Equinauts - title races hotting up

Gm Equinauts

I witnessed ‘the top’ of racing Twitter syndicates yesterday.

Ngl I was left pretty speechless when I read it (very unlike me) and I still don’t know what to say, so let's just dive tf in.

Headline roundup

A close (but not actually that close) battle at the top

Hollie Doyle has ridden the same number of winners this season than William Buick, that’s fact. That’s fucking bullish. That should be celebrated.

But for some bullshit technicality, Hollie is still 34 winners off Buick’s Champion title lead. Why?

The Championship is decided on the number of winners a single jockey can ride between Saturday, April 30th (Guineas weekend) and Saturday, October 15th (British Champions Day) – that means for over six months of the year, victories picked up by jockeys in Britain are not counted towards the league table.

Doyle officially 34 winners off the pace:

The simple reason for it being this way is to allow the top jockeys to jet off to the US and Australia in the winter months for the Breeders’ Cup and other contests.

Yes, this differs from the Jump Jockeys Championship which starts and ends within a week of each other to consider any summer jump racing successes a jockey may record and is probably a little discriminatory given Brian Hughes (the current NH champion jockey), must choose between racing Cheltenham or bagging winners at Sedgefield.

What do you think - should the Flat Jockeys Championship take place across the whole of the year? Tweet me your thoughts.

Shaggas aiming BAAEED at trainers’ championship

Haggas, whose birthday it was yesterday, is currently leading the trainer’s championship.

BAAEED has racked up £1.6m of prize money, making up nearly 40% of Haggas’ total winnings this season and will undoubtedly play a fundamental part in Haggas winning his first ever champion trainers title.

Our view: Haggas sacks off the Arc chat, sends BAAEED to go win the Champion Stakes and puts the odds right in his favour for the title.

Just another day in Irish racing

Horse turns up to race, vet notices venepuncture mark and blood so asks the trainer to bring the horse for exam post-race, trainer races the horse, quickly loads the horse and fucks off home. Literally all within 18 minutes.

Welcome to Irish racing.

When a vet noticed suspicious marks on LAUGH A MINUTE, Irish trainer, Ado McGuinness told vets that his horse needed Duphalyte the evening before as he can be a “very nervous horse when travelling”. The vets wanted to see the horse post-race but, of course, Ado failed to relay that to his staff. Convenient.

Ado’s lorry full of horses were outta there literally 18 minutes after ‘off time’. He was fined €750. Lol.

More details of this “complete breakdown of communications”:

Minor issue rules out ALCOHOL FREE from Haydock

This year’s July Cup successor, ALCOHOL FREE, will miss next week’s Gr1 Sprint Cup at Haydock due to a minor setback.

Andrew Balding’s four-time Group 1 winning mare picked up a cut at home over the last few days and has had to be pulled from the six-furlong contest – she will be rerouted to either the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes or the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile.

Her July Cup success:

Whichever contest is selected, British Champions Day will be her final outing as a racehorse, as her owner, Jeff Smith has said: “Ascot will be her last race, and what a wonderful place to have a finale - when they can win on heavy and firm it endorses the fact they're very good, but it is also a testament to their physique and soundness.”

More:

Risk on

14.10 HEARTBREAK LASS

Half-sis to Gr 2 winner A’Ali. Made a good debut when running on well having missed the start. She should have learn a lot from the experience and can take advantage of her weight allowance. Half bet at 7/4

15.40 VIEWFROMTHESTARS

Tried to make all lto, a different tactic should see him go close in this poor race for a yard FINALLY coming to some form. I took 5’s ew as can’t see him out the places. 7/2 available for a small single.

Small double pays 11/1.

Waiting on word for one more. Will post on twitter.