Equinties - take a pull, Paddy

Gm Equinauts

The Classic trials will be coming thick and fast now and today see’s Deauville host it’s Group 3 Prix Imprudence (13.30 DEAUVILLE) where a number of fillies will be testing out their 1000 Guineas credentials.

We have previewed the race below.

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

FERGAL OH’TRYIN’ IS SHE?

The BHA aren’t necessarily quick to hand out major penalties for ‘public schooling’, but yesterday they reached into their pocket and pulled out the maximum penalty to Fergal O’Brien and Paddy Brennan after NORTHERN AIR’s second at Wincanton. 

NORTHERN AIR was held up out the back, firmly on the bridle the whole way round, in such a racing position it was impossible for her to ever win. You could tell she had a lot more to give from the way 5yo point-to-point winner flew home in the final furlong to close the gap on

After the 5/1-shot (having opened up at 7/2) had weighed-in, an inquiry was held. Paddy Brennan was quick to mention her wind. In most inquiries when stopping a horse is concerned, ‘wind’ is the silver bullet fired by jocks as it turns the case into a possible welfare issue the BHA will have to consider.

Wise to these plastic tactics, the stewards handed out the stiffest possible schooling sanctions to Feral and Paddy, with Paddy being banned for 18 days and Fergal handed a £4,000 fine. The horse was also banned from running for 40 days. Absolutely the right decision.

It’s key to emphasise that this is the stiffest sanction for schooling and not intent, something that senior steward Tom Evetts said in his interview with Racing TV:

He said: “The question that you could ask is where the line between intent and schooling is. We’ve done her under schooling. Intent is where the rider is doing the opposite of what we’d expect. Schooling is where the rider’s not doing enough and up the straight, we felt Mr Brennan just wasn’t doing enough. “He said, having raced down the side, he began to ask the mare for an effort and he heard her make a noise. From then on, it was his priority to get the bit back up in her mouth and to finish the race strongly.

“If a horse’s welfare is at risk, that’s not something we compromise on. We’d expect Mr Brennan to do what’s best for her welfare but in this case, she was running strongly all the way through to the line.” You’d have to say in this case that a ban and sanctioning was correct.

NOT THE DAY TO DO IT

We usually try to stick to news that is relevant to upcoming races in this newsletter, but this calamitous mess was too stupid to ignore. On the day that Kevin Blake took to Sky News to defend racing, the Jockey Club announced that they would be cutting prize-money by £1.5 million for the remainder of the year due to "very, very significant financial headwinds". 

Jockey Club chief executive, Nevin Truesdale, said that a fall in attendances (10,600) at the most recent Cheltenham Festival was one of the areas that has not helped the Jockey Club’s finances. He said: "This is symptomatic of the headwinds facing the whole industry, and the wider economy. We firmly believe that one of the big drivers of the Cheltenham audience was just simple affordability – yes, of our tickets, but also of the wider cost of attending the festival. 

"Cheltenham is a big driver of our commercial position for any given year. Any impact there is going to be felt more keenly than pretty much anything else we do.” The warning signs have been there for years, though there were certainly some big signs of uproar from the racing community when the initial Cheltenham attendance figures were first announced last month. 

Five Jockey Club race days have now lost their ‘Premier’ status, though these changes cut deeper than that. The list of industry concerns is long and growing - betting levy, affordability checks, bookmaker regulation, prize money, the racing calendar, the BHA itself…so many things need changing.

13.30 GROUP 3 PRIX IMPRUDENCE

RAMATUELLE found VANDEEK too good in the Gr1 Prix Morny at Deauville. That Prix Morny has worked out nicely as VANDEEK won the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, SACRED ANGEL finished third in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, and VALIANT FORCE finished second in the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. She’s the highest rated French filly and by the superstar JUSTIFY but that Morny was on ‘soft’, today is heavy and being out of a RAVENS PASS mare and SCAT DADDY on the top line she may struggle going up in trip, seasonal debut and ground has gone against her.

ROMANTIC STYLE is a beautiful daughter of NIGHT OF THUNDER, and her dam SWEETY DREAM won the Gr3 Prix Miesque on bad ground. A listed winning 2yo, she could easily progress further under Appleby and Buick tutelage. 

GREAT GENERATION was Gr3 placed in the Firth Of Clyde last year and remains unexposed having ran only 3 times. A 39,000gns yearling from Bk3, she is steeped in black type mainly from Germany, suggesting that she could easily improve from 2 to 3. 

SHADY LADY looks the most exposed having run 5 times as a juvenile. Second on her last start to Tamfana; this trip is well in her compass having won over a mile. An outsider but an interesting filly all the same.

Juddmonte runners always need a second look. ABSTRACT won on the polytrack in December for Graffard, by WOOTTON BASSETT she could handle the ground but might lack racing experience.

Verdict: we haven’t mentioned TAMFANA, a smart daughter of SOLDIER HOLLOW who cost €20,000 in Germany will relish the heavy ground. From looking at her pedigree she’ll improve from 2 to 3. Oisin takes the ride and she’ll be there at the business end. We’re hoping Menuisier lands a double!

RISK ON

14.15 DUKES OF HAATHER

One of our ‘weekend eye-catchers’. This lad fluffed his lines in the Brocklesby but ran on like a good horse and we think he can win today with the experience under his belt and give MOHAATHER his first winner as a sire. Standard single and 10/1 ew double with GENERAL ASSEMBLY in the 19.30 who is supposed to be flying.

14.30 PEP TALKING

Useless, useless trainer but this horse is the best in the race and worth a small wager for him to follow up at 2/1. Would be a stronger bet if he was from a different yard.

14.40 DEVILS POINT

We think Oisin and David Menuisier can go well in the aforementioned Prix Imprudence and if they get that, they’re on for a double here in the Prix Djebel. By French Derby winner NEW BAY, he’s very well bred, he’ll love the ground and comes here to kick off his 3yo campaign. Standard single at 3/1.

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