Another year and another look back at the exploits of the horses featured on this site during what was an eventful season.
Poetry in Motion
The star of the season for me was undoubtedly Dylan Thomas. The 4 year old was certainly not kept under wraps by the Ballydoyle team as he ran 9 times, only finishing out of the first 2 once, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Monmouth Park. There were certainly excuses for Dylan Thomas for his showing here as torrential rain in the days leading up to the race meant the ground just went against him. The race was appropriately enough won by a horse called English Channel on a day more suited to swimming than a world class horse race.
His 8 runs prior to that visit to the States had yielded 5 wins, 4 of them at Group 1 level. He won the Irish Champion Stakes and the King George but his most dramatic win came at Longchamp in the Arc. Produced by Kieren Fallon down the outside he veered markedly right cutting across several of his rivals and leaving connections with an anxious 30 minute wait while the stewards debated the issue. In the end, surprisingly in view of the harsh line often taken by French stewards Dylan Thomas kept the race. Justice was done I feel as he was the best horse in the race. Ironically, the day after getting the right verdict at Longchamp Mr Fallon was to appear at the Old Bailey to face charges of race fixing.
Let’s hope that Dylan Thomas now receives the praise he deserves. Few horses of recent times can match his record of six Group 1 races, or his versatility at the highest level over both a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half. The historians will probably note that an all-out defeat of Youmzain, with the outsider Sagara in third, doesn’t add up to this being one of the great Arcs but there is no getting way from the winner’s lifetime record.
The Authorised version
Another horse to light up the flat season was Peter Chapple-Hyams Authorized. An impressive winner of the Racing Post Trophy in 2006 he confirmed his well being when careering away from his field in the Dante at York and came to Epsom as a warm order for the Derby. A repeat of his York performance saw him give Frankie Dettori his first Epsom Derby winner at the 14th attempt.
Next stop for Authorised was Sandown where he took on the older horses in the Eclipse. Despite winning his race on the nearside he was beaten by the enterprisingly ridden Notnowcato who ploughed a lone furrow on the opposite rail. As Peter Chapple-Hyam commented afterwards his horse probably thought he had won!
Authorized easily turned the tables on Notmowcato in the Juddmonte International at York in August to restore his reputation. Dylan Thomas was second after being “held in” to some degree by Frankie who secured first run for his mount.
The final race of the season for Authorised was the Arc but he was never able to get competitive and finished well down the field. There were various theories put forward for this defeat but I am inclined to put it down largely to the fact that the stable were going through a barren spell.
The other overriding factor – perhaps the most important guideline in racing – is that when a yard is out of form, even its best horses are not immune. The one consolation for connections is that this was clearly not Authorized’s form.
A Classic double
The Irish trained filly Finsceal Beo lit up the early part of the season with a real purple patch in the months of May landing both the English and Irish 1,000 guineas
Prescott
Anyone who has read my earlier masterpieces will know that I always include a smattering of Sir Mark Prescott 3 year olds in any list to follow. It is a tried and tested formula that has stood me in good stead over the years. While not getting quite the same number of multiple winners as in previous seasons most of the horses chosen visited the winner’s enclosure at least once. Copernican was probably the most successful with 3 wins but others worth a mention are Alleviate, Hora, Ballet Boy, View from the Top and Tonnante.
Sprinters
The star sprinter of the season was Hughie Morrison’s Sakhee’s Secret who carried all before him for the first half of the season winning his first four starts. His biggest win came in the Darley July Cup where he travelled well at the rear of the field and then quickened impressively to win by half a length from Dutch Art. He was then made a hot favourite for the Group 1 Bertfred Sprint Cup at Haydock but could only finish 5th. He remains a potential star and is not one to write off on the basis of one slightly disappointing effort.
Amadeus Wolf had been a high class juvenile and looked set to challenge the best sprinters around when landing the Group 2 Duke of York Stakes in May but he was never able to reach that level of form in his subsequent 4 outings. Advanced, another Kevin Ryan sprinter showed a similar inconsistent profile winning just once from his 10 runs. The win though was a prestigious one in the Ayr Gold Cup at 20/1 where Advanced carried the 3rd highest weight ever carried to victory in that race. His best effort apart from that was probably his 2nd in a fairly weak Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte.
Seldom do you see a horse in a 26-runner handicap travel as well, or win as decisively, as Utmost Respect, who was backed as though defeat were out of the question the Ayr Silver Cup. He ran well enough next time out at Ascot over 7 furlongs off a 10 lbs higher mark but left the impression that 6 furlongs is his trip and he will be interesting next season.
Another from my list to follow to land a major sprint handicap was Zidane who won the Stewards Cup swooping late to nail Borderlescott on the line, with a third runner from my list, Knot in Wood close up in 3rd. Zidane had earlier won a handicap at Ascot. Knot in Wood who is trained by Richard Fahey ran a number of decent races during the season including one of the easiest wins you are ever likely to see in the Scottish Stewards Cup at Hamilton where he landed the spoils without coming off the bridle.
The unlucky loser
Borderlescott must go down as one of the unluckiest horses on the season. He finished runner up on no fewer than 5 occasions, twice being defeated by a short head. He also played a major part in the dramatic events of the last day of the flat season. The 2007 season was remarkable for the closely fought jockey’s championship which went right down to the lasts race on the last day of the season. Seb Sanders had a 1 winner lead over Jamie Spencer coming into the listed Wentworth Stakes and he made a brave bid to make all on his more than willing partner Borderlescott only to be mugged on the line. In the event Jamie Spencer won the last race of the day to tie the championship for only the 3rd time in history. Incidentally, Knot in Wood was 3rd in that race showing that he is up to listed class.
Dandy Nicholls has long been regarded as the top trainer of sprinters and his Tax Free had another profitable year after wintering in Dubai. His best win was in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket but he also won a Group 3 contest at Longchamps.
I also followed a selection of other handicapped sprinters. These horses can often show a level stakes profit if backed blindly and Terentia, trained by Ed McMahon was a good example of this. She ran 5 times, winning the 3rd of these, a handicap at York at 12/1. The 3rd that day was Hogmaneigh who won the Vodaphone Dash at Epsom on his next run. He also showed a level stakes profit, albeit only just as he ran 7 times in all and this was his sole win.
Another to show a profit from a solitary win was Deserted Dane whose only success came at Carlisle at 20/1 but not a bad profit given that he ran 8 times.
How’ She Cuttin’ was far more consistent winning 3 of her 7 starts. She has been either first or second 9 times in a 14 race career and just taking her runs at Musselburgh her form figures read 11121. Her one fault is that she tends to hang right and she did this markedly in the finish of one of her Musselburgh wins when she veered across the track and nearly lost out to the Jim Goldie trained Blazing Heights. The latter was another from my list to follow but proved pretty expensive to follow as she failed to score a win in her first 13 runs of the season. His followers had to wait until the penultimate day of the flat season when Jim Goldie’s sprinter finally got it together to take a 5 furlong Musselburgh handicap, a race he had won in 2006.
Blazing Height’s full brother Geojimali had a similar profile. Like his brother he won just once from 14 attempts, the win coming at 8/1, surprise in a 5 furlong Musselburgh handicap. Things could have been different though as he was only beaten a short head in a handicap at Doncaster at 13/2. As ever in racing it is a very fine line between success and failure.
Bo McGinty has been a regular on my list to follow and I was quite hopeful that he would show a level stakes profit. It was not to be however and he was largely a victim of his own consistency. He ran no fewer than 20 times and won but once, at 7/1 in a handicap at Haydock. That sounds like a pretty dismal season but the bare facts don’t tell the full story as he was 2nd 3 times, 3rd 4 times and 4th on 5 occasions including the race won by Deserted Dane at Carlisle. In a very wet summer he also had to run on unsuitable ground much of the time as he shows his best form on a fast surface. He must be a real fun horse to own I should imagine.
Dig Deep was another to be kept busy; in fact his trainer Willie Haggas followed the Goldie method of entering sprinters by running him 14 times. Unlike his counterparts north of Hadrian’s Wall though Dig Deep managed 3 wins. Trying to fathom just when he was going to repay my support proved about as easy as eating ice cream with your fingers. Well maybe I should have tried harder. He ran twice over 6 furlongs and beat just 4 of his 29 rivals so we can safely say that 5 appears to be his trip. Having said that his 3 wins before the start of the 2007 season all came at 7 furlongs. Oh well. Someone was doing a better job of working him out than me as he was made favourite on 5 occasions and won 3 of them.
I was optimistic that River Thames would make his mark in sprint handicaps. He’d been a decent juvenile, finishing 3rd in the Flying Childers but had failed to win at 3, finding himself high in the weights. Over the close season the horse had changed hands and gone to Kevin Ryan’s stable and started the season off a tempting mark. He didn’t begin much like a handicap snip though and his first 5 runs didn’t set the pulses arcing. Then all of a sudden he popped up at Ayr at 5/1. In fact he absolutely dotted up without being asked a serious question by Jamie Spencer. In truth he was entitled to win as he ran off a mark of 70, and had been as high as 100. He was then turned out 6 days later under a penalty as he was due to be raised 12 lbs. He was a nailed on certainty to follow up at Redcar with J Spencer on board right? Wrong, he was 4th at 5/6. As it turned out the win at Ayr was his solitary success. He did come close to showing a level stakes profit though as he was only beaten a neck at Chester on his penultimate start at 20/1. He ended the season coming 8th of 8 at Wolverhampton. Horses are difficult to fathom aren’t they?
John Gosden’s Transcend had shown the right sort of signs as a two year old and had clearly impressed someone at home as he was sent off favourite on 3 of his first 4 starts as a 3 year old. He only won one of them though and seemed to be going backwards until winning his final start at Brighton. He was dropped back to 5 furlongs for this final run and it may well be that sprinting is his game. He is a nice type on looks and may be one to follow next season.
Some success stories and classic trials
Hearthstead Maison won the much coveted award as highest priced winner on the Russellform list to follow! One thing you can rely on Mark Johnston’s runners for is effort and this fellow certainly didn’t lack in that department. The win in question came at 25/1 in a 10 furlong Newmarket handicap. The horse had shown some decent form before finishing 3rd to Lucano (4th in the Derby) and 2nd to Aqaleem (3rd in the Derby). He won 3 races in all at 9/1, 25/1 and 9/2 with the final win coming in a Group 3 at Leopardstown. He ran 11 times in all with perhaps the key to him being the trip. Over 10 furlongs his form figures read 13101. Two of his wins came when ridden by champion apprentice Greg Fairlie.
Aqaleem, trained by Marcus Tregoning had won the Lingfield Derby Trial at 12/1. His 3rd in the Derby was followed by a 2nd only beaten a neck in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood.
Another to make a handsome profit to level stakes was Mount Kilimanjaro. He won first time out at 20/1 in a listed race at Nottingham in early April. He was 4th of 7 in the Henry ll Stakes at Sandown behind Allegretto and was not seen after that. Mount Kilimanjaro was one early season winner for the list to follow and further success followed in the various classic trials. Regime, Michael Bell’s colt won at Sandown in a race that has dipped in class since its heyday as the Guardian Classic Trial. He made no show at Epsom but was involved in a couple of close finishes with other horses from the list to follow. He was 3rd in a Group 3 at Leopardstown to Hearthstead Maison and was beaten a short head by Harland in a Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte. Harland won 3 of his 4 starts including a listed race at Sandown beating the Godolphin runner Tam Lin. Sir Michael Stoute’s Adagio won the Craven Stakes but disappointed subsequently and was sold to race in America.
Wet, wet, wet
We had an abnormally wet summer and it certainly favoured horses that like some cut in the ground. Two that revelled in the conditions were Mutajarred and Bollin Felix. Mutajarred had show promise on his only start as a juvenile and quickly ran up a hat trick of wins as a 3 year old winning his 3 races by a total of 17 lengths all on soft or heavy going. The handicapper eventually caught up with him but he still ran creditably when 4th at Ayr after going up 20 lbs in the weights and the same could be said of his last run of the season when 2nd at Ascot, stepped up from a mile to 10 furlongs.
Bollin Felix ran 9 times winning 3 and was another that enjoyed plenty of cut in the ground. His first win came at 10/1 so he was also a profitable horse for the list to follow. He also ran some decent races in defeat, notably when 3rd to Black Rock at Ayr over 13 furlongs. Black Rock himself notched up 3 wins during the campaign. Michael Jarvis's colt is a progressive three-year-old that could make a decent middle-distance stayer. He could be the sort to win a big handicap in time. Another “Bollin” from Tim Easterby’s yard, Bollin Derek won on the last of his 3 outings at 9/4 so made a narrow profit to level stakes. His win came in a 14 furlong handicap at York, where the horse revelled in the soft ground under David Allan to win by 5 lengths with the field well strung out behind him.
A Triumph Hurdle winner?
At the time of penning these notes Francoek has won a couple of races over hurdles for Alan King and is already being talked about as a Cheltenham Festival prospect. On the flat last season he established himself as an improving young slayer winning 3 times all at 2 miles.
Coming of age
The best guide to unraced 2 year olds is undoubtedly Steve Taplin’s excellent annual. The 2006 edition highlighted Luca Cumani’s Monte Alto as a horse to follow, describing him as “a very nice horse that is strong and good looking.” He didn’t actually win as a juvenile but ran with promise on both his starts. I put him on my list to follow for 2007 and he certainly proved a worthy choice winning 3 of his 9 starts. The most memorable of his wins was when he overcame the worst possible draw in a heritage handicap at Newbury. Johnny Murtagh dropped him in at the back and produced him late with a perfectly judged challenge. Monte Alto only finished out of the first 3 once and that was when 6th of 34 in the Cambridgeshire.
While on the subject of the Steve Taplin book another of his selections, Signor Peltro figured in the 2005 version and indeed would have more than paid for the modest cost of the book because he won first time out as a two year old at 22/1. Now a 4 year old he earned his place on my list to follow by winning a Newmarket handicap at 10/1 sporting first time blinkers.
Signor Peltro is trained by Henry Candy who is also responsible for another horse that justified his place on my list to follow. While Signor Peltro won over 6 furlongs Colloquial is very much a stayer. A lightly raced 6 year old, he obliged in a 2 mile handicap at Haydock at odds of 9/1.
Passion Fruit is an admirable mare who is kept on the go by her trainer Chris Fairhurst. She narrowly paid her way to level stakes by winning 1 of her 14 starts at 14/1! She came from last to first to win a 7 furlong handicap at Redcar under apprentice Andrew Elliott. She ran pretty consistently throughout the season with several placed efforts including a creditable 3rd of 6 in a listed race at Pontefract. Seven furlongs is very much her trip.
Mick Channon’s Halicarnassus was a profitable selection with 3 wins, two of them at 9/1. He picked up a couple of Group 2 races including the Rose of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock. He seems to excel in small field as he only faced a total of 12 rivals in total in claiming his 3 prizes.
You can usually rely on trainer Mark Johnston to come up with some prolific winners, especially among his 3 year olds. This year I had Record Breaker on my list to follow and he won 3 of his 7 starts. Another Johnston runner, Swiss Act won one of his 3 starts at 5/1.
The big handicaps
The Royal Hunt Cup has not been a lucky race for me over the years but in 2007 one of my list to follow at last managed to win the race. Royal Oath proved an unusually easy winner in such a competitive heat storming clear by 4 lengths at 9/1 wearing first time blinkers. It was his only success of the campaign although he did finish 2nd to Cesare in a Group 2 at Ascot. Supaseus, who I had retained on my list to follow for a second season was 4th to Royal Oath at Ascot but paid his way for the season by winning the 9 furlong Suffolk Stakes Handicap at HQ by a neck from Pinpoint at 10/1.
The Northumberland Plate produced one of the season’s closest finishes. The soft ground and strong gallop made it a gruelling test and when George Moore’s Macorville went clear 2 furlongs from home he looked to be home and hosed. However promising apprentice Luke Morris got a late run out of Juniper Girl to grab the spoils in the dying strides and win by a short head. 11 days earlier Juniper Girl had finished 2nd to Full House in the two and a half mile Ascot Stakes.
Another big race winner was the Irish trained Haatef. He had been a strong fancy for the 2,000 Guineas but had disappointed at Newmarket. He did manage to win a couple of races in Ireland but his last race of the season gave him his biggest win in the Group 2 Diadem Stakes where he won comfortably at 8/1. Zidane was 4th.
A winning tip and a consistent Diva!
While I was never exactly in the running for the champion Tipster award I did have my moments. One such was the 13th of July when I told anyone who was prepared to listen that Obstructive would win the 5 furlong handicap at Chester and the 4 year old duly obliged at 11/4. He had earlier won at Windsor and just been touched off by a short head at Newmarket. As a result of those performances he had gone up 5 lbs in the weights but with a promising young 5 lbs claimer booked to ride and his front running tactics likely to be suited by the sharp Roodeye track he looked a fair bet.
One of the most consistent performers of the season was John Hill’s Diamond Diva who ended the season with form figures of 301012222. The wins came on handicaps at Wolverhampton and Folkestone. She ran with great credit when stepped up in class and those last three “2S” were all in listed company. Effective at 6 furlongs her best trip is probably 7.
More profitable selections
Another horse from our list to follow, Ivy Creek, had run well at Chester when 3rd in group 3 contest behind the tough Maraahel. This run seemed to auger well and Geoff Wragg’s 4 year old duly won his next two races, listed events over 12 furlongs at Goodwood and Pontefract at odds of 8/1 and 9/2. He ran creditably enough in 4 more races in good company without winning again but he would have shown a profit if backed blindly.
All the Good was something of an afterthought when I was compiling my list to follow but he earned his place with a couple of wins. He came from first to last to win with something in hand in a 14 furlong handicap at Musselburgh and he finished his season with a win in a 12 furlong handicap at Ascot just getting up to pip Ladies Best close home. He proved quite a versatile horse with regards to trip as he was a close 2nd over an extended 10 furlongs on the new all weather track at Dundalk in between his two wins.
Brian Meehan’s dual purpose performer Junior only had three runs but proved a progressive sort winning two of them, both over 2 miles. He made all in both races, firstly at Newbury and then on the all weather at Kempton, beating Whispering Death under an enterprising ride from Jimmy Fortune. With the wins coming at 5/2 and 3/1 he was a profitable runner for the list to follow.
Michael Bell’s filly Red Evie had been one of the success stories to come out of 2006 with 7 consecutive victories. The remarkable run began with a class 6 maiden at Yarmouth and ended with a Group 1 at Leopardstown. Although not as prolific in 2007 she still managed to win the Lockinge and the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes.
I have had some success with John Dunlop horses down the years and in 2007 his Free Offer was one of the more profitable animals on my list. From 7 starts he won twice at 16/1 and 7/2. The 16/1 win came in tenacious fashion in a 10 furlong fillies handicap at Newbury. She continued to progress and was only beaten a head at 12/1 on her last outing in a Newmarket handicap.
Henry Cecil – a popular resurgence
Henry Cecil enjoyed resurgence in 2007 partly due to his Oaks winning filly Light Shift. I had another filly of his, Passage of Time on my list to follow. Passage of Time began the season by landing the Musidora at York and started 9/4 favourite for the Epsom Classic. In the event she could only finish 8th behind her stable companion. She had been suffering from a throat abscess and a 3 month layoff followed. She returned to finish 3rd in a Group 1 at Leopardstown from where she headed to the States for The Breeder’s Cup filly and mare turf at Monmouth Park. She ran well in 3rd and was a rare success in what was a disastrous day for the European horses after torrential rain had turned the dirt course to soup and the turf track to soft. Passage of Time was one of the few European challengers to have conditions that suited.
Another Henry Cecil winner for my list to follow was the 4 year old Multidimensional who had suffered a fractured pelvis after winning at Group 2 level in 2006. He didn’t reappear until winning a conditions stakes at Newbury on September 22. He then ran in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket where he finished 5th. He didn’t get much luck in running and did well in the end to stay on into 5th. Hopefully he will get the chance to fulfil his potential next season.
Some listed and Group winners
Blue Ksar ran some solid races and won twice, including a listed race at Pontefract. He was also runner up to the 2006 Lincoln Winner Blythe Knight in the Group 3 Diomed Stakes at Epsom and 3rd behind the consistent filly Echelon and Cesare in the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood. Others to enjoy listed success were Dunelight and Illustrious Blue, who both won at Goodwood, and Lion Sands who won the Noel Murless Stakes at Newmarket and Short Skirt. The latter had been a classy 3 year old winning twice at Group 3 level but injury kept her off the track for most of the 2007 season. When she did come back, after an absence of almost exactly 12 months she did well to land a 10 furlong listed race at HQ. She may have “bounced” when down the field 9 days later in a Group 1 at Capannelle (Rome).
Arabian Gulf presumably had injury problems as he only ran twice. After winning a Newmarket maiden at 7/1 who contested the Chester Vase where he only went down by a short head in a thrilling finish against Aiden O’Brien’s Soldier of Fortune who went on to win the Irish Derby. Harland was another profitable horse to run in better class races. He won 3 of his 4 starts including a listed race at Sandown where he edged out the errant Tam Lin and the Prix Eugene Adam, a Group 2 at Maisons’Laffitte where he pipped Regime by a short head.
Walter Swinburn’s Stotsfold was one of a number of horses who suffered from the wet summer. He needs good to firm and when he had his favoured conditions he ran with great credit. He was runner up to Donald McCain’s 50/1 outsider Temple Place at Chester and ran 3rd to Subsequent Ebor winner Purple Moon Goodwood. On his last run of the season he returned to the Sussex track to record a deserved success in a Group 3 at 7/1 with other runners from our list, Halicarnassus and Blue Ksar well beaten.
And 6 to finish with
I will end this season’s review with 6 horses who all played their part in the season for me. Noisy Silence, Marozi, Mujahaz, Furmigadelagiusta, Mount Hermon and Mirthful.
Noisy Silence was backed in from 33s to 12/1 to win a Windsor maiden by a short head. He wasn’t able to repeat that form in two subsequent runs but a 12/1 winner warrants a mention!
Marozi interested me as his trainer Michael Jarvis picked him out as his number 1 horse to follow for the season. He didn’t appear until mid July and only ran 4 times winning twice. His second success came in a 20 runner 3 year old handicap at Goodwood over 5 furlongs. Although disappointing on his final run at Sandown he could be an interesting sprinter next term. Mujahaz made a level stakes profit as he only ran twice, winning a Newbury handicap at 13/2. He has since moved to Peter Bowe’s yard but has not done much over hurdles at the time of penning these notes.
I always have one unpronounceable horse on my list to follow. Last season it was Compromiznotension (now bought to go jumping with Howard Johnson) and this season I went one better with Furmigadelagiusta. Trained by Luca Cumani he earned his place on the list with 2 wins, in 12 furlong handicaps at Newbury and Wolverhampton.
Mount Hermon didn’t exactly scale the heights (sorry, couldn’t resist that one) but he was another to make a level stakes profit. He actually won on the all weather the day before the turf season started. He then ran three times, winning the middle one at 5/1 back on the all weather surface that he clearly likes at Lingfield.
Racing is definitely a game to make fools of us all so I suppose it is fitting to end this hotch potch of ramblings with a horse called Mirthful. Trained by Barry Hills he won 2 of his 6 starts, a maiden at Bath and a handicap at Haydock. The wins came at 3/1 and 13/2 with Richard Hughes on board both times.
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ahorse 