be considered one of the best we have seen.

Cant see him beating Rewilding(if hes kept fresh) over 12f though

On that basis how would you rate the performance of the thoroughly exposed 113 rated 5 year old Sri Putra

Being thouroughly exposed means he will rate 113 each and every time he goes around? Gee if only horses were that consistant. Punting would be much easier.

Alf - I've seen it quoted many times

Of course we would need a tape recording to prove that he said it and even then they can be doctored so it really is unprovable.

Maybe as you say he is only a nobody in Australia and indeed the prize money renders it not worthwhile to bring your big guns over, in which case that is a pity.  Might shake up the hegemony here to see some fresh blood here.

UK - you are having a laugh

Have you looked at the nationality of the owners?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_You_Think