Equinties - imperfect decision

Gm Equinauts

Dreams are made and shattered in racing but rarely are dreams made only to be shattered in a couple of minutes.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUND UP

CLASSIC O’BRIEN

It’s nice when form just works out, isn’t it? We, as punters, study, and study, and study, and study again to find form lines that are solid, so that when these big races roll around, we are hopefully on the correct horse.

Over the last few months, it’s felt like pushing a boulder up a hill following the jumps because form lines that looked strong on paper just haven’t prevailed on the course.

It’s no coincidence that everyone on Racing X has done their coconuts across Cheltenham, Aintree, and lesser so, Punchestown, chief of which the Blogger looked close to throwing in the towel at some points.

Why do we say this? Well, HENRI MATISSE and DELACROIX both won for Ballydoyle on Sunday, and they both had strong profiles pre-race based on solid form.

Take, DELACROIX. Yes, he was 1/3 in the Group 3 Derby Trial Stakes at Leopardstown, but that’s because he beat LAMBOURN (Chester Vase winner), PUPPET MASTER (Lingfield Derby winner), and WEMIGHTAKEDLONGWAY (Salsabil Stakes winner) on his seasonal reappearance in the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes.

He looked really nice yesterday, and the second is a nicely bred Juddmonte horse who won his maiden well last season. If you look at DELACROIX in isolation, you’d have to love his attitude and action. Bullet straight and fast.

He’s off to Epsom for the Derby next, and he is a 9/2 chance to do so. Wayne Lordan thinks he is an “Epsom horse” with “some class”, so he has to be seriously considered for the big one.

As for HENRI MATISSE, he got the job done in the French 2000 Guineas yesterday, and he was a solid juvenile last season with form alongside SCORTHY CHAMP, CAMILLE PISARRO, RASHABAR, FIELD OF GOLD, and HOTAZHELL.

It was a great ride from Ryan Moore (classic) as Oisin Murphy potentially went a touch too soon on JONQUIL, and he set a track record to boot. The form of the race will probably be worth following as the front two pulled nicely away.

O’Brien confirmed that CAMILLE PISSARRO, the third, could be back for the Prix du Jockey Club next, while HENRI MATISSE is off to Royal Ascot.

He said: "Ryan [Moore] gave him a great ride. He's a very good horse but he doesn't like getting to the front early, so Ryan gave him a class ride.

“When he gets there, he just waits a little bit, so you need a bit of luck in running but he gets the trip very well. Ryan was always going to play him late and it was an evenly run race and when the race is like that everyone gets a chance.

“He's a fast horse. It's a very strong possibility he could go to the St James's Palace as he loves fast ground and quickens very well.”

He is a 6/1 shot for the St James’s Palace Stakes behind FIELD OF GOLD (9/4) and SHADOW OF LIGHT (9/2) with COSMIC YEAR (6/1), RULING COURT (6/1), and TWAIN (10/1) also in the market.

More: https://www.racingpost.com/news/reports/henri-matisse-holds-off-jonquil-in-french-2000-guineas-thriller-on-golden-afternoon-for-aidan-obrien-aaPWj3B14AcL/

NOT SO PERFECT DECISION

Racing X was on fire yesterday, and a man called Basher Watts is to thank for this.
As many of you will know, the wannabe social media influencer (I think we can fairly call him this) had SHES PERFECT in the French 1000 Guineas, and fair play to them, just for the specualtive entry alone it was worth shouting about on the channels. If any of us had a horse that we either owned or even had a whiff of a hair in who was good enough to run in any Classic, we’d push the f*** out of it because it’s a special moment, especially going over to France and taking on the Frenchies in their own backyard.

So, the day of the race came, and she was sent off 18/1. Big considering she only went down by a short head to the fave but we imagine connections thought their little 50k filly from Fellowes’ yard was way too short. What right did they have to be running against Juddmonte, Coolmore and the Aga Khan!?

Absolutely every right, because she wont the dam race!

SHE’S PERFECT bowled along in front and never stopped, displaying a beautiful show of attitude and classic underdog fight. She just held on and crossed the line in front.

She won the French Guineas.

And for a long while, we all thought connections dreams came true. Watch this, absolute cinema:

Then came the dreaded bing bong.

Some how the stewards turned her over. A wrong and bewildering decision. They were robbed.

It would have been huge for Racing X, huge for Charlie Fellowes to win his first Group 1, and huge for Kieran Shoemark after a pretty tough week. That was before, of course, the ‘bing bong’ came in and a Stewards’ Enquiry was called.

In the end, ZARIGANA, the horse who beat SHES PERFECT in the Prix de la Grotte, was given the race in the stewards’ room, and it’s fair to say there was a collective agreement on Racing X as to whether this was a harsh call.

Our feeling? Yeah, SHES PERFECT should have kept the race. The interference was minimal, and as Fellowes said in his post-race interview, if this had occurred in England, they wouldn’t have turned it over. Ultimately, it was too harsh, but that’s racing. In the eyes of the French stewards, she drifted, which had an effect on ZARIGANA, and there was only a nose between them at the line.

Connections will appeal, and with the way the decision occurred (and a potential question mark about the ride Mickael Barzalona gave ZARIGANA), they might have a good chance of keeping it.

And fair play to syndicate manager Basher Watts. He’s taken it like a champ on social media, and his content has reached the wider audience of sports social media.

WEEKEND EYECATCHERS

ARISAIG – SATURDAY 14.05 ASCOT

ARISAIG was well-backed (by us) before the fillies’ handicap at Ascot on Saturday, and she ran a good race, but was just beaten by a bit of royalty. The King’s horse, RAINBOWS EDGE, came home in front, and she could be a horse for the Kensington Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. As for ARISAIG, she stayed on through the line from the rear of the field, like she had done in her first two starts of this campaign, to finish a fine second. She will win soon.

JABAARA – SATURDAY 15.35 LINGFIELD

GREAT GENERATION became the first horse to win the Group 3 Chartwell Fillies’ Stakes on Saturday, and she just nudged out JABAARA. Roger Varian’s runner-up looked like the winner with a furlong and a half to go, but it soon became apparent that GREAT GENERATION was going to catch her late-on. Still, JABAARA ran a very good race, and her form with PORTA FORTUNA from last season’s Group 1 Falmouth Stakes does look quite good.

She could step up to a mile nto, and she might even be interesting off top weight in a handicap soon. If the handicapper dropped her to 105 from her current mark of 107, the Kensington Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot could be for her. We’ve mentioned that race twice now! If not, maybe the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes instead.

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RISK ON

Our first losing Saturday for a long, long time - we just kept hitting the goalposts!

A couple of nice bets coming up this week, but as for today it looks quite competitive with the standout horses too short in the betting. Rather than tools down we’re going to have very small bet at Windsor:

17.33 SILVER WRAITH & 18.03 FANTASY WORLD

SILVER WRAITH was given an easy time of things last time out when from a poor stall position. We’d like to thing she’s still better than what she’s shown on track however we’re not confident she has trained on. Her dam was with Eve and was very good but never made the track. At 40/1 we can afford to have a tiny play to find out (although the price is bearish given Lavelle’s yard have big punters behind it (maybe they’re looking at handicapping her now)). FANTASY WORLD might need slower ground but on form should still win. Beer money 95/1 double - fun stakes, beer money only type bet just to have an interest in today.

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