Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

John T — Sun, 05 May 2013 19:07:58 GMT

New Approach has lived up to his promise after siring three of the 2 year old winners at Royal Ascot the best of them, Dawn Approach went on to win the first classic the 2000 Guineas in good fashion.Now his connections are faced with the same question as the connections of Frankel.Can he get the 12 furlongs of the Epsom Derby on the first week-end of June?.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

John T — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 22:54:19 GMT

It looks like Sceptre will have to hold her breath for a while longer on the retirement of Black Caviar as she has come back as a 7 year as good as ever and it looks like another trip to Royal Ascot is in the plans. After that she too will be sent to Frankel.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

John T — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 01:18:49 GMT

Sceptre

I don,t think we are about to see an epidemic of top class

6 year olds kept in training for example So You Think will

have his final race this Saturday in the group 1 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park before retiring.If he wins it he would be the first 6 year old to win that race since the very first running in 1886 when Bendigo won it at that age.

Fifty Proof

I mentioned the fine performance of Simenon right here on this page.His second win was longer than the first and it all took place in 4 days not 5.I also disagree that it was

the best performance of the week,but yes it was a great achievement.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

Physically Imposing Fifty Proof — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 21:13:51 GMT

No Mention of Simonen??......not ONE MENTION on this whole Page of Blogs!...Shame! Simonen was the Best Performance of the whole week!....TWICE! 4400m two times in 5 days.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

sceptre — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:02:30 GMT

John T (and those legions of others):

Horse racing is a very risky proposition FOR THE HORSE. As time goes on there's usually ever more wear and tear with the accumulation of various maladies. So, all else equal, less is better/safer for the horse. While we can debate the ethics of horse racing per se, it's irrefutable that we do them no favors by prolonging their careers. It may be a favor to us, but not for them. So many of you applaud when our stars remain in training at 4, 5, etc. In general, those same stars had proved enough by the end of their 3 yr. old season, and of the minority that didn't it's usually because they were lightly raced due to lingering soundness issues. Of those rarities that are otherwise, perhaps there's less risk in continuing their careers. While others mourne the retirement of our stars, I smile-whether it be a star or any other...I'm holding my breath in hope that Black Caviar is now retired.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

Paula Higgins — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 02:21:38 GMT

Look, I think Luke Nolen was trying to give Black Caviar an easier ride by not pushing her to win by 2-3 lengths. I think he knew she wasn't running up to her previous performances. I do not think he had a clue anything was really wrong with her. You can see exactly where he stops urging her forward and it is close to the line. I think he lost track of the competition and thought he was further ahead of them than he was. I don't blame him for anything. He loves the horse. She is a great sprinter. The greatest female sprinter of all time. No one should be feeling bad about anything. She won, period. In light of her injury, she was downright brilliant.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

John T — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 01:15:34 GMT

Among the highlights at Royal Ascot this year were the fact it was a couple of 6 year olds that won two of the important group 1,s,So You Think and Black Caviar,and with Frankel kept in training as a 4 year old and his stablemate Sea Moon winning the Hardwicke let us hope it will encourage more owners to keep some of their good horses racing beyond the age of 3.Another highlight was New Approach in his first crop of racing age winning 3 of the 2 year old races which is a great accomplishment at Royal Ascot.It was also good to see Simenon win the Ascot Stakes and come back 4 days later to win the longest race of the week the Queen Alexandra Stakes which is just short of 2 miles 6 furlongs.I can remember back in the 60,s a horse called Trelawney winning those same two races two years in a row and the strange thing about him was when he was being walked around the paddock his head was so low to the ground it looked like he was ready to keel over and just go to sleep.But it was a different story once he got out onto the racetrack.

re: Royal Ascot Day 5: Black Day

sceptre — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:15:51 GMT

Alan,

I've enjoyed reading your insightful Ascot posts over the past week. A lot of hard work in such a short span, but you've distilled it all rather well. Your leading paragraph, today, on Black Caviar's Diamond Jubilee stated it better than any I've read. Thank you, especially, for resisting any pointed negative remarks about Luke Nolen who's already received much unjust criticism. While the recent evidence of Black Caviar's muscle tears may now dim somewhat the harsh light on Nolen, muscle tears notwithstanding, he rode a commendable race. Black Caviar was placed in harm's way from the outset (from the moment she boarded the plane), and once Nolen sensed that she was not at her best he took the high road-placing her interests first. He gambled that she had done enough to win, and while it proved to be a "miscalculation" the motives were honorable and rational. Never has a jockey proved more deserving of such a mount-one for the ages.

On a slightly separate note, late Saturday evening I found (on the web) an article from an Australian publication. In it, a reputedly esteemed racing analyst and "scientist" asserted (after the race was run) that this year's Diamond Jubilee's 6 furlongs was, in reality, as testing as a race run at the mile distance. To support his claim he offered various pieces of data which appeared rather convincing. Unfortunately, I'm now unable to relocate this on the web. I do recall it being from a leading Austalian newspaper. Well, consider this, along with all else Black Caviar had to endure, before altering her place in history. I tend to revere those greats of the past, but as turf sprinters go there may have been none better than Black Caviar.