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03 Oct 11
22:44
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Posted By: Scott Ferguson http://onlinebetting.thetote.com.au/ 03-Oct-2011
Scott Ferguson discusses the Coolmore trainer Aidan O’Brien and his mis-management of champion Australian horse So You Think
There’s no denying that champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien is good at his trade, you only have to look at his record to recognise that. But then again, if you were looking after a never-ending production line of bluebloods bought or bred by some of the wealthiest men in Europe, wouldn’t you fancy yourself to win a few decent races?
This is a guy who never has to worry about grinding out winners in the bottom tier of racing, just to put food on the table or hang onto some owners. He never has to fight against owners who want to move to a bigger stable promising fame and fortune, or don’t agree with his methods. Just imagine how long O’Brien would last if he was trainer for Nathan Tinkler and Patinack Farm?
He has a bottomless pit of resources, and it matters little if one of his promising horses doesn’t quite measure up – they’ll just be lined as pacemaking fodder for the next potential superstar in the stable. It’s all about producing stallions for them – a friend of mine bought a close relation to one of their stallion prospects last year at auction, with the intention to go jumping with it and win a race at Cheltenham. Any mention of jumping on the family tree is deemed to slash millions from potential earnings in a stud career. The Coolmore production line couldn’t allow that to happen and made the syndicate an offer they couldn’t refuse, within hours of the auction.
O’Brien has waxed lyrical about So You Think throughout the year, possibly the best he’s ever had, nothing can keep up with him at home, what a beast of a horse etc.. But for two poor sets of tactics, he should probably be undefeated in Europe. In the Prince of Wales at Royal Ascot, he was slaughtered by Ryan Moore by a stupid pacemaker which went way too far in front, causing Moore to fire the champ up way too early in pursuit and get nabbed on the line by the ill-fated Rewilding.
I travelled over to Paris for the world’s finest race, the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, with an Aussie flag in my backpack ready to fly it proudly when he streeted clear in the final 200m. Hell, the nude run up the straight wearing the flag as a cape was not a million to one if the dream came true. With any decent luck, I had him coming out on top after crossing to take a sit near the pace – the way he always races!
The 14 draw wasn’t a concern, there wasn’t that much pace up front, and stablemate Treasure Beach crossed from 12 to take exactly that spot I’d identified on the speedmap. It wasn’t until about halfway that I realised our boy was out the back, it’s not easy working it out from the French caller going at a furious pace. And from that point, he had no hope of winning, despite a very gallant effort in the straight to pass most of the field.
One of my Twitter followers from Ireland told me (after the race) that O’Brien had said during the week that the son of High Chaparral would be ridden back in the field – unfortunately the first I’d heard of it and most others probably. Had he not looked at any of his Australian runs? Never once had SYT been ridden back – he’s always near the pace, suiting his style of gradually increasing the tempo and accelerating away, rather than flying home late. He’s not that kind of horse.
So after a career of running on the pace or leading, O’Brien makes the genius decision to completely change So You Think’s running style in the biggest race of his career, giving him Buckley’s chance of winning. This wasn’t a production line horse, this was our out-and-out superstar who races a particular way, no matter what the distance.
What a chump….
The winner Danedream was very impressive, exploding away from the field to win by five lengths at 20/1. However, with a 40/1 pacemaker running second, you are entitled to think this one of those freak results that happens once in a blue moon.
As for So You Think’s future, he’s high in the betting for QIPCO Champions Day at Ascot (Caulfield Cup Day) and the Breeders’ Cup in November. Whether he runs in either is something we’ll have to wait for the brains trust at Ballydoyle to decide. If not, a life of servicing some of the finest fillies in the business lies ahead. Not even Aidan O’Brien could stuff that part up surely…
Follow Scott on Twitter @Borisranting
Scott Ferguson discusses the Coolmore trainer Aidan O’Brien and his mis-management of champion Australian horse So You Think
There’s no denying that champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien is good at his trade, you only have to look at his record to recognise that. But then again, if you were looking after a never-ending production line of bluebloods bought or bred by some of the wealthiest men in Europe, wouldn’t you fancy yourself to win a few decent races?
This is a guy who never has to worry about grinding out winners in the bottom tier of racing, just to put food on the table or hang onto some owners. He never has to fight against owners who want to move to a bigger stable promising fame and fortune, or don’t agree with his methods. Just imagine how long O’Brien would last if he was trainer for Nathan Tinkler and Patinack Farm?
He has a bottomless pit of resources, and it matters little if one of his promising horses doesn’t quite measure up – they’ll just be lined as pacemaking fodder for the next potential superstar in the stable. It’s all about producing stallions for them – a friend of mine bought a close relation to one of their stallion prospects last year at auction, with the intention to go jumping with it and win a race at Cheltenham. Any mention of jumping on the family tree is deemed to slash millions from potential earnings in a stud career. The Coolmore production line couldn’t allow that to happen and made the syndicate an offer they couldn’t refuse, within hours of the auction.
O’Brien has waxed lyrical about So You Think throughout the year, possibly the best he’s ever had, nothing can keep up with him at home, what a beast of a horse etc.. But for two poor sets of tactics, he should probably be undefeated in Europe. In the Prince of Wales at Royal Ascot, he was slaughtered by Ryan Moore by a stupid pacemaker which went way too far in front, causing Moore to fire the champ up way too early in pursuit and get nabbed on the line by the ill-fated Rewilding.
I travelled over to Paris for the world’s finest race, the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, with an Aussie flag in my backpack ready to fly it proudly when he streeted clear in the final 200m. Hell, the nude run up the straight wearing the flag as a cape was not a million to one if the dream came true. With any decent luck, I had him coming out on top after crossing to take a sit near the pace – the way he always races!
The 14 draw wasn’t a concern, there wasn’t that much pace up front, and stablemate Treasure Beach crossed from 12 to take exactly that spot I’d identified on the speedmap. It wasn’t until about halfway that I realised our boy was out the back, it’s not easy working it out from the French caller going at a furious pace. And from that point, he had no hope of winning, despite a very gallant effort in the straight to pass most of the field.
One of my Twitter followers from Ireland told me (after the race) that O’Brien had said during the week that the son of High Chaparral would be ridden back in the field – unfortunately the first I’d heard of it and most others probably. Had he not looked at any of his Australian runs? Never once had SYT been ridden back – he’s always near the pace, suiting his style of gradually increasing the tempo and accelerating away, rather than flying home late. He’s not that kind of horse.
So after a career of running on the pace or leading, O’Brien makes the genius decision to completely change So You Think’s running style in the biggest race of his career, giving him Buckley’s chance of winning. This wasn’t a production line horse, this was our out-and-out superstar who races a particular way, no matter what the distance.
What a chump….
The winner Danedream was very impressive, exploding away from the field to win by five lengths at 20/1. However, with a 40/1 pacemaker running second, you are entitled to think this one of those freak results that happens once in a blue moon.
As for So You Think’s future, he’s high in the betting for QIPCO Champions Day at Ascot (Caulfield Cup Day) and the Breeders’ Cup in November. Whether he runs in either is something we’ll have to wait for the brains trust at Ballydoyle to decide. If not, a life of servicing some of the finest fillies in the business lies ahead. Not even Aidan O’Brien could stuff that part up surely…
Follow Scott on Twitter @Borisranting
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Replies: 66
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One thing his Aussie supporters were right about all along.
AOB screwed the horse BIG TIME in all his races in the UK. Genius?   |
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a friend of mine bought a close relation to one of their stallion prospects last year at auction, with the intention to go jumping with it and win a race at Cheltenham. Any mention of jumping on the family tree is deemed to slash millions from potential earnings in a stud career. The Coolmore production line couldn’t allow that to happen and made the syndicate an offer they couldn’t refuse, within hours of the auction |
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Aidan O'Brien is best racehorse trainer in the world. FACT.
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When he wins about half the group races Sir Henry Cecil has i might start saying he's the 2nd best.
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SYT,throw enough **** at a blanket and some will stick.
AOB has more **** than most and has less stick than the likes of HRA Cecil & co.FACT  |
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not that good imo they paid millions for it pure hype(coolmore hype? [;)])
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Snap AD.[;)]
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When Sir Henry starts campaigning his horses with a little bit of ambition, the younger followers of horse racing might understand what made him so great in the first place. Until then, Aidan is superior and has won infinitely more than Sir Henry at 42.
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RS.....That would be because Aidan never runs scared of taking on any opposition.
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AOB is only superior in numbers,could not prune HRAs roses at 92, in terms of skill and knowledge of racehorses,he is aqhunt,ditto roses.nap
 [;)]FACT[;)] |
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Yeah Aidan definitely mismanaged So You Think's career......he started running it against horses better than Aussie handicap plodders.
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So You Think has run a rating of at least 126 five times in 2011......International Thoroughbred Rankings.
Could only do that twice in Australia. Is that mismanagement? |
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So you think What are you on about please??? Midday all the big races in England, Ireland, France and USA and is 5 years old same as Twice Over who is 6 (both would have been retired 2 & 3 years ago if Coolmores) Frankel 6 G1 including beating Nathaniel, Zoffany, Canford Cliffs how else is he suppose to campaing them??? Send them to Cheltham in the spring?
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*Cheltenham
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everything is discussed with tabor, magnier and smith. aidan says he has 2/3 meetings with them a day where ideas are tossed around. they have every bit as much input as to horses targets, tactics etc. aidan gets them ready to run and theres no disputing he does a top notch job at it.
the guy that wrote this article talks as if he knows it all, but mentions nothing about the major decision makers, ie the 3 owners. the fact that he doesnt know that leads me to think hes clueless! they cant get everything right needless to say, but the fact that theyre one of the largest and most successful bloodstock operations in the world indicates that they get most decisions right. so you think has been taken from the aussies, and some are bitter about that. hes been exposed as not being exceptional as they thought, despite being very good. his dented reputation is due to the fact that our racing is far superior to theirs, not bacause aidan ob has messed the horse up. they should really get over it, because their giving out about aidan is petty, and nobody in this part of the world cares about the whiney and uneducated "journalists" that write this cr@p  |
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triumphoragony 03 Oct 11 22:56
not that good imo they paid millions for it pure hype(coolmore hype? ) They still will make millions from him aswell and he will never have to ship to the Northern Hemisphere either. This Aussie tripe shows that they still think this horse is the best the world has ever seen and they will have the best of their mares lined upready to go once he lands. On another note Aussies are mad they are still sour after the Ireland rugby game |
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btw, sir henry is one of my fav trainers, but until the time that henry is presented with aobs situation or vice versa, their ability is incomparable
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btw, sir henry is one of my fav trainers, but until the time that henry is presented with aobs situation or vice versa, their ability is incomparable
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Reve,as much as anyone could think the writer is biased you have to admit as far as SYT is concerned.
HE F..ked up,alone or with help he did not do the horse justice. Who is next in line for "The best I have ever trained"? Even allpress cant jinx a horse like AOB.nap |
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"This is a guy who never has to worry about grinding out winners in the bottom tier of racing"
Didn't O'Brien make his name by being a phenomenal success as a jumps trainer...which led to him being head-hunted for the Ballydoyle job  |
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GeorgeB,he was a one horse band and without JP would not even have had a drum kit.nap
Istabraq would have won 5 CHs with Nicky.[;)] |
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correct george.
gt, aidans job is to train, as i say targets and tactics are collective collectively i think a few thingswent wrong, but i cant criticse the training tbh. aidan didnt tell joseph to bump syt etc etc. the horse hasnt lived up toexpectations, mainly because hes not as good as first thought by the aussies, and secondly because coolmore and ballydoyle needless tosay let on he was the best theyve had. Not even Aidan O’Brien could stuff that part up surely… can you really take on board anything this lad says, who dismisses aidans training ability and who talks about him as if hes clueless? |
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gt, i know youre not a fan of aidan and your obviosly entitledto your opinion, but facts are facts
he won grade ones over jumps with more than just istabraq ever hear of shaunies lady? urubande? double symphony? thats my man? royal mountbrowne? private peace? theyre not all the one horse are they? |
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rscaughtboy 03 Oct 11 23:26
GeorgeB,he was a one horse band and without JP would not even have had a drum kit.nap Istabraq would have won 5 CHs with Nicky. ----------- drugged up to the eye-balls though! |
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Never heard of them reve,were they as good as Dexies Midnight runners?
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Dont get prissy mightymoyes,unless you want to talk about Cape Blanco and LASIX the other night.
[:p] |
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The thing that amuses me is that the excuse made for So You Think in the Melbourne Cup is that he pulled too hard during the race, so then when he's pulling hard early on and throwing his head about in the Prince of Wales and the pacemaker is rushed up to give him a lead, the horse starts to settle but because he still got beaten the Aussies obviously lay the blame on Ryan Moore for going too early when he was 2nd or 3rd all the way until taking it up with 3f to go.
Yet in that very same article above the writer states regarding the Arc ride: Had he (O'Brien) not looked at any of his Australian runs? Never once had SYT been ridden back – he’s always near the pace, suiting his style of gradually increasing the tempo and accelerating away, rather than flying home late. He’s not that kind of horse. Then look at the Racing Post comments for all of SYT's wins this season bar the Arc: Tracked leaders in 3rd, closer entering straight, headway to lead under 2f out, soon asserted, stayed on strongly final furlong, easily Won Tracked leader in 2nd, led under 3f out, pushed along and challenged 2f out, asserted over 1f out, kept on strongly, easily. Won Raced keenly, disputed lead for 2f, chased leaders, went 2nd over 3f out, kicked into lead well over 2f out and soon edged right, just over 2 lengths clear entering final 2f, hard ridden over 1f out, all out inside final furlong, worn down close home 2nd to Rewilding Tracked leading pair, went 2nd over 2f out, shaken up to close over 1f out, ran on determinedly to lead last 150yds, ridden out won Chased leader in moderate 2nd, improved to lead 2f out, soon ridden and strongly pressed, maintained lead and kept on well from 1 1/2f out won So the horse is practically given the same ride every time and the exact one the writer goes on about but because it gets beaten in the PoW then it's the jockey's fault. |
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though he wasnt breaking any rules the other night was he?
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The 14 draw wasn’t a concern, there wasn’t that much pace up front, and stablemate Treasure Beach crossed from 12 to take exactly that spot I’d identified on the speedmap.
Head in hands |
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Aidan O'Brien is an absolute genius and without doubt he's the greatest Flat trainer of all time. The hard work and commitment he puts in seven days a week is the mark of a man with an unrivalled passion for the sport and for every single horse he trains at Ballydoyle.
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Rules or not HRA and co do not rely on drugs.
Unlike me and zarkavadisivola who like a tipple but can always catch a few,drunk,sober or high.[;)] |
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Soldieroffortune take it you have never heard of Dr MV O'Brien then?
Were you Pioneer Corps? [;)] |
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ffs i would like to see linda perrat or mel brittain with the ammunition he has do you reckon they would not be able to train them?
training road work for 6 weeks cantering for 4 then depending on the horse one or two gallops aweek to keep it ticking over it aint brain surgery, course records are not being shattered every week by these super horses a lot of them have stood for years . |
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ima, the lon and the short of it is the aussies thought syt was better than he is, and arent fond of ballydoyle for taking him from them. i shed a tear for them, i really do[smiley:crazy]
its boring really and it shows the state of their racing and racing journalists when theyre still whinging about so you think maybe one day theyll get a horse worth talking about |
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long
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ian semple is sending out winners with a gallop smaller than shawfield dog track ,it is not feckin brain surgery.
look at the inbred braindead chinless wonders who used to be top trainers it aint feckin brain surgery, |
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Ginger McCain would have 16 Grand Nationals,12 Champion Hurdles and as many Gold Cups as you could shake a stick at with AOBs ammo.
Not to mention multiple guineas,Derby's and Legers,he liked the minor events.[;)] |
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there are hundreds of trainers who could train group ne winners day in day out with very good horses like aidan does, but his jumps winners shows hes very good, making an awful lot from little ammunition
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What about MV then reve?
AOB cant hold a candle to the doctor,never will,no matter how much is spent or how many horses he has..nap |