Ballydoyle Derby 4 - Galileo & Montjeu

St Nic and Midas Touch at Epsom and Cape Blanco/Jan in the French.

SNA and JV are their best horses they won't run them both at Epsom.

Like Hawk Wing and High Chaparral yeah?

They always run a main horse and a reserve,next year who would command a high stud fee?Poss' a Derby winning champ' 2y'old.Both the main 2 won GR1s last year 1 was Champ.Money should speak volumes.

Hasn't O'Brien been quoted as saying the proper French Derby is the Grand Prix de Paris anyway?

Yes,

JV may well be aimed for that then.

Like Hawk Wing and High Chaparral yeah?

Rock was their best 3 year old that year.

Not even sure it's worth replying to that, doesn't make sense

A-T,The Rock was never thought of as a Derby runner,The plan with HW was a tilt at the TC,the Rock smashed that dream at 1st stop.
As it went on the Rock kept improving HW did not.

At the end of the day winning “classics” is the primary target of Coolmore to enable the selling of their stallions.

The “Derby” is regarded as the most important.

The English and Irish races are more relevant from the Coolmore perspective commercially. The Prix Du Jockey Club, due to the distance, has competition races that if won can be equally well marketed.

I feel that this year if Coolmore had their ideal world Cape Blanco or Midas Touch would be preeminent horses. In relative terms they are currently “behind the 8 ball”   in terms of Galileo stud progeny not owning NA or Teofilio.

Nevertheless, as I said most important is winning one of the two.

Hope they send SNA to France,and keep the rest for the Derby. If they thought he had the speed to win the Guineas, he should have the speed for the French Derby.

A_T Joined: 27 Jan 06
Replies: 384 25 May 10 14:14 
Like Hawk Wing and High Chaparral yeah?


Rock was their best 3 year old that year.

A known guesser reveals himself as a complete moron.

push     25 May 10 18:08 
Hope they send SNA to France,and keep the rest for the Derby

Why is that? is it because you would hate to see him win at Epsom,then you can convince yourself he was only 2nd rate.

I may be a bit naive when it comes to stud politics, but having seen Michael Tabor being interviewed on Derby day in the past I would suspect he would be very keen to win the race whatever it takes, After all, they haven't won it for 8 years. Isn't it possible they'll fire all their bullets just so that they can increae their chances of actually winning the race for once?

Agree with H. There is only one Derby and looking back I can't see Ballydoyle have sent too many champions to win the French race. usually send one of their lightweights
&
PD SNA going to France will be a shock init. Not for me though. I hope you remember that before 2000G, I said
SNA = Celtic swing & u got a bit upset

Winning the French Derby is like winning the Irish Derby when there going to stud neither of those races really mean anything and that is a pity but just the way it goes. If i was calling the shots and wanted to bolster Coolmore Stud with a good horse i'd aim them all at the Epsom Derby and then dont let them all meet again until maybe the Arc. By that time there'll only be two in contention which is the same every year with all these 3 year old colts.

Winning the French Derby is like winning the Irish Derby when there going to stud neither of those races really mean anything

Thats slightly ironic given you have at least one foal by the first 10f Prix du jockey club winner.

The reason for sending a mare to Shamardal was not for his Prix Du Jockey Club win at all it was for his performances in the Dewhurst which was one of the best for a long time and his win in the St. James Palace. It would make know difference to me if he had won the French Derby or not. Being by Giants Causeway was also one the the major factors in sending a mare to Shamardal.