Reach For The Moon

In the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, Point Lonsdale (10/11f) beat Reach For The Moon (11/1) fair and square.  I see no reason to beilieve that Reach For The Moon is the better of the two.  Point Lonsdale's win at the Curragh today was visually just as impressive as Reach For The Moon's was at Sandown.

fair enough you may be right - but the Chesham ended messily with the pair drifting apart so I would not necessarily insist that was their true running. Maybe we'll find out more in the Dewhurst

For me, both horses have been beating plodders and beating them while running unexceptional times. They both look no better than Gp3 class in my view. Obviously in their recent races they haven't really been fully tested, so further improvement can't be ruled out. At the moment I'm finding it hard to believe PL is really O'Brien's best 2yo colt, and suspect he has better prospects to come. Otherwise I think he's in for a poor 2022 as far as 3yo colts go.

I disagree about PL Figgis. I do agree that RFTM has signally failed to record anything like a decent time in his 4 starts so far, but I did give PL a very decent time for debut and in the Tyros. However, in the Futurity, he didn't seem to improve on what he had done before, despite being given a ride that perhaps should have allowed him to run his optimum time. Maybe Moore did a couple of quick furlongs along the way. I'm also not sure what the point was in having a colt like that making the running - I doubt that would be the plan for the National or Dewhurst, and certainly not the Guineas/Derby. Surely they could have sent one of their no hopers on early at full speed to set the pace for him?

Howellsy, yes it was a good debut time but for me he's barely improved on that. Not usually a good sign in my experience. Different of course if it was one of those debut times already Gp1 class, like Galileo for instance, but it wasn't. As I said, obviously he could improve again, but he's going to have to make a significant jump up to take a typical Dewhurst.

point lonsdale won a yards trial yesterday given g2 status, bloody joke

I may be being over sentimental in my assessment. But the Queen's horse winning the Derby on Platinum Jubilee weekend what a story that would be.

Yes Figgis, I have to agree he hasn't improved on it, which is disappointing. It's still the quickest 7/8f time recorded in Europe so far though. You'd hope something would come out and beat it but this is why O'Brien wins the Dewhurst/Guineas so often - he knows that experience / conditioning is half the battle in those races. Find out who your most likely candidate will be, then go Chesham, Tyros, Futurity, National, Dewhurst, Guineas. I just don't think England has an equivalent pathway. Look at Ireland's dominance in the Dewhurst over 20 years - no coincidence surely? 11 of the last 15. Not all went down the exact route I outlined but many did, more or less, and all had run in a group 1.

Howellsy, well a few of those O'Brien Dewhurst winners were already well fancied for the top before they got to the Dewhurst, such as ROG and Churchill. But there were others like Beethoven and US Navy Flag who found later improvement. Point Lonsdale might also find improvement, but in the numbers game that Coolmore have been playing for the last few years it could be any of half a dozen that step up. For me, his best form is around 12lbs short of even a fairly ordinary Guineas winner, which is a lot. I think it's long odds against that he's going to make the grade.

... the Queen's horse winning the Derby on Platinum Jubilee weekend what a story that would be.


As a child I watched the Coronation in disbelief that grown-ups could accept that this person with a silly crown on her head placed there by another person with a funny hat on his head  was the head of our country? Why, I asked myself did older people accept all that guff? What had she done apart from being born rich?

From that moment, although I didn't quite know it at the time, I knew that the monarchy and religion was all fake.

70  years on and I haven't changed that view. It's all guff. Pantomime nonsense. A country chained to a rear view mirror.

So, a winner in the Queen's colours meaning something? Yes, a reminder that it's about time that we were citizens living in a country with a democratically elected head of state.

That's the story I want A-T.

I am not a royalist but I hope Reach For The Moon is the real deal.

He seems to be improving and his pedigree suggests he will be a better 3 year old as well.
To win a Guineas would require about a stone more improvement, but that is not impossible. His Dad of course improved about 32 lbs from 2 to 3.

Superficially he looks stone cold certain to stay 12 furlongs but his dam did have more speed than could have been expected and I like him.

Aside from the possibly brilliant Inspiral, this year’s 2yos look less than fabulous.

Point Lonsdale looks to have the best form so far but he is not exactly thrilling, rather more of a potentially high class grinder. Native Trail could end up very good but his last win rather disappointed me at any rate.

disappointing today - had to make it's own running but won't have the speed for the guineas