..... Curragh ....

Mutadaffeq in the last race is the one that interests me-I am fairly sure he is a short runner -I like the idea of laying him at 4/5 in the place market..

Have laid Harzand for a few quid at 1.76-will be trying to lay Idaho at 2.24 in running and hope for a miracle.

No damage done.

murtagh has one up on ted as a presenter..he rode a derby winners mother AND grandmother     poor ted only rode  the mother

Terrible ride from SDS on Red Verdon , Dunlop will not be happy ...

Murtagh was wrong on that one. He actually never rode the mother.

Renneti. Still running.

Not as fast as your EUROVISION bet.....

Just a few thoughts on the curragh
why no bookmakers at the parade ring area where the crowd congregates?
its a 400 yard walk to the bookies ring from there, no sane minded person is going to bother traverse the crowd to bet.
sandwiches on offer for saturday were 2 days out of date,
the bitumen covered steps melt in warm weather ad stick to peoples footwear
i hope and trust that these issues will be alleviated in the new racecourse
best regards
an old racegoer

First trip to HQ this year since the Lincoln and I thought it might be interesting with the food fair and the football. I watched Brady's penalty from the parade ring and we knew he scored before he kicked the ball-the dreaded time delay on some "live" screens and a muted shout from elsewhere.

Poor crowd unsurprisingly although it was billed as family day. Food village may as well have been closed due to small numbers. Good Derby win for Sea The Stars and the Tsui's seemed keen to be generous to all - they sponsored The Pretty Polly - with thousands of goodie bags.

This is the information age and its impossible to appreciate what's going on at the track unless you have access to information. If you don't know what the betting moves are - trying to operate on a tiny phone screen - or the archaic lines of form on the racecard which had more adverts than a "Come Dancing" GAA programme. No Timeform/Turform any longer to help so unless you've your homework done beforehand, its guesswork.

The younger generation from Coolmore and Ballydoyle seem to have mostly taken over the parade ring and I got the usual sense that every win is expected and there's little joy and celebration about. The Men Of Forty Eight, I hope, got drunk after the Rockingham.

The enclosures are too big and as Calling Card says the ring (34 standing) is too far away from the parade ring and there's just no atmosphere on most days. In fairness to the track, a day out racing was always best for me in company and lots of pints and I think we need the days of syndicates back so that joe public can have some affinity with the performers.

I went to back Noivado (Lyons) in the opener and duly did despite the weakness in the market. Although well beaten in fifth he almost surged forward mid-race and I was on very good terms with myself for a moment or two. All is not lost yet although Casamento needs to do more.

Royal Academy will think I'm disagreeing just for the sake of it,I'm not.

I didnt go Friday night too tired after an all night election stint the night before.
I went Saturday and Sunday.

I thought the crowd on Saturday was the lowest ever for a Derby,it suited it me because it was comfortable.
I really enjoyed the Derby thought it was a right race,I travelled with the intention of backing Harzand ( thought I'd have no problems getting evens ) couldn't bring myself to bet the 4/6.
Harzand hadn't a trouble free preparation yet battled like a good one when challenged.

This coud be some Arc and I hope it turns out a battle between Harzand and Minding.

I thought the Sunday crowd was decent bearing in mind all the other attractions.
When on the course the obvious way to see betting trends is in the ring,the information relayed to netting shops is filtered and stalled to specifically hide betting moves.

Two enjoyable days on the best race track in the world.

Wildman it will be interesting to see what way Aiden goes with Minding bearing in mind that he has a couple who are close to Harzard on  known form,  The Curragh will be  65millon facelift and should be ready for the 2018 flat season,   You might be right about it being the best racecourse by then.

Now wilddan is no stranger to hyperbole but nominating the Curragh as the best racecourse in the world must be up there with some of his famous ones .
I was there Friday night , it's the same shiitehole it was the last time I was there. Nobody there and a rubbish card, the races 3 to 6 were of absolutely no interest and wouldn't look out of place in Bellewstown. A betting shop where you were restricted to sp and no double result , that's two restrictions that don't apply in any other shop in the land . The food there really is unbelievable , there is no way it would be tolerated in even an ordinary British track . The toilets are the same as they were 25 years ago , zero atmosphere all over the track , but the latest thing there was really marvellous, the big screen was an absolute joke. You had no idea what was happening in the early stages of some of the races.
Disgraceful racecourse run disgracefully, that's what the Curragh is. Best racecourse in the world my hole.

I said race track Frank because its the track that's the best in the world.

The racecourse is like ourselves seen better days.

I specifically said race track meaning the course itself.

The racecourse did look a bit forlorn there over the weekend.

Looks like myself and Mincer got the wrong end of the stick so.

How is it the best race track in the world ?
It' wouldn't hold Newburys coat for starters , which has a straight mile and doesn't have a stall bias like the Curragh has .
How could a racetrack have a draw bias like the one it has and be described as the best racetrack in the world
Just goes to show what kind of Shiite Dan would  be talking about in current affairs when this is the kind of gibberish he goes on about regarding racing

I find myself agreeing with Mincer for once ,I thought he was on another one of his little holidays in the big white house tbh . I had a meal of braised steak and veg yesterday ,and it was rubbish , the cabbage was like straw, spuds were smash as we used to call it and the steak , well I'll leave that to your imaginaton... The track is as fine a track as you'll find anywhere..

Mincer do you really think the Curragh track is no good ?

It has the best turf and is the fairest tack around,few hard luck stories there.

There is a huge difference between it being no good and being the best in the world . There is nobody saying it is no good, there is someone saying it's the best track in the world.

Best racetrack in the world?  Not even the best in Ireland.  You may aswell not turn up if drawn low in a sprint.  Most of the horses that run seem to be off the bridle 4F out on the round course.
Give me Leopardstown any day of the week over it.  I used to go racing every weekend, now id say i go to 3 or 4 meetings a year.  Nothing to entice you go.  You get far more information and better value sitting in the chair at home with a laptop.

Leopardstown is a lovely racecourse,a great jumping course but its not a flat course.
It has no sprint track,you are turning for over a furlong and a half before you hit the straight.

Newbury is a fine racecourse,its dual purpose.
It only has one decent flat race,The Lockinge Stakes.

The Curragh is home to a host of big races,all five Irish Classics are run there.
Why do ye think all those trainers are there,its perfect for racehorses.
It has a springy surface that's knitted well for centuries,it has never been tilled.

Mincer seems to think there isint a straight mile at the Curragh,there is both Guineas are run over it.

There was an old adage back No 1 at the Curragh.
That no longer applies as they have changed the numbering system but in those days stalls were on the fence and you ran straight up the rails.
There are four different tracks on The Curragh,the stalls can sometimes be in the middle,the draw bias is minimal.
Watering systems have improved,you won't find a golden highway on The Curragh.

Of course mine is a subjective view but its one i share with most trainers and most racing historians.

Its the only track with a straight mile that goes round a bend, and the 7f is round a bend also.
Surprising that you havent noticed the bend there Dan, as you seem to be a regular. The Curragh mile is about as straight as Graham Norton.
You wont find a golden highway in the Curragh, what a load of absolute claptrap. So in a 12 horse race at 5f -6f , why does everyone bar you seem to think high numbers have a big advantage.

Mincer old Dan has his mind made up and no amount of evidence to the contrary will change it.

It doesn't go round a bend,it has a slight dog leg there is a huge difference.

The golden highway is a reference to watering.

Sometimes the high numbers have an advantage and then its minimal.
A lot depends on where the stalls are sited and what track they are racing on.
There are few sprint tracks in the country,all have some bias.

Bigwilliestyle seems to think a slight dog leg on a mile race is a drawback but a six furlong race where there are two bends and you are turning for a large part of the race is no problem..
They had to introduce a false rail at Leopardstown to stop the hard luck stories.
You rarely get hard luck stories on The Curragh.

There are always hard luck stories in the sprints at the Curragh.  You would lose count of how many horse get hampered.
I much prefer Leopardstown as a betting medium.

Preferring a racecourse as a betting medium is a hell of a difference to saying Leopardstown has a better track than the Curragh.

Have either of ye gentlemen walked either of those courses.

There is however a golden highway in Leopardstown.

There really is no point debating with a headcase that isnt for budging. Even though he is as wrong as could be, he will never ever admit so and keep coming back with a swarm of horseshiite.
Sometimes the horses drawn high have an advantage, please Dan give it a rest please.
A slight dog leg doesnt last 2 furlongs, under those terms Dundalk has a straight 5f track nowadays.
To say there isnt a golden highway in the Curragh is downright misleading.

These are only opinions,its just a discussion dont know why ye all get upset about it.

There are four different tracks at the Curragh,are you saying you've never seen them coming up the far rail.
Have you never noticed the stalls sited in the centre.

At no stage in either Guineas does your horse round a bend,he's never turning a bit like ourselves not for turning.

Why is it misleading to say there is no golden highway on The Curragh?

Your a hard man to budge yourself,do you even acknowledge my points about the springy turf and the fact it was never tilled.
Do you accept that one of the reasons all those horses are trained there is because of the turf.

Don't want to start a new thread , but whos that Yash , who rode the 2nd there ,any ideas ?

FFS..

Boreno says its a straight mile
Mincer corrects him
Borneo repsonds by saying its only a slight dog leg...and a whole lot of other deflective nonesnse

It's like talking with Worzel Gummage.

The problem with the Curragh, as much as the track and the facilities is that the only races that draw real horses, real interest and no walkovers are the Irish 2000 Guineas and the 2yo colts Group 1 races.

The place just doesn't draw. Large parts of it are also unsightly on TV, the stand, the view of the motorway and the fact it is impossible to fill. The latter leading to the now-oft mentioned lack of atmosphere.

Basically, if it was a TV show, the production values would be bad, it wouldn't look important, thus why would anybody uninitiated think anything going on there was important.

The only truly world-class race in Ireland is the Irish Champion, the top Curragh races are too often non-events, most Irish Derby events these days are of the poor standard, then you have the typical Irish leger, I don't know what purpose that race serves. They need to be attracting a better calibre of horse from England and France.

Leopardstown's Christmas meeting, Hennessey and Irish Champion Hurdle days, the Irish Champion, are the only real days of consequece in Irish Racing along with the 2000 Guineas/Pheonix stakes and National Stakes.

I would like to see them bring the Irish Leger down the country, it is a race of no consequence for the breeding industry anyway. Why not bring it forward, democratise it and run it at Galway. Sell it as "the Classic that the ordinary man can win on a track where anything can happen."

It would also give Galway, one of the few Irish courses that does draw(outside of TV pictures) some much needed gravitas.

Not taking the piss here, Irish Racing needs a new showpiece.

I love Galway but its a dreadful flat course,you couldn't run the Irish St Leger on it.

Leopardstown in the winter is fantastic as it is a great jumping course,Its not a good flat course.

Tight bends are a problem for a lot of horse,its also hard to make up ground whilst turning.
Ozymandius doesn't get this as the question about the mile races on the Curragh revolves around horses turning,they don't turn in either Guineas,the slight dog leg doesn't stop your horse running straight.
I regard it as a straight mile.

" a slight dog leg " ha ha that's the funniest thing I've read in a long time on here

What would you call it ?

well it aint a straight mile , if that's your definition of straight I wouldn't like to see the floors in your house!

I'm starting to feel my age.

I just had a look at this years Guineas and Mincer and Tobywong are right its a lot more than a dog leg.
I'm stunned,my recollection is obviously wrong as I always thought the mile and the  seven furlong start ran adjacent to the road.

A victory for Mincer,I'm still scratching my head.

jaysus dan , i thought you had completely lost it , no need for that specsavers visit yet !

Its really the big screens fault.

I love racing on the Curragh,always singing its praises,some must have been looking on in bewilderment as I was talking about straight miles.

Dear oh dear.

Great track, it's what is around it or the lack thereof that is the problem. Also the way it is marketed to the public and within racing. The executive, custodians or whatever have let the place down.

The Irish Leger stopped being a classic in my eyes when they opened it up to all ages.

That was my opinion as well,it kind of scrapped the Irish Triple Crown.

But then look at the winners of the race since they made it all aged.
Authaal Shergars only Classic winner from his sole crop.
Vintage Crop dual winner and Melbourne Cup winner
Kayf Tara another dual winner and National Hunt sire
Vinnie Roe four time winner
**** the four time Ascot Gold Cup winner.
Order of St George the current Ascot Gold Cup winner.

Its an impressive list.

Fair play Dan, that 1m track isn't obviously anywhere near as round as the other track but in all fairness it should not be described as straight. To be honest the 1m tracks at the curragh should be described as round and not as round.
The issue of the leger is another load of bawlixx, how can it be described as a classic when it's not confined to the classic generation. It's no different to a county minor team being allowed play U -21's, it's either a classic or it's not and if it's not confined to 3yos then it isn't a classic.
It may be a decent race some years but plenty of rubbish has won it also. It's a typical Paddy remedy, garbage classic so let's open it up to 4yo and upwards, maybe they can do the same with the Derby.
Only in Ireland could  you win the same classic 5 years in a row. What a laughing stock of a nation we are, the 33rd team , women boxers, winning a match against a team who left us win at Euro , and it's cause for widespread celebration. Our rugby team win some rubbish game against South Africa and the World Cup is completely forgotten , the list is endless

F**k me, a forum first, Borneo concedes he is wrong having first argued long and hard that black is white.

I am worried about you Gramps, have a lie down.  Have you had a check up lately?

Whats REALLY worrying you Ozy is the fact Wildmanfromborneo addmitted his mistake like a man! .You on the other hand ,well we all know what your like , maybe someday you might man up and do the same....

for once mincer I agree with u totally
IRISH LEGER is a valuable conditions race at best and a trial for the Melbourne Cup, last week when driving to the Derby there were posters of the most recent winners of the race
what a bunch of rags
Alamshar, Grey Swallow,Frozen Fire, Treasure beach and Trading Leather. I wonder what their average ratings came out at , maybe a group 3

Another day out at the Curragh of Kildare... BLOKES Day they call it and the chicks are free.

Some amount of Prize Money on offer !

Features the Irish OAKS obviously with a Group 2&3 and The Scury Sauce H/cap of 100,000 Euros

workrider • June 28, 2016 6:35 PM BST....Don't want to start a new thread....any ideas ?

Another SUNDAY at HQ with Dettori flying in for two chances

2.00 Key To My Heart 11/4
4.15 Tanaza 7/2
5.25 Surprisingly 13/8
40/1for a small interest away from the OPEN

big near side bias on str track turned on its head

Last one out turn off the light...

Punchestown couldn't make it today otherwise engaged, where you there ,was it flooded with kids..

Not there workrider,what a waste of a good source this place was/is.

Terrible tragedy indeed , it was a place of entertainment , wisdom , and fun..All gone now it seems..

Good evening workrider and punchestown am I right in presuming your not very keen on the new curragh?

jimnast,I think it was the demise of this forum that we were talking about as opposed to the Curragh.

Sorry punchestown I misunderstood ,regarding the curragh I know not everyone is impressed with the place ,I happen to think it’s world class.

No worries jimnast