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So You Think entered but doubtful
By Mike Hedge
17:18 AEST Tue Aug 2 2011
Latest Horse Racing:
A third Cox Plate is a possibility for dual winner So You Think - but any genuine hope of a return of the hero is likely to depend on the vagaries of Australia's quarantine regulations.
So You Think's Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has nominated the five-year-old for the race he has won for the past two years and has expressed an interest in bringing the horse back for what would probably be his final campaign.
But O'Brien has also expressed annoyance at the stringent quarantine rules that would apply even before he left his Ballydoyle stables in Ireland.
"Aidan has said he'd definitely come back if the quarantine is right," Racing Victoria's Leigh Jordon said.
"Things are progressing in that area, but there are still a few things to be sorted."
Australian quarantine officials have previously cleared Ballydoyle, but only for a limited period which has now expired.
A recent inspection of the famous training complex found some issues that needed to be rectified before Ballydoyle could again be approved.
Jordon said the issue had peeved O'Brien whose most recent trip to Australia ended acrimoniously when his three runners finished near the tail of the field in the 2008 Melbourne Cup and he was summoned to a stewards' inquiry into their performances.
It is understood one of the main sticking points identified by the quarantine service was the separation of horses destined for Australia from the rest of those at Ballydoyle.
"It's basically about small things, but Aidan's attitude is that it was OK before so it should be OK now - and he's not keen to change anything," Jordon said.
Australian regulations require horses to spend two weeks in quarantine before leaving for Australia, and two more weeks when they arrive.
In many cases it means a horse would be prevented from running for more than a month before its first start here.
There is no doubt the Cox Plate is on O'Brien's mind, as demonstrated by his nomination of a second entry, Cape Blanco, a last-start Group One winner in America.
Both horses are among 189 entries for the $3 million Cox Plate (2040m) and are part of a 13-strong international entry.
Also on the list is last year's Melbourne Cup winner Americain who is one of two French entries and Dangerous Midge, the English-trained winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Turf in the US.
Caulfield Cup entries, which also closed on Tuesday, included the English stayer Tactician who is owned by the Queen and the 2008 Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer.
The staying feature has also attracted five entries from Japan, two from Germany and one from Hong Kong.
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He will never have a better chance to win Cox Plate and pick up a Melbourne Cup filled with irony. imo. [;)]
By Mike Hedge
17:18 AEST Tue Aug 2 2011
Latest Horse Racing:
A third Cox Plate is a possibility for dual winner So You Think - but any genuine hope of a return of the hero is likely to depend on the vagaries of Australia's quarantine regulations.
So You Think's Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has nominated the five-year-old for the race he has won for the past two years and has expressed an interest in bringing the horse back for what would probably be his final campaign.
But O'Brien has also expressed annoyance at the stringent quarantine rules that would apply even before he left his Ballydoyle stables in Ireland.
"Aidan has said he'd definitely come back if the quarantine is right," Racing Victoria's Leigh Jordon said.
"Things are progressing in that area, but there are still a few things to be sorted."
Australian quarantine officials have previously cleared Ballydoyle, but only for a limited period which has now expired.
A recent inspection of the famous training complex found some issues that needed to be rectified before Ballydoyle could again be approved.
Jordon said the issue had peeved O'Brien whose most recent trip to Australia ended acrimoniously when his three runners finished near the tail of the field in the 2008 Melbourne Cup and he was summoned to a stewards' inquiry into their performances.
It is understood one of the main sticking points identified by the quarantine service was the separation of horses destined for Australia from the rest of those at Ballydoyle.
"It's basically about small things, but Aidan's attitude is that it was OK before so it should be OK now - and he's not keen to change anything," Jordon said.
Australian regulations require horses to spend two weeks in quarantine before leaving for Australia, and two more weeks when they arrive.
In many cases it means a horse would be prevented from running for more than a month before its first start here.
There is no doubt the Cox Plate is on O'Brien's mind, as demonstrated by his nomination of a second entry, Cape Blanco, a last-start Group One winner in America.
Both horses are among 189 entries for the $3 million Cox Plate (2040m) and are part of a 13-strong international entry.
Also on the list is last year's Melbourne Cup winner Americain who is one of two French entries and Dangerous Midge, the English-trained winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Turf in the US.
Caulfield Cup entries, which also closed on Tuesday, included the English stayer Tactician who is owned by the Queen and the 2008 Melbourne Cup runner-up Bauer.
The staying feature has also attracted five entries from Japan, two from Germany and one from Hong Kong.
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He will never have a better chance to win Cox Plate and pick up a Melbourne Cup filled with irony. imo. [;)]
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He wont be in the Melbourne Cup, you dont need to be a genius to work that out.
I take it O'Brien will take the weakest race option/s available to him, because that's the kind of trainer he appears to be IMO. He left Australia with his tail between his legs last time, he has a lot to prove, i doubt he will though. |
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No worries. Just a thought.
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The whole thing is rather strange, we have the horse virus that makes wanting to come here ATM with any horse let alone multi million dollar ones seem beyond stupid, yet amazingly O'Brien suddenly wants to come here with multiple horses?
Go figure. If by some chance he is serious then he will be looking at the Cox for SYT and Cape Blanco the Melbourne Cup, not sure what else he would be bringing. But dont be surprised when the big announcement comes out that O'Brien had massive plans to bring multiple horses to go in multiple races but unfortunately it just couldn't happen because of "our" quarantine requirements....................BS. |
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Think it'll depend on how he thinks syt is going, if he thinks the arc is realisitc come decision time i think he'll go for it, if not he may well head back to aus with him.
Not really sure if there's any need for constant aidan o'brien bashing though. And what virus, hendra? That thing kills a few horses in paddocks. It is well known that it doesn't pass from horse to horse, only from bats to horses and then from horses to humans. If for some reason the bats start infecting race horses then the reaction will be swift and pretty brutal against the bats imo. |
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I take it O'Brien will take the weakest race option/s available to him, because that's the kind of trainer he appears to be IMO.
Not sure how you've reached that conclusion - ???????? Also, the horse has only being given an entry - it was long odds on that this horse would be entered in the Cox Plate. Cape Blanco won't run in the Melbourne Cup either but the Cox Plate looks a good option if he wins the Arlington Million. |
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Fair play to Aidan if he goes down under. Not afraid to race his horses anywhere under any conditions.
I say he love to win the 2 races mentioned above and tell Bart Cummings and the Auzzie press how good it is feel to win their premier race while **** all over them at the same time with a smug look. |
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rubyisgodinthesaddle = major LOLS
Actions speek louder than words, lets see some action instead of a lot of BS. |
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ForceMajeure: Show me the quote where Aidan says So You Think will go for the Cox Plate.
Also why did you say: I take it O'Brien will take the weakest race option/s available to him, because that's the kind of trainer he appears to be IMO. |
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Well its funny you mention it because my inbox was full today with SYT nominated for the Cox Plate articles, here's the one from the UK BTW but i got around 10 all up with similar claims.
http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/so-you-think-given-cox-plate-entry-by-obrien/893883/top/ As i already said, its a ruse, more spin from the spin king IMO. And yes, why did i say THAT? Because I believe its true that's why. We will be waiting here (Auztralia!) with baited breath for the large O'Brien onslaught to pillage our races........ROFL.  |
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It's an entry ForceMajeure. There were 189 of them. Do you believe all 189 are going to run?
No spin at all - you keep all you're options open by entering you're horses at the initial entry stage. That is how Ballydoyle roll! The only indication that SYT might run in Australia has been an entry and a comment that the Cox Plate was an option. Yet somehow you've managed to deduce that O'Brien has promised the world that this is where the horse runs!! Time you piped down about O'Brien and quit embarrassing yourself with such puerile comments. In my opinion. |
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GTFO.........Im pretty sure i am betting they DONT come, im not the OP.
Just let me check, Yep, im Betting they DONT come....OMG......WAKE UP! |
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I assume he's referring to the last paragraph of your 2nd post force.
"But dont be surprised when the big announcement comes out that O'Brien had massive plans to bring multiple horses to go in multiple races but unfortunately it just couldn't happen because of "our" quarantine requirements....................BS." That kinda sounds like you're saying aidan o'brien has entered syt for the sole reason of trying to falsely convince people that he will run. So I assume SYT's (the forum poster) point is that o'brien isn't trying to do this at all, he's simply keeping his options open. I don't think SYT (the poster) is saying you believe SYT will run, he's just saying that you've tried to claim that o'brien is being sneaky/false. Anyway, that's just how I interpret the posts. |
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That is correct Tommyjone. From my point of view anyway.
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and just an fyi, ladbrokes no longer have a price quoted for syt in the arc, not sure what that means exactly.
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I would agree with that as a valid summary of the situation TJ.
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So one month later and this is all going exactly as i predicted despite protestations i didn't know what i was talking about.
"THE chances of the world's most famous trainer, Aidan O'Brien, having a runner in one of the majors over the Melbourne spring carnival took a nosedive yesterday when his name was not among those hunting the $6.2 million Melbourne Cup. A total of 163 horses, including 25 from international stables, were entered for the richest handicap in the world at yesterday's close of nominations, but while expectations are that between six and nine overseas horses will make it into the final Melbourne Cup field on November 1, O'Brien will not be represented. Initially, O'Brien was wary of making the trip from Ireland because of quarantine issues, but those problems were solved last month. But the Irish trainer now appears almost certain to snub the major cups and Cox Plate, despite telling Racing Victoria Ltd officials he would come if the quarantine issue was solved. O'Brien has nominated So You Think and Cape Blanco for the Cox Plate, but for both horses, other feature races throughout the world beckon. Dual Cox Plate champion So You Think, who runs as the hot favourite this weekend in the Irish Champion Stakes, is expected to stay in Europe, while Cape Blanco, unbeaten in two American group 1 races this year, is likely to return to the US for next month's Breeders' Cup meeting. Despite the absence of O'Brien, RVL international scout Leigh Jordan said he was excited at the depth of Melbourne Cup entries. ''It would be great to see [last year's winner] Americain come back, as well as another French horse in Dunaden, and Dermot Weld has two nominations, as does Godolphin, and Luca Cumani has entered four. ''There are any number of other interesting horses there as well, so it's shaping as a high-quality race.'' With 12 nominations, owner Lloyd Williams has entered the most horses, while 12-time winner Bart Cummings has just five, headed by last spring's Moonee Valley Cup winner Precedence. For Cummings, his best chance may be German import Illo, expected to arrive in Australia on September 24. Two-time Melbourne Cup winner Weld nominated Ballyroan Stakes winner Sense Of Purpose and Galileo's Choice who, like Weld's ground-breaking 1993 Cup winner Vintage Crop, is a winner over jumps. The 2000 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Mike Moroney has eight nominations, but said that number included several young horses who might be 12 months away. Moroney's best hope is the attractive grey Glass Harmonium, the horse his brother Paul travelled to Europe to buy with the Melbourne Cup in mind. He runs first-up in tomorrow's group 2 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington, where Moroney expects he will lay his claims for the spring's elite staying races after four excellent efforts to begin his Australian career in Brisbane over the winter." |
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ForceMajeure, you are very irritating poster !! All going as you predicted....what exactly did you predict? That So You Think would not run in the Melbourne Cup? Who exactly 'protested' with you over that?
By the way, you don't know what you are talking about as far as Aidan O'Brien is concerned! Maybe you will eventually co-operate and explain the comment: I take it O'Brien will take the weakest race option/s available to him, because that's the kind of trainer he appears to be IMO. That is a daft thing to say. You also suggested that Cape Blanco would run in the Melbourne Cup. Again quite daft. It looks odds-on to me that So You Think will run in the Arc. Cape Blanco may still be under consideration for Moonee Valley - but I don't know. I would expect plans for Australia to become clearer in the next week to fortnight. |
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"I take it O'Brien will take the weakest race option/s available to him, because that's the kind of trainer he appears to be IMO"
look at the ridiculous race SYT is in today, case in point, case closed. I never said any of his horses would race in the Melbourne Cup, I clearly state in this thread, "If by some chance he is serious then he will be looking at" I then quite clearly state he WILL NOT be coming to Australalia with horses, its a total PR stunt, which BTW wasted racing Victorias time. Muppet show, again you are attempting to make out i said one thing when i clearly didn't, i suggest you re read the thread before making ignorant comments. |
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You are the one who brought this thread back to the top of the forum boasting that it was all "exactly as i predicted despite protestations i didn't know what i was talking about"
What did you predict? Your third paragraph above - I can't understand it. If you knew his horses would not run in Melbourne, then what is the problem? And what was a "PR stunt"? By the way, the Irish Champion has been SYT's target for weeks. If horses refuse to turn up and race against him, what did you expect? That Aidan O'Brien should withdraw the race and go for the Arc with no prep race? What race would you have sent him to? What race would have been stronger? Come on...please answer...don't go quiet again! The Irish Champion is full of heritage with many great horses participating in it over the years - it is Ireland's greatest horse race and one of the best in Europe too. That s why he is running in it - not because his trainer is afraid of racing elsewhere, as your twisted logic appears to suggest. |
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The other thread clearly shows what people think of that race, i don't control the other posters thoughts, its clear to see what everyone thinks, we cant change reality.
I predicted this would be a PR stunt about going To Australia and its proving to be a PR stunt. O'Brien simply doesn't want to come to Australia IMO, its OK, I understand why he wouldn't. |
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What is a PR stunt?
Your thoughts differ greatly from the other people's thoughts whom you so fond of quoting. |
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"What is a PR stunt?"
Enough is enough i think, I'm not going to repeat myself over and over, do you ever read the previous replies before replying yourself? |
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ForceMajeure, I have read your posts several times. I think you mean O'Brien was talking up SYT's chances of running in Australia? I think that is what you mean by PR stunt.
But O'Brien merely listed the Cox Plate as a possible target, amongst several other races. There was no PR stunt - at least on the part of the Ballydoyle wing of Coolmore. |
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No, it is well documented what has been said and racing Victoria has gone out of its way to set up quarantine for the horses.
I stand by what i said, dont make up BS "you think i meant" etc. say what you want to say and leave the facts to me. |
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forcemajeure appears to dislike o'brien because other traners are afraid to take him on.
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I have backed him in the Arc I am afraid....
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And here it is, exactly as predicted,.
"RACING'S worst-kept secret will become public today - there will be no Aidan O'Brien-trained horses in the Cox Plate. While So You Think was never really a chance to bid for a third successive Cox Plate, Moonee Valley officials had held out hope of Cape Blanco contesting the $3 million race. Cape Blanco, winner of the Arlington Million at Chicago last month, is destined for the Joe Hirst Memorial at Belmont Park, New York ." |
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Just wasting everyones time not least racing Victoria's.
Muppet show.  |
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Maybe you can quote Aidan O'Brien on this ForceMajeure? Where has he said any of his horses would be going to Australia?
Can you also explain how he wasted anybody's time including those in Racing Victoria - who are being paid to attract the best horses to the Racing Carvinals and yet somehow it's the fault of Aidan O'Brien when they fail to do this? |
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"When I was at Ballydoyle last month Aidan said, 'Fix the quarantine and we will come'," Jordan said. (RVL international scout Leigh Jordan)
Next question please, GTFO. |
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Can you quote Aidan O'Brien on the matter?
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Are f'ing stupid or something?
Aidan said, 'Fix the quarantine and we will come' Do some research yourself on Google for a change instead of letting me show you up as as a clown all the time. Obviously O'Brien was never going to come down here after making a complete fool of himself last time he came and scurrying off with his tail between his legs, as I said, it was a complete PR stunt all along. |
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Im gald you brought this up actually, lets go down memory lane.
"Septimus (18th), Alessandro Volta (20th) and Honolulu (21st) were three of the last four to finish" FAIL. |
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ForceMajeure, you are not showing me up to be anything. May I remind you - and others - that you have repeatedly claimed that Aidan O'Brien said he would race So You Think in Australia this Autumn. Yet when pressed as to why you think this, you are only able to cite a quote by some nobody from Racing Victoria (I have never heard of Leigh Jordan). By the way, I have no idea why on earth this matters so much to you - why keep bringing up this alleged declaration of intent to run in Australia - what difference does it make to you?
On your other post, well if training horses to finish 18th, 20th and 21st in the Melbourne Cup makes you a bad trainer, then so be it. I am not sure what relevance that has to the "PR stunt" you keep refering to? The fact you are using it to somehow back up your point probably highlights your twisted logic and level of puerility. |
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Using O'Brien's Melbourne Cup record to devalue his training achievements smack of somebody holding a serious grudge against the man.
In all fairness he has never specifically targeted a horse for the race and most of his runners went there after long hard Seasons. This is unlikely to change tbh, as races in Ireland/UK mean far more to connections than Australian races. From a breeding point of view I'm not sure why they(Ballydoyle/Coolmore) would give a stuff about a 2m handicap anyway? |
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I'm not sure why they(Ballydoyle/Coolmore) would give a stuff about a 2m handicap anyway?
Shows how much you know then, not much obviously. |
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Then please explain to me how this would increase a horses stud value?
Maybe you can manage that without resorting to insults? |
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Still no response?
I noticed that you deliberately cropped From a breeding point of view from that statement I made. I presume you took offence to my 2mile handicap quote. I was not trying to be derogatory about the race , just stating that it is not a conditions race. It is a great race, great spectacle with great prize money BUT it is still a 2mile handicap. From a breeding point of view there is no logic in targeting the race imho. It is true that they target Staying races in this Hemisphere but that is due to the fact that they have a National hunt breeding operation here. That is were their stayers go as Stallions, this is obviously not the case in Australia. So if I know so little, could you please enlighten me? FROM A BREEDING POINT OF VIEW, WHY TARGET THE RACE?????? |