Equinties - a bull run marred

Gm Equinauts

As Champions Day and the Breeders Cup edge nearer, more jumps meetings creep in to signal the pending start of the new jumps season proper and whet everyone’s appetite for the winter fun ahead. Sunday’s Uttoxeter card was one of those meetings and it looked to be an exciting card packed full of nice horses, especially their two-mile novices’ chase with CHASING FIRE, PEMBROKE, and I LIKE TO MOVE IT lining up.

Jumps racing couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start.

As CHASING FIRE, PEMBROKE and I LIKE TO MOVE IT galloped in a line to the last, it was all to play for between these three beasts, but only two made it home as I LIKE TO MOVE IT was fatally injured on upon landing.

A brilliant, brilliant start to this season marred for the Twiston-Davies’.

A stark reminder of the tragedies that can occur in equine sport, but more so jumps. These things really don’t get any easier as racing fans (let alone owners), dare we say they actually get harder as you get older.

We dreamed of one day owning a Grand National winner… now we would never enter one for the race. Hypocritical given we produce a horse racing newsletter but that’s our view.

Last season’s Greatwood Hurdle and Kingwell Hurdle winner was loved by many within the sport, from fans who had seen him on track to those closest to him a Nige’s yard.

It goes without saying that all of our thoughts are with connections for the loss of their special horse.

Now, let’s dive in.

You’ve all heard of Viagra. The one time, pump and dump pill. Lasts what - 30 minutes? Rubbish.

For the first time ever, Cialis is available without prescription. And boy it’s an absolute game changer.

Approved for medical use only in 2003, the French call it ‘le weekend’ because basically this thing lasts in your system for 3 day.

Boner’s on demand, for 3 three days! Perfect for a weekend away when you know you’re going to need a little help.

Try it through UK MEDS, use discount code EQUINTIES10 and thank us later.

p.s none of this is medical advice but we’ve tried it…

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

THAT MAN FRANKIE AGAIN

This weekend, Frankie Dettori found himself headline news, again.

Firstly, super-mare INSPIRAL proved a class act once again by landing back-to-back Group 1s in Saturday’s feature race, the Sun Chariot Stakes.

In a field that included an Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up, a two-time Group 1 winner, and two very progressive types, the four-year-old by FRANKEL made light work of her seven rivals to give the whole of Racing X a winner.

Weekender subscribers landed the 3 lengths distance bet at 5/1, a much needed bit of yield after our NAP, ZOULU CHIEF, blew up in the dying stages of his race.

John & Thady Gosden are now thinking about her end-of-season target.

John Gosden said: “She’s in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (over a mile) at Ascot or she could go to the Breeders’ Cup, and I’m sure we’ll run a few in California for Frankie. That was only her fourth run of the season and she’s the strongest [she’s ever been] and weighing the heaviest she’s ever weighed.”

By those comments, one could deduce that the Gosdens are leaning to the 1m2f test of the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf – a race she is 3/1 for – though with her lack of a run over 10 furlongs and everything about her style saying that she is an out-and-out miler, that could potentially be one bridge too far.

Frankie continued to dominate headlines on the Sunday too as his supposed ‘retirement’ was speculated on on Nick Luck’s ‘Luck on Sunday’, a topic that Dettori continues to confirm British Champions Day will be his last day of riding in England.

THOUGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND

MELBOURNE CUP

The race that stops a nation. The trials are really heating up now, the Gr1 Turnball Stakes was run at Flemington on Saturday. Gold Trip was 5th last year in the race and followed up in the big one. VERRU ELEGANT was 4th in 2021 and followed up a month later. This year, GOLD TRIP won, now trained by David Eustace and Ciaron Maher picked up from the stable of Fabrice Chappet in France. WEST WIND BLOWS with Jamie Spencer in the plate was 2nd and he’ll be a live contender for the Cox Plate towards the end of the month. The former (s)Haggas trained SOULCOMBE, who won the Melrose was 3rd. And ROMANTIC WARRIOR, bred in Ireland and previously trained in Hong Kong was 4th.

GODOLPHIN

A Grade 1 winner in Canada is welcomed news for the superpower as NATIONS PRIDE downs the competition in the Grade 1 Canadian International Stakes, ROYAL CHAMPION came 2nd.

However, the quiet times continue at HQ. Bizarre considering they have around 700 mares in Australia, maybe 500 or more in Europe. They also have some of the most exciting stallions in Europe; NIGHT OF THUNDER, DUBAWI, TOO DARN HOT, BLUE POINT, not to mention EXCEED AND EXCEL, TEOFILO and the other young guns coming through.

Sheikh Mo has built some of the most perfect pre-training centres in the world, so from being conceived to foal, to yearling and 2yo the route should be the best in the world…seamless. Charlie Appleby must have about 300 horses in training, his counterpart Saaeed probably isn’t far off that number either. The blues spent 25 million at Bk1 last year alone, many more millions at other sales over the years but yet in the GB trainers title, Charlie Appleby is just hanging on to 10th with 86 winners. Saaeed has had 17 winners!

Something stinks at Godolphin.

LEADING SIRES

As the sales season is in full swing, who are the leading sires in Europe by winners? LOPE DE VEGA has had a phenomenal year again, he is top with 148 individual winners. KODIAC is following him on 141, then no surprise DARK ANGEL is 3rd with 124, the surprise pick is DANDY MAN who is chasing them home with 115…remember he only stands for €15,000.

Next on the list is KINGMAN with 111 individual winners. In France, leading the way is obviously the champ SIYOUNI with 53 winners, and the surprise package of ANODIN in 2nd with 52 winners ahead of WOOTTON BASSETT on 48 winners.

A sire on the up is CALYX. Coolmore’s first season sire by KINGMAN notched another graded winner on the weekend. CLASSIC FLOWER won the Gr2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte to DAWN CHARGER (we tipped) who is by another first season sire in SOLDIERS CALL. CLASSIC FLOWER had previously ran 3rd in the Gr2 Robert Papin and 2nd behind LAULNE in a gr3. DAWN CHARGER had beaten LAULNE on her previous outing in a Gr3.

STATS OF THE DAY

Milton Harris is in good form and has a 50% sr in Stratfor bumpers, he runs YALLA HABIBI today. Stat boosted when Bradley Harris steers. Big gamble on Twiston Davies in this race though.

RISK ON

15.50 SILVRETTA

Short and should be used to 1x lev another at even money. Most in this will be getting handicapped and this looks a very good opp for this girl to get her head in front. Balding likes a winner at Windsor - it’s only down the road for him. Need to find another for the double, will tweet when found @equinties.

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