Horse Antepost
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I thought James Willoughby was excessively cynical in his analysis of this race earlier today, and that's putting it kindly. Farhh is a very good horse who ran consistently well throughout last year. The basic logical flaw in what Willoughby said was this: it was a weak group 1 which fell apart; there was something suspicious about how easily Farhh won it. You can't have it both ways.
That a horse who ran Nathaniel to half a length in the Eclipse, and who beat St Nick in a driving finish at York, should beat the likes of Aljamaheer and Sovereign Debt by 4 lengths on a galloping track off a strong pace, is by no means remarkable.
Farhh has a very good record on straight tracks: he's never lost. He likes building up momentum; he likes a strong pace. Both of his handicap wins were achieved in conspicuously quick times. At York, with its flat, 5 furlong straight, he was able to match strides with St Nick and finish about as near to Frankel as Excelebration usually managed.
There was nothing suspicious about Farhh's performance today. It was entirely in keeping with the form he has shown over the course of his career. There was a strong pace, Cityscape didn't perform, and the only group 1 horse in the race pulled clear of lesser animals.
Whatever emerges in future, I think there's an important principle at stake here, and Saeed bin Suroor at least deserves to be deemed innocent until charged with an offence.
That a horse who ran Nathaniel to half a length in the Eclipse, and who beat St Nick in a driving finish at York, should beat the likes of Aljamaheer and Sovereign Debt by 4 lengths on a galloping track off a strong pace, is by no means remarkable.
Farhh has a very good record on straight tracks: he's never lost. He likes building up momentum; he likes a strong pace. Both of his handicap wins were achieved in conspicuously quick times. At York, with its flat, 5 furlong straight, he was able to match strides with St Nick and finish about as near to Frankel as Excelebration usually managed.
There was nothing suspicious about Farhh's performance today. It was entirely in keeping with the form he has shown over the course of his career. There was a strong pace, Cityscape didn't perform, and the only group 1 horse in the race pulled clear of lesser animals.
Whatever emerges in future, I think there's an important principle at stake here, and Saeed bin Suroor at least deserves to be deemed innocent until charged with an offence.
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aargh democratic!
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Is that what he implied Howellsy? I didn't watch all the coverage but I did see him say he thought Farhh just ran to his normal level, time was nothing special compared to the sprint, race fell apart etc. I disagree with that, Farhh was entitled to win anyway but I make it his best run yet, that's also using the 6f race as a measure, which isn't necessarily always the right way to go but it is here. Contrary to what some people may believe, it is possible for a horse to run faster at the age of 5. Whether he can maintain that level I don't know.
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In defence of Willo, though, at least he's often prepared to offer a criticism. When I think of most racing presenters and pundits the first words that come to mind are mealy-mouthed and sycophant. As Samuel Johnson once said, "He who praises everybody, praises nobody...and is probably employed by ATR, RUK or CH4 Racing".
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very true figgis
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the horse had one run as 2yo and one as 3yo (at end of October) before winning the Thirsk Hunt Cup and continuing to improve throughout his 4yo season. Clearly had issues as a younger horse and I believe connections have stated as much - therefore I would say it is not only plausible but highly likely that he has improved again from 4 to 5.
Also think I read he's had an operation on a chipped bone - if that was causing him pain or discomfort, there is another potential reason for improvement. Today was only his 9th race. |
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Yes, good points.
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well argued, best horse performed well, form dangers and hype horses didn't
gagged up |
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No doubt about what he was implying Figgis. I am a big fan of Willo in general - he's added immeasurably to my enjoyment of the game and the way it's been presented over the last decade, but he does need managing and I'm surprised somebody didn't have a word in his ear earlier in the afternoon after Willing Foe's win, as it was clear that he was developing a line of thought which (presumably) he has no evidence to substantiate. He seemed to take offence by the fact that Farhh was racing with zest and enthusiasm. Why? Every horse enjoys a relatively uncompetitive scenario, as Willo knows only too well, having denuded Hawk Wing's win in the same race often enough.
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As has been pointed out FARRH seems to have improved, especially so since the chipped bone operation, we should see further good runs from now on, I did NOT back him yesterday, so am pleasantly surprised.
According to most of us old timers, a horse does not reach FULL maturity until the age of 5 years, although some must be late developers, just like some of us humans. |
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Good post,howellsy.
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Even when a jockey is found guilty of cheating, the best Fitzgerald can come up with is "unfortunate" "stupid" "you'll never meet a nicer man". Utterly pathetic.
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