Gibberish ... you dont seem very familiar with the background behind Best Mate's first Gold Cup win, let me enlighten you.

Connections were not sure he would get the easy 3 miles of the King George a couple of months earlier and Biddlecombe asked McCoy to ride Best Mate to just get the trip in that King George. As a result AP admitted later this type of ride cost Matey the race against Florida Pearl, but only at a later date after it was confirmed he actually stayed.

As is obvious from this, they still didnt know whether he would get the much stiffer 3m 2f of the Gold Cup so he was ridden to come late in the race. He won comfortably coming through with perfect timing by Jim Culloty. This was therefore never going to be a 10 length victory in the race.

The following year when they knew for definite he stayed, he was ridden like a stayer in both the King George, putting right the ride the year before and won. He also turned on one of the most impressive Gold Cup victories ever cruising and kicking clear from a long way out.

His third was a gutsy win when he was past his best and on ground he hated. Lets not just quote Sir Rembrandt being close, after all that is like saying Kauto Star lost to doubtful stayer Our Vic over a staying trip so that was as good as he was, or indeed Turnip Green's proximity to Kauto in a Gold Cup was as good as Kauto was. People dont say this because it makes them look stupid. There is ALWAYS a case you can pick using the proximity of inferior animals, on a going day for them, to denegrade a horse whether it be Best Mate, Kauto Star or any other great horse. The sensible thing to do is not do that.

He had also given up a King George win to stablemate Edredon Bleu that year in order to appease the press and go away from Cheltenham to take on the Irish Champion Beef Or Salmon on his home territory. Matey destroyed him there, no excuses on Beef not liking Cheltenham being the reason Matey was better this time.

I think they should have ignored the press and taken his 2nd King George instead as ultimately this counts for a lot more looking back. It is a consequence of circumstances and not being confident of his trip that cost Matey 3 King George wins.

Anyway, if the poor opposition argument is going to be brought up then how does that leave the equally great Istabraq beating his otherwise inconsequential stablemate into 2nd in two of his Champion Hurdle wins? These were 2 all time great horses. Bandwagon jumpers must make the worst kind of punter and there are a lot of them out there who dont look deeper and see the small detail that affects events.

Eric - I'm fully conversant with Best Mate's career and it seems we have conflicting views on his achievements & ability.
I'm not wanting to argue with you, but merely stating a contrasting opinion - I certainly don't need enlightening about the top horses in racing over the decades.

Regarding your post...I hate to hear connections' excuses after a defeat or a harder than anticipated victory, as many are really flimsy & lame - it's become the norm with the Knight horses over the last decade

So many spout endless sh*te and they are very transparent.

As for Best Mate's first Gold Cup...have you forgotten that Walsh left the race behind at the second last with a 'stopper' of a blunder on Commanche Court?

As for this 'past his best' business...he was only 9 when he won his third Gold Cup - AT HIS PEAK!
He hadn't exactly had an arduous career had he?

Anyone reading your ground description would be thinking it was bottomless against Sir Rembrandt!
I don't think there was 'soft' in the going description for any of his wins - I thought all were on officially good ground

His entire career was like 'Goldilocks' - everything HAD to be right, and it certainly all seemed to fall into place for him.
Like Dawn Run, he had 'the gods' with him when it really mattered, though sadly, ultimately neither of them did

He was ALWAYS primed for the Gold Cup, and to compare that (relatively disappointing) third win to Kauto Star's Aintree defeat to Our Vic is most disingenuous, as that was a post-Cheltenham afterthought, AND he belted two out to gift it to the Pipe horse.

His three Gold Cups victories are in the record books for all time and his immortality assured, though his ability is way off the best of the last three decades.
On form, I wouldn't have him in my top 10 chasers, and 10 is being very kind to him...I was thinking more like 20!

PPS Eric...I must admit that his jumping was as efficient as any chaser I've seen and probably only Wayward Lad was as economic.

It's not all gloom & doom

6 figures

what a mug! LOL

A_T....Burrough Hill Lad....surely not. The horse was an absolute monster, although sadly not the soundest. Right up there with the best few for me. His weight carrying performance in the Hennessy (carried 12st) was as good a performance as you could wish to see.

Agree Burrough Hill Lad a great horse.

Also to Gibberish, rememeber the ratings after timers of results, Timeform, were telling you Long Run would go unbeaten this season but are now saying he has a tough task his next run. These ae the same people who were despeerate to get a hcap rating from Best Mate. What do they know they cant even get it right on him.

Ilikewavinatloonybuses spent most the previous winter arguing with me and others pre Guineas that Frankel was not a potentially great horse. His ego overshadowing his ability will never get over this

eric_morris
09 Feb 12 10:18
Joined:
27 Jun 10
| Topic/replies: 3,398 | Blogger: eric_morris's blog
Poor Desmond took great exception to me saying Celestial Halo would not take to fencing before he tried them and was terrible value at 10s the Arkle.
Apparently to him as the highest rated hurdler he was great value blah blah.
We know the rest, he probably didnt even take any notice of me campaigning for Captain Chris to run in the Arkle and Starluck not to re his jumping last season against a mass of mugs who knew better.

Poor Desmond will never get over that where I showed him to be very wrong. He and others like him are the reason I rarely post on here re horses merits now. I am happy just enjoying the racing winning without the hassle.






' On the rare ocassions that he does tip up a winner (without actually admitting to having placed any actual money on the beast), he then crows from the rooftops that he is some kind of guru and all should worship at his alter, clearly oblivious to the fact that even a blind dog will pi55 up the odd lampost.
'


oh i dunno eric, have a look at the irish forum tipping comp leaderboard and tell me where u see my name

i have no doubt i can make more money from this game than u so if u want us to start our own thread and we can put up selections BEFORE THE RACE i will be happy to embarrass u in front of everyone.

let me know

expect to collect

Eric - I know you know your racing, and you're entitled to express an opinion, but that cuts both ways, and to be facetious or sarcastic in your contempt for others' views isn't on.

You'll probably be scornful of this but Imperial Commander's victory in 2010 is bombproof for me!

I'm not even a fan of the horse but how he ran that day was at the peak of his powers, and to discredit it is folly in my view.

You have to be CERTAIN that Denman was some way past his best on that day, and though there is a clear argument for him not being at a peak...did he really run THAT badly?

As good as Burrough Hill Lad was, he was much better than the form he showed on the day he scrambled home from Brown Chamberlin, and I think Bregawn's 'day in the sun' was stupendous!

I was astonished to see him make the pace and as far as an 'on the day' performance goes, he was absolutely brilliant, as was Silver Buck the previous year - in those days, the ground was a far more KEY factor as invariably the Festivals were run on heavy ground.

I'm well aware that you know Carvill's Hill never showed his best at The Festival, though he did look 'tailor-made' for the gruelling demands of a Gold Cup.

I also believe that this Long Run thing can deliver something on a par at least, when he gets his jumping sorted out (if it ever happens) because I can see him hosing up next month, even with a few blunders along the way - as long as they're not 'stoppers' he wins this easily IMV!

Eric - I love to hear reasoned views from other people that appreciate the game, and there's nothing wrong with being off the mark on a particular day...we can't ALWAYS be right.

What matters is that you're at least in the right ballpark!
I remember spouting Kildimo from the rooftops a long time ago, well before he won the Sun Alliance, but unfortunately he came up against a monster in Desert Orchid that broke him!

The day he beat Dessie at levels weights on a RH track that Elsworth's grey was more than comfortable with, will live with me forever! He bladdered him!

Unfortunately, at that stage, he was only 2/1 (to Dessie's 1/2) to do so

Even I can't always be right

Don't despair because a few imbeciles are busting your balls...put them straight!