Is Barzelona any good?

not totally convinced about him either, potentially he is an excellent jockey in the top rank, but Godolphin have to take a portion of the blame here, they tried to move him up too quickly when he is not quite ready for it yet.  Even Frankie must have been caught by surprise at the speed of change this year.  And maybe Barzelona is the next big thing....but don't expect too much too soon....needs a bit more time.

Agree with the above. Not yet in Frankies league, but a class apart from the woeful Atjebi.

Some rides I watch are close to genius, others look poor, but that is true of most young jockeys. I think he will be very good.

it was pissh funny when he stood up in the saddle to win the derby, i thought claire balding was gonna have a fit

He did win the St. Leger today by outfoxing the field of jockeys, (especially Joseph OBrien). He stole 4 lenghts about 1.5 furlongs out and that was it. An inspired ride. I have not seen enough of the young jockey to rate him overall but certainly today , he was the man.

2 lenghts tops and u'd expect the best horse that AO has ever trained to be able to catch him tbh, but he did ride it well

The only reason Frankie was caught out was because his ego is far bigger than his talent and that has been obvious for many seasons.
Very lucky man having so much class at his disposal but in the end you have to produce and the harsh reality is he has not for seasons now.
Clown is a harsh but accurate discription and the sooner he leaps out of the Godolphin yard the better.
The sheik is giving him the message loud and clear and not before time.

Those that disagree should pay a little more attention.

Barzalona proved today how good a jockey he is; simply stole the race by kicking on when he did - a brilliant ride - he will soon be sitting on the majority of the Godolphin 1St string

too hit and miss at the moment for my liking but the lad has definitely got talent, I'm sure in time he will become one of the best

still not convinced by him very like a dettori, will turn up for big meetings but doesnt do enuff in 2k races imo. murgia is a very underated jock imo.

Different class!!

TBH all jocks have there quirks Jamie Spencer can look like the best jock in the world when he has to deliver one near the line, paul carberry is the equivalent over jumps but when they need to get at one from the get go they dont seem to have the same drive and can look poor jocks.Fallon and Mc coy are the opposite as they tend to nearly always to be the first in a race to be niggling at there horse. barzelona seems to fall in to the spencer category but id still have jamie over mikael anyday

He has two classic under his belt, which is more that can be said for many other good riders, especially considering it is early on in his career.

Looks a very good jockey imo but his gesturing and posturing in victory nearly put him on the deck after the line.

I like the kid,but was i the only one hoping that he would hit the deckk after the line?.........He wants to cool The Celebrations a bit.

Moondan i take it our not a Frankie fan,

Sooty,  I was very much a Frankie fan, but that was when he had the drive and vision that took races by the scruf of the neck and made things happen.
For the most part now,   its poor positioning and weak finishes that make a 5lb claimer look different class.
Last week in ireland in his postrace interview it was all him and nothing to do with the horse, "did you hear that welcome they gave me ? "
believe me the Sheik would love to part company with him but the tv channels keep selling him as the face of racing and no matter what fans think of Godolphin the sheik has always cared about his image among the fans and tagged his horses with names we can all relate to.

Dettori in a very average jockey these days but should be doing better with the chances he gets, thats why he is 3rd choice at best.

interesting to see how he does in france today.

TELL DEL

not totally convinced about him either, potentially he is an excellent jockey in the top rank....

I'm totally convinced now !

Good luck with backing Barzalona on short prices - clearly he had little or no pressure yesterday. You would have to seriously question whether he had ridden Encke to best effect previously.

When he first came over I expected him to easily put our duds in their place but he's been a big disappointment. He is getting better though.

I have no problem with Ajtebi now, and in a close finish he has the strength of an ex camel rider.